Wednesday, February 25, 2009

The Monsters are HERE!

I posted about my new monster applique a few weeks ago and now they have arrived on BIBS!
They are so much fun to make. I love that they all have their own little personality and I love figuring out which buttons are going to make the best crazy eyes! :)

I have also tried making a few bibs out of "upcycled" material. I found this great skirt at Goodwill a looong time ago that I just KNEW would make an awesome bib (or two, or three) plus I love the idea of reusing and recycling fabric. At one time I thought this was going to be my niche in the bib-making business but I'll admit it - I love buying new fabric too much! Anyway, this is my upcycled bib:
I am actually thinking about offering a new kind of custom on my Etsy site where customers can send in their own fabric to be made into a bib or an applique for a shirt. Maybe a nifty old concert tee of theirs, a piece of fabric from their favorite old set of sheets, or something like that. Maybe I'm just a weirdo in that I keep stuff like that... I have an old R.E.M. concert tee from 1985 Fables of the Reconstruction Tour (no, I did not go. I was 9.) that I got back in 8th grade and thought I was sooooo cool. I still have it. I think it would make an awesomely cool and hip bib. I also kept 2 cushions worth of fabric from the fabled "orange flowered couch" that at one point lived in my parents old bedroom. Then in our basement forever, then in my college dorm rooms, then in our first house. It is really obnoxiously bright but also wonderful. I have been wondering why I still have it and what I should make out if it. Maybe a bib! Or a cool applique for a shirt for Violet although I hate that she grows out of stuff so quick. Maybe mommy needs a new appliqued shirt!

ANYWAY, my point being if anyone has something like this laying around and they wouldn't mind being a guinea pig for my new idea, please contact me and let me know! You'll get a discounted rate on teh bib and you'll be able to say that yours was the prototype! :)

Monday, February 9, 2009

Trunk Show Success & My New Best Friend

Our Kiddie Trunk Show was a huge success! It was so much fun to meet up with other local "kiddie" crafters, and meet a lot of local parents who came out for the festivites. Plus the Red Trolley Ice Cream & Coffee Shop where it was held was to die for! Yes, I sampled both coffee (well, tea), their amazingly yummy breakfast granola, and a bowl of ice cream for lunch :)

We were set up in their back room. Here is what my display looked like:
And here is my friend Nicole from marmalade on the right, and my new friend Claudia from Sew You! set up her great capes and aprons on the left.
We had Anya from the Music Train come and set up her stuff and she did two performances during the day. It was so fun to watch the kids play the instruments and sing along! It was so crowded during her morning performance that you could hardly get in the door! Thanks to everyone who came out to support local and support handmade! We all greatly appreciated it!

AND... my big news of the weeek... I GOT A NEW SEWING MACHINE!!! One that will hopefully stand up to the rigors of bib and onesie sewing a few hours a day. She is my new best pal.

Meet Penelope. She is a 1979 Bernina 810. No bells and whistles, but completely easy to use (I learned how in about 10 minutes), oh-so quiet, and built out of sturdy metal to last forever. I am SOO happy!
I also thought I'd show a shot of my updated workspace. I started out at first with one little tiny basket of "scraps". Now I have three huge ones! From left to right are fleece scraps, pattern scraps, and the cutout middle of the bib scraps on the far right. I have a hard time throwing things away, huh? But all the scraps do come in handy for my appliques and I am rifling through them often ;)
Later!
jesi