All Done, Part One

Finally, I have finished the Story bags. I will feature one today, and it is the one that will ship off to my Mom. It reminds me of pansies, even though the shapes aren't right, the color overwhelmingly says "Pansy" to me. I have finished the other bag, but I was unhappy with the photo shoot: cloudy days just are the worst, and I can't stand shooting with artificial lighting... sunshine tomorrow, I hope!

Baby B. by BCharmer Designs

Something about spring and summer increases my levels of busy-ness exponentially. It happens every year, and yet I'm always caught off guard. There's the garden, the yard, the housework, family and friend comitments, and, of course, my business. This year is no different and I've become a juggler again. It's a good thing I thrive on constant movement! I have recently gotten two commissions to make gifts for weddings, which is one of my all time favorite things to do. What a priviledge to take part in someone's most special event. Additionally, I'm making 4 diaper bags for upcoming new babies! WOW! I'm feeling the love, that's for sure!

And don't worry, I haven't forgotten about my story of a bag bags: they're almost finished, really! I know I promised pictures a week ago, but you'll have to wait just a little bit longer... In the meantime, this cute little hat is one that I made for a lovely customer who is helping to welcome her friend's new baby into the world this June. The hat is sized for a 6 month old, so that she can be warm this winter in New York. It's cashmere and merino: SO soft!

Story of a Bag: Part 2

The two bags are coming along now! I have finished up the "fussy" part, which is to put the zippers in and the front pockets. Once that is done, the rest feels pretty smooth and rhythmic. It's very satisfying to see the pieces coming together. I find that as the bag starts to take shape it's difficult for me to stop working on it. I think, "I'll just finish up this topstitching detail, and then I'll stop." And then it progresses and I think, "I have to see how the pockets will look on the sides; I'll just add those and then I'll stop." A few hours later, my blood sugar is in the basement and I'm shaky and agitated and making mistakes. But you all know how it goes... obsession is obsession! It could be SO much worse, as my Mother in Law points out.

I'm hoping to finish these today so that I can show you pictures of the ready bags tomorrow!

Working with Quality

I just had the excellent fortune to find this LUSH dupioni shantug silk on sale and so I stocked up! I get the shivers when I touch it; it's that good.
I've been feeling a deep need to do some hand work. I rummaged and found some yummy scraps to work with and made this sunny flower that will soon become a brooch. My plan is to use some of this new silk to make more brooches in a more luxe style.

Today I will plant the remaining spring crop in my garden. HOORAY!

WHEW

Where has the time gone? Sadly, much of it has been spent on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and the many many other networking sites out here in the cloud. I think I'm reaching my technology LIMIT! Of course these tools can be beneficial for connecting with friends and promoting my business but I have a tendency to get BOGGED DOWN with the minutia of tweets from strangers and following people that I have nothing in common with. SO, I've decided to scale back a bit. I enjoy my blog and reading other people's blogs, so that is going to stay a priority. And I've discovered the absolute joy of using blip.fm to create a soundtrack for my day. I will be posting a "song of the day" for all of us to enjoy. Or at least that is my intention. I have to be forgiving of my sometimes lofty plans.

Today it is raining and I'm listening to Billie Holiday. It is most definitely spring and the garden is coming alive! It no longer looks like combed dirt, and that is promising. The apple trees are blooming and the birches are fully leafed out. I am finding myself pining for the out of doors and will soon need to move my studio partly outside lest I get NOTHING done otherwise. I will be taking advantage of the inclement weather to get some sewing done today.

Celebrate

Today is Etsy Day! Yes, that's right, Etsy has made it to the big time: it now has its own commemorative day. I'm so proud of Etsy and it's success. To honor it and to celebrate, I'm offering free shipping on purchases made in my shop today. YIPPEE!

I got all of my new bags cut out last night and all of the interfacing, too! The cutting is such a lot of work, but once it's finished things move pretty quickly. I expect another update on my "life of a bag" series soon! And Bronwyn slept last night, so I feel better today; ahhh.....

Here are two new headbands that I sewed up; I'm in LOVE with them.

Just a Little Bit

I don't have much to say today; I'm feeling tired from being up quite a lot with Miss B in the night. Not sure what was going on, I think she's getting her molars and is extra needy. I'm going to be gentle with myself today. I'll leave you with the newest addition to my small card wallet collection.

Tomorrow is "Etsy Day!" Yes, Etsy is becoming quite the phenomenon! Help me celebrate by spreading the word. I'll write a little post tomorrow.