May 26, 2009

Secret codes

For my cloth diapering friends, some secret codes--
1cover = $1 off any cover
2covers = $2.50 off any two covers
3covers = $4 off any three covers
Share with friends and enjoy!

May 19, 2009

AIOs stocking

May 25 at noon, AIO custom slots will be stocking. Should be plenty of Solo Flyer spots to go 'round since I've stocked 24 total. 3 in each size, solids & prints. Oh, and I've added on more diaper covers too.

One diaper cover that I've put up, the Nubots Diaper Cover, is the new hybrid I mentioned in the previous post. You see, to have my covers sewn by someone other than myself, I needed to change the pattern a bit. In the process of doing this, I also did a fit merge of the Snapper and the Wrapper.

This new diaper cover is front snap, with rounded wings, still has the gussets, and a nice fit for any type of diaper. I'm thinking of it as the "Snapper 2.0" but I don't want to confuse anyone. I'll just call this new one a generic diaper cover for as long as I'm still stocking the Snapper.

May 16, 2009

About customs

I've been getting a LOT of emails asking "when will there be custom slots?" Well, it takes a bit to explain...and I'm just going to lay out the whole ugly truth here. You see, we did taxes in April and figured out that even though I've been working full time on this business through all of 2008, I actually made a profit that is laughably small. $2 an hour, I kid you not. Doing all customs is not the way to run a business, it turns out.

I've noticed that Lands' End has some semi-custom items for which they charge a substantial premium. And this spring LL Bean is offering some simple tote bags that you can have made in custom colors, for about $15+ extra per bag. For custom diaper covers, I should be charging $30-40 each.*** Why? Getting out the fabric, smoothing, finding the correct pattern pieces, cutting out fabrics, putting fabric away, threading the machine with matching thread, sewing just one of something (rather than the economies of speed with batching multiples of an item), getting out and putting on the customer's chosen snaps....it all adds a LOT of time. As an experiment, I sewed some multiples of the same diaper cover. I could not believe how much faster it was.

Nonetheless, being a creative type, I also found that sewing multiples of the same thing is deadly dull for me. At the same time, I keep thinking of new things I'd like to try. In the past this had already gotten me into the mess of introducing more types of items than I could reasonably produce. I have 3 new items in my head right now that I'd love to be experimenting with, rather than sewing diaper cover after diaper cover.

SO...what to do? First off, I'm working on getting my diaper covers manufactured. This is not easy because I want to have it all done in the USA. As you're probably aware, a lot of manufacturing of clothing moved overseas and the few remaining places have high minimums. But I'm going to go for it! They will likely be ready late summer/early fall.

Second, I am going continue to stock diaper covers until I can get them made for me. I'll make small batches of the fantastic prints I've been collecting. But I'm not going to take any more custom orders for diaper covers. Oh, and I had to revise my pattern for manufacturing...a hybrid of the Snapper and the Wrapper...a front-snap Snapper 2.0...is what I'll be doing, so when the manufactured ones are ready they'll be the same style. Same great fit with some nice tweaks. I'm very excited about this revised pattern!

Third, I'll be doing some custom slots for the Solo Flyer AIOs. What? Custom? Well, you see, with those I can pre-make the insides. There are far fewer fabric choices for the outsides and I don't have to keep changing thread colors. So it still makes sense to do these as customs.

Ideally it would be great to make everything as customs. Hey, wouldn't you love to go to your favorite clothing store and say I want this style, in this print, with this trim...and not pay a couture price for the priviledge? I think that may be in our, or our children's, future. Technology and manufacturing -wise, we're not there yet, and those that are doing mass customization charge a pretty penny for it. But we'll get there one day, I'm sure of it.

***Wait a minute, how is it that all these other WAHMs are doing customs and not charging $40 a diaper cover? I admit I'm a slow and picky sew-er. There are also a lot of at-home moms willing to make little if any profit. They are doing it more as a hobby than a business. This situation is debated often in the seller's forums. Sewing diapers is a relatively easy business to enter in terms of startup costs. You don't have to write a business plan or seek investors or even take out a loan. You can experiment with selling a small amount at a low profit and be pleased that you are contributing to the family finances. This is how most of us start out, but it eventually leads to a need to severely limit stockings, burnout, or turning to manufacturing (or all three!). It also depresses prices for diapering products, which have a lower profit margin than just about any other type of sewn product. Many diapers are more like a structured purse than a t-shirt in sewing complexity, yet sell at t-shirt prices. To sell a custom handbag at a t-shirt price is not a workable business proposition for the long run.

May 12, 2009

Good to go!







All the previews are now up for this Friday's big diaper cover stocking. I've added a couple of cute jungle / safari themed prints: Pink Hippos and This Place is a Zoo! There's also a garden bug print and a tropical floral print. Good summery stuff for little girls and little boys alike.


Next up: you heard it here first, folks. A limited number of custom Solo Flyer AIO slots will be stocked on Monday, May 25 at noon.

May 7, 2009

Next Stocking May 15

Coming May 15...a humongous diaper cover stocking at fishnoodles! Previews are not up in the store yet, so here is a sneak peek of three fun solid Snapper combos...


Rubber Ducky

Rose Garden

Beachy Blues

There will be print covers too, in Wrapper and Snapper styles. I'll preview the print covers here as soon as they are ready :)