The Holiday Heap craft fair helped me learn a bit about my customers, and the aspects of my work that draw the most attention. One man bought a Keyboard shirt, but was also attracted to a swatch of fabric that I was displaying as a made-to-order option for the Business with Pleasure shirt. We discussed the design and decided on a standard men's shirt with contrasting facings--his enthusiasm increased throughout our discussion, and he returned to my table after looking at the rest of the fair and said the fabric was "haunting" him. The fabric did the same thing to me when I saw it in South Africa--I sketched many designs with it in mind, and returned to the shop to buy more before leaving the country. It was very exciting to find another person drawn to that fabric, because I always worry that my taste is too bold to be appealing to others. On the other hand, I was pleasantly surprised when so many shoppers were attracted to the muslin shirts that I made as sizing guides. I didn't expect so many people to notice the subtle style details in these shirts, due to the solid, natural-colored fabric. Since both of my assumptions were wrong, and customers liked both plain and bold fabrics, I feel free to move in both directions with my upcoming designs!

Wrapping the special order shirt

Ready for delivery