About Camelot Cats Clothing
Ordering
As of yet, I have not gotten the Paypal links up on my site (probably because I haven't got any pictures of work). If you would like me to make you anything, please feel free to email me at angela@camelotcats.com, and we can hash out the details. All invoices will be sent from Carried Away By Angela for legal tax reasons, but the clothes will all be from Camelot Cats Clothing (it's all the same person, after all...me).
My Materials
Most of my fabric comes from estate sales and store inventory closeouts. In general, if I am buying new, the fabric I buy will be 100% cotton. However, I rarely buy new. I believe in recycling and using what is there and has been used/owned by others before buying new. I like to buy from estate sales, because you can usually get gorgeous vintage fabric for a fraction of what you would pay for vintage reproductions even wholesale. And you're keeping the fabric from filling up a landfill, which is an added bonus.
As a result of this, I unfortunately cannot guarantee that my items are made from 100% natural materials. There may be poly blends. There will be items at times that are guaranteed to be of synthetic materials. If something is 100% natural, I will definitely say so.
If you specifically would like a custom to be made of 100% natural materials, please let me know. I can certainly accomodate you. I just do not always check when doing my pre-mades.
I prefer NOT to go to the store and buy new fabric if I don't have to. I find that my ENORMOUS stash of second hand fabric is usually more varied than the selection I could find at most stores anyway. If you request it, I can go buy specific fabric, but the prices will be reflected by this.
I will ALWAYS test a swatch of fabric for care instructions, and I always pre-shrink. I have had too many oopses with my own and my daughter's stuff to make that kind of mistake on things for a customer. Most items will be able to at least be hand-washed and line dried. I have to admit to washing everything of my kids' in the machine and drying it in the dryer, so if I do it, I expect you to too, so I make things sturdy enough to withstand this. If anything I say can be washed turns out it can't, let me know, and I will replace for FREE.
Shipping
Priority Shipping prices with delivery confirmation to addresses in the United States are incorporated in the price of the items on this website. If you want something shipped express or by some other method, please let me know, and I will adjust your invoice accordingly.
My Philosophy
Intellectual property:
I absolutely HATE copying other's ideas. I will not directly copy anything anyone has made. I will use other works for inspiration at times (don't we all?), but I refuse to directly copy another's work....the only thing I am OK doing is, if another person has made something using a commercially available pattern, I WILL use the same pattern (as long as it isn't illegal to do so) to make a similar item. I will not copy the fabrics and/or appliques, though. PLEASE: If you see soemthing done by another stitching mama, please contact HER about getting something similar made.
By the same line of reasoning, I do not want other people making items that are a direct copy of mine. I expect the same respect to be afforded to me as I afford to others.
construction and creation:
I frequently look to my collection of vintage and current commercial patterns for ideas and inspiration. I almost NEVER work off of a pattern. I am a free-spirit and tend to make major changes to make something work the way I expect it to. That being said, some of my clothes may resemble something in a pattern, but not exactly.
I also like to play with colors and embroideries. Most of my own work that I still own is prototypes that didn't quite turn out the way I expected, and that I do not consider nice enough to sell. I don't like selling things that don't come out looking professional and well-made. On the rare occassion that I do sell a "second", it will be labeled and priced accordingly.
Hemp:
I prefer NOT to purchase Hemp. It is currently illegal to grow hemp in the United states, so no matter how wonderful a fabric I feel hemp is, I have problems sending my money on to the people outside of the country who are growing it. I feel about hemp similar to how I feel about all items created with sweatshop labor. I don't think the people who are tending the fields of hemp farms are being paid or treated well (I have done a great deal of research about this). Many of the people who benefit from hemp sales in the USA are the people who own the land the farms are on and the companies that create the cloth, not the workers who are tending the fields. I prefer to keep as much money as possible in the hands of American companies and American farmers. Cotton is still grown and produced in the United states, so if I am buying new, I try to buy American made and produced Cotton.
If you insist on Hemp, I will buy it for you.
other things I feel strongly about
Recycling:
I believe in protecting the environment and doing everything I can to reuse and recycle. That is why I use almost exclusively second-hand fabric. I feel that I am protectig the landfills by keeping the fabric from ending up there, and instead am using it to create beautiful creations. I find a use for EVERYTHING. I got some rubber backed fabric from an estate sale a month ago and used it to make a one-of a kind door mat. I need to get myself an industrial sewing machine one of these days, so I don't have to use the leather punch and do that by hand ever again!
Supporting Small Businesses:
I believe in doing my best to support local small businesses and workers. I like buying my threads, notions, sewing needles, etc, from local small stores. I prefer to buy american, and most of my clothing is made by me or other stitching mamas. HOWEVER, I do purchase clothing from large chain retailers. I own designer shoes (that I buy at DSW). I do not consider myself a hypocrite for this. I believe in buying from large employers also to keep the money in this country as much as possible. I pay attention to labels and try to buy things that are made in the USA...you can find stuff like that in large chains, you just have to look for it. I do similar things with food (farmer's markets are great), and other items.
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