Things You'll Need
Material
Thread
Sewing machine
Needles
Buttons
Patterns
Ribbon
Lace
Safety pins
If you like to sew, making and selling baby clothes can be a simple and profitable business. This article tells you how to set up a small business out of your home, doing what you love.
Step 1
Find the patterns. Every fabric store, craft store and most hobby stores will carry a wide selection of patterns for children's clothing. Go buy a set of patterns you like, or make your own. You will need to make a variety of clothing and clothing for different temperatures, unless you specifically want to make only winter coats or summer dresses. Being a specialty designer is a good choice, but the more variety you have in type of clothing and sizes, the more marketable you are.
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After you choose a pattern you like, grab the same pattern in three different size ranges. Patterns can become universal, and you can use different material to make the patterns different so that you are not making the same outfit over and over again. A shirt is a shirt, but to make the shirt different, choose materials and extra touches, like ribbon or lace or buttons. Purchase a range of short-sleeve patterns and long-sleeve patterns.
Step 2
Purchase the material. After you have your patterns, calculate the amount of materials you need. This is the best part of the process, because you also get to pick the little details, such as buttons, ribbons and laces you want to include in the design. Choose your colors and let your imagination run. If you are going to make winter clothes, get some flannel. Plaid is a steady trend in fashion. For summer clothes, buy some seersucker for after-Easter outfit patterns.
Step 3
Cut and sew. Using the patterns, cut the material and sew the clothes together.
Step 4
Network. Boutiques like to sell unique things, and as a small, local designer, talk to shop owners in your area to see if they would like to carry clothing you make. You can sweeten the deal by offering personalization options and custom orders. If you don't want to go that route, you can set up a Web site, enroll in craft fairs or set up shop at the flea market.
Step 5
Market online. EBay is a surprisingly effective way to sell things. Set up a store on the auction site and sell your clothes that way. After people buy your clothes, they will comment. Take some of the comments and purchase advertising.
Another idea is to send samples to fashion magazines such as Lucky or Instyle. Baby and children's clothing are an extremely profitable portion of the retail economy. Fashion magazines are used to getting samples. Write up a letter about your home-based company, yourself and why you do it. Then, choose one or two of your favorite pieces and mail the packets to the magazines.
Step 6
Make business cards. They are simple and easy, and business cards work surprisingly well. Include a card with every article you sell, hand them out to friends and friends will hand them out for you. That way when someone asks where your friend's child got that outfit, your friend can give them a card. Person-to-person networking is the most effective type of marketing.
Tip
Double-stitching adds durability to clothing.
Warning
Make sure buttons cannot be swallowed or eaten. Watch for choking hazards.
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