Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Much Needed Time Off.

 I will be taking a bit of a hiatus from sewing for a few weeks.  This is for a couple of reasons.
 First and foremost I have been sewing like a mad woman for the holidays....to the tune of 3 1/2 sets of Pj's (one person only got  bottoms), 7 aprons, 3 tops and of course my Christmas dress so my creative brain is a little overloaded.
Secondly I have decided to rearrange my house and turn our downstairs guest bedroom into my studio.  The room has a huge closet for storage, great light through most of the day and best of all a door that I can close to shield the world from the mess. What exactly we will do with the part of the loft that is now my studio has yet to be decided .  I'm thinking a ''play area''. A place to stash the coloring books for big and little kids alike, a couple of low bookcases for my ever growing novel collection and maybe some comfy pillows and overstuffed chairs perfect for playing board games or curling up with a good book or just a place to chat without having to try and find a little corner of quiet in an otherwise busy house
The third reason for my self imposed hiatus is an unfinished project.  Brandy and Danny are getting married in February and her dress hasn't yet made it past the muslin stage.  The pattern is very simple and will probably only take a few days to finish once I start it, but I would like to have to final fittings done at least a couple of weeks before the wedding just to give the bride a little bit of piece of mind!

I would like to thank everyone for all of the positive feed back I have received over the last year.  Quilted Elephant started out as a vague idea floating around in the back of my head and it has been a long time in the making. All of you have been a wonderful source of support especially one the gray days when I wonder what the heck am I doing and is any actually interested in this crap. My fears are usually put to rest by a ding from my phone letting me know someone has commented or liked something I have posted and then it seems a lot less daunting.
 I have set some goals for my self in the coming year that include reaching 50 likes on Facebook, developing a customer base of more than 2 people (although Mila you and Jessica make me smile every time you ask for something new or tell a friend about the wonderful pretty things I make for you.), but for that to work I need help from each and every one of you that likes my status' (the only ones that get a free pass are the guys). My prices are reasonable (or at least I think they are) and it has been my practice in the past to offer deals such as free shipping or 25% on you r first order. For those of you that have ordered from me in the past I will also be offering deals for when your friends like the page. If you can bring me 5 new viewers that means 50% off your next order (Melissa B you are almost there) and if you order total is more than $50 I will pay the shipping. 

I plan on starting work on my Spring and Summer collection as soon as Brandy's wedding dress is done, so expect to see new things in that respect in late January and early February.  If you have seen something recently that you would like to purchase feel free to let me know.  I won't turn down paying customers during my hiatus, I just won't be creating anything new!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and I look forward to hearing from all of you in the new year!

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Christmas Makes Me Crazy...

Or maybe I should say Christmas makes me crazier than usual! It's only been about 2 and a half weeks since the last time I actually sat down to add to my little creative journal, but it's early Sunday morning and I'm done sleeping probably long before even the dogs will be ready to go outside again and the hubby is still happily cuddled in the blankets sound asleep, and I don't won't to ruin my peace by starting the sewing machine!
I say that Christmas makes me crazy because about 85% of the  gifts I'm giving this year are homemade. Great for the recipients as some of them are surprises and in one case someone who has become a HUGE supporter is receiving her first Quilted Elephant Design, but hectic for me. I have been sewing Christmas gifts since shortly after Halloween and it still seems like there is no end in sight! I have been blessed mostly with simple requests and have stumbled over some VERY simple and VERY cute patterns (thank goodness) but I have also encountered a little bit of creative overload not to mention a little bit of actual physical pain from all of the cutting and sewing and hemming and trimming that I've been doing. The mental overload comes from having to many ideas and to much material and ABSOLUTELY not enough time to focus on getting everything done.  The physical overload comes from the fact that I sometimes spend 3-5 hours sitting on the floor in my studio cutting out patterns and pinning together garments.  My reason for this is I have yet to find a table (short of actually buying another dinning room table) that is big enough to spread out on and also is the right height for me to be able to bend and reach and stretch while I'm working.   In a perfect world someday I will have a table that is close to 4'x5' (or larger) stands about counter height and is topped with either tempered glass or sturdy acrylic so that not only can I use it as a cutting table I can use dry erase markers to write on it while I'm working out new designs. Like I said this will only occur in a perfect world where space and money aren't an issue. It does however give me some sort of a goal to strive for.

On another note thank you to everyone who follows the Facebook page.  I have had 5 new likes in the last 3 days and lots and lots of sight traffic, now if we could just translate that into people placing orders it would be a great thing, but I knew when I started it would be slow going and that building a customer base would be rough.  I have a few devoted customers who LOVE  LOVE LOVE every piece they have, and then I have a few others who have never given any feedback regarding their purchases after they have been delivered.  All I can hope is that they enjoy what I create for them and that if the truly weren't satisfied they would let me know and give me the chance to either fix it or replace it.  I will be starting spring lines again soon (it sneaks up fast in the desert, we'll be done with our 3 weeks of winter soon and it will be back to being sundress weather) and I have a couple of new designs I can't wait to try.  I have received a lot of feedback in the past about my sundresses in particular, they make great Easter dresses and Easter is coming early this year, so if you're interested let me know so that I can start looking for the perfect fabric to make your perfect dress!

I think that's about it for my semi-lucid ramblings today.  I appreciate your feedback and I look forward to hearing from each and everyone of you.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Friday, November 30, 2012

The last day of November......where has the time gone?

11/330/2012--

As you can all see I am back to being my regular slacking self and not posting much of anything or even getting pictures posted.  Well the truth of the matter is I'm making Christmas presents so it's really hard to post them anywhere with out giving away the surprise!.  I have realized that I have yet to post any of my Aprons collection (don't worry as of this posting there are only 2 but they seem to be growing in popularity so one never knows what might pop up in the future).

 I also realized that no where in any of my blogging have I mentioned my ''Girls Like ME Collection''.  This collection is all things I have made for myself and are all pieces I would consider my favorites.  For those of you that don't know me well I am a jeans and tank top you mean I have to put on shoes type of girl who loves to dress up for random occasions and sometimes no reason at all! Each piece in this collection (and it will continue to grow) is just for me (not to say I won't be thrilled to add any one of them to a collection just for you). Most of them are very simple and almost always made of soft fabrics that are easy to wear and that look just as good with jeans and boots (or flip flops since we do live in sunny AZ and it was 80 degrees yesterday) as they do with slacks and heals for work or a night out.  This collection says a lot about me and my style and the clothes I like to wear. Enjoy and please feel free to offer feedback!                                          
 As most of you know every year I make my ''Christmas Dress'' and the style varies depending on what we have going on in our lives at the time (translate that into can I actually afford to spend a bunch of money on super fancy material for a dress), how much have I been working and have I actually had time to start working on something for myself (this year it wasn't a concern I focused on my dress until it was done and subsequently finished before Thanksgiving) and finally if I actually have some place to wear a pretty dress; although that guy I'm married to swears I'm crazy for needing a reason more than a quiet night out with him.  All of the factors have falling into place and I have created for myself a lovely black (with white and grey pattern)crushed velvet wrap dress.  I have visions of wearing it with my hooker boots but after this summers ankle injury that idea is still a little shaky, but it will still look great with patent leather Mary Janes (don't worry I'll leave the frilly white socks home). Now I'm off to work on a few more Christmas presents.  With any luck I'll take a  few minutes over the next few weeks to add to my notes just to let everyone (the 2 or 3 of you that read my blog) know what's going on in my world!



Friday, November 16, 2012

I Make Clothes and then I take pictures...

Ok so I'm not always the one taking the pictures. Sometimes they are the ones that my customers send me up receiving their new clothes.

The photo to the left is Mila ~ long time friend and arguably one of my best customers. Her top is open work crocheted lace with 3/4 bell sleeves and leather tie details. The neck line is elasticized so that the sleeves can be worn on or off theshoulder





This summer brought a series of collections most of which were mostly sun dresses and other cute things to wear when it's really to hot to do more than relax by some form of water with a tiki-drink or spend the day someplace where the AC is cool.  

                                       The ''Tie-Dye Collection"    








Living in Arizona presents a problem all of it's own in the summer time. It's not uncommon for it to be well over 100 degree's by the end of April and 110 by the end of June.  This summer I decided to combat the summer heat with a series of sundresses.  Some are part of my ''Summer Fun'' collection and some are part of  the ''It's to Darn Hot'' collection. The pictures here are just a teaser of what I did this summer to see more take a look at The Quilted Elephant on Facebook and always if you see something you think you might like or absolutely can't live with out please feel free to contact me with any questions or to place an order. 






 Pieces from my
 "Summer Fun"
 collection and the it's 
"To Darn Hot Collection"







Sunday, November 11, 2012

The posting of the journal has begun......





1/19/2012-
It's been a long time coming but after a lot of consideration and thought I have decided that starting this page is something that I needed to do.  Not for money or recognition but just to prove to myself that the clothes I make are relevant and an art form that I can share with other people.  I welcome your comments and input.

....And if while you're looking around you see something you think you might like to have, send me a message and we can discuss it.  I can't ever guarantee that I can exactly replicate anything you see on my page however simply because I buy fabric randomly and it may not be available when you make your request!

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 1/20/20102-
Today was a day for contemplation and learning.  Contemplation because for whatever reason even though I have been toying with the idea of this page for almost 3 years actually doing it was very anti-climactic.  I haven't had many comments( Thank you to Mila for the first post on my wall and thank you to Billy for liking everything)and the likes are coming slowly.  I keep reassuring myself that once I post new pictures of things ya'll have never seen before you'll comment and maybe even share with your friends.  I have also had time to form ideas about some new designs (sorry those are a surprise, but if I do drawings maybe I'll post some!) and also some styling ideas for current designs.  This weekend will also be the first time I introduce men's clothing to my page.
On the side of learning I learned that as much as I despise sewing buttons and doing button holes remembering how to use grommet pliers to put in snaps may be even worse.  I have finished the snaps on 2 men's shirts and think I'll call it day.....anymore and I might be having to explain the blood stains on the collar!
Thank you for taking a minute to read this and also for enjoying my page
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1-21-2012
I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend! Today was my favorite part of the creative circle. Completion!  I have a new model by the name of Brandi, she is much smaller that other models I sometimes use as well as myself, so I had to alter a few things just for her!  Completion is my favorite part of the creative circle because I love the reactions I see in people when I present them with their new garments after all of the final alterations and finish work are done.  I posted a few pictures of the tops I made for Ms. Brandi, one is similar to things I have done before and one that is a completely new pattern.  She looks wonderful in both and I will be glad to share any comments you guys leave with her.
You will also see the first pictures of my smallest model...Adriana, Brandi's daughter.  With any luck both of them will be willing to model for me in the future.  Thank you both soo much for your help, I appreciate it more than you know.

I also cut 2 new patterns today and with any luck I will be able to translate them into actual garments at some point this week.








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1-26-2012
This week has been a wonderfully creative week! I finished an adorable new top for myself, I delivered a completed garment to one of my oldest friends, I have started a beautiful dress for another friend and I even did some tailoring for one of the C/O's at work. (I should probably deposit the check from those in the bank)

I have been sketching more, something I rarely do but I'm finding that it is very helpful in working out designs without actually having to cut things and make a mess. Although ultimately cutting things and making a mess is my favorite part second only to seeing someone's reaction the first time they put on a finished garment!

I know I promised new pictures next weekend, but I saw a pony and got side tracked! We are supposed to have beautiful weather here in the desert this weekend so with any luck Monday I will once again bombard your streams with new pictures.  I would also like to ask those of you that have my creations that I don't have pictures of please take a picture with your phone next time you think about it and post it to the page!

My goal for the week was to get to 15 likes, I only need 3 more TELL YOUR FRIENDS!!!! My ultimate goal is to have 26, that entitles me to my own user name that I can put on business cards and stuff so I can share with others.  I  owe a couple people very warm and heartfelt thanks. Will my old partner in wine has been super supportive and even invited his friends to check out my page and Mila.....my oldest friend.....I can by no means begin to tell you how much it means to me to have your support not to mention your understanding of my creative insanity.  I also need to thank my amazing husband James you are soo supportive and so patient when I bounce ideas off of you even when you have NO idea what I'm talking about.  Having the support of friends makes this slightly scary venture that much more bearable.

I am having a wonderful time sharing my thoughts with all of you as well as my designs and please remember if you ever see something you like let me know.....while I might not be able to replicate it exactly I may be able to customize it just for you!
I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful weekend!
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2-7-2012
I hope everyone had a great weekend.  I have again fallen down on the job, I got side tracked this weekend...a grocery shopping trip that took all day, a fight with a chainsaw ( I just watched that part) and one hell of a Super Bowl party....and didn't get any new pictures taken. During our Superbowl party where there was only a little actual foot ball watching going on I introduced my clothes to a couple of new people and have already gotten requests for creations of their own. I also took  some time to buy fabric and  spent this afternoon finishing my friend Red Dean's dress.  I posted the working picture earlier and got some positive feed back which always makes me feel better (believe it or not I am usually terrified that the people I make things for are going to hate them and never wear them).  I'm working on a couple new idea's and also starting to sketch a few things for my littlest model, she knows my house as the place they go to ''get more clothes'' so I figure I should have something ready for her the next time she comes over.
Thank you to everyone who has commented and for all of the positive feedback you have given me both in person and on my page, it means the world to me.
With any luck this week won't be as crazy as last week was and I'll have some more time to dedicate to my creative endeavors.    
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2-15-2012
Hello----I hope everyone had a lovely Valentines day!  If you noticed I posted some new pictures on Monday night, but nearly as many as I had planned.  I literally found something shiny and got side tracked.  A great friend introduced me to 2 WONDERFUL fabric stores in Tempe, one called Tempe Sales where you can buy everything from buttons in bulk to cowhide and everything you can think of at fairly low prices and SAS fabrics, they specialize in discontinued stuff and bolt ends but I love any place where I can get felted taffeta for $2.99 a yard and faux fur for $5 a pound.  Both places are wonderful for creative inspiration (I should know I brought home close to 15 yards of fabric between both stores).

The dress that I posted the working photos of last week arrived at it's destination on Monday and the new owner is VERY pleased.  She let me know that she had to make a few minor adjustments to the hem and add a tack to the bodice, I offered to do it for her if she wanted to send it back, but she said she could handle it. (I think she's afraid if she sends it back she'll never see it again....)     I feel terrible that it wasn't perfect, but I did the best I could with only basic measurements and no dress form to work on.  The dress form issue should be resolved tomorrow, James insisted I needed one and it should be arriving tomorrow afternoon.  I'm soooo excited! I have some really great ideas but they require creating new patterns so to speak and I don't want to do that with out seeing how it will look when it's through.

I'm hoping for nice weather and a little less of a busy weekend so that maybe I can take some more pictures and finally have everything in my closet available for view (or at least the stuff I've made and would like to share!)

Thanks again to everyone for all of the positive feed back!



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2-28-2012
It's been about a week since the last time I posted any notes. I have no excuse other than a horrible attack of allergies and ABSOLUTE craziness at my real job over the last week weeks.  I had a pretty productive weekend.....I'm about 85% done with my birthday dress (now just to find a place to wear my fancy birthday dress).   I have also started work on a sort of over jacket to wear to wear with work clothes.  I also have done some sketches and finished a piece for my littlest model.  This weekend is shaping up to be very hectic so I don't forsee much creative time,but with any luck the dreaded allergies will let up within the next day or so and I can use some of my pent up creative energy.
In other adventures, I spoke with a photographer friend of mine...and she has come up with some amazing ideas for some great ''art'' shots of some of my dresses.......with any luck we can get decent weather sometime soon and get them taken!
Thanks for reading and for visiting the quilted elephant
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3-27-2012
WOW! It's amazing how fast time gets away...it's been almost a month since my last post...then again I don't know if anybody other than the ladies at Family Ties Photo and Mila Bowman Creations actually read it, but what the heck maybe someday I'll have a HUGE following and I can look back and smile at where it all started.
The last month has been very hectic at my real job, but that craziness has led to some amazing creativity.  I designed finished and delivered a dress for a friend that I have named "Barb-Wire and Roses".  Delivery is still my favorite part of the process and I have never experienced someone who was not only pleased with their dress but so excited that they sent me a message the next day asking if they were crazy because they wanted to wear their dress everyday!
In reward of my absolutely crazy work schedule of late I had a 5 day weekend...I was able to sew 3 of the 5 days.  I worked on my Birthday dress and currently have a contest going on my page to give it a name.  I worked through a new pattern and found a design that not only have I fallen in love with, but so have several people who have never commented on my page before.  This is a definite check in the win category! So much so that I have already had a request for one from a new client.  Kristi your dress should be done before you head fro Cali on the 12th (providing everything goes the way I'm hoping this weekend)
My page has reached 21 likes, 4 more between now and my birthday (Easter for those of you that don't know when my b-day is) and I will have reached my latest goal.
I have had a wonderful time sharing my creations with all of you and I appreciate your feedback.  I hope you will all stick with me to see what else there is to come
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5/11/202~
It's hard to believe that more than a month has gone by since the last time I updated.....I guess that just shows how busy life can be!  In the last six weeks I have had lots of inspiration , LOTS of frustration , I've been blessed with my favorite part of this process, completion and delivery and I've even had to deal with a little bit of failure.
The last month has been very inspiring. April and May bring what we call spring time to AZ (the rest of the world calls 85-95 degree weather summer).  This means it's time to start thinking about sun dresses and summer work clothes.  I've found some wonderful new pattern pieces and even combined a few things to make a couple new designs, I've found some great summer material and I've smiled.  This is easily my favorite time of year and I honestly think it shows in the fun and whimsy of some of my designs and it has also lead me to the realization that I am indeed the girl that would rather make a new outfit to wear to work instead of doing laundry, but I'm ok with that that! I have several more really great ideas brewing so stay tuned you might see something you like!
The last 6 weeks have also been wrought with a good bit of frustration. My real job has been a little more demanding than usual and that tends to cut into my creative time, my sewing machine has an attitude problem and decided it would be ok to start snagging the edges of very delicate material and tying the bobbin threads in knots (please order lots of new things from me.....part of the money goes to the buy Casey a new sewing machine fund!) and of course with the summer weather I love comes the wind and leaving windows open in the evening...nothing says frustrated like having to retrieve and reorganize pieces from probably 5 different patterns that have blown all over the studio! Here in about a month I'll have the kiddos here and maybe I can get them to help, but more than likely I'll have to take some time off from sewing.  It's hard to find time to sew with the three kids running around (thankfully the middle one likes to sew with me so we can find time to work together).
During the last 6 weeks I have also experienced my favorite part of the creative process, completion and delivery.  The ''Hey Bus Driver'' dress was a smashing success with it's new owner. This was a huge relief since it had to travel all the way to Gulfport, MS and was done only with measurements and a dress form, it was also one of the things that my machine decided   to snag and make a mess of. The ''Blue Bandana'' mini dress was for another friend (I so wanted to keep it! I love that dress! I guess that means I'll have to make myself one!) and while that dress presented a HUGE challenge (the owner is only about 4 feet tall and the length and proportion were a little bit tough) she loved it and has asked for another like it.  I also got to experience the other side of completion and delivery  in April.  Several months ago Mila Bowman started a custom collage piece for me (I seriously thought she was going to hold it hostage until we made it to San Diego to visit) and after MONTHS of waiting she shipped it.  It arrived at the end of an absolutely devastating week and changed my whole outlook.  I know how have a little bit of an understanding to what all of you feel when I send you that message telling you that your dress is either ready for pick up or has been shipped.  Mila thank you so much my collage is beautiful and will be an amazing addition to my studio as soon as I finish the cleaning and organization project I am currently undertaking.
As i mentioned I also had to deal with a little bit of failure in the last few weeks.  I have been sewing since I was pretty much old enough to reach the foot peddle while sitting in one of Gramma's kitchen chairs and I have had my fair share of designs that have gone totally haywire, but the most recent one really upsets me.  The birthday dress that you were all so kind as to help name turned out to be a colossal disaster.  It looked great on the form it even looks great on the hanger but as soon as I put it on it went from bad to worse.  The skirt is to long (ok that's not hard to fix) after having to be replaced because the first material turned into strings as soon as scissors hit it. The straps won't stay up and if I make them shorter they look over worked and the bodice part (the pink part) looks great on the form but looks like the seams are gonna burst when I put it on. This could be a situation where I just need to find a smaller person to wear it, but either way it really disappointed me.  Thankfully other than that most of my projects recently have come out the way the were supposed or were salvageable so that no one other than  me knew they weren't right.
Again thanks to everyone who takes a second to stop by and read my musings.  It helps me keep track of what I'm doing when just in the event I forget what I was doing when and need to know.
As always I welcome your comments and input.
Oh wait! I forgot to mention something.....some of you may have noticed that our profile picture has changed.  This was a card given to me on my birthday my Mila Bowman, it has become the official ''Quilted Elephant''.  This is actually very fitting since the elephant figurine that inspired the name ''Quilted Elephant Clothing Designs'' was also a gift from the lovely Mrs. Bowman.
Have a great weekend everyone! I look forward to your input!
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6-22-2012
Wow! What a slacker I am! It's been about 6 weeks since I updated.  Then again I'm pretty sure no one really reads it except Jessica at Family Ties Photos and Mila Bowman over at Mila BowmanCreations.  I entered a new stage of business development over the last month. I have completely revamped my website (still a work in progress but much more user friendly than the old one was) and I have started using pinterest.  Like  everything else it is very slow going but a great big thank you to the 4 followers I have! Tell your friends.....have them tell their friends! I would like to have 30 followers by September first.
As those of you that monitor my Facebook now I have been on quite the sewing binge lately! There are some weekends I spend 24 or more working on different projects.  This is good it's almost like therapy for me! I'll be adding pictures as soon as we can find someplace to take them where I won't melt (the average daily temp here has been 100 degrees plus since the end of  May and most days have been 105-109).  I will also be starting my juniors collection..my step kids have arrived for the summer and my middle one is a fashionista in training.
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6-25-2012
I was kinda cut off in the middle of Friday's notes, the wonders of having kids around who's attention span doesn't last long. The last few weeks have not only been a time of development on the business side, but also a time of great introspection.  Several of my friends who are of the creative bent have decided it's time to to act...time to start doing what they do ''for real'' as a ''real'' source of income.  So yesterday while sitting in a shallow spot in the Salt River watching kids play and keeping an eye out to make sure my husband and his youngest daughter didn't get caught by the current and set adrift while the walked to the middle of the river to sit on a big rock I started thinking, do I need to do that? Do I need to start thinking up a business plan? Should I be working harder at this than I am, should I be developing it into more than just a hobby that sometimes brings in a little extra cash? Then it happened out of nowhere I hear this rather loud annoying voice in the back of my head......''DON"T YOU REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME"! So I thought back to early 2003 and on through to late 2005. This was a time when I did ALOT of sewing for other people, not only mending and alterations like I do know, but entire wedding parties and whole summer collections for someones beach vacations and baby clothes and the list goes on and on. I thought about how great it was having the extra money (something that everyone enjoys) and then I remembered the crushing panic attacks and the sleepless nights trying to completely rework a bridesmaids dress because the stupid girl measured her self wrong and is not the ''perfect size 3'' she thought she was. The longer I sat there the more it became clear I design clothing and make beautiful garments that the people that own them love, but I also came to the realization that I am much happier with it being a lucrative hobby that helps  finance family vacations and my incurable fabric addiction.  I stopped sewing on 2005 and it was almost 3 years before I had any desire to actually create again.  I have come a long way since 2008, using sewing and design as a kind of therapy, but I have also become secure enough in what I do that my work will speak for itself and that word of mouth is the best way to spread the word about what I do.  I will maintain my website (if for no other reason than it's a great way to show my stuff off to people that I don't really want lurking around on facebook) and I will keep adding to pinterest as I make new designs and take new pictures, I will even make up some cutesy business cards that I can include in my packages for my current customers to give out to friends, but I won't stress my self out with a business plan and all of those mean scary numbers.  I am ok with having a real job part of the week and using the other days to work on my designs.
I hope those of you that are striving to finish those business plans and take your creativity to the next step achieve all that you have hoped for! I just couldn't do it and I'm not willing to try again the hardest thing I ever had to do was not sew.  Even though I didn't have the desire or the need for those years I still missed creating and for me the creation and the delivery are the most wonderful parts of what I do.
I thank everyone that has stuck by me in this little adventure, I hope you are all willing to hang on for the ride, all be it probably a slow plodding one with some really scenery along the way.
I hope everyone has a creative and wonderful week!
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7/27/2012

Maybe I should call this my monthly creative journal.....it seems that here lately that's about how long I go between entries.  This month has been interesting to say the least.  My step kids have been here a little over a month and this is really only the second full creative day I've been able to take.  It's hard to explain to bored kids that this may look like I'm not doing anything to you, but really I am working. My solution tot his has been to involve them as much as I can.  My middle daughter has already made herself a sundress pretty much from start to finish and has assisted me on making a couple of jumpers for her little cousins birthday and another top for herself.  My older daughter has been a great pin cushion this week, I am almost finished with her new swim suit (hopefully today if I can get past this overwhelming need for a nap) and later this afternoon we will be starting the first piece in her new clothes for school collection.  The rest will be projects for next week since we are making a visit to the happiest place in Tempe....SAS bulk fabric store this weekend to search out some more pretty knits for the girls school clothes.  Knits are the easiest since they generally don't require special washing instructions and those can be a little rough on teenagers who haven't yet reached the stage of actually sorting the laundry as opposed to just piling it into the washer all at one time.
A couple weeks ago I introduced you through photo's to a fellow crafter, Jessica is the lead photog for  Family Ties Photography, but she is also a champion Tu-Tu maker! If you get a chance check out her page there are some wonderful pictures of my middle daughter as well as a couple of nieces in Tu-tu's!  From time to time I will be sharing other people's creativity as part of my page because well I hope they will share mine to and Jessica has been one of my biggest cheer leaders and is also one of my best customers!
Other the weekend I was also tasked with something awesome.  I was asked to make a friends wedding dress.  I have made bridal gowns a few times in the past, but never before has anyone been so excited with my designs and been so willing to let me be involved in the creative process instead of just bringing me a pattern and a stack of bridal magazines and insisting that they want ''THAT ONE'' but not that expensive and with a different back and the front this one has and on and on and on. I posted some of my preliminary sketches earlier this week and have found a suitable pattern to use as a base. Now I'm just waiting for the mail man to bring me the pattern and tomorrows trip to SAS so that I can start a muslin mock up over the next few weeks.  The dress isn't due until the first of February, but with the craziness that always seems to sneak up from nowhere around the holidays and the desire for perfection I need to get started now otherwise I'm afraid I might become design-zilla trying to rush to get things done.
I hope everyone has plans for a wonderful weekend and I hope your plans include something creative!
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08-13-20112

Wow! It only took me about 2 weeks to remember to write in my journal again.  This probably has something to do with the fact that I sprained my ankle on Wednesday and haven't really been able to sew much.  I did go a little pin crazy this morning on Pinterest and in the process found about 4 new patterns that I'm positive I need! I have finished or almost finished the 3 new tops for Jazz's school clothes collection as well as her swim suit (which as of yesterday has attended 2 pool parties!). Her tops need a few finishing touches and some detail work but other than that they are just about done. Alis has begun work on 2 more pieces for her collection a t-shirt and a ruffly skirt (neither of which match the other) but she's pleased with both and with any luck as my ankle gives me less trouble and starts to heal I will be able to start sewing them together for her. I also have plans of making myself not only a new swimsuit but also another maxi dress some time soon.  I also have a large blue bag of fabric that is just waiting to be transformed.  My older sister joined us on our last fabric buying adventure and bought enough for a couple of dresses and also a couple of tops, but she hasn't made any plans to get with me to actually choose her designs.  I hope she gets around to it soon, I would hate for her summer clothes to get put off because I am in the middle of another project.
That's about all I have to report today, I haven't been able to do much other than sitting and watching and maybe drawing a little this week.
I hope everyone is well and in between now and then do something creative! I can't wait to hear about it!
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08/24/2012
Well my ankle is feeling better which has made it a lot easier to get a few projects done, but I'm WAY behind on my juniors collection. At this point I think those pictures are going to go on the back burner until next summer!
I'm going to spend the next few weeks working on assorted projects ranging from sundresses to a few new top designs that I have in mind that will be perfect for fall. Not that we actually have fall in AZ but who knows maybe somebody who lives someplace that does might be interested.


The lovely blue bag that I mentioned in my last post has been released! Nancy was here last night and this morning and we spent a couple of hours deciding what to do with all of her lovely material. So far I have made a Maxi-Dress and a fitted top with ruffly details for her collection and have plans to add a couple more tops, a shorter dress (although since I didn't write it down I have no idea which one I was supposed to make her) a poncho and for the grand finale of her collection a one piece jumper. I have the sketches done, but the pattern creation will have to wait until I am a little bit more mobile since it will mean a lot of pinning and rearranging and I'm just barely up to wandering around the house with out crutches forget jumping up and down off the floor and running back and forth to the dress form with stops in between to visit the sewing machine.
Sadly the healing of my ankle is bitter sweet.  My step-kids will be heading home on Sunday. My middle daughter Alison is a huge source of inspiration and reminds me that sometimes the fun is as much in the process as it is in the finished product.  She has come a long way this summer, learning to use the sewing machine with little to no help, cutting her own patterns (although she still needs a little help with pattern layout, but that took me a while to learn to) and even learning how to sew by hand ( she was rushing and I decided it might be a good time to slow her down and make her learn the basics).  My older daughter Jazmine has no real interest in actually sewing. She's used a machine in school and sometimes will spend enough time in the studio to cut a pattern or two but not much more than that.  She has however revealed a hidden talent that takes most seamstresses and designers years to master.  She has an amazing eye for color. Several times she has asked me to make her something out of this and this (usually two pieces that are GOD awful ugly) and the end result is amazing. She knows what colors she looks good in and isn't afraid to speak up about what she wants.  She has also become a great companion. When I was first hurt she sat and watched TV with me for an entire day because in her words "it's boring to sit downstairs by yourself when you don't want to". She even made dinner one night so that I didn't have to!So while I know them leaving is a necessary evil because school starts soon I can honestly say I will miss their company especially in my studio. Usually it's a place where I go to get lost in my designs and in my thoughts, but these girls have filled it with laughter and given me a whole new outlook on how I do things.
In other notes I made reservations to go visit one of my oldest friends (and best customers) in San Diego. She is an artist of another form and I can't wait to spend time exploring the creative process with someone else. I also am in the planning stages of a photo shoot. I'm hoping Jessica at Family Ties Photography will do some great pictures for me of some of my favorite summer designs, not to mention wearing a few of the ones I have created for he. I am also hoping that Nancy will model some of her designs as well.  It is my hope to be able to update my website using pictures taken during this photo shoot as well as those of other customers wearing their designs.
I guess that's about all of the rambling I have for today. Thank you all again for reading my thoughts and staying interested .
Have a great weekend!
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9-21-2012
Time to get that slacker stamp out again! It's been almost a month since the last time I updated, but I have a good excuse, I haven't been able to create anything.  Every so often my creative energy burns out and I need a break.  The downside is this time it happened when I had a dozen things that I wanted to get done. So I did the only thing that seemed to feel right.  I cut stuff up. I had as of this morning 4 garments that are completely cut and are ready to be stitched together and 3 patterns that have been cut all the way down and are waiting to be actually translated into material.  For the first couple days this bothered me and then I came to the conclusion as long as I don't run out of pins and I don't misplace any pieces I should be ok and I just went with it. This morning the log jam finally broke. I started putting things together and coming up with new ideas.  I have one dress ready to ship Monday morning and 3 other things for the ''Big Sister'' collection that should be done tonight or tomorrow as long as I can keep up my momentum which as long as this stupid ankle doesn't start hurting again (or go from the dull ache it has been) .  I also made a trip to JoAnne's today, someplace I usually avoid because most of their fabric is ridiculously over priced, but they had Butterick patterns on sale for $.99. Butterick is not my favorite brand, but for less than a buck I couldn't resist. I got a really cure wrap dress (which I envision wearing with my hooker boots once this dumb ankle heals) and a couple of really simple and really versatile top patterns, one of them may even become the top part for my Christmas dress, but that remains to be seen!
I don't have much else to talk about today but stay tuned and maybe it'll take me less than a month to write again
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10-9-2012
As you can see by yesterdays pictures I had a fairly productive weekend.  I haven't found the energy I had early in the summer where it was nothing to complete 3-5 new designs in a single weekend (and sometimes a single 24-36 hour period).  I am gradually transitioning my designs into fall and starting to think about that all important Christmas dress that I should come up with, or maybe I won't maybe I'll come up with a really great casual tunic that I can wear more than just for Christmas. I suppose only time will tell. Not to mention what our impending holiday plans will bring.....will we go to the company Christmas party? Is Paula planning her yearly shin-dig (it's always one of my favorite places to show off a new design or two) or will this year be more low key....will our only holiday endeavors be the annual ornament party at Uncle Gary's and our soon to be announced cookie bake at our house? I suppose it will all come together as the time gets closer.  As the holidays approach I always find myself wondering what the perfect gift would be for each person on my list, does Nancy want wine and chocolate and other silly frivolous girl things or would she like me to add a few more things to her "Big Sister" collection? Would Kathy rather have the same or would she appreciate new PJ's from my soon to be started Sweet Dreams collection.  What can I make for Mom that won't make her break out (she's allergic to most everything) or would a gift card and new family pictures be a better idea.  Auntie has already expressed her desire for a top from the "At Work" collection, but of course I have to find something special to go with it.  Jessica is always easy she loves frilly dresses and anything with bows on it, but what would she really like should I go all out and make her several things or will she crucify me because I do to much. What about Mila, are Stacy and I going to exchange gifts this year? I have a wonderful idea for daddy, but can I get it done in time, not to mention finding the material with out it costing a small fortune. Now comes what I bet is the hardest for everyone to believe, I LOVE CHRISTMAS TIME and I love sharing the things I make with the people I care about.
I have started work on several exciting things, but a couple of them actually involve pants so that could prove to be troublesome when it comes to taking pictures unless I get the person I am making them for to hold still and seeing as how she won't be in the same place for longer than a few weeks until sometime next month it could prove to be interesting.  I also have a few other things for this person who is the ultimate owner of the ''Big Sister'' collection. All I can say is I hope she likes the stuff I've come up with and gets lots of wear out of it.  I also hope she remembers to send me pictures when she wears the stuff I made her so that I can add them to the Photo's fro m friends album not to mention use them to update my Wix website/
Withe holidays fast approaching I have also started to consider other non-sewing projects that would make great gifts (especially with out breaking the already thin walls of my Piggy bank), so as the holiday season rolls over us don't be surprised to see Non-sewing type things popping up from time to time.  I am after all a fairly creative person and would like to be able to share in my creativity in any way that I can. Also always remember that if you see something of a Non-Sewing nature on the site I would be glad to get you one or at the very least share with you how it was made.
I think that is about the end of my ramblings for this time, but I may be back sooner than later, I have found a new spot in my house that while separate from my studio leads to thoughts of creativity and a desire to share with others the pretty things I see and the crazy thoughts I have.
I am toying with the idea of putting together a Quilted Elephant calendar for 2013 and would appreciate any input y'all might want to give me!
Stay Creative and I'll write again soon!



Friday, November 9, 2012

Is this where it starts.......?

Over the last almost a year I have been exploring ways to express myself through design.  I have the almost requisite Facebook page and I've experimented with various website ideas, but none of those felt right. Then I started following a dear friend on Blogger and I realized this might just be what I'm looking for. I can share pictures of my latest designs, update the world (ok so maybe the 3 people that will actually follow my blog) on the status of large ongoing projects and still recieve feedback from my followers.  It will also allow me a place to direct the lady in the grocery store that says "OH MY GOSH I LOVE YOUR DRESS WHERE DID YOU GET IT?". Facebook is great but sometimes it's even greater to be able to direct people to something a little less personal (not to mention something that in a lot of cases is a little easier to find).

Over the next week or so I will be adding past entries from my creative journal along with pictures of some of the things mentioned in the entries. So in the beginning bear with me and I promise that as time goes on I'll actually start adding new stuff!!