LilaKids
LilaKids is taking a short break
Reviews
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Bettina Mutter on Apr 10, 2016
5 out of 5 starsGreat, subtle yet modern pattern, beautifully finished.
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Updates
About
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First: Enjoy the quiet of our family Nature Table. Sip first cup of morning tea.
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Next: Find the perfect thread.
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Then: Iron, iron, iron.
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Now: Sew and snip. This is the fun part!
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Finally: Admire.
Basking in Creativity
After 15 years as an educator, I taught myself to sew about five years ago. It started just as a hobby, with a dress for my daughter here, or a set of PJs for my husband there, but it is now a full-blown addiction. I opened my shop fairly soon after those first PJs and dresses but as my sewing and pattern-making skills have grown I have created new products with increasing complexity. Continually developing new items for my shop allows me to sharpen skills, which keeps my brain happy, as well as to bask in creativity, which keeps me sane and balanced. I don't cut corners (except literally, with very sharp scissors), and I set a very, very high bar for the quality of my sewing.
Most of the fabrics I use are handprinted at a family-owned textile mill in my town. The mill has been in business for 80 years, printing stunning, lasting designs from established and emerging artists with hand-held screens on exceptional cotton and linen fabrics. I have never found a fabric of similar quality in any fabric store anywhere in the world (and I’ve looked on three continents). When I visit the basement retail outlet at my local mill, I browse the huge rolls of rich colors and imagine what I’ll make from this or that new fabric: I let the fabrics inspire the products I create. Figuring out what to make with a particular design and choosing how best to set it off with other fabrics is truly a joy. Because the fabrics are expensive and are available for only a very limited time, many items I sell are one of a kind. In fact, the quality of my items’ construction, my use of local fabrics, and the extremely limited edition of each of my products have earned me the official title of “Artist” from the government of the state of Rhode Island, where I live and work. As a person with no formal training in art of any kind, I was pretty pleased when I received that announcement from the state!
I want your whole experience with my shop to be easy and joyful. I adore what I do and I can’t get enough of sewing. Sometimes I forget to eat because I am so immersed in a project. I want you to feel the same contentment when you use something you’ve bought from me. If you’d like something special or different from what I have posted in the shop, ask. I’ll be honest with you about whether it’s something I can tackle at the moment. If you don’t like what you’ve received, or if you ever have a problem with it, let me know. I will do my best to make it right.
I’ll close with the words of a recent customer, with whom I worked on several items for her home-based day care, including a few things I hadn't made before: "Oh wow, they are sooo beautiful! We got home from vacation yesterday, and the box was waiting on us. The kids LOVE them! The prints are just gorgeous, and you did such a wonderful job!"
Shop members
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Sarah C Kreckel
Owner, Maker, Designer, Curator
Was: A collegiate rower, world traveler, history teacher, curriculum writer, teacher trainer. Slept in mud huts on occasion. Am: A full time mom, yoga practitioner, decent cook, sewing addict. Don't leave me alone in a bookstore with a credit card.
Shop policies
I look forward to working with you. I love to sew, and I really enjoy knowing that my products help kids to be creative, as I think imagination and creativity are essential for healthy, happy kids. I also think kids (and grown-ups!) should enjoy beautiful things. For more on me and my sewing preferences, please read my Etsy About page. You can also read my blog, where I go into more depth: lilacreates.blogspot.com
In general, know that when you purchase an item from my shop I will try my very best to get it to you quickly and well packaged. I hope you will really love it, but if you have problems with it, I will do what I can to make it right. Please keep in mind that everything I sell is handmade by me, so the item you receive is unique. When I make more than one item with the same fabric, yours might have a different pattern placement from the one pictured.
If your question isn't answered here, please contact me through Etsy or email me directly at sarah [!at] lilakids.net. I will be happy to help or discuss the issue with you.
Accepted payment methods
Returns and exchanges
1. Returned items (other than damaged ones) should be in sellable condition. If it's got cake batter on it, it's yours!
2. In most cases, I will ask you to place the item back in the shipping bag and use the second seal strip to seal the bag. You will pay for the return shipping unless the item arrived damaged.
3. If you wish to replace or exchange the item, I will simply ship the new one of equal value to you. If the new item is more or less expensive than the old item, we will make an adjustment. I will ask you to pay up front for any additional costs before I mail the new item(s).
4. If you wish a refund, I will refund the item's purchase price. I cannot refund shipping costs unless it arrived damaged or you received the incorrect item.
Payment
As an officially designated "Artist" in the state of Rhode Island, I do not collect sales tax. Your purchases are tax-free.
Shipping
Orders over $50 qualify for free domestic shipping. Use code 50FREESHIP at checkout. International shipping from the US is so expensive that I can't make that free, sorry!
For domestic orders, I will provide you a tracking number for your order. For international orders, tracking is not usually available, though I will purchase insurance. Additionally, for international orders, you are responsible for any duties levied by your country.
Your item will come wrapped in tissue paper and hemp cord. I then place your wrapped item in a biodegradable and reusable shipping bag. I hope you will get a kick out of using the bag again sometime!
If you order several items and they do not fit in my regular shipping bags I will locate another bag or box that is equally protective.
If you have a special wrapping or shipping request, please contact me. I will do my best to accommodate your request.
If I have questions or concerns about shipping to your location I will contact you. I will never charge you for something we have not discussed.
Additional policies and FAQs
I would love to work with you on a custom order. Just ask! I can work with fabrics in my shop, or, if you like, you can send me fabrics. On occasion I can develop a pattern especially for you and for an additional design charge, but generally I prefer custom orders to stick with the types of items I already carry in my shop.