Customize It

Things may have seemed a little quiet over here, but I've actually been pretty busy behind the scenes. Even after three years of doing this, it still surprises me how much work and time it takes for a product to make it from design through to sale. Sewing is actually the easiest part, I think. Anyway, you should see lots of new listings in the coming weeks... starting today!

Today, I'm here to announce the launch of two new services: Dear Edna will now be offering custom hand-embroidery and DYOA (Design Your Own Apron)!

You may recall that last year I had a special promotion for the month of October offering free embroidery on all my products.  It was intended as a testing ground to get some practice with the entire process and I'm so glad that many of you took me up on it, because I learned so much, most importantly how much I enjoy hand-embroidery! I can take it with me on trips, shows, or craft nights; I can stitch and talk at the same time; it gives me (and my back) time away from the sewing machine; and it's intensely personal and creative, which is probably the thing I love most about it. You have to admit that there is something special, traditional, and almost romantic about the process, knowing that someone drew the letters, stretched the hoop, and made every delicate stitch with a simple needle and thread. That is a kind of handmade that cannot be imitated by a machine. So even though I've actually acquired an embroidery machine recently, I'm sticking to what feels right to me, my business and my values.

I currently have two listings up, one for monograms and initials and one for names and phrases. If you want something stitched that is longer than 10 characters, like my good man Lou here, simply send me a message and we'll work it out.

While we're reminiscing, you may also recall how I ventured into the world of wholesale fabric last year and came out with a lot (some would say too much) fabric. So much, in fact, that I haven't had time yet to photograph all of the aprons I made with it! I've also had a few customers in the past request different pairings of fabrics than what I offer. So, hoping to solve both problems, I came up with the Design Your Own Apron concept. I'm basically giving you virtual access to my entire fabric stash of 20 designer fabrics to mix and match and create the reversible apron of your dreams. Haha!

These ideas have been kicked around, experimented with, discussed at length and put on and off to-do lists more times than I can count, so I'm pretty proud to see them finally for sale and I'm eager to see them action. To sweeten the deal, I've decided to offer these two services at 20% off until the end of the month with the discount code CUSTOM20. I sincerely hope you'll take advantage!