Sticky

Today I plopped my iron down on the wrong side of some double sided fusible interfacing....for those of you who don't know, fusible interfacing is non-stick on one side and has glue on one side, so that when you iron it onto your fabric, it sticks to the fabric.  The point is to apply the glue side to the back of your fabric....NOT to the iron...  Well, now the glue is stuck to my iron and I spent the last half hour scrubbing down my iron.    Not the best way to start the sewing day.

As I mentioned in my last post, I took a trip home to Jersey last week.  I usually always take a day to trek into the city to see some friends and wander around the old haunts, however this trip was a bit short and too busy so I didn't get a chance to go into the city.  So, to remind myself of my favorite places, I'll post this set I finished up awhile ago:

Now I'm going to take a cue from my sticky iron, take a break, and go grocery shopping...got my mother-in-law's chicken enchiladas on the menu for tonight!

 

Slow Monday

Today I think I'm running as slow as my internet....which is painfully slow...It only took me 5 tries to load these pics...

Last week, I only managed to squeeze one post in since we spent most the week in Victoria and then picked up a visitor on the way up.  My sister flew into town and will be hanging out here for the next month and we'll be doing lots of fun stuff here in Houston.  We've already gone blueberry picking....and I'm gearing up to give her some sewing lessons :-)

In my last post, I got to show off my blanket in action.  I meant to post some actual pictures of the blanket, but forgot to bring them with me to Victoria (oh the inconvenience of having a desktop).  So, here they are:

Another customer saw the fabrics, loved them, and ordered a bib and burp cloth set:

Sick but Still Sewing

Been holed up in the house this week trying to get rid of my cold....made myself a big pot of chicken noodle soup and have been scooping out of it all week.  Despite my cold, I have been able to do some sewing as I have a few deadlines to meet.

Although I've got a few items that I've finished, I can't post them until they've been given as gifts.  In the beginning, I used to post pictures when I finished an item, but I soon learned that it wasn't such a good idea.  I didn't want to be the leak that ruined a surprise gift!  So, now I try my best to wait until I know the present has been given....guess I just learn as I go.  Here's a bib and burp cloth set I sold:

Trying to Get Motivated

Been feeling a bit unmotivated lately - maybe it's the string of cold weather or maybe I'm just crashing from a busy December and just need to relax for awhile.  I think it's funny how sometimes you go on vacation to get a break from the real world, but then need time afterwards to recover from vacation.  For me, it's because I never quite get enough sleep when I'm away from home.  But I've had a few orders come in so deadlines are always good motivators.

Anyway, I have managed to complete a few projects lately.  I have to admit, when I first saw this fabric in the store, I was left wondering who would ever use it....but I had a client looking for a fantasy themed blanket and this was a perfect fit.  I think cutting the fabric along the line of the design really added a lot to the blanket.

I also sold my first bib and burp cloths set!

And on a completely unrelated side note, I booked my tickets to go back home to NJ mid-February....and you'll never guess how much the tickets were!  $165 R/T from Houston to Newark - SCORE!  If you know me, you know there a few things that really bring me great joy: food, sewing, babies, and saving money.  So, if anyone wants to come visit...check out kayak.com!

Getting Creative

This week I've been home dog sitting while my husband's been away on business.  So I've been able to spend some time sewing, although not as much as I'd like since I've got to spend time with the dog and keep her happy as well.  I've never been a really big dog person, but my husband is, so I'm working on warming up to the idea of having a dog.  Some days I make some progress....and some days I don't....we're watching the dog for 3 weeks so I've got plenty of time!

In the mean time, I've been working on some new items to sell and have come up with this bib and burp cloth set:

I had made a little blanket out of the doggie print for a friend and decided to go a little further and make a couple of burp cloths and a bib as a gift.  I like making smaller items because they are easier to maneuver and take less time to make.  I really like how they turned out, but it's funny to think that all these will do is catch spit up and spilled food...they're really just personalized designer rags.

I hand embroidered the baby's name on the set.  I've been reading up on hand embroidering and trying to improve my stitching and the variety of stitches I can do.  I really like the way hand embroidery looks.  Maybe one day I will invest in an embroidery machine, but for now, hand embroidery is the cheaper (although more time consuming) alternative.

And to top it all off, I just couldn't resist making these with some scraps of fabric to include in the gift.  They are just too cute!

To make these, I used a pattern from a fellow crafter's site and have made quite a few pairs since.  I can't sell them, but I sure do love making them as gifts for other people.  Perhaps one day I can spend some time developing my own pattern for little shoes and can start selling those.