Full Steam Ahead

a sneak peek at the ongoing work for my next embroidery pattern "world traveler"...coming this Friday!

I'm a tad stressed out right now, I can't lie.

My sister is going to be spending some time with us and will be arriving tomorrow so I've been trying to get as much work taken care of as I can in order to clear a bit of vacation time for myself while she is here. I suppose not having anyone to cover for you while you're "out of the office" is a bit of a downside to having a one-woman shop. Because of some bigger ongoing projects, I know that in reality I will need to keep working on things while she's here but darnit, I'm determined to be able to enjoy some time with her since it's only the second time this year I've seen her, or any family for that matter.

Sigh, I do love this work so darn much though and here's what's been keeping my fingers dancing:

 6 x 6 feet in cream cotton sateen, complete with french seams, grommets, and corner ties

I finished the chuppah for my friend's wedding and am all set to begin transferring the design and placing it in the quilt frame to work on. Expect to see a few posts about this in the coming month as I will be embroidering the bajeebers out of it (you heard me right, the bajeebers).

a custom yo yo pillow with AMH voile for a customer who wanted something that reminded them of their grandma

Custom orders seem to be coming out of the woodwork lately and have been keeping my very busy away from the blog. This must be what it feels like to be an adult with your own mildly successful business, eh?!

matching pairs for the bride and groom

Stay tuned...tomorrow I just have to share two other pairs of converse that I worked on recently that are so cute, they made me want to squeal. And I am not really a giddy-squealy kinda girl.

A Unvarnished Glimpse

some recent chuppah sewing as the daylight fades

Just a little peek into the studio today. It occurred to me the other day that we tend to see a lot of photos of people's studios and the work that comes out of them, but it's rare to actually see the person themselves at work in there, unglossed and unposed. Since that's what's actually happening there all the time though and what leads to all the pretty things we share with each other, why not show the reality of it off for a brief moment?! Of course it's natural that we all want to see and talk about those finished objects the most, but I think that a window into a person's creative environment "in action" can be really illuminating since it is that unique process that makes everyone's handmade items so special, no matter how everyday it may seem.

Far from the immaculately styled photos we see of people's craft rooms, I'm afraid mine does get messy. Uhm, don't spread this around, but I'm kind of A Piler.

I can't stand having my hair hang down in my face when I work so that goes up straight away and the music gets turned on from my laptop which sits behind me. Sometimes it's an audio book as I find I don't get to read quite as much when my free time is filled with holding a needle and floss.

When I embroider, I sit on the couch in my studio or downstairs in the air conditioning and the netflix q is my best friend when I have several pairs of embroidered converse to work though. Name almost any obscure period costume drama, kid's cartoon, or historic documentary, and I've probably seen it at this point.

This may be weird, I'm not actually sure, but I don't like having shoes or slippers on when I use the presser foot to my sewing machine so those suckas get kicked off as soon as I sit down to it. I'm not sure what it is, but it feels like they are in my way!

If you were to take a photo like this of yourself, what would it capture? How do you work and create? What tools or things in your environment are essential to your process? Are you like me and tend to unconsciously fit a bajillion pins in your mouth as you go only to realize you can't talk when someone pops their head in the door? I'd love to hear and if you want, go ahead and leave a link to a photo of you at work in the comments section!

tea and progress.

my favorite tea cup and work in progress...

i'm pleased to announce that i'm working on my first wholesale order! the only thing is that i've got to finish it...and hopefully the quilt for my niece...before i leave on wednesday for a trip to michigan for my college reunion! yeah, i'm feeling a wee bit overwhelmed at the moment. i'm actually close to being done with the wholesale order as that was my first priority of course but i'm worried about being able to get the quilt done now. i'm just going to hunker down over the next couple days with my tea cup and thimble and get as much done as i possibly can.

despite the mad rush, i am excited to finally be getting my work into a brick and mortar store with this wholesale order. it's a big first for any etsy seller and i definitely feel a bit more professional with this experience under my wings. it was just the confidence boost i needed too after getting a little sad about losing some blog readers and facebook fans. i know it sounds silly but i take my work and my blog writing so personally and have to wonder...what did i do wrong? don't they like me anymore?! i've got to smile at myself thinking these thoughts of course and realize that it's just business. i suppose it'd do me good to grow a thicker skin and put my worry to work on new items instead!

p.s. don't miss the chance to enter maureen cracknell's awesome sewing and knitting giveaways!

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?

embroidered saturday

i'm really excited about the custom embroidery job that i am working on right now, it will be done as a wall hanging and given as a wedding gift so just a little bit of pressure to do a great job! I've drawn the whole design myself though and have incorporated some buttons in so that it has a 3D element and will go in a shadow box frame. now i just want to make another to commemorate our own wedding. it'd certainly make a lovely gift whether you're just getting hitched or you've been married for several years.


i had originally drawn a few different sketches of different designs for the customer to choose from and i think i'll end up using the border from this one if i end up making one for us:


i've been wanting to include more embroidery in the shop for a while now...new items such as pillowcases and eye-masks but also to embellish and freshen up older items like sachets and tea towels...more comforts of home, that is what the shop is all about. i'm on a roll now though so hopefully you will get to see the results soon!

just one last thing: THANK YOU to everyone who is following now; hopefully we will find three more folks to join us by the end of the week to reach the 100 mark!! I really love reading all your comments and having you along on this journey! AND to show you how thankful i am to all of you, i'm having a giveaway next week! feel free to let me know if you've got a favorite from either of my shops because i'm not sure yet what to give...