The Light at the End of the Tunnel

I can finally see it! A glimmer of light at the end of my Craft Room tunnel :)

Hip Violet Headquarters has always been in a little corner of my living room. It started in the corner of our rental in Denver where we lived the first year, and moved to the dining room of our new house about 2 years ago. It's a pretty tiny space, as craft spaces go, but over the years I got pretty good at organizing and making the most of the space I was lucky enough to have. Here are some pictures of my current work space:
Yes, I sew under the light of a fancy chandelier!It looks pretty good in these pictures because I cleaned it up... Normally there are piles and piles (and PILES) of stuff. Currently my pile of fleece is only about a foot away from the ceiling :). It's a tight space and I NEVER have enough room to store everything I need. Plus if I need to cut things out (fleece, my bib pattern out of fabric) I need to use my kitchen table which isn't always cleaned off or clean!

This house DOES have basement (yay!) but it had some issues before we bought it so they had to gut the whole thing down to the stud walls. So even though we have the SPACE for a studio/office for me, it wasn't nearly ready. And due to time and financial constraints these last few years it's been slow going.

Here is how it looked when we moved in:
Then in September of this year my husband (who is a carpenter and generally handy person - lucky me!) put up the stud walls.This is the North wall with what will be my little shipping "nook" and closet.

A few weeks ago he was able to get the electrical figured out, put in 6 new lights, and insulated.
And today. Today was HUGE! We now have drywall!! It looks like an actual ROOM!!! I can't stop going down there and smiling!

North wallThis room is approximately FOUR TIMES the size of my current work area. Do you know how GREAT it's going to be when I'm moved in? I can hardly wait! It will probably be a few more weeks until I can start moving (which is fine since I'm trying not to sew much this month!), and when I do it will be a little bare-bones for a while. Eventually my husband is going to build a wall of cubbies and a desk on the South wall, and I'll have a large cutting/ironing table on the West wall with lots of storage underneath.

So there you have it. I'm hoping by February I have a real live sewing studio! I think it's going to be a whole new chapter in the Hip Violet book and I can't WAIT to start it! YAY!!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!

Hi everyone!

Ah yes, change is in the air :) With the new year I've decided to make some changes to Hip Violet and I would love love LOVE your opinion them! As added incentive to get your feedback, if you post a comment here on my blog, you will be entered to win a FREE Hip Violet item!

So here goes!

1) Price Change
I love designing and sewing up my items - I really do! But it has become pretty apparent over the last few months that I need to put my prices up in order to stay in business. Starting January 1st all of my appliqued bibs and short-sleeved apparel will be $18 (previously $15) and all long-sleeved apparel will be $20 (previously $17).

Now I know a lot of you really love the size and fit of my bibs but didn't necessarily need the fancy applique (or the cost of adding it!). I've got your answer! I am going to offer a new "budget" version of my bibs that do not have an applique. Same great size, snaps and quality crafts-woman-ship, but offered at $12 so you can stock up! Looks for them soon on my Etsy shop! And if anyone has a great name idea for these bibs, let me know! Maybe Thrifty Clean Bibs? Bargain Bib? Economical Eater? Cheap n' Clean?

2) Apparel
I have really been struggling with my appliqued apparel and if I should continue to sell it or not. I really love doing it as it seems to be a good option for people with kids older than bib-age, but I have a lot of trouble finding blank shirts, keeping a full inventory of the multitude of sizes needed for kids apparel, and even with how to display it all at craft shows and online.

If I did decide to discontinue apparel sales, it would not be until later this year as I have a big inventory of blanks at the moment. I would also still offer them as a custom order.

What do you think?

3) Custom Orders
I really love that I can offer custom items for special occasions, and I plan on continuing to offer this service. However starting in January I will only be taking 3 custom order "slots" per month. If you are interested in a custom order, let me know and I'll get you on the list for the month of your choice. Once it is your turn, you can order up to 5 items at a time. The running list of custom slots will be on the right sidebar on this blog.

4) Wholesale Orders
Currently I have 5 super-fantastic wholesale accounts, but I'm looking to add a few more this year. If you know of a really cool boutique that you think my bibs would be a good fit for, please let me know! I am currently looking for places outside of the Denver area as I think I have plenty here!

Thanks so much for reading this far! Make sure to post a comment - I not only would LOVE to hear your opinions on any/all of the above issues, but you'll also be entered into a drawing for a FREE Hip Violet item!

Thanks again!
jesi

Meet the Newest Hip Violet Family Member...

I'd like to introduce you to someone. She and I are going to be spending a LOT of time together...

This is my new-to-me Bernina 530 Record. It may not be the most beautiful, high-tech machine (I think it's another 1970's model), but MAN can it sew!

I had one of my worst fears come true late last week. I was sewing for my biggest show of the year (Holiday Handmade in Denver) when at 11:30pm the night before the show with a STACK of shirts waiting to be appliqued... my trusty Bernina 810 died. REALLY died. I'm pretty sure the motor is busted. After a few &$*@&$ I got my backup machine from the basement, relearned how to sew on it, and finished up my work. The backup is fine, just SUPER slow and weird and loud. And it doesn't do NEARLY as good of a job as my Bernina.

Then I did what any Vintage Bernina Loving Person would do. At 3am, I searched my local Craigslist to see if there were any for sale :) And I found this one.

No frills here!But look at that niiiiiice stitch. And did I mention how QUIET it is to sew on? I think I may even be able to TALK to my husband while I'm sewing!
And the best part? Check out the carrying case! Of course there won't be a lot of carrying. She is a BEAST!!! I cannot believe how heavy these old metal machines are! I need some help naming her. She is in rough shape as far as cosmetics go and is old. Any ideas?

Speaking of Holiday Handmade, here are some pics from the show! It was at THE most beautiful craft show venue - the Sherman Events Center in Denver. I think it used to be a Greek Orthodox Church. Every inch was covered in something decorative!

You can sort of see my booth on the left-hand side. I'm in the second row on the corner.
Birds-eye view! I was so lucky to have a corner booth!
I had a REALLY great show - my best yet! It was my first show doing something a little different - usually all my bibs are one-of-a-kind but that was causing some odd issues so I decided to do 3-of-a-kind on each bib and when one sold, just took out another one of the same. It worked GREAT! It was really fun to see which bibs sold the fastest (I had a few where they would sell within a few minutes of being out - crazy!), and I actually think having less choices for people was better so they weren't overwhelmed with so many!

Speaking of designs, below are a few of my Holiday Bibs. Most are available through my Etsy shop. They would make a great gift OR the perfect thing to cover up your own baby and their adorable holiday clothes at mealtimes!

I also have two Hanukkah bibs. Check them out!

One more show of the year and then I'm done for a while - come and check out Firefly Handmade in Boulder this weekend!

See you there!
jesi

Holiday Open House!

You're invited to our Holiday Open House! There are two dates and locations to choose from - we'd love to see you! We're your one-stop-shop for holiday gift giving - both Hip Violet and marmalade creations will have our entire inventories available and they make great gifts!
Can't make it to the parties? Check out the other awesome shows we'll be at this holiday season on the list to the right. They include Fancy Tiger's Holiday Handmade as well as Boulder's Firefly Market.

See you there!
jesi

Birthday Sets and Hats

I finally had the chance to get some professional pictures taken of my daughter Willa modeling my 1st Birthday Sets. These are always hot sellers and I've really wanted to get some great pictures of them to post on my Etsy site as well as use in advertising. I'm so happy with how they turned out!

If you are in the Denver area and are looking for an AWESOME photographer, please make sure to check out Jessica Juriga Photography. She is super easy to work with, great with kids, and takes really fabulous pictures!

A while back I had the chance to make some great Hip Violet baby shower gifts/decorations for two little twin girls. A friend of mine had me make two bibs, two t-shirts and two onesies all with birdies for her friend's baby shower. She hung them up as decorations at the shower and gave them to the mom-to-be as gifts too. The two little ladies are finally here - and sporting their adorable birdie shirts too!
Speaking of babies, I got a few blank hats and was able to do a little birdie applique. I also have done a tiny owl. I have a few more left (and can get them in baby blue and white) - let me know if you are interested! They will be $15 each.
Make sure to check out my Holiday Show Schedule over on the right. I will be at some GREAT shows this winter - make sure to stop by and get all your holiday shopping done!

New Retail Location & Fun Sets

I'm happy to announce that my bibs are now available at Tomte Craft in Denver, CO! Here are just a few of the bibs I dropped off:



I also had the chance to do a really fun set for a mom with a little boy who is due in a few weeks for a "surprise baby" - since they don't know what they are having, we did one for each gender!
And a funny little set for a fun couple - one is a big Florida State University fan and the other is a huge University of Florida fan. This is for their daughter! And just a note - although you won't see "licensed" fabric like this on my Etsy site or at shows, I am happy to make them if you send me the fabric!
Have a hip day!
jesi

Another Chance to WIN!

I was recently featured and reviewed on the HSUper Parents Blog - check it out HERE!

There is also a chance to win a super cute gender neutral bib in one of my favorite fabrics - Retro Kids in the Kitchen!
I have also been busy adding new bibs to my Etsy Shop - let me know what you think! They are my newer style where I am doing a lot more pattern-on-pattern applique instead of solid fleece. I am loving them but I always love your opinions!


Keep checking back on my site - I'm hoping to add a bunch of new onesies and t-shirts later this week!

Have a great day!
jesi