Looking Ahead

Yesterday was my birthday. It's crazy stuff, I tell ya.

It seems I hold many of the same ideas and values dear that I did in my 20's, but now I know how to put them into action, am more confident in my abilities, and am actually taken seriously by others. I know, how exciting and odd at the same time (muahahaha)! Since I have been in grad school these past two years (has it really been that long already? How can it be that I am now closer to graduating than I am to registering for my first semester?!), my sewing and embroidery, alongside my little etsy shop, have developed in ways I never expected. I have also stepped into new roles and opportunities in the other half of my professional life in the museum world. I still love having this split identity, even though it can be stressful juggling the two worlds at times. They are equally important parts of me and I feel lucky to be able to pursue lines of interest in both. Just this semester, in addition to classes and the million+1 projects I have going, I've begun some part-time work on campus, embarked on my internship and thesis, and may have the opportunity to start teaching sewing and embroidery classes in the Boston area soon!

As you can imagine, that doesn't leave a lot of time for custom orders (and yes, this is the point I have been building to). It has been an agonizing decision to come to, and one that I have pondered over for some time now, but I know now that this is the right time to stop taking on any more custom shoe orders for the foreseeable future. To be clear, I will still be blogging here and updating my etsy shop with ready-to-ship items, but will not be accepting orders for custom embroidered shoes.

It's been a pleasure and an honor to work with all the clients who have entrusted me with their requests over the years, but I no longer have the time to keep up the level of service I feel my clients deserve. It's difficult to justify the long-term viability of the work when communicating the details of each order, an unpaid task, takes far more time than the embroidery work itself. In addition, there are now many who have copied my designs for resale at lower price points and I don't feel it is a worthy competition. If there ever comes a day when I am able to do more custom shoes, I will be sure to let you know (I will update this post if that is the case). In the meantime,  I'm looking forward to putting my embroidery to the test in new endeavors, including teaching, pattern drafting, and if I get my way, hopefully more opportunities for publication. By doing so, I can continue to balance both worlds, just in new and different ways. On that note, I do have a new embroidery pattern I hope to release sometime in the coming month, so keep your eyes peeled!

Cute Overload.

When these shoes arrived in the mail, I couldn't help but ooo and ahh and generally fawn over them as if I was someone's crazy aunt, known family wide for her cheek pinching penchant. What is it about little one's shoes that trigger seemingly uncontrollable googly eyed reactions in us?! If that wasn't enough, they became doubly adorable with the embroidery I did for this customer—one pair for her flowergirl and the other for her ringbearer. I can only imagine how nervous or weirded out a kid might feel walking in formal clothes in front of so many people and think these shoes are the perfect little gift to kickstart their confidence and comfort level on such a big day!


As I worked on them, I got to thinking that they'd also be a fabulous fresh take on those bronzed booties of old, embroidered with their name and birth date and hung in the nursery or handed down as a keepsake.

Ok, I think that should cover any cute deficiency anyone may have been experiencing. I declare you cured and encourage you to check out more pictures of these shoes here and here if you experience any relapses.

P.S. Today marks 273 posts and 173 followers—thank you!

Stitch by Stitch

 

Hand-stitched mini yo-yo rosette coverlet, detail

I had planned on sharing some of the photos from our weekend in Vermont but those will just have to wait their turn as I was pleased as punch when I saw how this mini yo-yo coverlet turned out! It was a custom order I received in my etsy shop to be used as a photographer's prop for newborn sessions (love that idea!) and I've been stitching away at it bit by bit over the last week+. The work took a bit longer than I had originally estimated and involved a lot of me stitching at odd moments in the car or curled up under the living room lamp way too late at night:

 A little night stitching + the netflix q = total sewing groove

Just try to hide your jealousy at the totally fashionable neon green compression gloves, mmk? Yes, they're a bit dorky looking but they're one of the few things I've found that can limit cramps and soreness when hours upon hours of hand sewing or embroidery is required.

The finished piece (the white is just the background I photographed it on and is not part of the coverlet)

So there you have it, my piéce de résistance for the week and a big part of why I haven't been blogging as much the past week or so. Now that it's all packaged up and in the mail, it's time for me to tackle a slew of new things that I've been wanting to get into the shop. It's a good thing that work involves me sitting down and embroidering or drawing because I need to move a bit slow not move at all due to the massive sunburn I managed to take home from our above-mentioned mini getaway this past holiday weekend (I used copious amounts of sunblock but I guess it was no match for four hours in a canoe). Despite the unwanted souvenir, it was indeed a great trip and I'll meet you back here later in the week with some Vermont-y goodness to share!

stitch by stitch

pictured from left to right, top to bottom: 

a pop of orange on teal "i do" shoes, the "grilled cheese" shoes which is a saying between the bride and groom,
a new "you + me" design that is cute all year round, personalizing converse's product red line collection
of pre-printed shoes, a pair embellished chucks with the swarovski engagement rings, a mickey mouse pair
for a bride tying the knot at disney world(!), a yellow pair for a couple's engagement photos, a bright
red pair of converse zip-ups that was so fun to work on, and a simple but classy "mr and mrs" design.

while i haven't been able to be around the blog as much as i had plans to be, i have been getting in several requests for my custom embroidered shoes recently in anticipation of wedding season and i couldn't be happier with the growth of my little business and the work i've been able to do for my brides and grooms. i just got a couple more pairs in this week but i hope that soon i'll also be able to share progress on some new pillows for the shop as well.

in the meantime, here is a sampling of a few of my favorite embroidered shoes that i've worked on so far this year, details on each one right below the photo. some are for brides and grooms on their wedding day, some for engagement shoots and casual rehearsal dinners, and some made as wedding gifts.

the work can honestly be a bit hard on my hands but seeing how they all add up like this and what they mean to the folks they live with now is quite humbling and i'm so happy to see my stitching going out into the world like this. 


p.s. don't forget to enter into the giveaway if you haven't yet!

love at the heart of it.

these are the two custom orders i told you about heading into the weekend, so lovely in their simplicity i think. they are making their way to Oregon now and i must say the gift recipients are some lucky folks...it's always nice to get a few of the things off your list that you wanted but when someone puts so much thought and love into such a personal gift, it really means a lot and gets so much closer to the real meaning of christmas. i know i've said this before (perhaps i need to think on it more when i am worried about having not made a sale in a day or two), but i really do feel so lucky to be able to work with clients who care that much and happen to have such good taste!

there's still a couple days for priority and express orders but for the most part, i am able to now declare my own little winter break and it feels good, haha! i am a wee bit giddy to set to work on several projects...some items that are intended as gifts and some crafty things i wanted to do around our own house. i'm not sure how many of them i can finish before christmas, but darnit, i am going to fully enjoy having these few days all to myself and i hope to be posting every day this week with photos so stay tuned!

almost there...

 

phew, just finished these 10 custom lavender sachets last night! each one has a monogram on the back and they are now on their way to a customer in alabama. now i only have two custom orders left to fill and those i will be able to get done easily enough over the weekend..can't wait to share them with you because i think they are going to be really cute.

in the meantime i am going to take a little break to do some baking and to visit with one of my best friends who is leaving to start grad school in new york after the new year (we are going to have a tea party with scones and clotted cream, mm!). i'm hoping there may also be some time to work on my whoville quilt...it's been sitting in a corner of my workroom looking so lonely while i stitched away on holiday orders. not that i don't appreciate all of the orders i've gotten in this holiday season, but dang, it really makes me ancy and excited for working on projects that will make our own christmas merry and bright!

what are you working on this last weekend before christmas?

camping clothespin bag II

i'm a little bit thrilled with how this clothespin bag came out...and how well the pictures that i took of it this morning turned out too. thank goodness for sunlight at last! now to package it up and send it off to my sister for her birthday!


i you click on any of the images, it will show you a much larger version. i've been able to show a lot of detail in the different kinds of stitches so just go ahead and click your little heart out.


on the canoe, i made use of a new stitch i've just learned: the backstitch. it's fairly easy to nail and it is a pretty one but the amount of floss that ends up on the back side of it just made my economically thrifty heart skip a beat!


here i've mostly used a split stitch and then a straight stitch for the grass. i had a fun time using different thicknesses of floss to try and give the vignettes some depth of field. i guess this is what you get when a trained photographer/painter takes up embroidery...o dear.


um, i just want to say that i kind of LOVE the way the stem stitch works perfectly for flames.


and last but not least, a detail of the fish on the back where i used the split stitch, stem stitch, chain stitch, backstitch, and a couple french knots.

it was nice to try a few different designs than i'd done for the last one i made and i was excited to be able to use the metallic silver floss for some of the fishing rod details. that stuff comes out beautiful but i'll admit that trying to thread a needle with it ended up in a slurry of language not appropriate for this little ole blog!

down the isle in style

i just finished this custom order for another pair of wedding converse. dang, working on these shoes is tough, but i love love love how they come out! and this pair is so cute with the little skull & bows on the second tongue of the shoe...should be one stylin' bride that's for sure.


among the custom work i've had in lately, i'm also knee deep in embroidery work right now for some new shop items and for a couple pillows to go in my own home. it will be nice to actually keep something i've put so much work into and i'm almost done so there will be plenty to share with you in the near future. i better get back to it...there really doesn't seem to be enough time in the day to do everything on my to-do list!

the luck dragon

pattern by sublime stitching

by the time we got home from our trip i was just itching to start some new embroidery. it seems i've become the kind of person who just can't sit still in one place unless i've got something in my hands to work on...and so, in the time since we've been back i've almost finished the above dragon! a luck dragon to be exact and he will soon be sewn into a pillow to go in our living room once i finish his scales, talons, and the flames. if you click on the image, it will show you a larger version and you can see all the detail of the different stitches. i'm pretty satisfied with him so far but anxious to see him all set in his pillow. john thinks we should name him though...maybe fred? :)

i'm a busy little bee

just one of the projects that's been keeping me busy: i recently finished work on this custom draft stopper for a couple who's apartment is right next to the elevator, so it will be doing double duty as an energy saver and a noise-blocker! most things in my shop are pretty colorful so this was kind of a nice change to work on with the neutral stripes on each end.

now that that's taken care of i can finish up work on two more embroidered wall hangings which will be simplified versions of the first one i did but for other couples of course. they're going to be with white linen this time, pale blue and grey floss, and some pretty buttons from my collection in creams and pale blues. very antique and elegant i think.

i also tried working with those linoblocks today but the finished towel did not meet up with the expectations i had for it in my head....don't you hate when that happens?! i got frustrated and am not sure if i can save what i made so far but the best thing in such a situation seems to be to just step away from the project for a bit of perspective. i'm bound determined to have them look great...just may take a bit more patience and time than i was originally planning on. c'est la vive, eh?

the whole universe is here in this garden

i just finished the embroidery on these gloves for a local customer who needed them personalized so as not to have them lost or mixed up among everyone else's gloves at the greenhouse where she works. we were out doing errands so we stopped by to pick the gloves up in person...it was so nice to actually meet a customer! the greenhouse was amazing with all kinds of organic and heirloom varieties so i took the opportunity to get a few odds and ends to round out our little balcony garden—little being the key word. i can't wait for the day when we'll have our own home and can have a big garden...maybe even some stone walls and wooden gate with a big clanky lock so i can pretend i'm mary lennox...

"just like in the story. it's like the whole universe is here in this garden."
—The Secret Garden

we definitely have more than last year now that we aren't right in the middle of the city (can you believe someone stole my plants off our stoop one year..who runs down the street with a big pot of geraniums?!). apart from our cacti and the geranium, i've got an italian heirloom tomato for general gobbling (because they are a bajillion times lovelier than grocery store ones), some romas for canning, a northern pickling cucumber, shallots, lavender, basil, rosemary, thyme, catnip, and spearmint. i still have a few of the plants indoors at night but hopefully by the end of may the danger of frost will be completely past. this will be my first year canning...my mom gave me her pressure cooker with the warning, "just don't blow yourself up katrina lynn." yeeeah, so stay tuned for that!

what are you planting this year?

embroidery isn't just for grandmas

i am a very lucky girl. lucky because my customers have been coming up with the most creative custom requests lately and i can't take any of the credit for that! i just finished the embroidery on this pair of converse that a customer is giving to her fiancee as a surprise to wear at their wedding...cool, right?! we put our heads together to come up with the simple little design and now i just have to finish the other shoe before shipping them off.

and once again, i think i want to borrow the idea for my own wedding. or maybe a pair of embroidered converse with flowers or music lyrics and such for everyday wear...for myself of course!

a labor of love

you might remember this project from its infancy. holy mackerel, it has come a long way and is now finished! it is 8x10 and is to be framed as a gift for the customer's friends to commemorate their wedding which i think is a great idea—a very personal, unique, and meaningful thing for someone to have in their home.



i used a split stitch for the majority of the design, varying the floss thickness for different parts and then i finished off the leaves with a raised satin stitch to give them some height and a nice smooth look.



then of course there are the buttons which i put on at the very end so that my embroidery hoop was not getting caught on them. some are new, some are vintage and from my own collection and i am really happy with the overall effect they give.

i'm really glad to be doing this work though...this particular wall hanging was more detailed than any embroidery i have ever done but i think it came out well and is giving me ideas for so many other designs and uses of the artform. if YOU are interested in some custom embroidery work just email me at geschichtenvonkat [at] gmail [dot] com ...embroidery can be done on just about any fabric and has limitless illustrative possibilities to personalize and embellish all sorts of items.