etsy

Fabric Talk

| terriaw

I won a giveaway recently from Lisa of A Spoonful of Sugar. (thank you, Lisa!) It was a gift certificate to the Ladybug Quilt Shop, which is stocked full of beautiful fabrics. It took me almost two weeks to decide what to get! I ended up choosing two packs of Pure charm squares, and a stack of these whimsical Be Merry fabrics. (charm square packs include 40 –  5″ fabric squares)

I also splurged on a few more charm square packs from fabric collections I love but have tried hard to resist. I might have a new favorite designer here. I’m hoping to use these to make Christmas gifts for friends and family.

I’m in the process of re-organizing my stash, so I didn’t want to add more fabric to the piles. I now have a drawer dedicated to charm squares, where I like to keep pattern ideas too. The drawer is just about full now, so I cannot order more. (but I probably will anyway!)

A Productive Saturday

| terriaw

I love productive Saturdays. Of course, it helps me stay focused when it’s cloudy and rainy outside.

While Dave raked leaves, I painted a few extras sets of checkers for some new checkerboard sets in my shop. I sold a few sets last year during the holiday season, so I wanted to restock for my upcoming craft show and the gift-giving season.

I like to mix up the king side with crown stamps for some sets and leaf stamps for other sets, which go along with my Patchwork Trails brand.

Then I was feeling motivated to make a batch of pumpkin cookies, the melt-in-your-mouth kind!

EDIT: here is the recipe for the pumpkin cookies, if you’re interested:

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 can pumpkin

1 egg

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Vanilla baking chips (as many as you want)

Milk chocolate baking chips (I used minis)

1 container cream cheese frosting

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease baking sheets.

2. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin and eggs; beat until smooth.

3. Add flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and baking soda. Beat until well blended.

4. Stir in baking chips.

5. Drop rounded spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet 2 inches apart.

6. Bake for 12-16 minutes. Cool for one minute on cookie sheet, then remove to cooling racks.

7. Spread frosting on warm cookies.

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To keep all that domestic momentum going, we enjoyed chicken pot pie for dinner.

We started with a recipe from the Midwest Living magazine, December issue, which called for puff pastry sheets on the top but we also added a layer of pie crust to the bottom. It was divine!

EDIT: here’s the Pot Pie recipe, if you’re interested:

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

3 cups cooked, diced chicken or turkey

3 cups frozen mixed vegetables

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup flour

2 cups chicken broth

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons herbs (parsley, thyme and/or oregano)

1/2 package of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheet (1 sheet), thawed

1 pie crust

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Whisk egg and water in small bowl.

3. Heat butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and broth, stirring until mixture thickens. Add chicken and vegetables. Pour into pie crust.

4. Unfold pastry sheet and place over filling. Press pastry to rim to seal. Brush pastry with egg mixture and sprinkle with herbs.

5. Bake for 25 minutes or until pastry is golden brown.

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I’m off to my sewing room now to play. Hope you had a productive day too!

Spoonflower Test

| terriaw

Check this out – I downloaded my shop logo to Spoonflower, and ordered a swatch to see how they would turn out as labels to sew inside my patchwork products.

It took me awhile to figure out how to do this, but I think I got the hang of it using Picnik to size my logo. I really love how they turned out, size and color, so I ordered a fat quarter. Each label measures 2 inches x 2 inches, which is a pretty good size for labeling my merch.

I’m hoping to try a sketch with Spoonflower one of these days!

The Process of Custom Orders

| terriaw

I haven’t taken the process pledge because I don’t think I am good at documenting or explaining my process. I thought it might be fun to try it out with a custom order I received recently.

I am always thrilled to receive custom orders for my shop, especially when they come from friends of mine. I want my finished products to exceed the customer’s expectations. But it can be a little nerve-wracking when the item I’m making is actually a prototype.

I was excited and nervous when my good friend Paula recently asked me if I could make her a laptop bag. She gave me a couple specifications and preferences, and let me loose!

Thrilled, yes, but I was feeling the pressure. Picking out the fabrics was definitely not a problem. I had a vision of what I wanted this bag to look like. That vision is exactly what you see in these photos!

I did a little research on different laptop bag styles I could try, and I sketched out ideas in my sketchbook, based on the dimensions of Paula’s laptop. I taped a couple pieces of 11″ x 14″ paper together to have one sheet big enough to sketch out a pattern to fit a laptop measuring 17 inches wide by 12 deep, and another sheet big enough to draw a pattern the flap. I made lots of notes to remind myself as I proceeded through each step of assembly, things like room for ease and seam allowances. (I forgot to incorporate those things in my first clutch experiment, which is why they ended up smaller than I wanted. Duh!)

Joanna recently asked me if I would make her a red and pink version of my patchwork handbags from my recent experiment.

Lucky for me, I had already made two of these, so my process was already worked out.

I’m a small shop just finding my way, so having custom orders are great design practice for me. I don’t have many customers (yet), so my focus has been on product design and production. I always end up tearing out a seam or two, tweaking the fit, and making modifications as I proceed. I try really hard to think of everything ahead of time, but I still end up getting to the middle and having a new idea. I learn something new every time. And I quickly get over those anxious feelings because I get so wrapped up in the process!

Shabby Chic Cushions

| terriaw

It seems like I have been blogging more about my garden and bag experiments lately than quilting and patchwork sewing. So I thought it was be nice to give you a proper preview of a set of custom cushions I made recently for a customer of my shop.

My customer requested a set of four of my chair pads in shabby chic looking fabrics to use in her photo shoot, which was just published here! I was thrilled to receive the request because I love the shabby chic look. Remember when Rachel Ashwell used to have a TV show? I think she coined the term “shabby chic,” which I really loved. I miss that show.

Anyway, I used fabrics from my Ava Rose stash, leftover from this quilt. I found this great vintage-y looking denim, which felt perfect for the backing. I used two layers of higher-loft batting to make them more cushy, which I am definitely going to do for future cushions.

These cushions are featured today on a tablescape post with a cottage garden theme. I love how clever Nancy was to use them as placemats for her tablescape instead of pads for the chairs. There are so many pretty, girly details in her tablescape, so I would love for you to be able to check out the rest here.

Etsy Treasury

| terriaw

Mind if I share a small piece of cool news with you?

One of my checkerboard sets was featured in an Etsy Treasury!

For those of you unfamiliar with an Etsy Treasury, it’s when another Etsy member handpicks items to feature, centered around a theme. The theme for this particular Treasury is Go Outside and Play, which shows games to play and some things to inspire you to play!

I have always liked these checkerboard sets, and I sold a couple of them to friends and family over the holidays, but there’s a bit of bias in that interest. It’s such a great feeling to see someone else take an interest in something I made. When I launched my shop, I started out with five of these sets, but now I’m down to only two. Makes me feel like making a couple more to restock the shop!

Just a little excitement in my day, so I couldn’t think of anyone better to share this with than my fellow bloggers! Thanks for indulging me by listening to me ramble.

Week Recap

| terriaw

I’ve had a split-personality kind of week!

Dark side first – I know some of you will think I’m crazy for listening to hard rock music. But I love it. I went to a rock concert earlier this week. It was SO much fun!

Now, on to the lighter side – I have also been diligently sewing this week, working on two custom orders for my shop.

I received a request for a set of patchwork chair pads in a shabby chic style. I love shabby chic style, so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to make this set.

I’ve also been working on that handbag for my insurance agent, like the one I made for my mom for Mother’s Day.

I got some new fabrics this week! These Alexander Henry’s Zanzibar are going to be funky new purses for me.

I don’t know what I’m going to use these Little Folks fabrics for yet, but I loved the color combo (and recent coupon) offered by Fabricworm.

I’m really looking forward to the warm, sunny weekend we’re supposed to have so I can’t wait to spend the days outside in our gardens.

Hope you enjoy the weekend too!

Best Practice – Customer/Reader Appreciation

| terriaw

“The customer is always right.” How many times have you heard that? I used to work in the retail industry, and I always rolled my eyes when I heard that speech. At the end of the day, I think every corporation, small business, and individual maker of handmade goods will tell you that customers (and blog readers) are the #1 most important element to their business (or blog).


I know, you don’t need to hear from me how important it is to appreciate your shop customers or your blog readers. Crafters are kind folks by nature, right?! Just look at the steady list of giveaways taking place every single week as proof of that.

I am not an expert in marketing, and I am generally a shy person when it comes to marketing, making it hard for me to drum up new customers or new blog readers. I try to appreciate the ones I have. I just wanted to share a few of the things I try to do, especially here with my blog.

Comments
If you have ever left a comment on my blog, you have most likely received an email from me thanking you for taking the time to stop by and leave a comment. I love comments. I love hearing from readers. That has also been the start to a few email conversations that have led to great friendships I cherish.

Offering Tutorials
I think tutorials are a cool way to offer your readers something for free. Who doesn’t love a free pattern?! I wish I were better at offering more tutorials!


Participating in Swaps
Exchanging supplies or handmade goods through swaps is a great way to meet people and share similar obsessions. Some of my blogger friendships began from swaps. (That reminds me, don’t forget about our Christmas in July ornament swap coming up.)

Interact and Engage
Sometimes I can be indecisive, so it’s good to know I can ask you all for advice, such as with my recent patchwork arrangements project. I loved reading your thoughts on which half-square triangle arrangement you liked best. I like it when other bloggers ask for an opinion or feedback because it initiates in a creative conversation, which is beneficial to all of us.


Surveys
Amy frequently posts surveys on her blog, seeking feedback on sewing topics or ideas for content she could offer. I love that! Personally, I think surveys are fun to participate in because they make me feel like I have a say, like I’m contributing to the success of another creative person. I’m all for that!

Giveaways
I adore this little matchbook notepad I got from Randi’s shop with a recent fabric order!


I am going to make a supply of these little drawstring bags to include in orders from my shop. Just a little something extra.


I mentioned above the number of giveaways that take place every week. I’m not telling you that you should do a giveaway. Just saying I like doing giveaways, whether it’s an extra goodie with an order, a giveaway for a blogiversary, or participating in a sponsored event like the upcoming Sew,Mama,Sew‘s May Day giveaway. (Be sure to check back next week for the giveaway I have to offer!)

This series has been fun for me to do. It has challenged me to take notice of and share the things I do to keep myself organized and to keep life running smoothly. It’s also been good writing practice for me. I hope you have found it to be useful in some way too.

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Previous posts about my Best Practices:

Resources

Filing

Notetaking

Bobbins, Pins and Folding

Business Cards

Carry Your Product

Best Practice – Carry Your Product

| terriaw

The phrase “best practices” was a buzz for years in the corporate world. I recently heard someone in the cubicle next to me say it in their phone conversation, and the creative lightbulb went off in my head. I thought it might be fun to start a regular column here to share best practices with other sewists, bloggers, and makers of handmade goods.

Experts say when you make stuff to sell you should always carry your products with you as free advertising. For instance, I like to sew. However, I can’t carry all my bags and patchwork gear with me everywhere I go, so I had photos printed and I put them into a cute little album.

That little portfolio keeps getting thicker and thicker as I make new products, but I don’t want to have to carry a bigger purse. I made a couple simple little tote bags to carry my portfolio in.

One cheerful version for daytime.

Another girlie version for evenings.

(simple tutorial in the works!)

Now, if someone notices my tote bag, I can say “I made it” and show them pictures of the rest of the things I make.

I am going to start paying closer attention to the things I do and make, and share more ideas here, in hopes they might help someone else. Feel free to share your best practices from sewing to selling in the comments or link to your blog! (even just simple things like how you store your bobbins or how you store your cutting tools)