Q. My hometown is...
A. Easton, PA (Home of Crayola crayons!)
What inspires you?
Color! I love patterns and bold colors. I sometimes have a hard time toning down my love of bold patterns and colors to make things that my customers want. Many of them have told me they want more neutral colored shoes offered. It's hard to find a balance between the fabrics I'm drawn to and what my customers will actually buy!!
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| One woman shoe factory! @homesewnbylaura |
What's your creative process like?
I feel like I have creative "spurts," as many makers do. I can't just sit down and force myself to come up with ideas. I truly come up with my best ideas while laying in bed staring at the 1980s drop ceiling in my bedroom! There's something about the pattern on those ceiling tiles... :)
What's your business all about?
My business is about making fun, comfy shoes for babies and toddlers. It's about color! It's about helping moms finally find shoes that stay on chubby baby feet! It's abut creating relationships and even "friendships" with people near and far!
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| Oh the places you'll go in @homesewnbylaura soft shoes! |
When and how did you start your business?
I started my business almost three years ago while I was nearing the end of my year of maternity leave with my daughter. I had started tooling around with my sewing machine and had found a pattern for baby shoes that I was trying to perfect. People saw the shoes on my daughter and told me I should sell them. Since I knew I wasn't going to be going back to work after my maternity leave (I was going to resign from teaching for a few years while my kids were young), it seemed like a good time to take the plunge into the handmade world and make a little extra money.
What were the biggest challenges you had to overcome to get to where you are today?
For the first few years of owning my Etsy shop, I felt very alone when it came to having other people to bounce my ideas off of, ask small business questions, vent about why Etsy was slow, etc. But this past fall I found the IG community, as well as a community on Facebook, and have gained a huge support system from other small shop owners. The support has been great!
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| Love this artist in action event concept. @homesewnbylaura |
The thing that surprised me most was...
The cycles of online sales. I can predict when I will be busy (September-April) and when sales will slow down a bit (May-August). I am starting my fourth year on Etsy and the cycles still prove to be true!
I'm most grateful for...
..the support of my husband!
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| Let's go adventuring in @homesewnbylaura shoes! |
My advice for anyone thinking of making and selling is...
Stay positive and persevere!!! There will always be time when business is slow! There will always be times when you want to go all "Office Space" on your sewing machine! There will be times when you want to throw in the towel! But if this is something you really love and want to do, keep at it and try to remember the good times, the successful times.
Is there anything you would do differently if you had to start over today?
Take better pictures of my products from the very beginning!
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| So much love goes into these little shoes! @homesewnbylaura |
My favorite colors are... Turquoise!
The song that's stuck in my head lately is...
The Hot Dog song from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
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| I love the fun and bright fabric choices Laura makes! Soft shoes by @homesewnbylaura |
Currently streaming...
I need a new show! I just finished up a series and now I'm tempted to rewatch Lost this summer.
My favorite sip-able treat is...
Seltzer!
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| One woman shoe factory! @homesewnbylaura |
Teleportation. We do a lot of driving to see family and I wish there was a way to get to places faster!
The actress that would play me in the movie of my life would be...
I've been told that I resemble Demi Lovato...
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| Playful soft shoes by @homesewnbylaura |
My favorite childhood toy was...
the dollhouse my grandfather made for me in 1992. My daughter now has it. My grandfather is gone now and I think of him every time she plays with it!
If I had the whole day to myself I would...
Go to a store and actually try on clothes. Then I would just sit in the car and listen to music while sipping an iced coffee from Starbucks!
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| Teethers by @homesewnbylaura |
Best quote ever...
"Do not be anxious for anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and your mind through Jesus Christ." Phillipians 4:6-7
Best book ever...
The Alchemist by Pablo Coelho....an absolutely beautiful book about never being too old to chase your dreams and not settling for what life has handed you
Best movie ever...
I'm not much of a movie person...but currently we love Tangled at our house!
Follow me at:
Etsy Shop: www.etsy.com/shop/HomeSewnbyLaura
Instagram: https://instagram.com/HomeSewnbyLaura
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