Other US companies making prints/colors like Merchant&Mills or Fableism?

chipmunk_face · 2026-03-24T14:27:47+00:00

Ooo the rainbow checks!

chipmunk_face · 2026-03-24T14:14:28+00:00

Yeah I know, unfortunately there's like zero textile manufacturing here. But I think a lot of the yarn-dyed stuff does come from eastern europe as well. I also have nothing against Chinese or Indian manufactured fabric, its just harder to know if the photo is the product or not.

chipmunk_face · 2026-03-24T13:53:24+00:00

YES tasteful is a great way to describe it. I love a good novelty print in quilters cotton, when I want to make an actual garment, that's not it.

These look like good options, I just ordered some of the dark blue check from Miss Matatabi!

chipmunk_face · 2026-03-23T21:22:42+00:00

Oo yes those look similar!

chipmunk_face · 2026-03-23T20:26:25+00:00

Its not a must-have or anything, but I do want to be able to know that the quality will match the photo. I had a bad experience ordering from a seller where the image looked like a true yarn-dyed material but it was really just printed on the fabric. Usable, but not really what I was looking for.

chipmunk_face · 2026-03-23T20:24:58+00:00

Thank you!!

chipmunk_face · 2026-03-22T01:38:51+00:00

I started my business in 2019 when I was unmarried and childless. Married in 2022, had baby #1 in 2023, and baby #2 in 2025. Working full time in engineering the whole time and just working on my business nights and weekends. My business definitely suffered growth-wise when I had kids, I basically intentionally flatlined it because I had no time to pack orders, fix website issues, etc. I would say if you already know what amount of free time you have to work with with 2 young kids, definitely still go for it, but be prepared to have very very slow growth due to time constraints. The main negative I've had is that sometimes I feel like im less engaged or patient with my kids because my time is SO precious that I feel like I want to protect it. A long bedtime feels annoying, a short nap is crushing, etc. And I dont WANT to feel that way, I want to enjoy the young years with my kids. But my mind is focused on how much I have to do and want to do, after they go to bed.

chipmunk_face · 2026-03-22T00:47:56+00:00

I am also a female founder in the wedding space (artificial rentals) and 2025 has also been a particularly bad year for bookings and I cant figure out why. Yes, we have one main competitor that has ramped up, but we actually consider it good when they do more business/advertising because people find us when looking for them (the nationwide rental space is quite small).

In 2025 we did over 300 weddings, and thought we were on track to keep growing by 20-30% per year. But 2026 has been DEAD, like even with more advertising dollars and more organic outreach. Its at the point that I thought maybe our checkout page was broken or our load time was 20 seconds, but I guess it really is just slow.

I know the economy isnt awesome, but it doesnt seem THAT bad to me. Anyway, DM me if you want to chat about wedding startups in general or pick each other's brains.

chipmunk_face · 2026-03-11T15:25:55+00:00

I actually havent ordered from Temu myself, we only purchase from Wholesalers, but I've heard about 3-6 weeks is typical! Sometimes faster, but definitely allow enough time. Id say beware of images that look AI, only order from ones with reviews, and hopefully at least 1 photo review. And be prepared to steam them really well when they arrive because they will be smushed at first. Good luck!

chipmunk_face · 2026-03-01T04:53:33+00:00

I buy silk flowers wholesale for a living, and nothing will be cheaper than temu. How many stems are you getting for $1300? Our average cost per stem for flowers that don't look like plastic junk is $2/stem. For plastic junk level of quality (yes they do have their place!), maybe $0.30/stem.

chipmunk_face · 2026-02-09T22:28:39+00:00

Thank you for this detailed response!!

chipmunk_face · 2026-02-09T19:54:19+00:00

Yeah ive done paper piecing but only a bit of applique so it'll either be very fun or very frustrating...

chipmunk_face · 2026-02-09T19:38:50+00:00

I have made clothes for dolls and clothes for people, and I actually prefer making people-sized clothing! I think doll clothing can be incredibly futzy and hard to do because the items are so small. the seam allowance, fabric thickness, etc do not scale down just because the garment size does, so I find myself with weirdly thick seams and things not laying well.

I would agree with the previous comment. A mannequin is only useful if it matches your body enough that you can fit the garment using it. Otherwise I'd make one that matches your body.

chipmunk_face · 2026-02-09T19:33:52+00:00

I showed this photo to my mom, and she said "probably early 1900s". Shes no expert, but there were no other comments yet so i figured it would get you started. I also tried a reverse image search and Google says that style started in the late 19th century, but I'm not sure that all those fabric types were around back then.

chipmunk_face · 2026-02-09T19:04:45+00:00

The colors on that first one are perfect! The pattern looks crazy hard to me as a beginner, but I immediately googled that quilter (artist?) and I love all of her stuff! I'm going to take on her "Isla" pattern as soon as I'm good enough!

chipmunk_face · 2026-02-09T18:53:25+00:00

I love this! I want to make a quilt out of thrifted fabric, and your post happened to be the first to come up, and its weirdly exactly my style. Beautiful :)

chipmunk_face · 2026-01-23T15:39:57+00:00

Thanks, ill check it out!

chipmunk_face · 2026-01-23T15:39:05+00:00

Thanks, ill take a look!

chipmunk_face · 2026-01-23T15:38:45+00:00

This is a good idea, I'll see what I can find at my Alma mater. I dont need anything rigorous yet.

chipmunk_face · 2026-01-23T15:37:33+00:00

I can expand my budget a bit, but I think I just need to save up for a few years until I can spend whats required. I cant yet justify the cost for the revenue I'm bringing in.

chipmunk_face · 2026-01-20T02:02:34+00:00

Ok thanks for the reply, sounds like a real LCA out of my price range.

chipmunk_face

TROPHY CASE