Interview with Baby Gee's

Around the corner from my house is a darling fabric shop called Sew To Speak that I frequent quite regularly. Whenever I'm there I admire the lovely prints, check out the classes that are being offered, and dream of being able to sew (better). Much to my delight, the interview that I have today is with Michelle of Baby Gee's...and she is a teacher of some of those classes at Sew To Speak. She has also been kind enough to giveaway a super cute tote bag...so stay tuned after the interview.
TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF: I am a stay at home mom that started my own small business called Baby Gee's about 5 years ago. I have been sewing since I was about 12 or 13 and was taught by my grandmother and aunts. My mom doesn't sew, it must have skipped a generation! When I was younger, I made bags and curtains and home decor type items because that was my interest at the time. Over the years as my children came along, my inspirations changed. I love to make items that are useful and fun at the same time...hence the bibs, burp cloths, hooded towels and blankets that are staples of my business. My 3 kids keep me pretty busy but when I get the time, you can find me in the "basement boutique" as my friends like to call it, making new creations. I have a super supportive husband so I have ended up doing the craft show circuit a lot lately. I love the "selling high" you get when people buy something you have made. It's pretty cool.

WHAT KIND OF ITEMS DO YOU SELL IN YOUR ETSY SHOP: I mainly sell items for baby and kids. Blankets, bibs, burp cloths, t-shirts with fun appliques and hooded towels are my main items. I am branching out more now to include more clothing such as bubble skirts and pillowcase dresses for little girls. These are fun to make and I can't wait to get some more items for the holiday listed in my shop.

WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO ETSY: I actually heard about Etsy on TV one day while watching the Today show. I checked it out and was instantly hooked. It occupied many hours of my day at first because I so excited to find a site that catered to handmade. I bought lots of items and then decided to try my hand at selling. I think it's a good alternative to having a domain of your own. Although, I have to admit, I'm not great at maintaining my site as much as I should.

HOW DO YOU PROMOTE YOUR SHOP: I have been blogging occasionally and I post things on Facebook. I teach classes at Sew To Speak so I have my business card there and I like to generally talk about business. I also do consignment in a few shops around town so hopefully my logo and name are seen out and about. So word gets around somehow.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ITEM IN YOUR SHOP RIGHT NOW: The bubble skirts for sure. I met a fellow seamster through Sew To Speak and she has the most wonderful pattern under her Figgy line. She was kind enough to let me teach the class after she moved to the west coast. I love this little skirt. It is super versatile and REVERSIBLE. Two skirts in one!!

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SHOP GOAL IN THE NEXT SIX MONTHS: I think my biggest goal is to be able to add more items and keep it up more to date. I tend to focus more on the "making" and not the technical side of things like taking pictures and listing items on a regular basis. I wish someone would do that piece for me. I also plan on working on tutorial on making a tote bag. I teach Sewing 101 where we make a tote and students request "pictures" to go along with the instructions so I thought this might be a good thing to put together.

FAVORITES: I love all kinds of music but am particularly partial to some of the older rock. My kids now know the words to Steve Miller Band..."keep on rocking me baby". That is probably not something to brag about, but funny to hear a three year old sing. I am an avid reader and love fiction of all kinds. The last movie I saw in a theatre was Talladega Nights...sad but true. I usually wait to rent it...much easier and cheaper. I have a great family, friends and I love where I live (Clintonville), so I'm feeling pretty content with life right now. I just wish there were more hours in the day! Oh yeah...and I wish the baby would sleep through the night too! :)

Thanks Michelle for the great interview! Maybe I'll run into at the fabric store one of these days!

If you want to win this great tote bag from Baby Gee's (pictured above), leave a comment on this post. It has a $25 value and is super duper cute!