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Rhonda Applebaum |
Overview:I had no idea what I was getting into. In 2002 I had recently moved to the beautiful Chester County Pennsylvania Countryside. Just a short drive away was the Lancaster Amish Country. I headed out to visit the fabric shops looking for a convenient source for my creative endeavors in garment design. I was immediately struck by the colors, not only in the fabric prints, but the designs of the sewn quilts. I had been introduced to quilting at age six by my Kentucky Grandmother and I had grown up in rural Delaware in an Amish Community constantly around quilts, but quilts to me, had always been made from whatever was available. On that beautiful fall day, I finally saw quilts as art. I was in love with the ability to mix prints with abandon. I am professionally trained as a Fashion Designer with a degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York. Upon being exposed to Menswear while a student, I fell in love with the idea of mixing prints. This was something that was not done in womenswear at the time. After graduation from the University of Colorado with a degree in Economics, I started on my design career. Fortunately, I landed in Childrenswear, which at that time was experiencing a Renaissance in design. Gone were the days of solid brights or plaids with giraffe appliques. There was a new sophistication in childrenswear with the influence of mixing fabric prints trickling down from menswear design. I had found a home designing dresses for large childrenswear manufacturers for the next twelve years of my design career!
In 1995, I launched a line of Infant and Toddler clothing under my own label, Appletots. It was a very rewarding endeavor in design. I so enjoyed the hands on overseeing of the manufacturing of the line. Sewing has always been my passion. We kept the manufacturing local to our area, and were proud of our “Made in America” product. This was during a turbulent time in the American manufacturing history, as everything was starting to be manufactured overseas in order to compete for price. I decided to discontinue the line rather than have it manufactured in another country. I continued to freelance design for other large manufacturers, and took the opportunity to start a family. At my husband’s insistence I began to sell the 100 percent cotton fabrics left over from the Appletots clothing line on the new fangled thing called the internet. He was a pro at the internet from its beginning. He translated his professional graphic design abilities into developing websites for the pharmaceutical and financial industries and in 2004 launched avalonbloom.com for me. The store has been an exciting outlet for my creative and technical skills and the response from our customers has been overwhelming. Along with my husband and business partner, James Applebaum, We plan to expand Avalon Bloom to be a destination site for avid quilters for both inspiration as well as a resource for technical skills building. We will also be expanding to include more precut kits, quilt design kits and patterns. Avalon Bloom was named after us, as Avalon means apple island and Bloom was chosen for the ideas that constantly bloom in our imaginations. Our products will continue to reflect not only our quality and style, but also our love of color and design. I live in East Fallowfield Pennsylvania with my Husband and Son. |
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