Kona Cotton Fabrics

First let me inform you that I am not whatsoever affiliated with the manufacturer of Kona cotton. I'm writing this article because of I was in the quest of looking for the perfect solid cotton fabric. I was looking for a cotton fabric that has a weight to it and is not so thin, I was also looking the one that have lots of colors I can choose. After some research and asking several people, I finally found my answer, it is Kona cotton.

Several custom designers recommended Kona to me. Christina, Pam, Kim, and Francoise are some of them. They told me that they have used Kona and are pleased with the quality. A little tip from them is to hang it dry after you wash it, it helps keeping the wrinkles to a minimum.

Robert Kaufman Fabrics is the manufacturer of Kona cotton. This line of fabric offers an array of color choices, 221 to be exact. This high thread count cotton is also a broadcloth, so it doesn't wrinkle as much as regular cotton fabric, which makes it great to use both for fashion items and quilting. Another plus of Kona cotton is that it has been successfully tested for harmful substances, so it is safe for skin. The price of Kona cotton in online stores starts at $4.19/yard. So the next time you are in need of good solid cotton fabrics, give Kona a try.

Custom Boutique VS Ready to Wear

When I was still sewing and designing both wedding dresses and girls' dresses, I couldn't count how many times people asked me to lower my price because the "ready to wear" version is this and that price, which is of course lower than mine. I am sure this is not an isolated case, I am sure I am not the only one who experience this. Most of custom designers probably come across with something like this.

I am not trying to talk trash about ready to wear, I love and wear them too. But I wish people would understand that custom and ready to wear is not even in the same playing field. It's totally two different thing, hence the two different price.

I saw on TV once how they produce jeans in factories. It took them only about 6 minutes total to make a pair of jeans. Meanwhile with custom, the patterns alone sometimes take days to make, it is CUSTOM made to client's measurements.

Most designers take pride on their craftsmanship and refuse to use any low quality materials. From fabrics to threads to trimmings, everything is hand picked thoughtfully. Then designers spend days and days cutting and sewing the fabrics, pouring all their thoughts and love and make sure everything is done correctly. Even buttons are hand sewn, which is not done in ready to wear, buttons are placed with machine. And in my area, which is wedding gowns, not only button are hand sewn, I use a lot of couture techniques which involves A LOT of hand sewing.

So I hope people start to appreciate custom garment more. Ready to wear clothing is fine for every day wear. But when you need that something special, there are plenty of good custom designers out there, try one. And once you have a custom made item, you'll be able to tell the difference in quality between custom and ready to wear. Because with all the work that goes into it, custom made items are truly work of arts.

HC Designer Feature

This time we feature another talented designer. Pietrina is the designer's name behind Bumble Bee Designs. This Australian based designer creates super chic heirloom quality baby and children items. Take a look at her beautiful creations below. To check out more, just go to her ebay store: http://stores.ebay.com/Bumble-Bee-Designs

Designers of custom children clothing, would you like to be featured? Just add HC Boutique in your ebay or etsy listings.

Accessories - Inspiration

I do believe in originality and uniqueness when it comes to custom boutique items. But I also believe that designers should also keep an eye on what's hot and popular out there, that way custom designers can still make their unique items and also make them marketable at the same time.

So here are a few children accessories carried by some major shops and department stores, hopefully they can inspire us.

Valentine's Day Fabrics

Valentine is coming pretty soon. Have you a special project in mind? If you need fabrics for your project or to inspire you to create a project, check out some Valentine's day selection at FortWorthFabricStudio.com. It has cute selections of fabrics with pink and red hues. Here are only some of them:

Don't forget to check out their Fab Fats and Fabric Bundles sections, a great way to collect and sample a little bit of everything. Also be sure to also check out their Sale sections, fabrics are selling as low as $3.

To visit Fort Worth Fabric Studio online catalog just click here:

http://www.fortworthfabricstudio.com/cgi-bin/Store/store.cgi

HC Designer Feature

This time's feature is a very talented designer Francoise Lama Solet. Her designs are truly one of a kind. I would describe her desings as a clever way of mixing and matching colors and patterns, and add a French flair and a dash of hand printing to that. Visit her Etsy shop here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/francoiselamasolet?ref=seller_info

And here are some of her impeccable works:

Designers of custom children clothing, would you like to be featured? Just add HC in your ebay or etsy listings.

2011 Spring / Summer Fashion Show

Here are a few pics from Pitti Bimbo trade show featuring 2011 spring/summer collection. Notice that you will see some of the 2011 colors from Pantone (I posted the colors a couple of days ago) here. I'm posting this to inspire us and to spark our creativity. Ready, get set, design and sew! :)

HC Modeling Contest is Opened!

O.K everyone, the modeling contest is opened. FREE submission. For rules and regulation and to submit the photos, please go to this link: http://www.flickr.com/groups/hcmodelingcontest

See you there and good luck! :)