St. Petersburg Times:
Katrina Hollon of St. Petersburg, Fla. had an epiphany when her second child, a daughter, was born. “My second child was born with peanut allergies, which changed my idea of heading back off to work anytime soon,” said Hollon, 38, who was a teacher at the time. So instead of returning to the classroom, she started making children’s clothes in a home business that she calls Strawberry Farm.
I started with pillowcase dresses, taken from the vintage ones my grandmother used to make from flour sacks. I also have blanket sets, peasant dresses, reversible pinafores, pajamas, little matching Scrappy Dolls, and a mod-looking, ’60s-inspired dress. I usually stock smaller sizes but will make any size by request, the pillowcase dresses are $25 each and the others vary. I had been ordering the same fabric over and over because it was a great seller, but I am moving away from that now and just buying enough to make possibly three or four items with my favorite fabrics.
Now I feel confident about the pieces I make and moreover, I genuinely enjoy the work. It’s art to me, because I create my own patterns, I draw them out on paper and then make it. I usually get it right on the third try. So my own daughter has all the first and second tries.
Photo by sugarsandwich’s shop.