Women, Children First : Mothers Who Sew Like to Share Their Hugs and Kisses

Next-door neighbors and stay-at-home moms Kathy Klein and Kerry Carroll knew for a long time that they shared a mutual love of sewing and crafts.

But it wasn’t until the two Orange residents needed to earn a little extra money that they decided to turn their hobby into a business.

“We both talked each other into it,” Carroll said of Hugs and Kisses, the company they founded a year ago that sells clothes they design for women and children.

Carroll draws the designs and Klein turns them into patterns. They conduct home fashion shows of their creations several times a month.

“We design what we like and what we would like to see our kids in,” Carroll said.

“We like fun, simple dresses. We both like simple lines. We like clothes that wear well and are made with an interesting fabric,” she said.

Added Klein: “We don’t do much with ruffles or lots of lace for adults or kids.”

For their second fall/winter season, Hugs and Kisses is featuring two sets of clothing.

In formal wear, they have a black velvet set for mother, daughter and son. The woman’s outfit is a stark black wrap-around dress, with a high neckline and little adornment.

For the children, the black “velvet” is actually black velour. The man-made material can be tossed in a washing machine and dryer without suffering damage.

“Velvet for kids has to be dry-cleaned every time the kids try it on--with our kids at least,” Klein said. “We wanted a

wash and wear outfit.”

For boys, they are showing black velour shorts that fall to the knee.

But the girl’s formal outfit is the collection’s highlight. A high-waisted dress with a full skirt that falls to mid-calf, the girl’s formal features a high neckline encrusted with tiny pearls. Lace peeps out of the long sleeves and hem of the dress.

The other mother-daughter set is made of a black checked polyester blend.

“It’s more versatile and can be worn on other occasions,” Klein said.

For both mother and daughter, the dress falls to mid-calf, but that is where there the stylistic similarity ends. The girl’s dress features a high neckline with black velour trim on the cuffs and on its rounded collar. Like the more formal dress, it is high waisted with a full skirt.

The accompanying adult outfit is actually a jumper. It has a deep V-neck, and the sleeves come up to a point. It can be tied in the back for a more tailored look.

Hugs and Kisses also takes special orders. “People can come in and describe what they want,” Klein said. “Usually we can make it.” Special orders requires less than two weeks to deliver a completed outfit.

Prices for women’s clothing are between $120 and $130; for children, $40 to $75.

For further information about Hugs and Kisses, call (714) 997-7846.