the sweatshop

Last week, when a friend asked how things were going in preparation for the March of Dimes event, she said to me, "So you kind of work in your own sweatshop, huh?" Um, yes, I guess I do. As I thought about her comment, I thought it might be fun for you to have a look-see inside this little sweatshop of mine. It isn't anything special to the outsider's eye, but for me, it is a place to work, to dream, to think, to create, to pray, to provide, to make a mess and clean it up endlessly, to pile products high and set hopes higher, to wonder where God will take this little business and how long He will keep me at it. It is a place of diligence and of faithfulness.

1. 1-The Workhorse. My mom's sewing machine that handles an incredible amount of punishment in a day. (I'm saving for my own and hope it handles just as nicely as this one).
2. 2-Finished diaper clutches, ready for packaging, buried under unfinished, but ready-to-sew burp cloths, buried under blanket backings. I am very organized in my piling.
3. 3-Pending orders. Besides getting ready for the big event, I'm processing, making and sending out new orders. 
4. 4-Bibs. Finished, but not rolled and wrapped. Tomorrow's project.
5. 5-My little chest of goodies. Top drawer: fruity gum that my son likes to steal and minty gum and altoids that he doesn't like to steal because they are too "spicy". Second drawer: Delivery confirmation slips for shipping, extra fabric tags, glue stick for packaging. Bottom drawer: Pre-cut Velcro for quick use on diaper clutches and bibs.
6. 6-The BIG box of minky fabric for blankets. It's oh so soft but oh so messy, so it gets its very own box.
7. 7-Luke Smiley, "bringer of light". Luke is a little miracle baby, son of my dear friend Hillary, and an incredible testimony to our amazing creator God. Read his story here.
8. 8-Tomorrow's start pile: finish 4 nursing covers.
9. 9-Artwork from my two precious little fruits, Jack (4) and Ella (20 mo). Also, a hymn that has been my lifesong over the past two years: God Moves in a Mysterious Way.

This photo is one major part of my workspace. There is a closet to the left full of bolts and cuts of fabric. The rest of the room has its own piles. The kitchen counter has been housing my cutting mat for a week now and there are three plastic bins full of products ready to be packaged for LA in the hallway outside the door. And yes, I did clean up a little. If, from this photo, you are seeing fabrics you don't see on the website, well, this is some sneak peakage at the new line to be released in the next few days. Stay tuned...

three weeks and counting...

Three weeks from today, we get to be a part of the 2009 March of Dimes Celebration of Babies in Beverly Hills. Each year, the California chapter of March of Dimes hosts a charity luncheon recognizing celebrities and prominent individuals who are celebrating the birth of their children and who are role models for the March of Dimes commitment to love and hope for healthy babies. The event, called "Celebration of Babies," includes a luncheon and program, an auction and a "boutique-style marketplace boasting best in class designers, companies and boutique owners." Providentially, we were invited to be a part of the event as one of the boutique "shops."

As the event draws near, I often catch myself thinking, "What have I gotten myself into?" Really, how in the world did this little outfit I call "fruit" become a company carrying "best in class design" products suited for the babies of high-profile celebrities like Ashlee Simpson and Nicole Richie? I have no answer but God. In His providence, He orchestrated a Facebook giveaway winner to contact the March of Dimes event director who offered me the very last spot in the boutique. And just like that, I found myself saying yes and kicking things into high gear to get ready.

So a few fun facts about Celebration of Babies 2009:

• This year's event will be held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills.
• It will be hosted by Lisa Breckenridge (News Anchor, Fox 11 LA) and Lauren Sanchez (Good Day LA, Extra).
• Special guests will include Halle Barry and Courtney Thorne-Smith.
  
• The "Stork Club" (parents who have welcomed new babies in the past year) includes Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz, Nicole Richie and Joel Madden, Hank Azaria and Katie Wright, Julie Bowen and Scott Phillips, Howie and Leigh Dorough, Mitchell and Clare Davis, Nicole Sullivan and Jason Packham, Jennifer Todd and Chris Messina and Marlien Rentmeester and John Phelps.
  
• This year's Golden Rattle Award will be given to Dr. Robert Katz, long-time physician and advocate for healthy babies at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

To say it is an honor to be a part of this event is an understatement at best. And not only do we get to participate in the boutique, we've also been privileged to gift the Stork Club with some special Fruit products as part of their gift bag (which is actually a stroller full of goodies!) as well as offer one of our luxury blankets for bidding in the auction. Pictured are the Stork Club gifts ready to be sent!

Aside from the hoopla of participating in a celebrity charity event, I personally am most looking forward to sharing the experience with my two very best friends: my hometown country girl who could swing it in the big city, Michelle Rogers, and my big city girl who is so down-to-earth she could swing it in the country, Hillary Smiley. Both gems in my heart!

A heap of fabric needing to be fashioned into bibs, diaper clutches, blankets and burp cloths awaits me.

More to come on this and more in the days ahead...

behind the scenes

I've been going back and forth on if, when, how and why to write a blog on the insides of this little company I call "fruit". There's a lot happening right now, a lot to look forward to, a lot on my plate and I've decided to take the plunge into the world of blogging to record it all (or some of it at least) for those who want to know more about what goes on behind the scenes of an in-home, hand-made, sole-proprietor, mommy-run business. So here we go...

One of the first and most important things I want to share is that while my name is the only one printed beneath the business name, I don't do it all alone. For those of you who don't know me personally, I am a Christ-follower, a child of God, created in His image and for His glory. He takes the lead, and I follow. He is light for my path, even if it's just a step at a time. And that is usually the way it is.

Running a sewing gig is the absolute last thing I could ever have dreamed of doing in life. My parents are still dumbfounded that their jock of a daughter who much preferred playing the sport of the season to learning the home-making skills my mother so faithfully taught us girls growing up, is now sewing for a living. But how does the saying go? "Necessity is the mother of invention." My "need" was to stay at home with my kids and yet there was also a need to generate some income. What started as wanting to learn to sew, grew into an idea that perhaps I could create some simple patterns, use the ingenious creativity of the world of fabric design, and then put the two together to start a business sewing and selling baby essentials.

And here I am now, doing just that. Again, I have not done it alone. I wish I could name every name and post photos of each and every person in my band of helpers, encouragers, cheerleaders, vision-givers, idea-generators, sounding boards, direction-pointers, dear family and friends who have enabled me to start and now grow "fruit"...in time, I hope to do that. For now, know that "fruit" is the product of many hands, minds and hearts nurturing me forward, daily anchored in the grace of a loving and ever-present personal God.