SugarPieChic Giveaway - June 18th - 24th

SugarPieChic makes some of the most awesome retro, vintage, old-fashioned aprons! I love her style!:) This is our first apron giveaway - I am super excited about it!

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Introduce yourself!:)
Hi, my name is Leslie Rutland. I am a native Texan and live in the sunny city of Austin, TX. My husband (of 32 years) and I have two grown daughters and one grandson. As a young girl, I was always around talented women who loved sewing. My mother is an accomplished seamstress as were both of my grandmothers. I began sewing and designing when I realized that my Barbie needed something new to wear! With fabric scraps from my mother’s stash and some blunt-tip scissors, a lifelong passion began.

Tell us a bit about your business
Sugar Pie Chic originally began as a collaboration between me and one of my daughters. We were inspired by some of the beautiful fabrics available from designers and wanted to do something creative with fabric. About that same time, I discovered Etsy which was a perfect way to display and even sell handmade items. At first, my daughter helped me choose fabrics and create purse and apron designs. She would put fabrics together with purse or apron designs and I would sew them. After a few months of this, I was more inspired by aprons, so I began focusing on making aprons that were individual and unique. I also had some vintage apron patterns that belonged to my mother. I was able to rework some of these patterns to make aprons that were both sassy and chic. I wanted each apron to evoke something from the past while remaining both simple and practical for today’s woman.

What inspired you to start making APRONS?
For some time I have been dwelling on the idea that women throughout history have always worn aprons of one kind or another. This universal connection with women inspired me to want to do something that would continue this chain. The more I thought about this, the more I wanted to create something for today’s woman. I wanted to give her an apron that would be unique and personal. I didn’t want to stop there, though; I also wanted to make a quality apron that would be something treasured by her children and grandchildren. Perhaps one of my aprons would be passed down with beautiful memories of the woman who wore it.


When you're not being crafty, what do you do?
Before moving to Austin two years ago, I had not been doing much sewing. Instead, I was investing a lot of time in gardening. Through the county extension I had become a Master Gardener and was studying landscape design. So, when I’m not in my studio sewing, I’m usually in my garden. It seems to me that both sewing and gardening go together great as hobbies. Both are rewarding and fulfilling. I would hate to have to choose one over the other.


Whats your favorite book, song, movie & website?
As far as a favorite book is concerned, I’ve never seen a book I didn’t want! When I was a teacher I would tell my students, “Anything well written is always worth reading.” I truly believe this. I won’t commit to any one movie as a favorite, but I really think O Brother Where Art Thou is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. However, I do have a favorite ballet and it is Giselle. I just love the forest scene in Act II!

How do you promote your work?
This is probably one of my biggest weaknesses. Mostly, my work is promoted by word-of-mouth. Of course, Etsy is where I do most of my selling. I have been asked to put some aprons in local shops in Austin and I am considering doing this. Above all, I want to keep my aprons unique and personal. If I were to go all out with an advertising blitz, I might have difficulty keeping up with the demand and then I’d be straying from my mission of connecting with women who wear aprons. For the time being, I will probably remain a small apron boutique on Etsy. This allows me to stay well-connected with my customers.

What are your short-term & long-term goals?
My short-term goals are to continue to create an aprons that are somewhat unique and personal to the women who purchase them. My next goal is to market my apron designs as patterns. I have been working on perfecting some of my designs, but I still need to draft them and then have them digitized. Each design needs a little more tweaking; I feel that this will happen in the next 18 months.

I have also been toying with the idea of opening a second Etsy store for my machine embroidery art. I would like to create a series of embroidery designs on water color paper, fabric, or linen. These could then be framed and hung on a wall. I may also do some pillow covers that follow the same design. I am hoping to have this up in time for the Christmas selling season.

Long, long term…I would love to write a book about connecting women throughout time via aprons. Currently, I am puttering with an outline. I see this as something that I will work on for several years.


Tell us something random about you!
You asked for random…I grew up in Houston, TX during the 60’s and 70’s. When I was a little girl my mother got me and my sister all dressed up because we were going downtown. The reason…the President was coming through in a motorcade and we were going to wave American flags at him and his wife! It turned out that this was November 21, 1963 - the day before President Kennedy was assassinated. So, technically, I am one of the last people to actually see Kennedy alive!

Do you run Sugar Pie Chic full time?
Define full-time! Yes, this is the only income I produce, but I wouldn’t put it in the “breadwinner” category. I am fortunate to not have to produce volumes in order to support myself. Instead, I am able to passionately concentrate on the joy that goes into creating something I love. Hopefully, this joy and passion is extended to the future wearers of my aprons!

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Item up for grabs: Adorable garden themed apron by SugarPieChic!

To enter the giveaway: Go to SugarPieChic, look around.. come back & tell us your favorite item from her shop!

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This giveaway will end on June 24th at 11:30 p.m. (Central Standard Time). The winner will be notified by e-mail and it will be posted Wednesday night on our blog. Please be sure you have provided a valid e-mail address. If there is no e-mail address provided to contact the winner, another name will be drawn. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the e-mail notification with their mailing address. This information will then be forwarded to the sponsor. If this information is not received within 48 hours another name will be drawn.