Buying Custom Boutique Handmade Children's Clothing

There are many advantages to buying handmade clothing over ready-made. First is the "uniqueness factor". Most likely the outfit you purchase will be one of a kind and stand out from what other children are wearing.
Next is the quality. Most sellers use high quality fabric and trims and sew with the utmost care. Seams are carefully finished and beautifully stitched. Often, you can have the outfit custom tailored to your child's measurements. Sometimes you can even decide where a ruffle goes or ask to lengthen or shorten a pair of pants.
With all these advantages (and there are many more including resale value, helping stay at home moms, etc) it is not a dvisable to just start buying. There are important things you should know before purchasing your first (or 100th) outfit.
How to Search:
okay has a "Handmade" category. You will find it under Clothing and Accessories: Infant and Toddlers and Girls or Boys. It makes it a lot easier to search out handmade clothing.
You can still find most items by searching "Boutique" or "Custom Boutique". This will bring up a lot of things that are not handmade. On the left of your screen is a menu of items, click the appropriate Clothing Category . This will still bring up a lot of items. You can either begin wading through it or start to eliminate keywords from your search.
For example: This is what I do when searching for Boutique Handmade items (this is not using the new Handcrafted category, which I will definately do now!) I type in Boutique and pick my category. Then I type in (minus) -Gymboree -Mass -Feet (for Bear Feet) -Zackali -cakewalk). You get the picture. Once you have been searching awhile you know which keywords to take out. Then I sort by Highest Priced. Then I can start looking.
You could also type in your favorite designer group. For example: Ivylane, Clovergirls, Lilyplum, Sweetstreet, Adiego Bleu, Gallerybay and there are so many more!
Please note that there are many, many high quality outfits that aren't priced at $100.00. Keep searching even down to the $14.99 ones. You will find some gems at bargain prices! These sellers either aren't getting seen or haven't joined a big name group and so haven't been able to be "discovered " by the masses yet. Give them a chance. Who knows the outfit you purchase from them now may be worth a fortune once they begee popular!
Check out the Designer:
So you have found an outfit you like. The first thing you need to do is find out about the seller/designer. One way is to check their feedback. This will give you an indication of what others have said about the quality of their items. Sometimes they will not have any feedback because they are new, so you will have to decide if you want to take a chance. It will probably turn out fine and you will have the honor of getting to leave their very first positive feedback but make sure you ask the right questions before.
If their feedback is glowing you can proceed to the next step. Look at their page layout. Most likely if they have taken the time to present a nice layout then they have taken the time to make a nice garment. Again, some designers sew super nice outfits but don't know a lick of how to make their page nice looking. However at the very least their page should be nicely organized with lots of pictures.
Next READ their description including all their terms of service. Find out if this item is already made and will be shipped upon payment or if it will be made after the auction ends. How long can you expect to receive your outfit if it has to be made. Can you wait that long? Note: Please email measurements to the seller as soon as possible after the auction ends so they can get started on making your outfit.
If the outfit is already made, check measurements very carefully. Most designers have the measurements listed somewhere in the auction but if they don't then ASK! This is very important as you can't just return the outfit for a different size.
Next look at the pictures. The designer should include a full shot of the outfit, a close up of each piece, how it looks on a model or mannequin and ideally show close ups of the stitching and fabric. If you have any doubts about the quality of the work ask for close up pictures of the stitching and construction. Most designers would be happy to acgemodate.
Each outfit should mention that all seams are finished. The most gemon way is to serge finish, although lots of designers French seam or zig zag.
Here are some other things to look for. Topstitching should be straight and even. Buttons sewn on in a straight line. Hems should be even all around. Pant legs should line up at the bottom. Appliques should be satin stitched, straight stitched or blanket stitched not just glued on.
Most designers will include washing instructions. To insure your outfit looks great, please follow them carefully.
Return Policy?
Does the designer guarantee their work? Do they offer refunds? Many designers do not put a return policy on their auction page for fear of buyers taking advantage of them. However, the majority of designers stand by their work and will take the steps necessary for you to be happy about your purchase. gemunication is the key. Be specific about the problem and how you would like it fixed.
Payment and Shipping Methods:
Find out what forms of payment the designer accepts. Most will accept Paypal and money orders, with a few allowing personal checks. Find out if the designer will accept credit cards through Paypal before sending a payment that way. It should say in the auction. Some designers require you to pay for your outfit before they start to make it. Be polite and pay within a day or two.
I still love it!
If everything looks good, and you feel confident in the designers ability, bid away!
Copyright 20040-2005 Journal Modiste. Used with Permission.
Pictures from left to right:

Sweet Girl Boutique
My Lil Pixie
BeccaBoo Boutique
Caroline's Closet