Kgirl: Fashion Designer Tells All!

Knowledge is the most powerful tool -- and secondly a willingness to learn. As far as real tools go, it's good to have a good pair of scissors (that aren't too heavy) needles, thread, a good sewing machine, fun fabrics that you like to work with and a nice open area to work with. Also a little notebook to sketch out or write ideas in is also a must-have.

I am not sure about a pair of pants, but as far as a tee shirt goes, I would say it takes a few hours for the first sample. From the sketch I either make a template or have someone else do it on the computer. If it is hand stitched, it can take anywhere from a half an hour to 2 hours to sew depending on the complexity of the design. Embroidery machines work much faster and can produce a lot more than we can by hand, so we have half our designs done by hand and half by machine.

My favorite part is seeing how much others enjoy the shirts -- they really make people happy.

For as long as I can remember I have always loved fashion. I started actually designing my senior year of high school when I started sewing. I loved combining patterns that I bought at fabric stores.

It takes a lot of work to start your own business. My best advice is to get as much experience as possible by interning and working for others. It is so important to work hard and always be professional, even when you are not being paid for an internship, it can be the most valuable part and you can learn so much.

Pink!

Inspiration is found everywhere -- the world around me, the interesting people I meet, magazines, and paper products. I love getting inspired by greeting cards and printed material. It's probably the reason I also love scrapbooking so much in my free time!

I used to want to be an orthodontist and a bank teller when I was little. When I went to college, my first major was Pre-Med, and then right before starting school I changed it to Industrial Design, which falls under the school of Architecture. I just loved anything that had to do with design and using my hands and being crafty.

You can buy my shirts in a lot of boutiques. It is available in a few online stores as well. It's fun to be a fashion designer but it is also a lot of hard work. Thanks for your kind words!

It is absolutely possible to be a designer without having to sew. I am not great on the sewing machine, so I like to stitch stuff by hand. It's great when you have good people who can help execute the design you have in mind. It's really about building a team -- especially if there are certain things you don't like to do, you can have them do it.