There is this blog that hosts cute pictures. And I just had to get in on it. So here are some black and whites I’ve made of the twins. Most are old, but I’m betting you guys will enjoy them any way!
Here’s ---Eeep! We’re Busted!
Or maybe “Yeah, I’m cool AND I read”
The Toilet Surfer
And I have the meaning of life in here too:
You CAN’T be serious, Mom.
You know I’m cute!
What do you think? Darn cute, I say!
First, I’m STILL hand-quilting on the Victorian Table Runner. Granted, the boys don’t let me get much done on it as they think bouncing things off the big backboard Mommy has is FUN! And wouldn’t you know, Mommy conveniently made them fabric balls to do this with (not intentionally…). Thankfully, they have only thrown those so far.
Second, Momma Swallow has moved back in to her nest outside my studio window. She’s being cantankerous as I write. Apparently she isn’t happy about the thunder. Well, neither am I. It seems to think that rain comes from a clear blue sky. Hah. But then, with the heat, I’ll take anything to make it cooler.
I’ve been hard at work putting things in my Etsy store. Check out my new things, like a magic wallet from car tags.
Yep. This brain child came from getting in trouble on family trips to tacky tourist shops. Living in Gatlinburg, there were plenty of said tourist shops, stuffed with “Hillbilly” memorabilia. One was always the Hillbilly wallet, otherwise known as a Magic Wallet. No matter how you put your stuff in it, it always manages to hold it and you can get your stuff out from either the right or the left. Imagine opening a book from either side and the pages stayed in the right order. Boggled my mind as a kid. I always had to play with these in shops, which usually meant picking one up, wandering the store with it until I found an acceptable item to insert in it (usually a pile of brochures or magnets), and then doing so. After which, I would thoughtfully leave it stocked for the next person to play with. I’m betting the store owners didn’t find it thoughtful, though.
And I’ve gotten my bags in. I ordered them Tuesday afternoon. I’m impressed. And the Fedex delivery guy didn’t stink of cigarettes… nor did my package! What a HAPPY change!
Off to have some lunch and finish an apron. All I have to do is appliqué on some hearts and pockets. Really, not so much. Why am I putting it off?
It has already been a good week, so I want to start with that. That being both the statement of “It IS GOOD!” and the cutest tater ever. Yes, I made the hat…for his dad. And yes, it is a wool toboggan cap that he is CHOSING to wear in July. Who’s counting? But, in other news, I’m:
-Overwhelmed
--I now have shows booked for three straight weekends
--I’ve still got to order a tent and bags
-Frustrated
--The state is giving me the run around, trying to say my business name and my legal name are not the same thing. The IRS says they are. But Georgia, in their infinite wisdom, has decided they are not. So they want another $157 so I can get a stamp on a piece of paper saying that they are. Fat chance of that. But without paying said “we’re stupid” tax, I can’t open accounts with the other institutions I would LIKE to. Instead, I have to do things the old fashioned way and just wait it out. GRRRRRRR.
-Confused
--Math isn’t my thing, so Bookkeeping and Taxes really aren’t. But since they were due today, I dutifully sat down and blew my morning completing my state tax forms. Now I can sit and be totally confused by the “actual” and “projected” earnings statements and other documents I can’t even begin to describe filled with accountant jargon that I need to make sure stay correct between now and NEXT month. Jeeze, like I have NOTHING else to do.
-Excited
--I’ve already done several sales this week (on Etsy, not in the state of Georgia, so NENNEER tax office!!!) and I’ve accomplished a lot towards this Susan G Koman Breast Cancer Foundation Fundraiser I’ve got coming up on the 31st. But there is still a lot to do.
So back at it. I’ll post you some pictures of what I have been up to later. Though I do have several more listings in my Etsy store if you want to zip over there and see what I’ve been up to! :)
----Laters… I gotsa Scatter ZOOOM!
A few of you might have noticed my rather full schedule in my left hand column. Yep. That’s right. 5 shows between now and the end of the year, and that’s only my CONFIRMED solid dates. I’m feeling pretty good about it, as this is my first “touring” season as a crafty person. And my first show went well and my Etsy sales have been consistently improving (two customs right now!!!). So why am I still so STRESSED and WORRIED???? :) Oh yeah, that’s what I do.
But my darling hubby is dong his best to alleviate some of my stress. He even volunteered to do some photography for me to get some stuff ready to be listed on Etsy. As anyone who as seen my booth at the show or my inventory space can tell you, I have FAR too many things that aren’t listed. And since I usually do one of a kind items, each has to be photographed individually, measured, written up, priced, and then posted to Etsy. Not an easy task with two toddlers helping you.
Most of his photography was so awesome that you can already see it in my Etsy shop itself. So make sure you check it out to see his best work. But we all need a laugh once in a while, so he decided to put a few “gems” in with the other shots, to check that I was paying attention while cropping and posting them. Here’s the newest Vogue model… Te D Beare
And here is Te D Beare modeling the Pi=Delicious Bib. Also, quite dashing I think.
And just when you’d given up hope of a good laugh, there is this series.
Yeah, Monsieur Beare doesn’t look as pleased in this outfit. Maybe it’s the July heat in thermal fleece… I bet that’s it.
And then they say that an item will ALWAYS sell better on a model. You be the judge:
Item alone (by the way, it’s an infant diaper cover/fleece soaker):
Diaper Cover/Fleece Soaker with model:
What do YOU think? :)
I own LOTS of patterns. I don’t cut out and sew from many patterns, but I use them. I use them to get ideas, to look at how they suggest to do things, to snag slopes for shoulders, tucks for bodices, even fun ideas for embellishment from. You can easily use patterns as part of upcycling, however. And I have recently come into quite a stash of vintage patterns (thanks to my wonderful Grandmommy and Mother In Law, as well as some thrifting). And the vintage patterns are just so wonderfully detailed, with step by step tailors instructions that modern patterns rarely have. There’s just so much to learn there!
But back to the tutorial. I need to store all these crazy quantities of patterns somehow, and in my sewing studio just wasn’t going to work. But I have a fabulous double depth four drawer hanging file cabinet in my basement. Perfect. And it is conveniently right at the bottom of the stairs from my sewing studio. But if I put all the patterns down there, then I’ll never know what I have or where to find what I want. So here’s my system for keeping my patterns in my studio, but SMALL!
Begin by taking all the information OUT of the envelope and putting it in a manila folder.
<-Empty This Into This –> 
Then label the manila folder’s tab with the pattern number (in this case S8364) and a short description of the pattern (in this case, table cloth, napkins, placemats, coasters). This can then go in a hanging file with JUST the pattern number on it (or you can skip this step entirely, that’s a personal choice).
Then take your envelope and put it in a clear sheet protector like this:
These are vintage patterns, so I leave the envelope whole, as it’s really tough for me to cut up anything older than myself. For modern patterns, I do this:
You’ll see that this pattern has been slit open and put OPEN into the sheet protector. Then, when I actually sew up the pattern, I do this:
See on the left side? I add a sheet of paper that says when, why, and for whom I made the pattern. And then my thoughts on the pattern and any changes I made or think SHOULD be made. I also tend to note if I cut any of the pieces to a specific size (so I know if I need to get a NEW pattern to use the same design again) or if I used specific pieces for one of my franken-patterns and so it isn’t in the file any more.
Then these clear sheet protectors go in here:
I’ve currently got two binders, a 1 inch and a 4 inch, for my patterns, though I’m getting ready to split the 4 as it is stuffed and a monster to use. Anyway, my current divisions are:
Home Decor (curtains, table clothes, quilts, etc.)
This really manages to cover the majority of the patterns out there, in these 5 categories. But as you can see, Fashion Patterns requires further division. So I have it organized by pattern company alphabetically, then by pattern number. This works really well.
Now my filing cabinet has all of the patterns organized alphabetically by pattern company and then by pattern number. I can put my hands on pretty much any pattern in about 2 minutes total, between the binder and the cabinet. I love it. And I can carry the binder all over the house or even to meetings with clients so they can get ideas too! I highly suggest this method.
Please let me know if any of this isn’t clear enough. I’ll gladly add more pictures or description!
By the way, I’ve decided I LIKE doing pattern reviews. So I’m going to start trying to actually sew up more patterns. I’m going to start with Simplicity 8364. So stay tuned for pattern reviews!
Apparently we are in the middle of a thunderstorm streak. Every day it seems my weather alarms start going off and the twins go nuts. The pressure change is no good for ANY of us. But today, I’m using it as motivation to CLEAN! Well, that, and the fact that I have a show in just over 2 weeks.
Honestly, I didn’t think I would actually make a dent in my pit of a workspace, so I didn’t bother to take before pictures. Now I wish I had. But here’s the after. Forgive the lighting, as the storms are making it IMPOSSIBLE to enjoy my windows for the purposes of lighting… though the lightning is pretty.
Notice all the labels? Now I know where everything is! If you are interested, the labels read
Short Left : Elastic & Velcro, Embroidery Stabilizer, Batting, Packaging Supplies
Short Right: Bags, Works in Progress 1, 2, & 3
Tall Left: Fabric Smaller than 6”x6” 1 & 2, Findings, Notions, Scrapbooking
Tall Right: Interfacing, Stabilizer Pieces, Embroidery Blanks, Thread, Felt & Fleece
Does anyone else save little bits of fabric and stabilizer? How do you deal with it? These wire drawers work really well, but I have put shelf liner in the drawers where things might fall through, like findings and small fabric. I’d love to hear what others do with these bits of fabric that really are too small to fold!
My first pattern review! I’m starting with Southwind Designs’ Victorian Table Runner, not because it is a beginner pattern, but because I actually want to share this pattern with the world.
First, I should tell you that I am making this pattern as a request for the owner of my local quilt shop. I received both the pattern and the fabric for it as compensation for making it, and I wanted to be honest with you, my dear reader. But I have received NO compensation of any type from Southwind Designs. So there is my full disclosure.
Tracy chose the pattern and the colors, which are quite lovely. I’m really into the leaf pattern and the blue blender. Both of those are quite yummy.
Now “dimensional quilt patterns for creative people” is the slogan of Southwind Designs, and while I would definitely fall into the creative category, I was a little scared by the dimensional part. Tracy assured me that with my experience doing Cathedral Windows, I could handle this no problem. And she was TOTALLY right! This pattern is so clearly written and graphed that there was NO pain in the piecing. None. Not a bit!
Annette’s cutting instructions were dead on, with minimal waste. And her piecing is broken into little steps and each part is clearly illustrated. I was completely comfortable and never had to “figure out” how to do ANY step. It was great! I highly suggest Annette’s patterns and will be purchasing them in the future. My only problem becomes which one to do next! :)
Also, if you check out the Southwind Designs website, they even have quilts that are completed from their patterns for sale. So if you aren’t up to the dimensional aspect of the quilting, then you can still own it!
I’m not sorry that the pictures are dark, as most of them were taken between 5pm and 10pm Sunday night. Yep. That’s right. All this in 5 hours, which also included cooking and feeding the twins dinner, eating, cleaning up the dinner mess, putting the twins to bed, and some diapering. So it is not only beautiful, but quick!
Now I’ve just got to get the backing and binding choices from Tracy and start quilting. Part of me really wants to quilt this by hand, just to give it a really Victorian feel. What do you think?
