Hand Maden Designs: fun clothes for dogs
By Debbie L. Sklar
Edith Frye and her sister, Cynthia, have been making things together since they were children growing up in Michigan.
These days, instead of sewing clothes for dolls, the Santee sisters create dresses, coats, pajamas, costumes, harnesses, bow ties and other accessories for dogs.
Their creations can be found on Thursdays at the Scripps Ranch Farmer’s Market, where the sisters sell their work as Hand Maden Designs.
“We sewed since like nine and 10 years old,” Edith said.
The sisters are the oldest two of five children. They moved from Michigan to San Diego in 1983 after their mother died, joining a younger sister who was already living here.
Edith, 74, eventually became a registered nurse and retired in 2015. Cynthia, 72, spent 32 years working in health care, including about 24 years as a hospital unit clerk.
Retirement, however, didn’t mean slowing down.
The sisters had been making and selling handmade items for decades. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, they participated in home shows, selling dolls, doll clothes, angels and other handmade creations.
Then, in 2017, they began selling at farmer’s markets.
The move into dog clothing happened almost by accident.
While sharing a market tent with another vendor, the sisters noticed that dogs kept walking through their space to get to him.
“So, we started making dog stuff,” Edith said.
The idea caught on. Over time, they phased out the dolls and concentrated almost entirely on products for dogs.
Edith makes much of the clothing, including dresses, costumes, coats, T-shirts and pajamas. Cynthia is the more creative one, Edith said, and the sisters work together on the business.
They also offer custom fittings, which have helped bring customers back.
“We’ve done down to a two-pound dog, and one of my biggest dogs was over 120 pounds,” Edith said.
Harnesses are among their most popular items, followed by scarves and bow ties. They also make collars and other accessories.
Prices generally range from about $5 for bow ties and scarves to $20 to $25 for harnesses and coats. Custom and specialty pieces can cost more.
The sisters do their sewing at home and buy materials online and from fabric and craft stores.
But they aren’t looking to turn their side business into a large retail operation.
“Twenty years ago, might have thought of that,” Edith said of opening a store. “But now, it’s just good during the market.”
What they enjoy most is the interaction with customers.
The Scripps Ranch Farmer’s Market has become a place where people return, bring friends and sometimes simply stop by to talk.
“We get to visit with people and stuff like that, that’s what’s fun,” Edith said.
The sisters also understand their customers on a personal level. They have dogs of their own – a pug-Chihuahua mix weighing about 11 to 12 pounds and a West Highland terrier weighing about 25 pounds.
While their business may have changed dramatically from the days when they made doll clothes, the basic idea hasn’t.
They still spend their days creating things by hand, solving little sewing challenges and figuring out what will make a customer happy. Only now, their customers sometimes have four legs.
For Edith and Cynthia, that’s part of the fun.
“It keeps us busy, and it’s fun,” Edith said.
Visit Hand Maden Designs at the Scripps Ranch Farmer’s Market, held each Thursday from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 10045 Carroll Canyon Road.
