Lasso The Moon

You like me! You really like me!

I am a little overwhelmed with something that's going on in my personal life right now.  (I'll share more about that on Monday.)  But I do want to share this really great article all about me on the blog, resweater.
Here it is, for your reading pleasure!

She also mentions the chicken dumpling fundraiser, which is again going more quickly than I expected.  We have raised $120 so far, and the etsy shop has sold out of them!  I'll be adding more this weekend.

Linen + Embroidery

Is there a better combination?  I really don't know of one.
I added these little zip pouches to the shop yesterday.




Find them here if you're interested!

Chicken Carving

It's been a productive day.  I did some sewing, added some things to the shop, and finally got around to this:

I carved this little chicken stamp for the top of my thank you notes.  These are included with the purchase of a chicken pincushion, just as a reminder of the project.  I think they make everything feel complete and official.  Here's the card, all stamped and thank you-ed.

The chickens have already started selling, so if you're sure you want one, order quickly.  They would make such a sweet mother's day gift--even for someone who doesn't sew.  Find them here.  I'll be adding more as I finish them!

Aproned. Again.

In case I never told you, my mom is full of enthusiasm and great ideas.  I know I've mentioned her new gardening business, but I haven't mentioned that she started an off-shoot of the business called Flowers by edible.  She does free-lance floral design for weddings and other big occasions, and she needed a nice, professional apron for the on-site floral arranging and staging.  So out came my grommets, hammer, and rivets for another heavy-duty apron.

If it's possible, I love this one even more than the first!  (Sorry about the low-quality photos.  I was in a rush to get this in the mail in time for a big wedding!)
The applique is very similar to the one I put on my friend's wristlet last week.  I'm really getting fond of the messy thread "drawing" look of these appliques.

Mom liked it, and the wedding was a huge success.  (The bride even called her personally the next day to tell her how much she liked everything!!)  Mom already has about 4 weddings scheduled for this season, so the apron will get lots of use.

Here it is all packaged up like a present.  Getting to package things for my own mom is the only good thing about living so far away.  If I lived down the street, I'd probably just hand it to her. 

Stay tuned for more items with free-form machine applique to be in the shop in the near future.  I can't get enough of it!

Almost Famous

I was reading through some great articles on the etsy blog, and I came to this article about needlework.  It's a great article, but that's not why I'm excited about it.  Scroll down to the bottom of the page and look at the selection of "related items".  Go ahead.  I'll wait.
 
That's me!  Right there with the little acorn-embroidered bag!  I don't know how they pick related items, but I'm honored to be part of the game.  Thanks, etsy!!

I checked the date of sale on that little guy, and I found out that it sold five days after the article came out.  I guess it pays to get noticed.

I AM into labels.

As long as I'm the one doing the labeling...
To make the labels I mentioned on this post, I pulled out some iron-on transfer paper that I'd been hoarding since Christmas '06.  I printed out as many "lasso the moons" as I could fit on a page.  (Make sure you print in reverse-image!)

Then, one at a time, I cut out the labels really close to the image.  Iron face down onto your fabric.  Mine was already backed with and iron-on adhesive to help prevent fraying.

Let them cool a little before pulling the paper off the label.  Then, when I'm finished with an item, I can just hand-stitch them on.  If you want to iron the label to the item before sewing, make sure you protect your transfer with some parchment paper to prevent damaging it.

Then you can just sew it down when you're finished with the item.  Here it is on my friend Jessie's little wristlet bag.
 

Diaper Bag

I love it when I get to make things for friends.  This was a custom diaper bag for a new momma.

I had never sewn with nylon before, but I gave it a try for the lining.  I really like using it, and I'll definitely keep it in mind for future projects.

I also added a new label to the outside.  I've been working on some ideas for making my own, and while I don't think this will be my final label, it works for now.  I'll show you how I made them in another post.

She ordered some other stuff too, so I was able to send a whole package of goodies.

That's a baby sling and a linen wristlet.  The applique style is different from my usual, and I love it.  You'll be seeing much more of it in the shop in the coming weeks.