In my last post, I shared my journey with Sweet As April and my efforts to move beyond the past. It’s been a challenging ride, watching something I once cherished slip away, especially since it was our main source of income. The experience was genuinely traumatic, requiring time to regroup and refocus as everything transformed around us. As our little ones grow, the sweet customers who adored our bonnets grow up too, highlighting the natural progression of running a children's brand.
To navigate these shifts, I chose to scale back production and direct my energy toward my own artwork and surface pattern design. This aligns with my previous Instagram post which you can read here, but there’s more to it than just that post. Our business heavily relied on donations and vintage textiles for our bonnets. As styles evolved, keeping pace became challenging without the freedom to create or shop for my own materials. I felt constrained by the existing options instead of being able to fully unleash my creativity and ability to curate beautiful collections.
However, I came to realize that with my artistic skills, passion for textiles, and background in Art History, I could create anything I envisioned. My artwork empowers me to adapt to changing trends and design my own patterns, enabling sustainable growth for my family.
The real challenge has been pursuing this dream while remaining committed to our eco-friendly mission and minimizing textile waste. I touched on the textile waste aspect in my Instagram post, so I won’t delve into it further. As I immersed myself in pattern design, I began exploring sustainable printing and connected with inspiring small businesses dedicated to eco-friendly practices.
It took more than six years to master pattern-making as I picked up my iPad & set it aside numerous times while battling infertility, then finally followed by another year of seeking a fabric printer whose values aligned with mine. In my next and final post in this series, I’ll share more about that journey, my current status, and what the future holds for the business.
If you’re curious about the available fabric, feel free to check it out. I can't wait for you to return next week to discover why this journey means so much to me. I’m genuinely excited about how everything is unfolding, and I deeply appreciate your presence in sharing this experience with me.
