Shelley Mitchell of Kitschy Aprons
June 10, 2009 | By
Shelley Mitchell is part of the Hollywood, Florida Craft Mafia, being featured during Mafia Month!
The apron is back! But if you’re thinking it’s that same little piece of fabric with ties they wore back in the days when television was only in black and white, you need to take a look at Kitschy Aprons on Etsy. Shelly Mitchell has made even the retro apron funky, fresh and fun.
This clever crafter has been sewing for as long as she can remember and really walks the handmade walk by making everything she can for herself and her daughter.
Her aprons evoke humor, sexiness and playfulness living up to her slogan of being the uniform for the domestic diva. (You can even accessorize them with pot holders, tote bags and a wristlet!)
I don't know where to start, the degree in Home Ec or the story behind the Wonder Woman apron. So, I'll let you pick the order. Tell me how you chose Home Economics for your degree and the story behind the Wonder Woman apron.
The Degree in Home Economics, well, really it is a degree in "Family and Consumer Science Education" but when I say that, people have no idea what I'm talking about. You see, Home Economics was officially re-named to Family and Consumer Science in 1994 but it just doesn't seem to have stuck. Like most young people headed off to college, I had no clue what I wanted to be when I grew up. I attribute my choice of major to my friend Leann. When I moved into the dorm, she was my neighbor then later became off-campus roommates. We clicked right away because of our love of sewing. She had a serger and I was mesmerized! She was much more organized and focused than I. She knew from day one that teaching Home Ec was her career goal. After three years of switching majors and doing poorly in college while helping Leann with her projects, I finally realized that she had the right idea. One last major switch and I finally started to excel in school. After I graduated I was a FACS teacher for 3 years but still wasn't ready to grow up and be a role model just yet. I loved the subject, loved the kids, just didn't like the grown-up parts. Someday, I'll probably go back, just not yet.
I love Wonder Woman, always have. One of my favorite memories is spending hours at the pool when I was maybe 4 or 5 years old wearing my Wonder Woman bathing suit standing on the diving board and doing the "spin" into the water. My mom could always get me to behave by telling me that if I didn't straighten up I couldn't watch Wonder Woman. Once eBay came into existence I fell in love with it because I could find all sorts of wonder woman memorabilia from the 70s.
My cousin Melissa started her own business cleaning houses and asked me to make her an apron to wear to work. She is a huge wonder woman fan as well (even has her tattooed on her back!) so it was a given that I had to make her a super hero apron! I'd already made a wonder woman replica costume in the past so I used the plans that I had drawn up for that one and re-adjusted it to be an apron. Melissa's apron wasn't quite sexy enough for my taste so I re-worked it using the base design of a corset top.
Tell me about your craft...
I sew. I love fabric. There is just something therapeutic about the whirl of the sewing machine or the feel of freshly pressed cotton. I've made just about everything that you can make out of fabric at some point during my life. I’ve made dolls, upholstered furniture, made costumes, clothing, tote bags and lately I concentrate on aprons, potholders and general kitchen stuff.
How long have you been sewing?
I can't remember when I first started sewing. It is just something that I have always done. I have a doll whose outfit I made back when I was still playing with dolls and a picture of me at age 9 wearing a dress that I made.
Why do you love your particular mediums?
What don't I love?!?! I can spend hours at the fabric store just feeling the fabrics. Another great thing about what I do is that most things I make are useful. I need clothes to wear, my daughter needs clothes; I need a tote to take things to the post office.... I make them! The best part is when someone notices and I'm given the opportunity to say "Thanks, I made it myself". It is so fulfilling.
Who are your influences?
My mom; she was a natural crafter. She did everything. She studied cake decorating, crochet, sewing, ceramics, and even made dollhouse furniture! She tried teaching me how to sew but being a rebel at heart, I refused to listen. Being a true Sagittarius, Im a trial and error sort.
Tell me about your most enjoyable experience with a customer.
A friend hired me to make her Halloween costume. She is a huge Oakland Raiders fan and wanted to be 
a Raiderette cheerleader. I looked up pictures online and made a perfect replica of a Raiderette uniform. She looked fantastic and since then I've made dozens of Raiders things for Raider fans all over the country because of it. This woman just happened to be a board member for a Raiders booster club who travels around and has quite a presence within the fan community. I am a huge football fan and the Raiders are NOT my team but the impact that one person can have is just amazing. (Editors note: Please get the proper permissions before doing anything with licensed fabric or licensed designs with any company, be it Disney, Hello Kitty or the NFL)
Tell me about your relationship with the Hollywood Mafia? How does your involvement impact your work?
I joined the Hollywood Craft Mafia last fall just as I was getting into the apron making business. Like I mentioned before, I was really interested in doing craft shows. I had always sold online but had never sold in person. I was doing searches to find local groups and local shows when I discovered the Mafia. I knew right away that they were the group for me. I met the girls and we clicked right away. I was instantly inspired and excited that I had found a group with such similar thoughts on creating art and offering it to the world. Right away I teamed up with one of the members and had fantastic success at my first craft show. Since then, we are able to help one another in all aspects of the crafting business. My weakness is someone else’s strength. We have all sorts of things we are doing right now. We are planning to host a craft show next spring, a trunk show for local businesses, workshops and supply swaps are all in the works right now!
Personally, the most important thing that I have gotten from being in the Craft Mafia is local exposure and help with Etsy. Would you believe, I'd been selling on eBay for 8 years but didn't know about Etsy?! Now I'm a huge fan of the site
Where can we find your work?
I sell on Etsy, kitschyaprons.etsy.com and on eBay user id Shelley-Faye and user id Love2dressup. Also, www.shelleyfayecreations.com I try to do local shows when I can but currently don't have any planned because I'm just 2 months away from delivering my 2nd child.
Any advice to new or young sellers just getting their feet wet?
Don't under price your merchandise. It breaks my heart to see people under-value their art to try to be cheaper than the competition. And, market to everyone that you encounter. Have your business card on you at all times, have your url on the bottom of every email. Make sure that everyone knows how to get their hands on your crafts.
What do you do outside of your business?
Firstly, I'm a full time mom. In between visits to the park and sessions fingerpainting, besides making and selling Aprons and such, I own and operate a web retail store www.addictedtorockabilly.com and am the controller for www.monstertixx.com.
What does the "handmade movement" mean to you?
Means that people have come to their senses! It means that people have had enough of over-produced poor quality junk and see the value of having a little bit of art in everyday items.
If you could have lunch with and pick the brain of any artist living or dead who would you choose and why?
My Granny. I never took the opportunity to get her to teach me anything. She made the most fabulous quilts and I would have loved to talk to her about sewing.
Tell us a bit about the space you create in? How has it evolved since you started your craft?
I sew in two spaces. First, I steal my husband's pool table for my cutting/pinning area. I love it because it is huge and I can walk all the way around. This works well because my daughter gets up on the table and "helps" too. Next, I move into my work room which is a converted single car garage. It has an entire wall dedicated to sewing. I keep my ironing board right next to a small table with my serger and sewing machine. And, of course there is a miniature table & chair with a big tin of Playdoh for my toddler to "help" some more.
What is your favorite type of handmade item to buy for yourself?
Jewelry. I love to get dressed up and wear the dresses that I make, what better thing to add than some handmade jewelry?!
Who is the person most supportive of your craft business? How do they support you?
My husband of course! He puts up with having fabric and pins all over the place. He takes our daughter on little trips so that I can concentrate on listing my things online. He even hands out my business cards!
Photos are courtesy of Shelley Mitchell
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