I'll try not to get too sentimental in this post, despite what I feel in my heart :)
This business isn't just a venture that I started out with
business-minded or financial-gain intentions. No...it actually started
the day I finished making my kids' christmas presents out of a mens XXL
wool sweater, and posting pictures of them and how they worked in a
young mothers yahoo group of mine.
Many mamas were like me...dealing with bedwetting. Waking to soaked
bedding, and frustrated that NOTHING worked anymore. Not cloth, not
disposables...these children were super soakers! They were all so
excited about the potential relief that wool covers might bring them,
that I immedately had 5 orders, and had to run out and buy some wool
from my local thrift store! After they were finished, I got 3 more
orders from THEIR friends, and then began the trickle of emails
requesting wool longies and soakers. I was excited to share my newfound
love of wool, and morning after morning of my kids' bone-dry bedding
made me a firm believer in this "wool miracle"!
I did a poll for my family and friends to pick my busniess name (Baby
Snickerdoodles won narrowly by 2 votes...), and I created my etsy shop!
I love looking back at all the purchases on Etsy...both custom and
instock. I remember every one of them. In fact, years later I was able
to inform a mama selling one of my covers as a nameless "WAHM" cover,
that it was mine because I immedately remembered it! I put time, sweat,
tears, and love into every cover I made.
As time went on, I got more adventurous and began doing appliques,
changed my longies designs, created my own sizing charts according to my
fans' feedback on their babies sizes, and created my own soaker pattern
to meet the needs of the "fitted diaper" world.
Then came Etsy's fumble. Yes, it was very frustrating, but I found peace
in the decision to leave Etsy and move to Hyena Cart. Wool being
imported from other countries at an extremely cheap rate, was being
allowed in shops within the Etsy community, and who can beat those
prices? Etsy was no longer "handmade", and even now can easily be
"Handmade and imported" as long as 3 clicks away you make a mention of
it in your policy footnotes. It was time for Baby Snickerdoodles to find
its home with other TRULY handmade items...so the jump was made. I
purchased my domain name, and switched to Hyena Cart.
A few weeks later, still more adventurous, a dear friend recommended I
get some wool interlock, and use it for trim. She even sent me a bag
full of wool dyes she had used and didn't need any more! Now I was VERY
excited! It was a bigger hit than I could have ever imagined...and I
LOVED combining the two worlds of "interlock" and "upcycled" to make a
perfect medium: an affordable, one-of-a-kind wool cover, with
extraordinary fit, durability, and may I say visually adorable?? ;) It
was one of the best decision I made at Baby Snickerdoodles.
Time
goes on...our babies started growing up, and before we knew it, we had a
houseful of crazy, fun, silly, adorable children, and were expecting
another baby.
This time around, I knew it would be different. I knew my creative time
would become more limited, as the need for my affection and time with
my children increased. My little "Rose" was born after a difficult
labor, and immediately struggled with breathing issues. A persistent
rattle in her chest for the first 5 months of her life, and permanent
cold-like symptoms, saw me up so many times nightly, its pointless to
count...and daily my other children needed their mommy. I would sew
during naps, but naps were short as she would wake in coughing fits, or
be unable to breathe well.
(She has improved GREATLY, and I am so thankful for that! She is such a
sweet baby, and we will be celebrating her first birthday in 2 days!)
Homeschooling begins, life never slows down. All my boys are now at my
kitchen table for 3-5 hours a day, and my sweet girls play and laugh
with each other while I teach. I cook meals between lessons, and change
diapers with kisses and snuggles.
I am so incredibly sad, to the point of tears, to think about closing
my beloved business. A creative outlet, a blessing to other mothers, a
source of income for my family...and so, so much more than this! But,
the time has come, and I am determined to do what is best for me and my
sweet family. I love them so much, and we had always known they would
come first.
My sweet oldest once replied when asked if he minded me sewing all the
time, "No, I kinda like it. You make cute pants for other people's
babies, and so its good. I want you to keep doing it." My heart melted!
This was for them, and if the blessings of it began to be outweighed by
the sacrifices...it would be time to stop...and I would know it.
So here we are. 5 years after my first order. 5 years after my first
pairs of woolies for my kids. 5 years after my first shopping trip with a
basket full of sweaters. 5 years after "Baby Snickerdoodles" was
born...I am saying goodbye.
Thank you all so much. I cannot describe the joy you have brought me, or
the support you have given me through your comments, messages,
purchases, and photos. You truly will never know how much it has meant
to me and my family. I wish ALL the best to you, your little families,
and your sweet babies! Blessings, and much love from us here!
Love,
Heather Hawkins
Owner and Seamstress @ Baby Snickerdoodles
