Name: JennyStore: Deekie Belle Design Studio
Where to buy: In Perth: direct from my studio, I also do afternoon tea showings which go down a treat (not my idea, but they do work nicely and you get to meet all your clients!); Madeit.com and of course now Etsy (woo-hoo!)
Where are you located?
I have a decked out studio in my home in Perth in Western Australia! My hubby did it all for me and everyone who comes here says it looks like a fabric shop LOL!!
How long have you been sewing/designing?
Mum first started teaching me (and my sisters) to sew 35 years ago - Mum is a seamstress (retired years ago!), but I only seriously got into the designing of childrens clothes when my kids were little for a bit, more recently about 3 years ago I turned my hand to it full time.
What inspired you to get started?
I was inspired by some dresses that I had seen on photobucket. I had never seen such gorgeous dresses with ruffles and layers and coloured fabric that took my breath away - I ha
d no way of finding out who the designer was as I just came upn an open the pics in her photo albums (this was back when you didn't need a password to see into someones photobucket album. I was in awe... I had been looking for something to fill my time, I had just come out of a long term illness (8 years of treatment) and was finally well and needed something to help me get back into the world - these dresses were it for me - I felt like they were calling me... It took me a while but eventually I discovered that they were designed by the amazing Jennifer from Bella Tessa Designs - ( found her blog and through that I found lots of other inspiration too!but yeah, Jennifer from Bella Tessa was my starting inspiration (not that she even knows that!)
What do you do when you're not sewing?
When I am not sewing I do lots of things, look after my family, (cleaning etc) but cooking is a big part of it, I have done lots of cooking and catering and there are always recipes to be tried and mouths to be fed (big ones and lots of extra ones!!) in our house! I also love to read, I would read all day long and just sew..... If I could, that would be my life, sewing and reading and cooking. then bed, then more sewing, more cooking, more reading then bed, you see what I am getting at here LOL!!! Although I am very often found cuddling one of my great big kids or my lovely hubby who is my rock!
Do you remember the first item you sold?
The first item I sold was a size 8 Betty Boop Dress in black and white (I actually still have some of that fabric - it's gorgeous!). I sold it about 5 yrs ago and the lady who bought it from me came back to me and bought another one exactly the same in a larger size about a year later because her granddaughtter had grown out of it..... That is when I started trying to mulit-size dresses - elastic backs etc....And it works!
What is your favorite item you have created?
My favorite item, that changes all the time. It was the big ruffled patchwork Christmas dress I am about to put in my etsy shop, but now I think it is the one I designed yesterday for the opening of my etsy shop, my Petit Rose Set - I love it!! Made the patern from scratch, designed it in the middle of the night, Never done a box pleate before let alone one without a pattern. I love it though - it is just so pretty and feminine.
Favourite fabric designer?
My favorite Fabric Designer would have to be Sandi Henderson, her stuff is unreal! I love it and I have a big stack of it that I am having really bad trouble not wanting to cut it!! Don't want to wreck it! Although Heather Bailey's new Pop Bijoux is yummy! I bought some and it arrived the other day and I just reordered a big pile more!! She rocks Heather Bailey! And Anna Maria Horner's new stuff, didn't like the chocolate lollipops but her commercial weight stuff is to die for!
That was our first Aussie Boutique Kids interview, thank you so much for participating Jenny! We wish you the best of luck with your new ventures into the online world!
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