Whats coming up for Alternatots..

As usual i have left too long between blog updates, so long infact it takes me a while to figure out how to update it in the first place....hmm.


So where to start?


First of all i think i will just to a quick reminder about what i am aiming to achieve with Alternatots, firstly to remind myself and secondly to let you know what to expect.

I started Alternatots with the idea of making clothing that i considered a little bit more interesting than what is available in the shops etc, the usual sick of blue and pink and all the other 'alternative' clothing brands just producing a load of slogan t-shirts and expecting you to be happy with that. My main aim is to provide you with something well made and unusual, i spend alot of time sourcing different fabrics which is hard work as they always seem to be so far away, i also try and keep my pricing reasonable but please remember that i do not work for free and this is a business for me, i am not your Grandma sewing up something for free!

I have started to add a few blankets to my collection and nursing pillows which i am very pleased with, i make the cushion itself from scratch with a removeable cover.

This picture shows the skull and roses nursing pillow with a red minky dot fabric on the back (soo soft) and the pillow inside is black! I aim to add to the collection as soon as i can and i am able offer matching blankets as well.

Getting Ready For Christmas!

At the moment i am making items to order as i go along, this may have to change slightly after September as i would like to aim to have more ready to go stock, i am currently sourcing different brands to add to my website to go along side what i already sell so if there is anything you would like to see more of or you can tell me what sizes etc you would like me to expand into then please let me know!

My main reason for slowing down the made to order process is that i am expecting my second 'Alternatot' due in December so anyone who has had a baby will know this is a tiring process and most of the time i just want to go to sleep, i am hoping to take the pressure off and still be offering items for sale but mostly done at my own pace. (it is also very distracting having someone line dancing in my stomach as i sew!).

So get your orders in quick!

If there is anything special you would like me to make for you then the best idea would be to get your order in quickly so there is plenty of time for me to sort it out before the big day.

I am really looking forward to sourcing my winter stock now and i have plenty of ideas for making as well, sometimes i wish i had more sewing time to complete everything in my head!

Thanks for reading and please keep up with my facebook page for new items coming in stock. x

NEW Brands Available at Alternatots!

I know i am doing this a bit late as i have had them on my website a while but now the rush has slowed i can start to catch up on everything again.

I have added two new clothing brands on my website recently so if you haven't already seen them now is the time to take a look!

My new shipment of IRON FIST clothing has arrived and as they are fairly new at doing childrenswear you will see many of these things for the first time and i have to say i love the quality and i am looking forward to getting my daughter in a few of their pieces, most of the clothes are just mini versions of the adult clothes so you really can have the mini me thing going on (if thats what you like!) I do have some more on order including boyswear and girls shoes so please keep an eye out for their arrival!

The other new brand i have added is MICRO ME and they are all the way from the USA. I have started off with a few of their closeouts pieces so i wont be able to reorder these items so if you like it get it quick! I am always being asked for more boys things so they seemed a perfect addition and my favourite is definately the boys rockers shorts as they are adorable!

The girls denim skirt with rose embroidery is also super cute as they have a hidden pair of leopard print shorts sewn into them.

I have had a new order of SOURPUSS through so please take a look at the studded belts as they are perfect for finishing off a mini rocker outfit and although they are only available in sizes 0-6m, 6-12m, 12-18m and 18-24m please check out the measurements as they do fit my 3 1/2 year old daughter just fine so don't dismiss them until you have measured your child!

I also have a few pirate feeding sets which are worth a look as they will be discontinuing this line soon which is a shame.

Please watch my facebook page for general updates and new items.

www.alternatots.com

Why i make my clothes to order

Today has been a long day with me sewing non stop to try and keep everyone happy and waiting times shorter and sometimes i do wonder whether i should stop doing things this way and only put items up as i make them so they can be dispatched straight away so i thought i would try and explain why i do things this way in the first place, also it gives me a break from the seven little dresses waiting for me to complete....!
As i am a fairly small business at the moment it isn't worth me sitting and making a bunch of different sizes all at once because as experience tells me the sizes i make will never be the correct ones, someone will always want something different! I only hold a small amount of each fabric at a time and if i make to order then i know each piece of fabric will be used and there will be no waste.

It also gives people more choice, i can offer all my different items at the same time and you can choose what you would like rather than wait for me to make it and put it up for sale.

My only problem it seems is that people are unaware this is how i operate and although i spent alot of time outlining this on each ebay listing and on my carefully laid out information on my website people still seem to assume that the item should be with them within a day of purchasing it and i have to say i am getting very tired of answering the same questions about 'where is my item' ....which leads me back to the idea of stopping what i am doing and only offering made to order through facebook and my website and all ebay listings can be ready mades.

Other than that i am very pleased with how things are going and i am very excited about some of the new items i have purchased to sell through my website (which will be made and ready to send for those who like things quickly!). I have some brand new 'Iron Fist' childrens clothing coming very soon and i have ordered some gorgeous new things from 'Sourpuss' and some super new boys clothing for all of those waiting!

Here we go...

So...its February already and i have managed to avoided updating this for almost 2 months but now i think its time for me to bring everyone up to speed.
Last time i wrote on my blog it was to announce that my website was up and running just in time for Christmas so i guess everyone would like to know how it is all going? Well the answer is very well, for most people January starts off slow but for me it just kept getting busier and busier, so busy infact i have taken on a lady to help me sew, this infact highlights to me just how fussy i am about every single piece of clothing i send out and also how quick i can actually make things myself! It is going to be a slow process bringing her up to speed with all the items i make but hopefully in the long run it will make things quicker.
I cant express how happy i am with all my repeat customers, i have the most wonderful ladies coming back to me again and again which means i must be doing something right but unfortunately i had one an unhappy customer today...although he never said he wasn't happy with his item...he was unhappy with the dispatch time, funnily enough he didn't take into account the two emails from me requesting what size he wanted his item in and also i guess it slipped his mind that on the listing it says give me at least 14 working days and although i sent it out only 2 days after his email telling me what size this wasn't quick enough for him! Oh well you cant please them all (or help them read).
Anyway im not here to moan but i would like to say that i do infact make everything myself from buying the fabric to cutting the item out and right through to the end finish and at the moment i have over 30 items needing my attention and so when i do say please give me time to make your item i guess i should mention that i only have two dedicated working days a week to do it in as well! Thats probably why i am up till midnight most nights....but i love what i do and i wouldn't have it any other way (apart from maybe a bit more time to get these new ideas out of my head before i burst!!).

Its Almost Time!

I have been adding items non stop, ive been sewing new items, i have been a recluse for the last few months and ignored family and friends (and the gym) and i have even had to shut down my ebay shop for a short time just to get enough time to finish it but i believe the time is getting closer when i finally get to show you my BRAND NEW shiny website!

I have been saving up lots of new items especially for it and i hope you will like them all as much i do! I have been amazed at how much i really do have and after listing a couple of hundred items i kind of wish i hadn't done so much.... I really have been on a sewing mission and there are still some new things i want to do.....

So tonight i will unveil it! I bet my daughter wont go to sleep now i have written this...last night i told her that she had to go to sleep quickly otherwise Father Christmas wont be able to deliver her advent drawers...so when she was still awake at 9pm i realised my mistake, especially when she finally fell asleep hidden under her covers, she was scared of him coming in her bedroom! I have learnt my lesson now so i told her i would meet Father Christmas in the living room tonight and bring her new drawer up so he doesn't disturb her.

Anyway so if you are one of the people who actually reads what i write on my listings etc you will know that each item is made to order, ie i don't make it until it has been bought and paid for, so this means it can take anything from 3 days to usually 14 working days depending on my work load, on my website due to the amount on there i have written 21 working days, please don't let this put you off it is just to cover me incase i have to order things in specially or if i have a lot of orders, most items can be dispatched within 2 weeks and if you need it for Christmas then it is still possible, i recommend ordering as soon as you can though just incase!

Some items on there are however ready for dispatch and i will try and post these within three working days.

So there you have it i will continue to add bits for the rest of today and launch tonight (maybe about 9pm?) and hopefully you will be ready and waiting??!

xxx

So close i can almost feel it....

Once again i have left it a while since my last post but this time lots of things have happened so i will set down my cup of tea and get you up to date with it all.

After a long journey trying to get my website up and running i have had to cut my losses and start afresh, the lady the who was supposed to be doing my website was un responsive and had no interest in helping me finish it to a decent standard and so the day she disappeared off the radar was the day i decided to start again. When someone makes excuses every step of the way and plays the card that they didn't get your emails/text messages/ phone calls is definately a sign that they were a bad choice, there are only so many lies you can take so lets just say i wont be singing her praises any time soon.

So anyway i realised unless i got shot of her and got on with it the website would never happen so i took a close friends advice and contacted the lady that did her website. The difference was amazing, she was always on hand to talk, always emailing me updates on what she was doing, she gave me that extra push without hassling me and trust me when you have as many things to do as me then you need a little extra shove! A new logo has been designed and now i am finally on the edge of launching my brand new shiny website and i have loads of new products to show you and i am super excited!

Please keep your eyes peeled as i will be opening up for business in the next few days (got a few more products to add to the site yet) and let me know what you think!

Also if you like my website design then all credit goes to http://www.managemywebsite.co.uk/.

They have also designed my friends website http://www.deadlyisthefemale.com/ and my brothers new business venture http://www.yourexecutivecar.co.uk/.

xxx

A few of my favourite dresses..

To keep myself active on here instead of leaving my blog to fester over another year i thought i would put up a few pictures every other day or so and also use it to post some of my new items as i make them.

So here are a some pictures of my favourite dresses, some of them are child versions of adult ones i make under a different name so i will put those up as well...

The first one i have to show is this black and white striped nautical inspired dress with red anchor buttons, i made this after making an adult dress and i thought it would look adorable as a childs version, so here it is:

And the adult one i was inspired by:

The second one is my sailor dress, i made an adut version first and i loved it so much i decided it had to be made as a childs version, the first picture is me in Las Vegas wearing my sailor dress:

And here is my toddler version:

The red cheeky skull dress is one of the very first dresses i have made for Alternatots and i have some lovely pictures of my daughter modelling it for me:

She loved wearing it and had already put things in the pockets before i finished the pictures so i decided that she could have that one to keep!

All of these dresses are available to buy in my ebay shop at the moment:

http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/Alternatots-Childrens-Clothing

If that works!

That is all for the moment i will put up some of my brand new ones next! (or maybe some more of my old ones..)