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Pink & Lacey

Uncategorized July 16, 2012

I finished a few custom orders this weekend – and this is part of one order.  The customer requested some padding in the cups.  The foam inserts are not overly padded, but give the bra a little extra shape.  I’m going to try to find some time to experiment with adding pre-formed cups on larger size bras to see if it adds some extra support for ladies like me!  

In the works…

Uncategorized July 13, 2012

WOW! This summer has been amazingly busy for Ohhh Lulu.  It has been absolutely awesome.  I’ve had the opportunity to sew soooo much wedding lingerie.  It’s really been a lot of fun.  I am catching up and winding down and hoping to have some time to devote to my blog soon.

I have a few things floating around in my brain… First, I’ve had a lot of people ask about converting the Betty Pattern into a swimsuit bottom.  So, I am working on a Swim Suit Sew Along, and am in the midst of making a long-line bra/tank pattern that can be used as a swim suit top.  I’m really excited about that.

I’ve got a give away planned for August.  It’s not Ohhh Lulu Lingerie, but it is something that fellow sewists will want to stay tuned for.

Soooo…. stay tuned 🙂

Little Lydia

Uncategorized July 13, 2012
We took Lydia in to see our vet last night.  When you adopt a pet from the OSPCA, you get a complimentary vet visit, which was nice because Lydia has some issues.  First, like most animals that come from a shelter, she had a bit of a cold.  Second, She has a heart condition. Third, she has a cloudy eye that the vet at the shelter could not get a good look at, but did take note of.
The heart condition is a level 6 heart murmer.  I’ve learned that heart murmers run on a scale from 1, being least severe, to 6 being most severe.  Lydia’s heart murmer is a 6.  She is so tiny and her heart beats so hard you can actually see the heart murmer when she is laying down.  She is a pretty lazy kitty, but it doesn’t cause her any discomfort.  The vet was pretty clear that it really is a serious issue for her.
Poor kitty also has an infection in her incision from the spay.  As a precaution, because of her heart condition and everything else going on with her, we have her on some antibiotics.  She is such a nice, docile kitty and takes her pill so easily.  
It’s sad to know that this sweet little animal that I am already so attached to might not be with us for long, but I suppose I feel repose knowing that at least she will live out her life in comfort. She sits on the chair next to me when I sew and has is starting to come for pats and snuggles with us on the couch at night.
I’ve never had a pet with any sort of serious health problem, so I’m not really sure what to expect.  

New Mailing List

Uncategorized July 12, 2012

I’ve had a few people contact me to ask about a mailing list, and I have finally gotten around to setting one up.  You can subscribe here, or on the right sidebar of my blog.
Newsletters will be sent at no particular frequency, but will highlight Sales, New Designs, Pattern Developments, Important announcements like Sew Alongs and Give Aways, and other Ohhh Lulu News.  If you are interested, click here to sign up.


Blog Lovin’

Uncategorized July 12, 2012
I was absolutely thrilled to have my Midnight Camisole featured on the Lingerie Addict.  I love the Lingerie Addict and it’s been a dream for me to be on that blog, so this little feature on June 21st was just awesome.  If you are not familiar with the Lingerie Addict, it really is an amazing source for lingerie reviews, latest styles and collections… and beautiful examples of lingerie.  She does such a nice job of featuring so many types of lingerie – handmade, corsetry, lingerie for fuller figures, lingerie for petite women.  Ok, ok, I’ll stop swooning… 
Yesterday I received an email from Jeanmarie from Mathewson photography.  Jeanmarie takes the most beautiful boudoir photos, they look like they could be straight out of Vogue.  I was so happy to see that she had featured a selection of my lingerie on her blog.  I really wish I lived closer, I would love to do a photoshoot with her! 

Heart Tee

Uncategorized July 12, 2012

Remember those heart t-shirts I sewed a while back? The first one I made was for a friend I’ve known since since Kindergarten, but haven’t really seen since High School.  Growing up in a small town, you tend to go through your entire schooling with the same people, which is nice, because you really get to know each other.  However, after high school you don’t have much choice but to leave, pursue an education, and you all go your separate ways.  I was so excited when Andrea messaged me on Facebook and asking me about a shirt she wanted to have made.  She posted this picture a few days ago and was kind enough to let me show it off.  I can’t believe how amazing the shirt looks on her.  She has the perfect figure for it!

Welcome home Lydia!

Uncategorized July 11, 2012
Lydia has been with us for four days now and is adjusting pretty well.  She is the smallest cat I have ever had, and I think she must have been the runt of the litter.  
A week ago, we were notified that Lydia had a heart murmer, and the vet was concerned about putting her under for her spay.  She pulled through, and is happy in her new home.  Aside from the heart murmer, she has 1 cloudy eye, but in my opinion, it just gives her character.  It causes no pain, and she seems to see fine. They did warn me that sometimes cats with heart murmers will grow out of it, sometimes it can impact their longevity.  What ever happens, I am just happy she has a home.
She is not quite sure what to make of the dog.  She looks at him with great disdain, and he just wants her to chase him.  Overall, they are getting along quite well, and will even share the couch with one another.
Happy Family!

I had forgotten how low maintenance cats are.  She spends most of her day in the window, bird watching, in between naps in the closet and trips downstairs for food and water.  She’s pretty sweet and snuggley.  Oliver gets a little jealous when I pick her up, put other than that, he doesn’t pay her much attention.

My Take… Burda Style Dress

Uncategorized July 11, 2012
I have been eyeing Burda #101, the cap sleeve & tank dress with gathered rectangle skirt.  It’s a basic sun dress, with a basic bodice-block top, but I liked the simple style of it.  Basic patterns like these are easy to manipulate, and add small details to make them really unique.
I made a few small changes to the pattern. First, I found the sizing to be quite off.  I haven’t sewn a lot of burda patterns, but I cut what was to be for a size 37 3/4″ bust, and I was swimming in it.  I probably reduced the whole thing by about 4 inches.  Prior to this, I had found bruda patterns usually fit pretty well.  Maybe I misinterpreted the pattern and cut the wrong size… I am notoriously bad at reading instructions.
Anyway, I made my dress out of a woven stripe that has some serious stretch to it.  Because of that, I was able to omit the zipper completely.  This made me very happy because I hate sewing zippers.  Yep, I’ll be the first to admit, I’ll go out of my way to avoid installing a zip.
I added ribbon ties to the shoulders. I trimmed back the shoulder seam by about 1/2″ on either side, basted and gathered along the raw edge, then stitched my ribbon to it.  
On the back I added a heart cut out, which I bound this time with navy fold over elastic.  Bias binding works just as well.

  

The age-old Etsy Debate

Uncategorized July 10, 2012
Ah… the age-old Etsy Debate…  What is handmade, really?
Do you make a deliberate choice to shop handmade? Would you be disappointed if you bought something that you thought had been handmade by an artisan, only to find out it was made in a factory? Does it matter whether the factory is in China or New York?  What if the factory consists of only 5 staff? What if there are 45?
As many people know, Etsy has opened the field to allow collective shops, a loose terms that allows a team of people to run an Etsy shop. Collectives allow two or more artisans to run a shop cooperativly, it also allows a shop owner to hire out tasks, like shipping, listing, etc. It stipulates that all handmade items must be made by members of the collective, but what if the collective consists of 15 people, 12 of whom work in a factory? This has greatly clouded Etsy’s definition of “handmade.”
It bothers me sometimes when I see items that are clearly produced by a larger team of people, being marketed as “handmade.”  Handmade is becoming as trendy as Gluten Free and Organic, and has become as diluted as those terms as well.  The problem is, the whole idea of “handmade” is such an innately vague  notion that it is really hard to separate what is legitimately handmade and what isn’t. 
I can whole heatedly say my garments are handmade.  I design them, I source the fabric, I cut & sew, I package and mail.  What if I designed, packaged and mailed, but got a friend to cut & sew… what if instead of a friend, I sent them to a workshop in Toronto?  Someone still made them, right? As long as I list the sewers names on my about me page, I can still sell, as a handmade seller on Etsy? At what point does something stop being handmade?
Sometimes it is hard to stay competitive against larger collectives, or smaller brands who produce on a larger scale through factories locally and abroad. It can be a challenge to convey to the average consumer why they should buy handmade by an individual, when handmade often costs more, and takes much longer to produce.
I think the essence of a collective is a great idea, and I actually have a collective idea in the works.  Its the loose definition of the term on Etsy, a site to buy handmade items, that worries me.
I also don’t think there is anything wrong with buying workshop-made.  I buy stuff like that all the time. Workshop-made, especially if made in North America is awesome – think of the jobs it brings. I think it’s just a matter of transparency.  When you buy something on Etsy, do you expect that the person you buy it from made it? When you buy something from Mod Cloth, you know it went through a series of hands.  Does it even really matter any more?
I almost feel that Etsy should abandon the whole notion of “Handmade” and focus on the craft. I don’t really consider myself as much of a designer as I do a craftsperson.  A craftsperson is someone who practices a trade of handicraft. They are skilled.  They have worked years to master their art.  I think that is what Etsy is about, and I think that is what consumers expect. That is, if Etsy even cares anymore…
I’m so behind on the times, I only recently read a Regretsy post about a seller who was chosen for Etsy’s esteemed Featured Seller (oh how I’d love to be one, Etsy!) spot.  She sold “handmade” furniture out of reclaimed wood.  What was unclear was how the furniture was being made.  It was being sold not just on etsy, but on websites like Overstock.com. She claimed that wood was being imported from Bali and that she has 4 hired worker  to assemble the furniture.  However, the company she was importing from was a furniture manufacturer and sells the exact same pieces on their website that she is selling as her own.  It was pretty clear that her pieces were being imported.  Etsy stood firm and claimed that this fit within the confines of a collective.  Since the piece was posted in May (on Etsy & Regretsy), the shop has disappeared from Etsy.
The obvious resellers on Etsy don’t really bother me, like the ones selling Leg Avenue lingerie.  They are obvious, and they don’t even try to disguise themselves.  It’s the ones that blur the lines, who have 2 or three staff of “designers” but produce in a workshop.  To me, this is when the idea of craftsmanship gets lost, which, I think, is what Etsy is all about… This is where an item stops being handmade.
Anyway, I would love to hear your thoughts.  I know it’s kind of a dead topic, but I’d love to see Etsy shift their focus from handmade to craftsmanship.
In other news, I have been working on a garter belt design, which you can see below. 

Customer Service…

Uncategorized July 7, 2012

I have two jobs; by day I am an office manager, and in between I run Ohhh Lulu.  In both jobs, I make mistakes fairly regularly.  I forget things, sometimes something might not get stitched quite right, sometimes there are typos, occasionally a customer isn’t happy.  This will happen with any job you do.

I’ve learned that the best way to deal with your mistakes is to be upfront and honest.  Offer an apology, fix the situation, and move on.  I’ve made so many mistakes in my professional life, I have become Queen at this.  With Ohhh Lulu, I’ve been fortunate to only have a handful of mistakes, and I have a good policy in place where, if it doesn’t fit, I’ll remake it, and I make it my priority.

I recently placed an order on a well known fabric website for a few things.  I always liked shopping at this well known fabric website, they have good prices, good selection, quick shipping, never had a problem with them.

Five days after placing my order, I received an email saying a fabric was out of stock.  I chose a replacement that was less expensive and went about my merry way.  Three days after that, I got an email saying that they had received my full payment and that my order would be shipped.  I was a little confused because I paid eight days ago at this point, and I was actually supposed to be getting a partial refund. So, I emailed to confirm… and was ignored.  Four Days after this, I received a notice that a second fabric was out of stock.  I was very confused at this point, because my order was supposed to have shipped four days ago!  So, I called, and requested that the entire order be cancelled.  At this point I had to add a couple other things to the order anyway, and wanted to just start fresh.  The representative assured me the order was cancelled and I would receive a full refund in 7-10 days.

The next day I placed my new order, which included two fabrics from the original, cancelled order.  Two days after that, on July 4th, I received an email that my cancelled order had shipped! I immediately emailed them, knowing that they would likely be closed for the holiday, explained what had happened and asked that someone please follow up with me by Friday.  On Thursday my new order shipped, and of course I have heard nothing from them.  So, now I have double the fabric coming in two SKU’s , and have paid shipping twice.  In reality, I will likely be able to use all of the fabric, but I am mostly annoyed that I have now paid $50 in shipping.

I am so frustrated with the service I’ve received from this company! And by service, I mean no service.  If I were this company, I would do two things.  First, I would check and respond to my emails within 24 hours. Second, I would offer a refund on at least the cost of shipping to make up for the error and complete lack of customer service I received.  Shipping from the US to Canada costs upwards of $25.  Ignoring your customers, especially your angry customers, is probably the worst customer service policy!

In hindsight, I wish that I had insisted that the representative give me some kind of reference number, or something.  How do you think this well known fabric website should have handled this situation?  Have you had any bad experiences buying fabric online?

On that note, where do you like to buy fabric online?