Interview with AG Seamstress!

We interviewed Marilyn of the AG Seamstress Etsy shop awhile back and we are finally getting around to posting it here. We are slow!

(And also, Photobucket has been a pain in the butt. :-( )

Check out Marilyn's shop here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/agseamstress

She currently has four things for sale and periodically adds more.
(She also does custom orders, particularly of her previous designs, fyi.)

We have interspersed pics of her items, some available, others already sold, in amongst the questions and answers.

Thank you for doing this interview Marilyn!!!

When did you start making clothing for American Girl dolls? Why did they interest you?

I started making AG doll clothing about 12 or 13 years ago.  The dolls interested me, because I'd always loved dolls, and I was drawn to the historical aspect of AG.

Did you/do you make clothing for other types of dolls? 

I started out making my own doll clothes when I was about 7 or 8 years old, from scrap fabric that my mother gave me.  I made all kinds of doll clothes for my two younger sisters, and my two cousins.  My daughter had "My Friend Mandy" and Cabbage Patch dolls that I sewed for.

When I started selling on Ebay, about 11 years ago, I made clothing for Chatty Cathy, Ann Estelle, and several other dolls.

What kinds of dolls do you own?

Right now, I only own AG, and one bride doll from my childhood.  A few years ago, I decided to sew exclusively for AG, and sold all my other models.

I have all the AG Historicals and their friends, and a few other AG's.

What time period do you prefer to sew for - historical or modern? If historical, do you have a favorite historical time period?

The historicals are definitely my favorite time period to sew for, especially the 30's and 40's.

Where do you get your design ideas from?

Ideas come from everywhere!  There are times I stay up late looking at vintage pattern websites of children's clothing just for ideas. Sometimes a magazine, or a catalog will give me an idea, and sometimes design ideas come from my husband, who is my biggest supporter!  A lot of my ideas actually come from fabric. I might be looking through my fabric for one thing, see a piece of fabric, and come up with another idea!

Do you have a difficult time finding appropriate fabrics for your projects?

You're kidding.........right????  I have such a large fabric stash right now, that I just need to go downstairs, and start opening plastic bins!  I kid you not!  I've been cleaning out some of my fabric, since my husband is retired now, and we'd like to downsize.  Right now, the count is 20.....18 gallon totes, plus multiple drawers and cabinets. I still look at fabric online all the time, and do buy at least one or two pieces every week.

Do you take custom orders? If someone wants an item that you have made before, can they ask for another one? Also, if someone has their own idea for a custom object - do you take those types of orders? 

Some things I've made, can't be duplicated for one reason or another, usually it's because the fabric isn't available anymore, but I try to do as many custom orders as I can. If someone has an idea for an item, I'll consider it, time permitting, but only if it's an item I'm interested in making.  I don't have much interest in making copies of items from a lot of the current movies, so things like that I probably wouldn't do.

What types of challenges have you encountered with creating the clothing and selling it?

As for challenges, there's been a few, but nothing major.  The biggest challenge is establishing a reputation, as a skilled seamstress, and the sales seem to follow.

Do you use bought patterns from other designers or do you draft your own patterns?

I use many patterns from other designers, and draft some of my own. I was trained in patternmaking many years ago, so if there's a certain part of a garment I don't have a pattern for, or if I want to change something, I'm capable of doing that.

Do have any new ideas or plans around the corner for your doll clothing and/or for your business?

My future plans revolve around sewing exclusively for AG.  I used to make clothing, home decor, bridal gowns, and do alterations for others.  That was how I spent most of my sewing time.  Doll clothes were just a sideline.  Now my focus is entirely on doll clothes, since I'm getting older, and dolls are certainly more fun to sew for than people!

Thank you for visiting us today!

And again, thanks for doing this interview AG Seamstress!