Is anyone here good at sewing and making baby clothes?

Question

I am a mum and wanting to stay at home and work. I was thinking about sewing and making things like baby clothes, etc as Im passionate about baby things. Does anyone know if this is easy? and also would anyone here actully buy homemade baby clothes? if they are well made?

Answer 1

I've been sewing for way more years than I care to admit, and think I can answer some of your questions. I will also give you some things to think about. So far as the difficulty of sewing for babies, there are advantages and disafvantages, both because of the size and scale you work on. They are small items, so you don't have to work with yards of material at a time. On the other hand, because they are small, it can be trickier to do some things, like set in a sleeve. If you are comfortable sewing and working with small items in tight spaces, then it's no problem- if not, then it can be irritating. Everyone likes to buy baby things, but as babies grow so quickly, most parents learn to look at the price tag for everything except a few "good" outfits. Fancier things are bought more for gifts, by grandparents, and for the holidays like Christmas and Easter. You can't compete with the major companies for everyday wear pricewise, so you will want to concentrate on specialty boutique type items. You want to make something that can't be found in regular stores, to offset the higher cost of your product. Remember, you will have the cost of materials and your time to consider, plus a profit margin, to calculate your prices. People have no concept of the amount of time or effort which go into most clothing items, which is why they would choose a lower priced item if they could find it, regardless of the quality- especially for baby clothes which are outgrown fairly quickly.
Personalized items like bibs go fast, as do cute hats and bonnets. Matching sets of bib, bonnet, and blanket do well also. Boys clothing sometimes goes well, since that's a niche not well representing in most stores, especially for special wear holiday dress.
Unless you want to open up your own business and shop, you will need to find a boutique to handle your sales for you. They will want a cut, obviously, so you will have to factor that into your final price as well.
I sew now primarily for pin money through flea market sales and holiday bazaars. I stay mostly with the bibs, bonnets and blankets, and I do well enough to suit me. I also make t-shirt dresses, using a regular colored t-shirt, and add a strip of cloth at the hem to match, and make dress length. You can make an applique on the shirt to match the skirt portion, and as it's child sized, it's not expensive to make or purchase. Those go better in summer, though. In winter, I will make a ribbon decor with a bow- so it looks like a gift package, using seasonal ribbons and a sweatshirt. Boy things are tougher than girls, but with a good design idea for them, you can clean up- as there just aren't things in the shops much for boys.
Christening gowns are popular items as well, though they are pricier to produce and therefore a higher priced item to buy. Most anything for the newborn set goes. I also had good luck last year with "I'm the big sister/brother" t-shirts in toddler sizes, which people bought to go along with baby shower gifts for older siblings.
My biggest advice is to keep an eye on what's in the shops and don't duplicate it. Don't try for everyday wear because you can't compete pricewise. Do make things washable, and advertise that fact. People may think the bib is adorable, but they also know babies get messy and don't want a bib that is unusable. Check all materials for hand feel, things that feel soft and cuddly go and things that are scratchy but cute will sit. If you want to offer personalization on some items, figure out the additional cost beforehand, as well as what you can and can't personalize. And if you do decide to offer through a boutique, have lots of samples ready to show the owner, and be certain you have enough stock to meet demand ready. If you happen to hit on something, but don't have enough to meet demand, you will lose sales and possibly the contract. People buy this kind of stuff on impulse and don't come back the next week to see if it's in stock again. They don't do waiting lists, and they won't wait long for personalized items either. In most cases, if you don't have it to sell when they want it, you don't make the sale at all.
Prepare yourself to hear complaints, about just about everything. They will like the style, but not your color choices. They will want to special order something, but not pay the extra cost. They will try to find fault with all sorts of things, and then want you to take money off the price for it. They bring back things torn and stained, and want the money back because they want to blame you for it.
If this is truly something you want to try, I say go for it. Just be sure you do your research first, in the locale where you will be selling in. Check what's in the shops, find dependable suppliers, and get everything ready to open shop. Be sure to calculate your prices carefully, and be sure you calculate in your actual time in production. Things that are labor intensive may end up too pricey to sell, and you may have to consider dropping that item in favor of something else. Even once you actually start selling, be prepared to adapt to your market constantly, and be sure you actually do. I wish you luck and success.

Answer 2

I would suggest looking on ebay and Yahoo shopping, search baby clothes, to see what items are going and for what prices, pay attention to which items have the most bids, also make note of boys, girls, and sizes.
While doing this also look for other items you may have or you can acquire or make that are good sellers. Mind you there is a charge to place items on ebay, not much , I placed a set of wedding bouquets for about $3.
Sewing for the public can be a little of a hassle, if you choose to sew for people in your home town or at request of a certain item, be sure you can depend on them to pick it up and pay for it.
I really hope you can stay at home with your baby.

Answer 3

I can help you in this regard for ordering tailor made clothes from Pakistan. It may be OEM manufacturing and the designs may be sent by internet