Custom, Customized, or Personalized? What It Means at Laurie's Gifts

What's the Difference?

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between something that's custom, customized, or personalized?

Depending on where you shop, these terms are sometimes used interchangeably. But in my shop, they mean three very different things!

I offer personalization (adding names, monograms, or short phrases), and I love helping customers customize my existing apron designs with their favorite fabrics, colors, and trims.

What I DON'T offer is custom designing from scratch.

Confused yet? ? Let me explain!

PERSONALIZED: Adding That Special Touch

To me, the term "personalized" means putting your name on something.

(The first personalized thing I ever owned was a little red license plate with my name on it, attached to my wagon. Funny the things we remember!)

At Laurie's Gifts, personalization means adding machine embroidery to an apron purchased from my shop. It might be a name, monogram, number, or short phrase.

The basic design of the apron doesn't change. I'm simply adding something that makes it uniquely YOURS!

I offer  personalized embroidery for an additional $10 per item. 

And there are LOTS of options!

I have more than 100 embroidery fonts available, and choosing the right one can make a big difference in how the finished embroidery looks.

My usual process involves "auditioning" the name or phrase in different fonts to see which ones look best with that particular combination of letters. Then I send screenshots of my favorites to the customer so they can choose.

Some customers know EXACTLY what they want. Others would rather I make the decisions for them.

Either way is perfectly fine with me! ?

How to order personalization: Simply purchase your apron and add the embroidery upgrade to your cart. You'll need one embroidery upgrade for each item you want personalized.

One thing worth mentioning: I do my embroidery BEFORE the apron is fully assembled. That allows me to enclose the back of the embroidery stitching inside the finished layers for a neat, professional finish.

PLEASE NOTE: I only provide embroidery services for items purchased from my shop. I don't embroider clothing or other items purchased elsewhere, and I don't digitize logos.

CUSTOMIZED: Your Favorite Fabrics, My Existing Designs!

Now THIS is where things can get really fun!

Let's say you love my Pinafore Apron, but none of the fabrics I currently offer are quite what you're looking for.

Maybe you LOVE owls, but I don't have a single owl apron in my shop.

Or maybe you want a special apron in your school colors, something that coordinates with your kitchen, or a favorite combination of prints and colors.

No problem! We can work together to choose fabrics and trims that make the apron uniquely YOURS!

That's what I mean by customized.

I'm using one of my existing apron designs but changing its appearance to suit your preferences.

I offer several choose-your-own-fabric apron styles, including my Pinafore Aprons, 50s Smock Aprons, and Multi-Pocket Half Aprons.

But there's a little more involved than simply telling me you want something "blue."

There are thousands of blue fabrics out there! Are we talking navy, aqua, turquoise, baby blue, or something in between? Florals? Polka dots? Checks? Solids?

See where I'm going with this? ?

To get the finished apron just right, we may need a few back-and-forth conversations about fabrics, trims, colors, and how everything will work together.

Sometimes customers send me photos of fabrics they love. Sometimes I help them find coordinating fabrics online. And sometimes they already know EXACTLY what they want!

I want you to be happy with your finished apron, and a little extra planning goes a long way toward making that happen.

One important distinction: Customizing an existing design doesn't mean creating an entirely new apron pattern. It means making changes to the appearance of one of the designs I already offer.

So What Is a CUSTOM Design?

This is where I draw the line.

When I think of a truly CUSTOM product, I think of something that needs to be designed and drafted from scratch.

Maybe someone has an idea for a completely new purse or apron style and wants me to figure out how to make it. 

Or maybe they want something designed and made specifically for their unique body size and shape. (Think The Great British Sewing Bee or Project Runway... IYKYK!) ?

Or perhaps they want me to recreate a treasured garment from a photograph, develop an entirely new pattern, or substantially change the construction of one of my existing designs.

That's custom design work.

And while I have the experience to do that kind of work, I simply don't have the time to take on those projects anymore.

Designing something from scratch involves much more than sitting down at the sewing machine. There are measurements, pattern drafting, test pieces, adjustments, and often a LOT of trial and error before the finished product is ready to sew.

I have a made-to-order business to keep up with, and my sewing schedule is already pretty full!

So, no, I'm sorry, but I won't recreate great-grandma's apron from a blurry photograph.

And I won't make clothes for an alpaca.

(Yes, I've actually been asked to do that!) ?

I also won't copy another designer's original work.

I know that most people don't realize just how much time is involved in creating a new design, and I certainly don't mind being asked. But those are projects I'll have to politely decline.

But What About Small Alterations?

Ahhh, that's a different story!

There ARE some changes I can make to my existing apron designs without having to redesign the entire pattern.

For example:

• Want to add or remove a pocket? Usually, yes!

• Need your apron a little shorter? I can often do that.

• Need the armhole on your Pinafore Apron raised a bit? That's something we can discuss!

Simple alterations like these are often possible, depending on the design and the particular request.

There is generally an additional charge for alterations because they require extra planning, pattern adjustments, and sewing time.

Please contact me BEFORE placing your order so we can discuss what you have in mind. I'll let you know whether it's possible and what the additional cost would be.

One Last Thing About Returns...

Please keep in mind that items made specifically to your requests—including personalized embroidery, customized fabric choices, or approved alterations—are not eligible for ordinary returns under my shop policies.

That's why I try to work through all the details with you BEFORE I begin cutting and sewing!

Of course, if there's ever a problem with an order, please contact me. I always want to know about it and have the opportunity to help.

You can read my complete Shipping & Returns Policy.

Have Something Special in Mind?

If you love one of my existing apron designs but wish it came in a different color, fabric, or combination of prints, I'd love to hear what you have in mind!

I may not be able to create an entirely new design from scratch, but there's still a LOT we can do to make one of my existing designs uniquely yours.

And after more than 30 years of professional sewing, I can usually help you figure out what will work—and what won't!

Just send me a message before ordering, and we'll go from there. ?