Fall Critters - Owls

Whigs and Tories loved little critters. We've definitely established this! We've added Owls this year:

Overalls or Longalls with Owl Appliqué 

We've got the brown corduroy Longalls on display and for sale at The Lazy Daisy Gift Store in Williamsburg and the Etsy shop. Aren't they cute? Cozy soft corduroy offers nostalgic throwback and the little owls are individually hand cut and hand sewn. 

We've cut and sewn all the available brown corduroy, but we have a little bit of red left. Speak up quickly!

And for kicks we threw a pair onto this Harvest Gold pinafore.

Visit Whigs & Tories Etsy Shop to shop online

Making our debut at the Lazy Daisy Williamsburg

Whigs & Tories is in the Lazy Daisy!
Upstairs, along the banister

So it is a big day! The clothing racks are finished and look fabulous! We borrowed a steamer to get all the inventory hanger ready, checked tags and inventory lists and did it again, and headed over to the Lazy Daisy this evening to get our items up and in the store. 

The current idea is two racks: one for the Signature Collection & the Classic Collection. What are those? The signature collection is "The Little Patriot." All are one of a kind pieces within a specific design. For example: 

The Classic Collection is a collection of items we hope to always have available at Whigs & Tories. Seersucker JonJons would be an example of pieces in the Classic Collection:

Classic Collection Seersucker JonJon

On the second rack is another collection of One of a Kind pieces. These are usually in traditional styles with a bit of added cheekiness. Examples of these pieces include:

Sassy Cat Top & Ruffle Diaper Cover

Overalls in Gray Dot print with Harvest Gold accents and Squirrel appliqué 

Coming is a third rack full of darling baby clothing. We also have plans to add a few crates and fill them with diaper covers and little odds and ends. 

Whigs & Tories is so excited to have joined the Lazy Daisy in Williamsburg

We are so excited to have joined the Lazy Daisy Family. We hope you will stop by and check us out if you are local or happen to be visiting Williamsburg Virginia.

Do it Yourself Clothing display

There is a super cute gift shop in town called "The Lazy Daisy" and I wandered in a few times over the summer and thought; I wonder if I can show things from Whigs & Tories here? I finally made inquiries and Whigs & Tories makes our debut tomorrow.

Getting ready has been busy. Inventory of course. And then display... so I found a DIY Wooden Clothing Rack blog post. My husband made me three. (I think he thought there were one or two errors in the blog post so read it through carefully and be ready to make adjustments if necessary.)

Its been raining a bit here but we have a space under the deck that we work in and I've been out there painting the clothing racks. I have *never* tried to "shabby chick" furniture (I make clothes not furniture) so hopefully this works out.

dark brown first

white over the top of the brown

I'll be setting up after hours today and I cannot wait to get everything in and take pictures!

JonJon's in Orange

My mother is our best customer. It is fun. One of her friends is blessed with a grandchild and Mutti calls me up and says "what do you have in the way of JonJon's or CrissCross pinafores" and we chat about what is made up already and what fabric is in the sewing room.

Mutti's good friend Aunt Kathy was recently blessed with a new grandson and so Mutti sent me a text "I need one of those crab JonJons and maybe something else, they are very preppy" Mutti is from New Jersey, and sometimes she forgets that a good many Southern Mamas dress their babies a certain way and it isn't "preppy" it is just how they do in the south. Now I happen to know that this new little baby's Mama went to school at the University of Tennessee and they very kindly have their colors listed with https://brand.utk.edu/colors/palettes/ and even more helpfully they note which colors are not in their palette and should be avoided at all costs. In my experience you really cannot go wrong incorporating Mama's school colors. So I suggested a little romper / jonjon/ long all (or whatever else you wish to call it) in orange and white check. Mutti thought that sounded like a good idea and so I went shopping. Wouldn't you know? Nobody has orange and white check anyplace? I did find a sweet little orange and gray flannel though. So I bought some and I'm making it up. We will see if Mutti likes it. I do, and orange and gray are not even my colors. But it is so cozy and fall-ish and the flannel is really nice to work with.

So now I'm having fun with school colors. Which colors are your colors? I'd love to do an informal poll and find out if I've got more orange and blue followers or maroon and burnt orange. And I know I could get some attention with that orange and regalia combo. So if you are so inclined, I'd love to know, what colors are your colors?

A Suit for Baptism (and other things)

I am pretty pleased with myself actually, I have never sewn a suit before and while I made a mistake or two (or three, who is counting?) this turned out pretty well if I say so myself.

I am grateful to have a reader. Also grateful he is a patient model.

looking dapper outside of the Williamsburg Public Library in his linen suit

My Little Man was baptized the Saturday before Easter and because I love tradition I wanted him in something white and formal. Linen Suit - off white was the answer.

Chillin' with George outside of the Williamsburg Public Library

I've had one or two people ask, "will similar suits be in the shop?" The answer is: probably not. At this time I am not buying fabric by the bolt, certainly not wholesale, we have not moved into that kind of inventory sales yet. And at retail price, linen ( 100% linen, not a blend ) goes for somewhere around $17 a yard. I needed three to make this suit. Yep, $51 in fabric, plus a zipper, plus buttons, plus time to sew. I pay myself and the artisans I work with, $8 an hour right now. I'd love to offer more really, but the market barley supports $8. Time and Materials I'm coming in around $90 and I haven't made a profit yet. So no, I don't see myself adding suits to the shop anytime soon. But I might have to come up with a reason to sew one more for my little guy. He looks so sharp!

I know the shop notice said I was going to re-open last month. Still closed. It seems each year brings challenges to having this little shop and family comes first. So, I'll get to it when I get to it. Terrible business practice I know. But like I said, family first.