Today we’d like to introduce you to Susie Kirch.
Hi Susie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
After retiring from a career in public service after 30+ years, I considered options for how I would spend my time and came up with an idea to sew aprons. I knew how to sew, although it had never been my main hobby. Apron making seemed like it fit the brief, though, and so I made a few.
In the beginning, I took the aprons to a few local craft shows and the response was good, but it was a LOT of work! I experimented with selling on Facebook and that was hit or miss. Eventually, someone suggested ETSY as perhaps the best venue for me.
With the help of my daughter-in-law, I was able to open my ETSY shop on February 1, 2012, and I’ve been sewing aprons and selling there ever since.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
My apron making adventure has been a learning experience all the way and I continue to be surprised at times. There have been a few ups and downs over the years but it’s been a great way for me to satisfy my creativity, have some human contact, keep my brain active and pay for more fabric!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
One thing that has evolved in ‘apronland’ is a focus on providing plus size aprons. I married into a family who are all super-tall and they emphasized that ‘one size does NOT fit all’. I also got messages and comments from many plus size customers who begged me to sew ‘real’ plus sizes., so I’ve tried to do that. I altered a number of patterns to accommodate up to 5XL and the positive reviews on those aprons is gratifying.
My focus has always been aprons – real aprons for real people. I try to keep a variety of aprons for men, women and children in a range of sizes and price points so there’s something for everyone in the shop. There have been a few sidebars and experiments (quilts, mug rugs, child games, etc.) that I made simply to use up the mountain of scraps I generate, but I always attempt to have aprons be the stars!
What does success mean to you?
To me, success is making a quality product that people want.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: tieoneon.susie
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SusiesTieOneOnAprons
