Sewing Room

I am challenging myself to do a better job at posting on this blog and updating my Facebook page. I've been quite pathetic in the past, I know, but after I make this one excuse, I won't make anymore. Hopefully. But don't quote me on that.

My recent (and forevermore last) excuse is that I've been moving my sewing area into the house. For the past several years, my sewing studio has been in the garage. While I was grateful for the space, it was actually slightly miserable. It was always dirty and messy and dark. In the summer, it was boiling hot. In the winter, freezing cold. I made do with a fan and a space heater, and granted, for most months, since we live in a temperate climate, it wasn't bad. But for a few stretches in January and August, the weather was enough to deter me from getting any sewing done.

We have an extra bedroom in the house that we used as a guest room. Now, I apologize to our relatives who used to have a nice bed (the most comfortable mattress in our whole house) to sleep in when they visited us. But really, how many days a year did the room get used? Maybe 2 weeks maximum. Compared to how much time I spend sewing, it seemed like a change I should have made a long time ago.

I'm SO pleased with my new sewing room. I love having a window! Natural light, sights and sounds from the neighborhood, and even beautiful sunsets! I bought an old TV off Craig's List for $10, and it has been fun to watch TV while sewing (I've been getting hooked on HGTV--I love those decorating and do-it-yourself shows). It took me weeks to get everything sorted, organized and situated, and even though I have more that I can probably do, it's good enough for now. Ahh, I feel so spoiled and blessed and creative whenever I'm sitting in that room.

So now I have no more excuses. I have a great work space, so I need to buckle down and get to work. Laissez les creative juices rouler!

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Various & Sundries in Fairfax

The boutique store Various & Sundries has been selling my Sheekoo items for a couple years now, but recently, they moved to a fabulous new location in Fairfax, CA. The new store is GORGEOUS, with lots of natural light, on a street with tons of other fun shops. And as always, it is filled with unique gifts, most of them handmade by local artisans. Here is Stephanie, the wonderful owner of the shop.

There's a whole area dedicated to baby gifts.

Here's a sampling of clothing and pottery items.

And of course, some of my Cork Collection and fabric items. The inventory on my Sheekoo items is a bit low right now, but my items sell very well there--sometimes, it's a struggle to keep them well stocked!

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New Store in Sonoma - My Girlfriend's Closet

My Sheekoo Cork Collection is now available at a brand new store, just off The Plaza in Sonoma's beautiful downtown. It's an upscale consignment store called My Girlfriend's Closet. (I also designed the store's logo, seen on this fun sign outside.)

Here are a few of my cork items, prominently displayed behind the wrap counter and register.

Even though the store just opened, it already has a great inventory of new and nearly new items. I bought a pair of shoes there for only $24, and I have my eye on a couple of other items I saw there.

Hope you'll stop by!

My Girlfriend's Closet
539 First Street West
Sonoma, CA
707-933-3050

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Bitty Booties and My First Tutorial

I recently made these felt baby booties as a present for my friend's new baby, using Heather Bailey's free pattern.


There are so many free patterns and tutorials online these days--aren't we so fortunate?! I've been wanting to make my own contribution to the resources available out there. So here's my first tutorial on how to make an adjustable dog collar. Cabana is modeling one of her MANY homemade dog collars here.

If you use my tutorial, I'd appreciate any feedback so I can make changes to it as needed. I'd also love to see photos of the collars you make, so please send them to me!

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Featured on Martha Stewart!

No, I'm not going to be on Martha Stewart's TV show (yet)! But a few months ago, I submitted a photo of my felt sewing kits on Martha Stewart's website, and it was selected as one of the favorites! It's probably not such a big deal, but I'm still pretty excited about it.

You can see a slideshow of the "Best Sewing Projects" here. Mine is the second photo in the slideshow.

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Cork Portfolio

A customer recently asked me to make a portfolio out of cork for him, because he works for a company in town that sells wine corks. He also asked me to put his company logo on it for him. Since it was an easy logo to produce, I said sure!

It took me two tries to get it right, but I was pretty happy with the result. Since I've taken the trouble to figure out how to make one, I suppose I should be making a few more to sell (albeit sans logo). Think they would sell?

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No More Butter & Eggs

No more Butter & Eggs Day, for another year at least. I always breathe a sigh of relief when a show is over--and I sleep like a log that night, too. Shows are a lot of work, leading up to that day, since I never seem to have enough inventory. And then, being outdoors from 7:30am until after 5pm is exhausting, doubly so if it's a 2-day show. But finally, I've gotten the hang of doing them, and they don't seem as daunting as they used to. I enjoy the interaction and direct feedback from customers.

In some ways, with this past show, I think I got a little too relaxed. Didn't push myself as hard leading up to it, didn't plan out how I wanted the booth to be laid out the day before, which is something I usually do. Also, my best friend Lisa usually comes to help me set up. She has a great logistical eye and usually tells me to move this rack over here, put these products in the front of the booth, etc. This time, Lisa didn't come (I told her not to, although she offered), and I lacked her discerning eye.

But the pendulum has to swing back and forth before it finds its comfort zone. After two years of getting stressed and nervous about shows, it's a welcome change to be a bit too laid back about one. Hopefully, I'll be able to find the right balance for my next show.

Speaking of which, my next show: Sonoma Plaza Ox Roast, June 5-6, 2010

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