New product - therapy bags

The pile of leftover cotton pieces from my robes was starting to get excessive so it was time for rice therapy bags!



This one's my favorite - lovely asian print cut up into strips and paired with a gold and cream cotton. Two black buttons finish it off to perfection. The outer decorative layer serves as a pillowcase for the inner (and rather plain) rice bag which makes for a clean little therapy bag. I scented the bag with some lavender oil and mixed in some camomile, cinnamon, and rosemary leaves for the additional aromatherapy boost. I really like how it turned out and have two more in production.




Isn't this a cutie? I had a cup or so of buckwheat left over and wanted to make a little bag for it. With all the holiday talk I was feeling mildly festive so I made it up with green on one side and gold and cream on the other, with white and red topstitching. So cute! And surprisingly handy for it's small size. I need to pick up more buckwheat so I can make one for myself.

What is this?

I made up a few therapy bags today and was left with a number of scraps.  What to do with all these little pieces?  Well, make something.  So I pieced and sewed the larger scraps and sliced up the smaller ones to use as stuffing and, well, this is what came out -

Just one question - what IS it?

It's 3" square, soft, and tightly stuffed. Maybe a pincushion? A small pincushion. Or, with the addition of a ribbon, an ornament. Or a pillow for Barbie. A few drops of essential oil and it's a sachet ... maybe.

Any other ideas what I have here?

Showing off my winning costume

My store hasn't updated lately because the last two weeks have been focused on both a new intro to sewing class that just got started and finishing my halloween costume.  I went as a vampire hunter and I'm so pleased with how it turned out.  I made the shirt, corset, skirt, and sash and outfitted it all with stuff from one of those mega-halloween stores that pop up like crabgrass every October.  I'll probably reuse this costume for a few more years and hopefully upgrade the armament.  But, for this year, it worked!

And it's such a power trip to be armed with a knife, gun, and sword, all easily accessible.  Even if they were all plastic, I still felt ready to take on a vampire.  :)

Showcasing ... and ugly gown

With sales slow I decided to test out Etsy's showcasefeature. For $7 shop items get shown there for one day ... sounds good! It can't hurt sales, right? So today I open up the clothing Showcase and see...

My ugliest gown.

As the main representative for the store.

Ick.

Ick, ick, ick.

My guess is either that the Etsy showcase function uses the oldest item as your representative or that it hates me. After all, I have three other lovely gowns and a tunic that's to die for and here it is showing the one I've discounted for it's looks. Sigh.

Next time.

And no, it hasn't helped sales at all. Blech.

What to make next...

Tomorrow is my sewing day which means that today I'm dreaming up all the new items I'll be making! I have some utterly luscious olive green knit for another Grace tunic and an elegant red and black brocade for a fancy night-out jacket based on the Lara robe. Still trying to decide if it'll rate it's own name or not. Probably. Yet another thing to percolate over the next 24 hours.

After these two items, what should I focus on next?

Some possibilities:
- Increasing the size range. If nothing else, I need to downsize the Grace tunic so I can snag one for myself!
- Sourcing some good knit for the Brianna cardigan. My little local store just doesn't have anything the right weight
- Testing out some new fabrics. Velvet for the robe? Or crushed panne velvet for the Grace tunic? What would a robe made up in Sari fabric look like?
- Turning the various items into sewing patterns, specifically intro-to-sewing patterns for newbie sewites.
- Make up a new item altogether. I have a skirt in mind, and some knit shirts that might be just a little to gothic for my shop's current feel. Lots to think about!

I've been Treasured!

A huge thanks to reVision Designs for adding my coasters to her absolutely lovely Treasury!

Special halloween coasters!

Today I spent the morning embroidering these fun little coasters.



They're orange thread on a dark gray felt and were a lot of fun to make, though now I wish I had a thimble. My needle-pushing finger is sore! Still, I enjoy the tactileness of hand embroidery and really enjoyed whipping these up. Since it's a little late to sell many more of these this October, I'll probably pack away the patterns and start working on some winter themes. Maybe snowflakes, an advent series, and some Christmas ones? Hm.

I nearly finished another robe but it's waiting until I get the last few threads clipped for it's photo shoot. Two other robes are just a few little details away from being ready as well so expect my inventory to increase this weekend!

Until then, more pictures of my halloween coasters -





And yes, I plan on taking better pictures tomorrow, after a trip to the store for AA batteries. This camera is such a glutton!

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