Today we meet Sarah from Boulevard Designs. Her shop contains a wonderful mix of creatively dyed diapering and other products, unique cloth diaper & clothing sets, repurposed wool and t-shirt diapers and covers, fleece covers, and fabulous baby and adult accessories. Read what Sarah has to say about her experience with cloth diapers and selling on Etsy, and then check out her shop for something great!
Where did you get the name for your shop? I live on a Boulevard, and I thought Boulevard Designs just had a nice ring to it.
Is it big business or a hobby? Boulevard Designs is more of a hobby, but it's a branch of my main business, Wallypop, which provides a substantial portion of our household income.
Why do you like selling on Etsy? It is a way to reach additional customers, and to make/sell items that don't easily fit into my main store. Etsy shoppers by and large seem to be pretty fun and easygoing, as well. Additionally, I like to shop on Etsy, and I love being part of the Etsy community.
How long have you been sewing? I have been sewing literally since I was tall enough to reach the pedal from the chair, and I was helping my mom sew long before that. I started knitting in high school (um, gosh, nearly 20 years ago). I've learned soap making, screenprinting, and tie dye as an adult.
Where did you get the name for your shop? I live on a Boulevard, and I thought Boulevard Designs just had a nice ring to it.
Is it big business or a hobby? Boulevard Designs is more of a hobby, but it's a branch of my main business, Wallypop, which provides a substantial portion of our household income.
Why do you like selling on Etsy? It is a way to reach additional customers, and to make/sell items that don't easily fit into my main store. Etsy shoppers by and large seem to be pretty fun and easygoing, as well. Additionally, I like to shop on Etsy, and I love being part of the Etsy community.
How long have you been sewing? I have been sewing literally since I was tall enough to reach the pedal from the chair, and I was helping my mom sew long before that. I started knitting in high school (um, gosh, nearly 20 years ago). I've learned soap making, screenprinting, and tie dye as an adult.
What is your favorite thing to make at the moment? What are you passionate about? At the moment, I'm loving making the baby shoes. They're so cute and tiny and ridiculously unnecessary. I'm not sure what exactly you're looking for with the passionate about question, but I am passionate about helping families who are cloth diapering or babywearing, or who are considering cloth diapering or babywearing.
One of Sarah's gorgeous designs!
What is your favorite thing in your shop at the moment?
www.etsy.com/listing/80679816/elvis-print-reclaimed-fabric-soft-baby The Elvis baby shoes. I mean, really. Elvis Baby Shoes. I keep considering taking this pair down to putting them in the dresser for the baby we're expecting in december.
Who/What is your inspiration? I am in business solely to enable me to stay home with my kids and still eat. My main business, Wallypop, is named after a nickname we gave my oldest when he was a baby.
Why is cloth diapering important to you? It's part of my counter-culture agenda, lol. While I'm only kidding there, I really hate that there's such an anti-child bias in our society, and part of that bias is the (mistaken) belief that kids are just so expensive. Kids CAN BE expensive, but mainly they are expensive because our society pushes so many products that just aren't needed, such as disposable diapers. So many mamas want to stay home with their babies after they're born, but don't feel they can afford to do so - cloth diapers are a big part of helping those moms be able to afford to do what their hearts are telling them. They can also take some of the financial stress off of working parents. Not to mention all the other benefits of cloth diapers, such as fewer chemicals in our babies' environments, fewer instances of diaper rash, fewer blowouts, and adorable softness.
What factors are the most important to you when choosing a cloth diaper? I look for diapers that are made in the USA, preferably by a person and not a machine. I prefer sized diapers over one-size diapers. I look for quality fabrics and materials, a diaper construction that makes sense, and a business/seller that seems to know what they're talking about and what they're doing.
What is the kind of diaper you like the best at home? On the go? For travel? For budget? Fitteds with wool covers. In all scenarios, lol. Prefolds and wool covers are my second favorite. I've never really understood the idea of using any particular type of diaper specifically for travel, unless the travel will involve hand washing, in which case I'd recommend flats. (And, yes, we had to hand wash on a trip with DH's family once.)
What is your favorite or least favorite cloth diapering memory? LOL, the same memory is both my favorite and least favorite. When I was pregnant with my oldest (8 years ago, long before modern cloth diapering was anywhere near as acceptable as it is now), the subject of diapers came up at my baby shower, which was held by one sister in law and attended by, among others, my other sister in law and my mother in law. One of the other attendees mentioned that she thought it was interesting that we were planning to use cloth diapers. One of my sisters in law remarked, very loudly, "oh, yeah, well, we'll see how long THAT lasts!" It's fairly typical of the attitude I get from all of my in-laws about many of our parenting choices, but is still one of my favorite memories because, gosh, it's 8 years later and I'm still using cloth diapers AND have built up a very successful, international business around modern cloth diapers.
Blvd Designs Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Boulevard-Designs/12637776170
Wallypop Facebook: www.facebook.com/wallypopIA
Web: www.wallypop.net
One of Sarah's gorgeous designs!
What is your favorite thing in your shop at the moment?
www.etsy.com/listing/80679816/elvis-print-reclaimed-fabric-soft-baby The Elvis baby shoes. I mean, really. Elvis Baby Shoes. I keep considering taking this pair down to putting them in the dresser for the baby we're expecting in december.
Who/What is your inspiration? I am in business solely to enable me to stay home with my kids and still eat. My main business, Wallypop, is named after a nickname we gave my oldest when he was a baby.
Why is cloth diapering important to you? It's part of my counter-culture agenda, lol. While I'm only kidding there, I really hate that there's such an anti-child bias in our society, and part of that bias is the (mistaken) belief that kids are just so expensive. Kids CAN BE expensive, but mainly they are expensive because our society pushes so many products that just aren't needed, such as disposable diapers. So many mamas want to stay home with their babies after they're born, but don't feel they can afford to do so - cloth diapers are a big part of helping those moms be able to afford to do what their hearts are telling them. They can also take some of the financial stress off of working parents. Not to mention all the other benefits of cloth diapers, such as fewer chemicals in our babies' environments, fewer instances of diaper rash, fewer blowouts, and adorable softness.
What factors are the most important to you when choosing a cloth diaper? I look for diapers that are made in the USA, preferably by a person and not a machine. I prefer sized diapers over one-size diapers. I look for quality fabrics and materials, a diaper construction that makes sense, and a business/seller that seems to know what they're talking about and what they're doing.
What is the kind of diaper you like the best at home? On the go? For travel? For budget? Fitteds with wool covers. In all scenarios, lol. Prefolds and wool covers are my second favorite. I've never really understood the idea of using any particular type of diaper specifically for travel, unless the travel will involve hand washing, in which case I'd recommend flats. (And, yes, we had to hand wash on a trip with DH's family once.)
What is your favorite or least favorite cloth diapering memory? LOL, the same memory is both my favorite and least favorite. When I was pregnant with my oldest (8 years ago, long before modern cloth diapering was anywhere near as acceptable as it is now), the subject of diapers came up at my baby shower, which was held by one sister in law and attended by, among others, my other sister in law and my mother in law. One of the other attendees mentioned that she thought it was interesting that we were planning to use cloth diapers. One of my sisters in law remarked, very loudly, "oh, yeah, well, we'll see how long THAT lasts!" It's fairly typical of the attitude I get from all of my in-laws about many of our parenting choices, but is still one of my favorite memories because, gosh, it's 8 years later and I'm still using cloth diapers AND have built up a very successful, international business around modern cloth diapers.
Blvd Designs Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Boulevard-Designs/12637776170
Wallypop Facebook: www.facebook.com/wallypopIA
Web: www.wallypop.net
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