Ramping Up!

It feels like things are starting to happen in my shop!  For a while it was seemed kinda hopeless, and then almost without realising it things have picked up a bit.  I had a sale and two custom orders last week and then three sales today.  That's really not too bad.  If I could count on averaging three sales a week, I would feel like this was paying off a bit.  Of course six sales in two weeks is not quite the same as averaging three a week.  For all I know, I won't have another for two months.  Or maybe I'll keep up this pace till Christmas and then slow down.  At any rate, it's fun getting sales! 

I'm almost feeling busy.  Today I finished and listed two new products and I'd love to show them off.  I took these pics at about 4:30 this afternoon, which was really too late.  I could've used a bit more light, I think.  But these are still better than my older pics. 

Another elephant lovey -- the deepest of purples on mauve.  I don't think I've thought of the color or the word "mauve" for 20 years at least.  But this pink is so mauve.  And I'm loving the appliqued loveys!  I've got five more appliques cut out and sitting on my cutting table!

And another scarf...  I guess I didn't mention the first two here.  One of my customs last week was for a scarf in lavender and robins egg blue, so I dyed up a bunch of fabric and when I looked at it all I thought it would look so sweet with some deeper purples in there, too.  So I made two different scarves, one with and one without the purples, so the customer can pick one and I'll list the other... or possibly wear it.  This is the lighter version.

And here is the newest one:

I've got another sprouting on the back of my cutting table out of the same deep black/purple as this one, but I'm going to put a solid piece sweet light pink on the other side, no patchwork.  I can't wait to see what it looks like! 

Oh, and check this out, I am OUT of OBV!  Or at least natural undyed obv.  I've gone through two rolls now.  That's 110 yards!  Wow!

I'm so thrilled with these photos!

A few weeks back I kinda gave up on my pics because I was hoping that I would be able to set up a space in my new sewing room where I could take them with artificial light and not be limited to doing my pictures at certain times of day.  But that required, or so I thought, that I purchase lighting of some sort and I've been patiently waiting for a time that I felt like there was enough money to go buy fancy lighting.  Then today I turned on one of my little cheapy Ikea halogen lamps and ding ding ding!  It just seemed right.  So I arranged my two little lamps in a way that seemed appropriate, though of course I know nothing about this stuff, turned on my overhead light which is kinda lame and probably didn't add anything to the mix, and took some pics.  I am very pleased with how they came out!  (And I'm also pleased to have a blanket that matches my rotary cutters so perfectly!)

I think these turned out better than any of my previous pics.  Now I'm wondering if I should redo all of the pics in my shop.  I will mull that over for a while and hope that I become very popular with the pregnant ladies before I get to it.  But I'm so tickled, I have to show you just one more:

And if anyone in the know happens upon this post and sees some obvious flaw in these that I don't, let me know, but not for a couple of days.  I want to enjoy them for a while first.

I just love making stuff!

Originally uploaded by smileypomegranate

I've had a few productive days and it feels so good! I'm just itching to get back into my sewing room now. It started with the sunny day lovey and the ball I made to go with it. Then yesterday I made this intensely lwi'd lap tee and dipe for the little guy and I finished the yellow tee with the celestial embroideries. Of course he's got no pants at all. lol He's got these tees and then several footie sleepers. Pants will be next.

And check out the back, too!

But that's not all!!! We had a birthday party to go to today so I made the big guy's friend a number tee. And since they are the same age, I considered keeping it, but it will be really fun to see Tai wearing it.

And I also made a patchwork topped blanket in pinks and orange that is to die for, if I may say so myself. I still have to get a pic of that, but the light has been terrible lately. I would love to be able to put it in the store tomorrow.

This one was apparently meant to be!

The "suggested" mail date for the etsy baby shower was two days ago, but I was just not feeling motivated until today.  That's really not like me.  I normally crumble under a deadline, so I tend to get things done ahead of time.  I was not one to stay up all night the night before college papers were due.  I liked to have them printed and ready to go the day before.  But I just wasn't feeling it until baby fell asleep this morning and then it hit me!  I settled immediately on the first two pieces of velour I picked up, decided to do a quick applique (which is odd as appliques scare me), and boom, I'm standing there looking at my finished product which I am feeling pretty proud of, btw, and I hear baby babble!  He's up!  (I'm dying to run it by him because it's my first "lovey," but I can't because if he likes it I'll have to keep it.)  Its the first thing I've done start to finish in one sitting in about as long as I can remember.  Now I'm gonna raid the scrap bin and put a ball together for her. 

The Beginning of a New Obsession

There are several tutorials for these online.  I used this one because her method seemed like the easiest way to make a template, but I'm sure you could find one with a printable template, too.  My little guy loves balls and I thought it would be sweet to make him something fun.  And he loves it!

Here was my first try:

I wouldn't say it was difficult but it is a little fussy, and maybe moreso because I'm using slightly stretchy piley fabric.  Still, I really love the results.  Even when the corners don't meet up so nicely.  For the first ball I sewed the first three pieces together and then the second three pieces, and then the two halves together.  It worked out okay, but on my second try I thought I'd sew each new piece to the ball, rather than doing it in halves.  The benefit of doing it that way is that the corners pretty much have to meet.  Sadly, you've got to do a little more sewing by hand to tuck them all in and it's not particularly easy hand-sewing.  I'm not sure which way will be my default.

I stuffed these with polyfill and put a little sewn up sandbag in the middle so they wouldn't float away.  I'm curious to see if they can survive the washing machine.  If they survive the washer and a few weeks of play, you may see some of them in my shop.

Here's my second try:

You can see that my hand-sewing is a little wonky.  I was surprised how nice my seams tuned out where I stuffed though.  I used some advise from Keyka Lou to stitch them closed.  Some of it didn't really apply to obv, but her method worked nicely anyway.  I'll definately be using it the next time I'm working with wovens.

I hope I get around to trying this one, too!