Late Night Thoughts

I have something big on my mind: I am pondering the idea of opening an Etsy shop to sell handmade items.  Makers like me often get told by well-meaning people that we should sell the stuff we create.  I take it as a compliment but rarely consider it seriously.  There's just too much other stuff to do, the end goal of our making is not to earn money (the rewards are many and rarely financial), and it's overwhelming to think about finding the time to have a handmade business.  

Here's why I am considering selling handmade items:

• I am interested in earning some money to help pay for the expenses of my pricey hobby.
• I've really been trying to scale back my fabric purchases and work from stash but I still have to buy thread, batting, etc.   
• I am a stay at home mom of three kids, ages six and under.  There are not a lot of money making opportunities in my world right now.  A lot of moms sell things like (e.g. Mary Kay) but I am not a saleswoman.  Another friend nannies another child full-time; my hands are full enough with my own children right now.  
• I realize I'm definitely talking about a first world problem here- I don't mean to whine.  
• I would love to be able to put some money aside to pay for my biggest dream: owning a computerized Gammill longarm (I've literally had two recent dreams where I owned one and I was sad to wake up to realize it wasn't true).  
• I really like making small items right now: bags, zip pouches, kitchen items.  When I give them as gifts, they are usually appreciated- but all too often, some recipients just don't care.  
• Participating in swaps is a good reason to make smaller items but I received absolutely nothing handmade in my last swap and it was such a negative experience.  I don't see myself participating in any swaps again any time soon.

(I recently made another 241 tote and donated it as a door prize for my an upcoming MOPS event).

I have to admit that opening up a handmade shop makes me feel a little fearful.  I am afraid no one will buy what I make.  I am timid to set prices that will make this a worthwhile endeavor.  I am worried that time given to a business would erase any hope of doing my own personal projects.  I don't want to turn my fun hobby/passion into drudgery by turning it into a business.  For the most part, I've been very content to be a simple hobbyist when it comes to sewing.  

(I've been having too much fun with the linens aisle at TJ Maxx.  These towels destined to be re-purposed!) 

A personal note about a past life decision based on fear and feeling inadequate: One of the biggest regrets I have about my young adult life is that I chose an undergraduate major based on my belief that I should choose the easiest path to achieve the highest grades.  I was worried about having the best resume for graduate school.  I wish that I had had more confidence in myself to work at something more challenging.

Am I really the kind of person that shrinks back from a difficult task?  I could talk about other instances in my past when I've accomplished challenging things.  I don't want to shy away from this handmade business idea just because it would be "hard."  

 (I am obsessed with this newer Riley Blake fabric line: Vintage Kitchen but the only store that carries the whole range is fabric.com and I hate them!)

So what do you think?  Is it worth it to sell handmade items?  Do you know of other makers who've had success with this?  How do you afford the supplies for your sewing?

(Lately I've become obsessed with stationary.  A local Hallmark store just went out of business and I went a little crazy.)

I'm going to contemplate this handmade business idea for a little while longer.  I want to finish up some WIPs and do a project I've been gearing up for: organizing my patterns that are scattered throughout my sewing room.  There are lots of book resources on the subject of handmade businesses and maybe I will give some of them a try in the meantime.  I'll keep you updated!

Guild Lecture and Class on Bag Making

Over the past few months, I've become more involved in attending the Front Range Modern Quilt Guild (FRMQG) meetings.  I took a long break after having my baby last May but I am so glad I've come back to the guild and have made it more of a priority now.  

I offered to teach a little presentation on bag making to the guild this past Saturday.  I gathered all of my bags to use as visuals for my little talk.  Everyone really thought I had a lot of bags and I guess I do.  I don't think it's excessive if you consider I've been making bags for a long time and I use them frequently.  I also give a lot of bags away as gifts.  

In my presentation, the bulk of my talk was focused on the different types of interfacing available.  I even brought samples to pass around and they were parceled out as a giveaway at the end.  I talked about my favorite bag pattern designers, recommended fabrics, and lots of "tips and tricks."  I received a lot of positive feedback at the end of the meeting, which made me feel good.

After the lecture, I taught a bag making class to eight ladies (not all pictured).  The pattern we worked on was the 241 tote.  It was a really fun afternoon.  Everyone either finished or made a lot of progress.  They all had different skill levels with sewing and bag making, so everyone went at a different pace.  This seemed to work out okay, it might have been more difficult if the group were a lot larger.

One class member, Leslie, nearly finished this beauty.  She quilted the tiger fabric, made her own piping, and she had extra hardware.  She definitely could have taught the class!  Isn't it gorgeous?!

I spent a lot of time preparing for the lecture and the class.  Right now I feel a little relieved to have it all done and I am excited to re-focus on my own projects cluttering my sewing room.

(Sorry for the crummy iphone pictures, I didn't remember my "real" camera in all the rush of bringing so many other extra things to the meeting!).

Finish it up Friday: Vintage Kitchen Projects

 Sometimes I "save money" by making gifts instead of buying them at the store.  It's often rewarding and fun to make something special for someone special.  That being said, I don't really save a lot of money if you consider what I've already spent on fabric and other supplies and I definitely don't save time.  For my sister's recent birthday, I really was willing to buy something off of her list and call it done.  But that plan was foiled when I learned that my mom had already gotten her everything from her birthday list.  (We are definitely "list people" when it comes to giving gifts in my family).

In the past, I've made her a quilt, a tote bag, and a few zip bags.  I knew it was time to do something different.  I have a precious little bundle of Vintage Kitchen fabric that I adore.  (This collection is adorable and it felt refreshing to have something in my stash besides the typical AMH, Tula Pink, Lizzy House, etc.)  I started with a large hot pad made with VF and lots of scraps.  We have one of these (made by a friend in a long ago BMQG swap) and use it pretty much every evening.  This measures 16":

With the large one being so busy, I decided to do one-fabric hot pads, measuring 8":

 I bought an inexpensive pack of dish towels at TJ Maxx and sewed some patchwork square strips along the ends.  It's a great scrappy project, tutorial found at Crazy Mom Quilts.

Here's a picture of it all together, along with some fun items from the housewares section at TJ Maxx.  Ok, so I guess I still went shopping!  

Linking to Finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.

Scraptastic Wednesday: Purple Projects

I just can't stay away from "quick" projects.  I really want to work on my ongoing quilt projects, but somehow I can't stop myself from making a pillow, a zip pouch, or a dress when the opportunity arises.  

A friend of mine has been in the academic trenches of PhD "comps."  She has been studying for months and had three full days of written testing ahead of her.  This all finally ended on Tuesday and I arranged for this little handmade surprise to reward her at the end of it all.  Her favorite color is "radiant orchid" and I got to work with some scraps, some stash, and a bit of Essex Linen in Putty.  The pattern is from Pillow Pop.

A zippered back with one of my favorite purple-ish fabrics:

Speaking of purple and scraps, I finally made my first Hello Kitty block for the pixelated quilt pattern.  I sewed very carefully and worked to get all the points to match.  It really feels so gratifying to sew with scraps: the little pieces remind me of previous projects and it feels good to be putting them to use:

Linking up to Scraptastic Tuesday:

Finish it up Friday: Princess Birthday Quilt

 At last weekend's retreat, the first project I worked on was binding the birthday quilt for my daughter.  A few weeks ago, a kind friend allowed me to come over and use her longarm to quilt it.  I had been stressed about finishing the quilt, making secret sister items, and preparing my own projects for the retreat.  Being able to quickly longarm quilt this in one evening was a real time saver.

This picture shows the back of The Hideaway, where we had the retreat:

 The quilting is an all-over meander.  Time constraints didn't allow for anything more complex, plus the fabrics were so busy, I didn't think it needed too much more.

The pattern is "Kitchen Windows" from Elizabeth Harman's The Practical Guide to Patchwork.

I backed the quilt in coordinating prints from my stash.  I purchased the binding at a LQS; I need to get in a better habit of stashing fabrics larger than a half yard because it's almost always a struggle to bind from the stash.

Charlotte's birthday was on Monday, February 29.  She's a leap year baby and we tried to make the day extra special, since we could actually celebrate it on the 29th (which only comes every four years).

She likes the quilt and has slept with it every night since receiving it.  She does have a lot of quilts already but she was particularly excited about those adorable princess fabrics and I am excited I finally put them to use.

Somehow I got really behind on my "stash used" tally, so this accounting will reflect not only the quilt but several previous posts (secret sister items, 241 tote, Make it Take it tote):

Total stash fabric used in the past four completed items posts: 7.75 yards
Total stash fabric used since Januar 1, 2016: 7.5 yards
Total stash used to date: 15.25 yards

Linking up to Finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.

Retreat February 2016

I think I'm mostly recovered from this past weekend's FRMQG retreat.  I didn't sleep too much but I had a great time.  I had my mom time her visit from NH to be able to attend with me and that was extra fun and special.  She and I get along great and although she is not as obsessed with sewing as I am, she's talented with the sewing machine and has fun being creative too.  

I finished the princess quilt for my daughter there but will share that finish on Friday.  My main focus of the retreat was a twin size Fancy Fox quilt.  I've had a FQ bundle of Jennifer Paganelli's Crazy Love for ages and I thought it would be fun to use with this pattern.  I also added other Lizzy House, AMH, and Alison Glass prints to the mix as well.  I made 48 blocks at the retreat and will share more progress on this quilt as I continue to work on it.  I will admit that it got really monotonous to do the same block over and over all weekend but the mindlessness of it allowed me to socialize more with friends and I liked how compact the process of piecing these was: I didn't have to spread out too much or monopolize the design wall.

My mom accomplished a lot at the retreat- it was awesome.  She finished this quilt top on Saturday afternoon:

She also made major headway on this Irish chain:

A big part of the retreat was the Secret Sister swap.  I spent a lot of time leading up to the weekend making items for my "sister."  For a while, I was a little stumped because her information sheet was sparsely filled out, her IG account had no crafty/sewing pictures, and she doesn't blog.  Eventually, the information I zoned in on was her penchant for the colors blue and orange as well as her love of Japanese and monochromatic prints.  First, I made a double scissors pouch (pattern from Make It, Take It).  This pattern was somewhat difficult for me and took way longer than it should have thanks to placing the magnetic snap in an awkward spot.  I still made it work.

Also pictured in this photo are some little snack gifts with notes that said, "Here's some encourageMINT to help you through the day" and "I hope you have an EGG-cellent time at the retreat."  The m&m's had a printout about being "Quilter's Helpers" and I got the idea from this pin on Pinterest.  I love cheesy, corny stuff like this and I wanted to have fun with it.

I also made the largest size of an open-wide zip pouch and fond a cute "J" (J for Jane) at Target to use as a zipper pull:

My last, final gift was a patchwork pillow made of monochromatic prints from my stash bins.  I used linen to frame the squares and did only straight line quilting through the orange plus to the sides of the pillow.  This pattern came from the book Pillow Pop and it came together so quickly and nicely.  I also used this tutorial to eliminate the bunny ears that appear on square pillows once you've inserted the pillow form.  It was easy and it worked well.

I always do a zipper-backed pillow:

The person who was my secret sister gave me some store bought items including some snacks, a small lotion, a chapstick, notepad, and a mug.  When it was time to do the "big reveal" and last "big" gift, she said she hadn't understood the swap and had nothing for me.  It was a very awkward moment for me and I will admit that it was upsetting.  I had worked very hard to make nice items for my sister and I had received nothing handmade.  Everyone else at the retreat had received the most gorgeous bags, baskets, pincushions, etc.  It was hard not to take the whole thing personally and I am not sure how this really even happened considering that everyone else followed the swap guidelines which were outlined quite clearly.  As a rule, I do not participate in IG swaps because of the anonymous quality of swapping online: there are too many horror stories of people being totally jilted and my sewing time is so limited.  I figured it was safe and meaningful to participate in a guild swap where I have the potential to build in-person relationships and where the chances of receiving nothing handmade seemed to be "zero."

There is a silver lining to this drama.  Three of my friends from the retreat noticed what happened and collaborated to surprise me with a purchase of some fabric at the pop-up shop that was being held there that weekend.  The row of fabric shown a the bottom of the picture is what they generously gifted me as well as the pattern pictured.  (The other items are things I bought myself at the retreat).   It meant a lot that they noticed my sadness and felt sympathetic to what had happened.  I felt like I really got to know them over the weekend and given my recent homesickness, it really felt huge to have new friends here in CO reach out to me in such a generous way.

I look forward to sharing the quilt finish from the retreat soon.  Thanks for reading.

A Finish and a Start

I've been having the hardest time being creative lately.  I recently told a friend that my brain can only handle something like a "quilt kit" lately.  That was hard to admit to, because I really dislike the idea of putting together something that someone else has designed and not even having the freedom of doing my own fabric selection.  But the thing is, my brain is at the point of not being able to handle anything more challenging.  

I will admit to dealing with some serious anxiety in my life right now: we've just hit the two year mark of moving to Colorado and I still don't feel "at home."  Colorado Springs is a big city that feels very impersonal.  I rarely see the same person twice when I go to the public library or a store.  I've been experiencing that disconnected feeling at church too, which has been the most painful.  I've found meaning and community among quilt guild friends and a MOPS group, but it feels like a difficult trade when I consider the meaning and connection I had with my mother.  She visits often and we talk frequently, but it's not the same as living close by.  

It's not just living in CO- I am sure a little post-partum, sleep deprivation, and winter blues are effecting me too.  

I explain all of this as an effort to be more personal here and less, "look at what I made."  It's interesting to know what goes on behind the scenes.  Although I enjoy sewing and quilting  immensely, it should never become a point of stress and major frustration for me.  So I am just trying to make what I feel like making and give myself permission to follow patterns and not try to create original masterpieces every time (as if that's what I used to always do.... ha!).  

This bag fits the bill for this new outlook I am trying to take when it comes to my sparse creative time.  I've made this "Make it and Take it" pattern a few times previously and I just felt like making one for myself.  I am ridiculously proud of my fabric combination here- lots of fun favorites with a shirting interior (something simple for the lining, since the exterior is so busy).  

So a big thing that has recently lifted my spirits is the upcoming guild retreat.  I signed up a few months ago with some trepidation.  My big question was, "Will my baby still be breastfeeding then?"  To his credit, my husband was supportive of the idea and I felt determined that I would pump if I had to.  A few weeks ago, I ended up weaning Owen.  I'll spare you the details but it was the right decision for both of us.  I am glad I didn't let nursing the baby stop me from signing up for the retreat!

One project I will work on is a Hello Kitty quilt, QAL hosted here.  My daughter is a die-hard HK fan and this QAL was just too cute to resist.  My only concern is that the hostess hasn't posted block instructions since Feb 2 and all of the blocks were supposed to have been posted by now (per her own schedule).  I am not one to get impatient or frustrated with the amazing people who take on such big projects for the benefit of others, but I am going to work to prepare another project for the retreat as well.  

I've spent the last week cutting up all of the squares for this pixelated quilt.  I was so proud to finally start a "scrap quilt"- as all of these squares are from scraps with a little stash addition of dark and medium gray:

Another fun thing to share: this past Saturday was the FRMQG anniversary party.  The guild leaders contacted sponsors and had generous presents for every member in attendance.  We had a little game of passing around the wrapped gifts, and I ended up with a very heavy Lord & Taylor box, filled with fabric!  I was so overwhelmed to receive all of this- apparently one of my friends was worried I was disappointed- but I was truly shocked that I would receive something so great.

These are some of my favorites from the box:

Soon I will have lots more to share from the retreat, the secret sister gifts I've been working on (also for the retreat), and I have nearly finished the quilt I have made for my daughter- who turns four next Monday (on Leap Day!).  Thanks for reading.

241 Tote for Me

The most recent theme for Le-Challenge is the word "round."  It was an easy decision to make myself a 241 tote after having had so much fun making a few for gifts at Christmas.

I had fun pulling fabrics from my stash: an Echino remnant from making this bag ages ago, a scrap from making this quilt, brown bees on pink, and a Japanese Cinderella print.  

For this bag, I used a rectangle ring on just one side of the bag and I like the look much better than having a ring on both sides.

Here's a better picture of that adorable Cinderella fabric. My three year old daughter LOVES the character and it was fun to use this fabric.

Sewing the curved seams of this bag is not difficult at all.  You've just got to take it slowly and remember to clip the seam after you've sewn it.  I have been sewing curves in bags for several years now and I have found that doing so has prepared me for sewing curves in garments.  It's great when skills learned become part of one's "toolbox."

Linking up to Le Challenge, Finish it up Friday, and Scraptastic Tuesday.

WIP Wednesday: Kitchen Window Quilt Top

This top came together fast!  I've had these Ann Kelle princess fabrics for a while and I wasn't sure how to showcase them.  I was very close to making a "giant star" quilt but grabbed some of my quilting books to look for other ideas before I started to cut.  I soon came upon the "Kitchen Window" pattern from Elizabeth Hartman's The Practical Guide to Patchwork: New Basics for the Modern Quilt Maker.  

This pattern was so easy and so effectively showcases large scale prints without having to resort to simple (boring) patchwork.

All of these fabrics came from my stash except for the black sprinkle print from Cotton and Steel.  I bought that at a LQS and it goes great with the black on white pin-dot I used for sashing.

I definitely feel comfortable quilting this on my domestic machine but I hope I can have the energy to tackle it at night, after my daughter is in bed.  I've managed to keep this project a secret from her so far.....

Linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

WIP Thursday: New Projects in Progress

Amidst all the little-girl dress sewing, I have been dabbling in several quilt projects.  This week, I cut almost all of the pieces for a "Windowpane quilt."  My daughter's fourth birthday is coming up and I've had these princess fabrics since July (I even spent my own birthday money on them!) and its time they finally became something.  

The Liberty Lifestyle fabrics from the Bloomsbury range are my all-time favorite fabric collection.  I made an X-Plus quilt with them a few years ago but I want to revisit these fabrics again and have quite a bit left.  I am endeavoring to make another quilt in the Swoon pattern- this time with 16" blocks instead of 24".  I am having trouble committing to either a 2 or 3 fabric pattern.... I made the block on the left and now I can't decide if I should continue with three colors or start fresh with just a LL fabric and one other stash fabric.... (as shown in the second picture in this project).

I realize the red version of the block is more striking and vibrant but the green one is beautiful in its simplicity and I'm a little worried about figuring out 14 more fabric combinations (with a three fabric scheme) that will work well with this pattern and these fabrics.........  Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.

A while ago I cut everything to make a girls version of my Circle Circus quilt.  I am proud of myself for having it all cut, so the next step is appliqueing all of the circles onto the squares.  I may save this project for the summer when I go to New England for several weeks since it's ready to go and would be easy to take with me.

I've made a start on the pattern in the book "The New Hexagon."  Three of the fifty hexagons completed.  I've tried glue basting for this and the jury is still out for me regarding that technique.....

This last project is not for a quilt, but for another Weekender bag.  I love my first version but really wanted to make one that was more scrappy/patchwork-ish.  I am in love with warm colors these days and I am pretty excited about this!  I have set aside the other hexagons to work quickly at making a big scrappy hexagon panel for one side of the bag in a gold/pink/plum color scheme.

Apple Picking Dress

 As a little treat to myself, I made another dress quickly after finishing the Betty Lou Dress.  Oliver and S patterns are so personally valuable to me: they've taught me how to sew little girl's dresses.  If I had started out with other patterns that weren't so well written, I don't think I'd have this obsession.  I love the process of learning one of their new patterns and moving along through every step.  When I work on a new-to-me pattern, the process has the excitement of putting together a fun puzzle.

I received the Apple Picking Dress pattern for Christmas and quickly made a size 5 of "View A" out of a Cotton + Steel Lucky Strike fabric.

I wasn't sure if I'd love the style of this dress but now I am smitten.  It's so classic and sweet.  My fabric choice made it seem especially retro, in a good way.

This dress has the potential to have a totally different look with different buttons.  I am wondering if I should have chosen something that would've contrasted with the fabric more but I am okay with my choice too.  Sometimes making the decision is easy when I think about having to make yet another trip to Joanns.

Total stash fabric used in this post: 2 yards
Total stash fabric used since Januar 1, 2016: 5.5 yards
Total stash used to date: 7.5 yards

Betty Lou Dress

Here's another dress I made for my daughter this week.  Shocker.  I know.  All of my blog readers that are strictly quilters may be gone by now.  Of course, interests, time demands, and needs change.

I bought this pattern, the Betty Lou dress, during a great Black Friday sale. For less than $5, I got a bargain!  I was a little nervous to try a PDF pattern that was just under 50 pages, but as you can see, it worked out:

i

I did find this to be a challenging sew but not enough for me to never return to the pattern again.  Gathering the ruffles was very tedious and the bodice ruffle took me at least a full hour.  I also struggled with the instructions - it wasn't the clear, concise format I've been used to.

I purchased the fabric from an after Christmas sale at $5 a yard.  That kind of price was perfect for a project like this, especially when I thought I needed 1.5 yards of each fabric.  (It turned out I needed a bit less of each, as I have some leftover fabric besides scraps).

Stash used in this post: 2.5 yards
Stash used since January 1, 2016: 3 yards
Stash used to date: 5.5 yards

Thanks for reading!  I am going to sew another dress this week but I've also started a brand new quilt.  I'll check back in soon.

Linking to Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish it up Friday.