This Is My Point

I pledged at the beginning of 2014 to emphasize quality of materials over volume and expense. This is not to say I plan to spend more money on supplies than I can recoup in a finished item, but sometimes the narrow margin is worth it. Marimekko fabric is one example. This Marimekko laminate print is easily-recognizable to many people. It's priced accordingly. And yet, the soft and luxe feel of the fabric is worth it. Though the Marimekko cotton prints can feel a little coarse, the laminates from the company are a stem-to-stern pleasure to work with. Items made from the laminate usually sell early, so the fabric must be "worth it".

The Internet Is Always Right

One of my good customers challenged me to make a fabric cover for a steno pad. My first impulse was to Google the task. Sure enough, a high-quality tutorial popped up. I used it nearly verbatim to make a fabric-covered steno pad with loops for a pen closure and interior pockets. I think it's super-cute, and plan to shrink the pattern down to cover mini spiral-bound notebooks. I like a notebook with pages attached by stitching or coils (rather than glue) and this idea is just the solution.

On The Move

My sister and her family are moving, and it's time to get serious about looking for a house. From a distance, the process sounds fun. A new house means fresh picking-and-choosing of so many things. Let's paint! Let's plant! Let's recombine favored possessions in a new nest! The reality of moving is more drudgery and paperwork, so I'm sending off a new fabric portfolio for the task. This fabric folder features a large center compartment for file folders of real estate listings and a notebook of questions to ask the realtor. On the front is another zippered pocket for the city map, an open pocket for smaller notes or a calculator and a small zippered pocket for business cards. On the back of the portfolio another open pocket can hold house flyers and floor plans. The fabric is brand-new, and possibly more my style than my sister's. I don't get to pick out a new house, but fresh fabric sure is fun.

I Like the Results!

My fried, G, operates a booth at a social workers' convention every year. For the last few years, she has included in her offerings pouches and totes from me. She thinks of a slogan, and then I use fabric paint to screenprint or spoonflower.com to customize fabric. This past fall's theme was "keep calm" and it's my personal favorite. "Keep calm. I'm a school social worker" decorated the pockets of several canvas tote bags. My friend said they sold well.

Sure, Why Not?

At the Holiday Market this last month, I had for sale at my booth pillows with reverse applique. The two flavors offered were an ampersand symbol and a pi symbol. My thought was to attract either the language or the math crowd (though one pi pillow actually sold to a mom whose son with born on March 14th). Inevitably, some shoppers will see an item in my booth and think of the possibilities. This is how I came to make a schwa pillow. In truth, I made two schwa pillows. This one was first, and the second one I made for the customer's daughter. The daughter said she liked the idea of a schwa pillow, but since her name started with and "E" she might just turn the pillow upside-down sometimes.

New Year, New Machine

I'm ringing in 2014 in style with a new sewing machine. Though I love my old machine, I ran it into the ground. Now I have 2 machines (in theory) for just-so accomplishing of sewing tasks. I anticipate another fun year of choosing fabric, playing with fabric and selling the results at Urbana's Market at the Square, Eclectic, and the Lincoln Square Holiday Market. To focus my efforts this year, I have compiled goals. I plan to: focus less on both the volume of sewing I can finish and the cost of materials which will free me to emphasize the patterns and projects that most grab my attention. I also hope to design a few larger-scale items like Advent calendars or table runners or small wall quilts. I pledge to keep one eye on using up my stockpile of supplies before acquiring the latest-and-greatest fabrics because finding a way to use something now I bought "just because" is a challenge of creativity. To the extent that my first and last goal seem in conflict, I reaffirm that my sewing business is, more than anything else, just good fun.

Holiday Market 2013

The Lincoln Square Holiday Market opens this Saturday (8am-1pm) and runs for 7 weeks. Vendors of all types will sell gifts, food and plants. I will have these folded fabric ornaments along with pouches, baskets and do-dads for organizing, gift-giving and display. Come visit!

Weekend with Friends

A lady I met at the Market at the Square is preparing to enjoy a weekend away in New York City with friends, and she's bringing favors. A little piecing of fabric and a custom bead from the Community Fab Lab personalize small essentials bags to be filled with gum, a little lotion, hand sanitizer and whatnot needed for an early fall adventure. Have fun!

School Supplies

Though we had a great summer, I am excited to see the kids return to school. The daily routine again allows for blocks of time in my sewing room to work on items for the Urbana Market at the Square and the upcoming Lincoln Square Holiday Market. So, while the kids returned to school with colored pencils, p.e. shoes, graph paper and thumb drives, I stocked up on back-to-school fabric. The four patterns across the top are laminated cotton for small and large cosmetic/travel bags. The other patterns just appealed to me.

Eclectic Sale

Besides the occasional Market at the Square Saturdays this summer, I am selling pouches and whatnot at Eclectic on Main Street in Urbana. Today through Saturday, Eclectic is holding their annual $10 Original Art Days sale. Member artists and crafters have donated items to the store for the sale. Everything costs $10. Check them out on Facebook to see some of the things on offer. https://www.facebook.com/eclecticartistcoop This is what I took in:

Stampin' Up! Fabric

My friend Nancy of http://nancysniftynotes.com and http://www.etsy.com/shop/NancysNiftyNotes makes cards. She primarily uses the Stampin' Up! card making line of stamps, inks and papers. It turns out, the company also has a line of fabric. In preparation for a Stampin' Up! convention, Nancy asked me to make a purse and pouches using some of their prints. I was free to mix and match, piece and cut, as long as the Stampin' Up! fabric remained the star and I used as much of the fabric as possible. The result is a pile of items, both large and small. I'm pleased with the coordinated result, and now Nancy has enough of this and that to store her everyday items with gifts for her card class participants, besides.

USS Indianapolis Reunion

One of my customers at Urbana's Market at the Square is organizing this year's reunion of the survivors and family of the World War II ship the USS Indianapolis. Among the get-together's events is a tea for survivor wives and widows. These red, white and blue pouches with zipper pull beads personalized at the Fab Lab are meant to be the favor. A basic strip of complementing fabric across the top of each pouch opened up mix-and-match fun. I enjoyed sewing a large number of pouches in a limited color scheme. I appreciate the opportunity to insert my crafts in this celebratory event to honor and thank the sailors and families of the Indianapolis. You can visit the reunion web site here http://ussindyreunion.com/