When she was about ten years old, Kem Smith, now a CPA in Blythewood, earned her sewing badge in Girl Scouts, and that acquired love of sewing and crafting never ended. Smith’s great aunt lived in a clapboard house with no indoor plumbing, but it was her favorite place to visit.
“She had a Singer treadle sewing machine and she was always willing to teach me,” Smith said.
Sewing lessons, YouTube and learning from her mistakes have helped Smith hone her skills. She quilts, embroiders, makes dresses, bags, hats and aprons and now creates customized doll clothes for American Girl dolls.
The hand-made doll clothes are unique. No two are alike.
“I love to envision the young girls who are dressing their dolls with the outfits I made,” Smith said. From conceptualization, pattern making, fabric and color selection to creating prototypes and sewing, a typical doll outfit takes Smith two or three hours.
The dresses range in price from $13 – $25.
Smith has a booth at Ivy House in Pontiac on Two Notch Road where she displays her products.
Contact: (803) 788-8188 (Ivy House)