Meher Jhooty

Project

Presentation

Progress Log

Capstone Essay

Meher Jhooty

Miss Pottenger

8th Grade English

5 May 2020

Sewing Baby Clothes

For my Capstone, I have decided to sew affordable baby clothes because many parents struggle with the expensive price of having a baby. I also enjoy taking care of young children, and I enjoy fashion. Ever since I have been allowed to stay home alone, I have babysat my cousins multiple times and I have also been following trends and picking out my own clothes since I was very young.

It took me a while to figure out what I was going to do, but eventually, the perfect idea came to my mind. In the beginning, I had no clue what I was going to do for my project. The day we had to go to the teacher who was going to help us with our project idea, I went to Ms. Zinzer for help on what to do. She gave us a sheet of paper and told us to write down three things we were passionate about. Two of the things I wrote down were fashion, and taking care of children. From that, I decided to sew baby clothes. I have been taking care of young children and have been into fashion for many years, so I have experience with the audience this product is meant for, and the field that this project is in.

For my product, I am going to be sewing cute, good quality, and affordable baby clothes. Some necessary items for every parent to have for their baby are bodysuits, t-shirts, pajamas, shoes, socks, hats, and jackets (McClintock). I am making a dress to show the girls’ clothes, and a set to show the boys’ clothes. For the girls’ example I am making a light pink dress with white flowers going across the top, and a bumble bee circle in the corner. For the boys’ clothes, I am making a light blue onesie with a teddy bear on it. One thing my product is going to encourage is not having gender stereotypes with my clothing, so I am also making a yellow unisex onesie with Winnie the Pooh on it. I will use cotton for all the clothes because it is soft, breathable, and holds moisture. Another good fabric for children’s clothes is polyester, because it is very strong and flexible. There is also a cotton polyester blend which is great, because it has a combination of all the characteristics of cotton and polyester (Yao). That is what I am going to make and the fabric I am going to use.

Most new parents have to save a lot of money to cover all the costs, so the goal with my clothes is to help with that. New parents have to save around $20,000 to cover all the baby’s needs (Ready.) That includes diapers, bottles, bibs, baby food, a car seat, a stroller, a crib, toys, decor for the nursery, and clothes. If my product becomes well known for being cute and affordable for a good price, more people will buy it, so I will still get a good amount of money. Most baby clothes cost between $15-$40, but my clothes will be between $10-$15. My accessories will be between $2-$4. My clothes will be around $10-$20 cheaper than most clothes. Hopefully my clothes can help new parents so they do not have to save as much money.

There are many things that people look for while shopping for baby clothes, and my product can help people with that. People usually buy bigger sizes to fit in the future, so I will have my clothes run a little bit big. People also see if the piece of clothing is a good value based on the price. My clothes are going to be great quality clothes anyways, so hopefully more attention will be drawn to them. They are also going to be priced extremely low, so that will also be one of the main reasons people will buy them (Miata). That is how I will use this information to help me make my product better and attract more customers.

There are a lot of other baby stores that have their own ways of bringing in customers. Those stores are my main competition, also because they have many years of experience and a reputation. Some of those stores are Baby Gap, Old Navy, Target, H&M, The Children’s Place, Carter’s, and Hana Anderson (Best). There are multiple other stores, but these few are the most common stores that parents shop at for their baby. These stores have been around for many years. Some like Carter’s have been around since 1855, which is written on the buttons of their clothes. These stores became so well known by building up their reputation over the years. If I can become as well known as these stores, I can get many new customers and customers from those stores.

Most people do not know this, but there are actually many gender stereotypes with baby clothes. One of those stereotypes is how in the same size, boys’ clothes are larger than girls’ clothes. Most manufacturers believe that baby boys are bigger than baby girls, but that is not always true. Another stereotype is how girls’ clothing is mainly pink with princesses, and boys’ clothing is mainly blue with superheroes. They are teaching kids from such a young age what they should and should not be interested in. Apart from those two stereotypes, there is another stereotype which is unfair. Some manufacturers make the boys’ clothes with better fabrics than the girls’ clothes. (Clover) That is not right because there is no reason for the girls to have worse fabrics than the boys.

For my interview, I interviewed Diane Peralta. Diane is a nurse, but she has sewn quite a few pieces of clothing in many different sizes for fun. I asked Diane what fabrics are the best for baby clothes, and she told me that cotton and knit fabrics are the best for baby clothes because they are stretchy, so they allow room for the diaper, and they are airy, so they air out the smell of the diaper. I also asked Diane if she would recommend making the clothes a little bit bigger than the measurement, and she said, “Yes, I would recommend making it around one inch bigger because babies grow really fast.” For the pattern on my clothing, I am applying patches, so I asked if iron on patches or stitch on patches were more suitable for baby clothes. I was told that iron on patches are the best because they don’t irritate the baby’s skin. Stitch on patches require a backing, and the backing can sometimes come off in the wash and cause a rash. I informed Diane that I have to work on my Capstone project for 24 hours, and I asked her how many pieces I should aim to make. She told me to start by making two pieces, one for a boy and one for a girl, then see how many more I can make. I asked Diane if she had any other tips for me, and she told me a common saying that people who sew use, “Measure twice, cut once”, which means to double check before you cut because if you cut wrong, your whole project is ruined. Overall, Diane told me to have patience and to concentrate, and that is the only way to succeed with sewing. It can take a while to thread the machine or cut the fabric, but you have to be patient and concentrate in order to get it done.

I want all buyers to have a great product for a great price. My clothes have both of those characteristics. They are extremely cute and made out of good fabric, and they are only ranged to be $10-$15. Hopefully with the research I have done, my product can make a change in new parent’s lives by helping them financially and by having the best clothes for their baby.

Works Cited

“Best Baby Clothing Stores.” Babylist, 1 January 2019, h​ttps://www.babylist.com/hello

-baby/​best-baby-clothing-stores​. 7 April, 2020.

Clover, Katherine. “5 Unexpected Gender Differences in Children’s Clothing.” ​Patent Co.​, 27

January 2017, ​https://www.parent.com/5-unexpected-gender-differences-in-childrens-

​clothing​. 7 April, 2020.

Miata, George. “Top Tips for Buying Baby Clothes.” ​Reader’s Digest​, No Date

Provided, ​https://www.rd.com/advice/parenting/top-tips-for-buying-baby-

clothes/​. 6 April, 2020.

“Ready for a Baby? Ask Yourself These Money Questions.” ​Northwestern Mutual​, 1

March, 2018, https://www.northwesternmutual.com/life-and-money/how-much-

money-does-a-baby-cost-are-you-ready-for-a-baby/. 19 April, 2020.

Stacie McClintock​. “5 Baby Clothing Items Every New Parent Should Have.” ​Live

About​, 23 May 2019, ​https://www.liveabout.com/baby-clothing-items-every-ne

w-parent-should​-have-28603​. 4 April, 2020.

Yao, Emma. “Best Fabrics for Children's Clothing.” ​Odyssey​, 14 August 2019, https://

www.the ​odysseyonline.com/best-fabrics-for-childrens-clothing​. 4 April, 2020.