My Creative Threads

A New Name

2011-10-17T13:24:00.000-07:00

I have been making clutches for quite some time now, and I have come to realize that in business there is always change. I named my business "My Creative Threads" to cover a broad range of items that I could potentially make and sell. With the dramatic increase in clutch/handbag sales, I feel it is time to create a division of the business to cater specifically to customers looking for clutches. I am planning to start a website, and I intend to give the site this new name. My only problem is I can't think of a good name!
There are so many options out there. My current top choices are "Sew Clutch" and "Creative Clutches". I like these options because they clearly define what I am selling, and the second option ties in with my original name.
It would be easier to choose one of these names if it weren't for one teeny little problem.... let me paint the picture:

Big Burly Guy who hasn't shaved in a week and smells of grease and oil is sitting in front of the computer with cigarette in one hand and beer in the other. He is desperately searching for something online, but he isn't terribly computer literate and is already pretty frustrated with his search thus far. He pulls up my website and shouts at the computer "What the...." as he sees these beautifully handmade clutches. At this point he gives up and decides to take the trip to the Auto Parts store to see if they have the part he needs.
And here I sit, on the "other side" of the computer feeling a little badly because the poor guy is just trying to fix the clutch on his car, and my website is obviously not going to help him. But while I am feeling badly, I am kinda laughing (just a little) at the humor in the situation and feeling like I have fooled another one again! (is that bad??- probably yes insert sinister laugh here)

So the question still remains- Do I use the word "Clutch" in the new name/ domain name? Or do I use something like Handbag or...?
I am open to suggestions, thoughts, opinions, commentary....

Tea

2011-08-29T09:02:00.000-07:00

We had the annual ladies tea at church on Saturday. As I prepared my table for tea I was quite surprised to see how it all came together. I wanted to use what I had to make it pretty, so I found an extra large piece of gold-ish fabric I used for a previous clutch order. I am not a super fan of gold, but I really thought it brought out the gold lined china nicely. It was a little table this year which I quite liked, though it was hard to find an appropriate center piece. I ended with with little centerpieces all around. I LOVE having a reason to use my grandmother's china, teacups, and glasses! I think she would be proud!

I was recently given some beautiful pieces of milk glass from a friend who was moving out of the area and trying to consolidate her home of 30 years. I LOVE milk glass (as it is something my grandmother also collected), and these pieces are extraordinary! I thought they would be the perfect addition to use for the food. And there was a LOT of delicious food, and fantastic tea.

Getting Ready for Tea

2011-08-27T16:01:00.000-07:00

Each year our church holds a Tea, and I like to host a table. In effort to actually USE the fine china and delicate tea cups I inherited from my Grandmother, I like to host a table at the tea. As I prepared my table decor I decided I needed napkins to match. Unable to find some that I liked at the store, I decided to make them. White Linen matches anything!

Getting ready for tea.

Tutorial for Ruffled Pillow

2011-08-11T09:10:00.000-07:00

You have got to check out this wonderful tutorial for a ruffled pillow from Jones Design Company!

http://jonesdesigncompany.com/create/5-days-of-favorite-projects-day-3/

This pillow is so much fun to make and adds a lot of great texture and dimension to the room!

A Baby Quilt

2011-08-07T15:44:00.000-07:00

I rarely have time to quilt, but recently put together a baby quilt for a dear friend who is having her first baby in October. My quilter friend Chris helped me with the quilt last week and we had so much fun working together on this little quilt!
Thank you Chris for your help. They LOVED this quilt!

Glue

2011-08-07T15:39:00.000-07:00

So a part of making clutches is gluing the clutch to the metal frame. This is not my favorite part of the process, but an essential part! With 80-100 clutches on my back-log at any given time I do a LOT of gluing. The heat of the summer makes gluing a bit challenging. I have to glue either in the morning or the evening (if it cools off).
The best part of the glue is going to the store to purchase it. I finally found a store that sells the glue locally for a good price. When I go I typically purchase about 10 tubes at the same time which always brings strange looks from the clerk at the register. The last time I purchased glue, the clerk asked if I was at least 18. I am not making Meth people!
My least favorite part of gluing is wearing a mask to keep from breathing the horrific smelling glue.
My dear husband thinks the mask is cute so he decided to snap a couple shots of me at work gluing in the backyard.
Not my best look...

Packages in the Mail

2011-07-06T16:00:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of packages going in and out of the house here lately.
I order most of my fabric online, and I often get multiple packages on a weekly and sometimes daily basis. No matter how many packages that arrive in the mail, they are always so fun to open. By the time they get there I have usually forgotten what I ordered. So it is like Christmas to open them and see what wonderful surprises (usually fabric) are inside. Scott thought he was being funny to capture me being silly while opening the new treasures...

Online business is GREAT!

Trends

2011-06-20T17:27:00.000-07:00

I do not claim to be very on-trend by any stretch... I am just too lazy and frankly too thrifty to want to keep up with the ever-changing trends. However, trends fascinate me. Especially now that I am working with brides who are always very interested in the latest and greatest trends. Have you seen a bridal magazine lately. (OK beware, I am about to date myself...) The colors are so very interesting... really they bring me back to the 80's! (Though some say they are 60's colors... I wouldn't know...?) Bright Orange, Lime Green, Hot Pink, Deep Purple... and the list goes on. Oh, did I mention all of these colors can often be used in conjunction? At first I wasn't sure about the trends, but they have grown on me. Use the right fabrics with these colors and anything is possible.
What amazes... truly stuns me, is that I will often get multiple requests for the same color palette in the same few days. I cannot tell you how many times this has happened. It is like there is a new trend report every few days and all of the sudden every bride wants that to be her color palette. It does make it nice when selecting fabrics as I can gently persuade brides to use similar fabrics and it helps keep my costs down.
One of my recent favorite trends is gray and yellow. Actually I cannot stop getting orders for this color palette. If I were getting married again I would use these colors.

Or there is the shades of gray...

Then I might be persuaded to use the robins egg blue and gray... I am very partial to this too...

The Barn Wood Chalk Board

2011-06-20T17:16:00.000-07:00

In the previous post I mentioned the Chalk Board that Scott helped me create for my sewing room. We had some barn wood that I had taken a few years ago from the barn that sat on the back corner of the 2 acres I grew up on. It was a GREAT old barn that we used to play in! And before my parents moved we took as much barn wood as we could for future creative uses. (Sad note... we SHOULD have taken it all as the new owners tore the barn down and probably threw the wood away... EEK it makes me cringe to think of all that good wood thrown away)
I had used a couple pieces of this beautiful red barn wood for a little creative decoration for a number of years and finally decided to re-purpose it for this little project.
I just love my new little chalk board (never mind my terrible penmanship). And never mind the terrible picture.. hopefully you get the idea.

2011-06-20T17:09:00.000-07:00

I am ashamed to say it has been two months since my last post. Where does the time go?
It is now officially summer (well actually tomorrow is the first day of summer). And it is HOT here!
Summer is the time for weddings, and boy don't I know it! Each week I have more and more contacts from brides, and more and more orders. I was feeling quite overwhelmed by it all for a while until my fantastic father helped me get my business tracking organized. My wonderful husband also helped me create the perfect and stylish little chalkboard for the sewing room so that I can have my "to do" list right there in front of me. It is all coming together, and this business is flying!
On a recent Saturday (or was it Wednesday? The days meld together), I was busy fulfilling two orders that just happened to be using similar fabrics. (That is another strange phenomenon- how I can have three different requests all in the same week for nearly the exact same color palette...another post to follow on that one!)
Anyway, I thought I would take some pictures of the madness (or as I like to call it- Organized Chaos) in the sewing room.

Insides and Outsides waiting to be put together

Waiting for their final seam...


All lined up and ready for their frames...

Standing pretty ready to be shipped.

Am I the only one that thinks it would be kinda fun to get married again just to plan it and decorate it all over again...?

Just a few springtime flowers

2011-04-14T22:02:00.000-07:00

In the busyness of creating so many custom orders I cannot stop coming up with new ideas. In my spare moments this week (usually taking breaks from the mundane of creating multiples of the same clutch over and over) I researched fabric flowers online. I re-created a few that I found.
What do you think of these springtime flowers? Probably still a work in progress... just like me!

Too Busy to Post

2011-04-14T21:58:00.000-07:00

You may remember that I mentioned a bride had contacted me to created custom clutches for her bridesmaids. The first set of Hot Pink with white Polka-dot clutches (8 of them in all) were sent out weeks ago to one happy bride. Since then the inquiries and the orders have not stopped coming in! The first order inspired new "marketing" techniques and a new spin on my previous creations.
Have I hit a niche? Or is it due to the new, concisely organized sewing space?
Whatever it is, I know in my heart of hearts that all credit goes to the Lord! It is He that has given me the talents and passion to create! It is He that directs my path and leads me to new creations and new business. I am so thankful to the Lord for this business and I am beyond excited and so very fulfilled to see my long-time dream turning into reality. Needless to say I have been busy. I am so thankful for this busyness. God is good!
Here are just a few of my most recent creations and custom orders:

New Work Space

2011-03-18T21:06:00.000-07:00

I recently relocated my work space to a new room. It is no small task to take an entire room of sewing and work space down to only part of a room. One must be organized and minimalistic. I was quite surprised to find that my new work space is not only functional it is quite efficient. I wonder if less space is sometimes best?
New Work Space:

Old sewing room: can you say clutter???

They grew on me...

2011-03-09T18:39:00.000-08:00

This is the finished product of the Hot Pink and White Polka Dot Clutches. If you remember, I ordered this fabric from China as a special order for a bride who wanted 8 of them as gifts for her bridesmaids. They turned out quite nice and rather elegant. Funny how fabrics that I would not necessarily choose myself turn out to be rather stunning in the end. This project definitely helps to broaden my fabric horizons.

Hot Pink and White Poka Dot Clutches

2011-03-06T20:18:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I got an order from a bride who wanted 8 clutches for her bridesmaids. I was so excited about my first bridesmaid clutch order, and I actually ended up getting another order just a few days later!
Anyway, this bride found fabric online that she wanted me to use, and I ordered it for her. The fabric was from China, and I was a bit nervous about my first international purchase, but it went very smoothly, and the fabric arrived quicker than I expected. It is a cotton fabric, but it is soft and almost silky and very high quality. The hot pink and white poka dots didn't appeal to me at first, but after putting the clutches together, the fabric is starting to grow on me. I love that the poka dots vary in size, and I have never seen a design quite like this fabric. I have all the clutch bodies finished and they are just waiting to be adhered to their silver clasp frames. I thought they looked so pretty all lined up on my cutting table this evening.

Jackies Chicken/Turkey Pot Pie

2011-02-25T11:53:00.000-08:00

So I am not much of a cook, I can cook, but it is just not a priority in my life. I do enjoy cooking, when I find a good recipe that is fun to make. This is one of my most favorite recipes that I got from my mother-in-law. It is easy and fun to make, and it is yummy! I also like to vary the recipe and switch up the ingredients from time to time. You can use Chicken or Turkey for this recipe.

Jackie's Chicken/ Turkey Pot Pie
1 1/2 Cup Mushrooms sliced
1-3 Carrots- chopped into small pieces
1/2 Cup Onion chopped
1/2 Cup Celery Chopped
1/2 Stick Butter
1/3 Cup Flour
1 1/2 Cup Chicken Broth
1 1/2 Cup Milk
4 Cups Cubed Chicken
1 Cup Frozen Peas
1 tsp Salt
Other seasonings to taste
(Optional ingredients: Broccoli, frozen spinach)

In a Large Skillet Saute Butter, mushrooms, Carrots, Onions, Celery, and Garlic (broccoli) until tender. Sprinkle with Flour. Stir in Milk and Chicken Broth. Bring to Boil for 2 minutes until thickened. Add Chicken, Peas, (frozen spinach), salt, and other seasonings.
Pour into Greased 2 Qt Baking Dish
Top with Bisquits (see recipe below)
Bake @ 350 degrees for 20-25min (make sure biscuits are cooked)

Baking Powder Biscuits (taken from a 1933 recipe)
2 Cups Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
4 Tbspn Butter cut in cubes
1/2 tsp Salt
About 3/4 Cups Milk

Mix Dry ingredients, cut in butter (using your hands works really well). Slowly add milk to right consistency. Knead for 30 sec. Roll into "tube" and cut discs to place on top of pot pie mixture.

Sorry I have no pictures of this right now, but trust me, it is yummy and easy!!

Pineapple Pay It Forward

2011-02-24T20:57:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago my friend Chris posted a message on her Facebook Page entitled Pay it Forward. She said that anyone who commented on her post would receive a special handmade gift from her. Then those people had to post the same Pay It Forward message on their Facebook pages, and give special handmade gifts to those who commented. Becuase I love giving and recieving handmade gifts, this challenge was right up my alley. Well, I have not gotten around to making my gifts yet (we have the rest of the year to complete the challenge). But Chris has diligently finished her gifts, and she gave me mine today! I was so surprised when she presented me with this beautiful and expertly made Pineapple Quilt block. She used the foundation piecing technique to make this beautiful little block. She also promised to teach me how to foundation piece, which I am very excited about. I think this will need to be our next sewing day project. Thank you Chris for such a gift of love, it will be cherished forever!

A Productive Day

2011-02-24T18:52:00.000-08:00

Today was a "sewing day" with my dear friend, Chris. It had been months since our last sewing day, so we were long overdue! I love sewing days becuase I can be productive while catching up with a good friend. I also love sewing days becuase they are totally inspiring and I always learn something new. Thank you Chris for spending the day with me!!

Bridesmaids Clutches

2011-02-23T21:38:00.000-08:00

Lately, I have been making more clutches. I have had two larger orders from brides for clutches for their bridesmaids. It has been really exciting to work with brides and create something for their special day!
I have made a some other clutches in a slightly different style as well.
Here are a few of my offerings...

Monkey See, Monkey Do

2011-02-09T21:20:00.000-08:00

A friend recently commissioned me to make a baby quilt with a monkey theme. I couldn't find any monkey themed fabric that made the grade, so I was forced to come up with another idea. I have been experimenting with a new technique which could be considered a type of applique I guess. I found a couple monkeys online that I really liked, but I wasn't sure how to duplicate the idea since I DO NOT draw. Then I found a monkey that didn't look too complicated, so I thought I would give it a shot. I figured anyone can draw circles, right? And much to my surprise I realized that it wasn't as hard as it seemed.... I actually took a couple monkey ideas and created my own... and this was the outcome...

Restore Innocence

2011-02-03T21:24:00.000-08:00

A few months back I was made aware of a growing problem of child trafficking in our country. This is a very real and very scary thing that is happening literally under our noses! "600,000 – 800,000 people are bought and sold across international borders each year; 50% are children, most are female. The majority of these victims are forced into the commercial sex trade." – U.S. Department of State, 2004, Trafficking in Persons Report, Washington, D.C.
A dear friend of mine has started a ministry in Colorado to provide a safe haven for girls who have been rescued from Child Trafficking. "It is for young girls who've been abandoned, neglected or orphaned and need a safe place to heal. Restore Innocence is trying to raise funds to open a shelter for these girls to come and be restored." There are only a few shelters in the U.S. and there is a desperate need for more!!
I would like to help raise funds for Restore Innocence through my Etsy site, and I have chosen to give 30% of my sales of bags and purses to the Restore Innocence ministry. When you visit my Etsy site you can click on "Restore Innocence Bags" under the shop sections area on the left to see all the bags and purses for sale.
To learn more about Restore Innocence and how you can help support the Cinderella House, please visit their blog at: http://cinderellahouse.blogspot.com/

Repurpose, reuse, recycle!

2011-02-03T12:44:00.000-08:00

I have been staring at this ugly sports coat hanging in our closet forever, and wondering when in the world my husband was going to give it up. He actually used to wear this coat, I could not believe it. And being the practical person that he is, he would once in a while get it out and put it on just to see if it had come back in style... it never has, and it never will. He finally gave up his rights to the coat. (Darn it! I forgot to take a picture of it... I am so bad about that). But no matter, it was ugly, trust me! There were two fates awaiting this coat: 1.Be taking to Goodwill 2.Be repurposed as a bag. #2 was the most obvious choice. (Besides, I didn't want some poor women to cringe when her practical husband brought it home from Goodwill hoping as my husband had hoped that it would come back into style someday...)
So here it is.... given new life!

So ladies, if you have any of your old out of style coats that you are dying to get out of your closet, send them my way!

Baby Quilt with Moda prints

2011-01-26T12:13:00.000-08:00

My dear friend Chris gave me a jelly roll of beautiful Moda prints for Christmas. I think it was a jelly roll, or was it called something else? Anyways, it is a roll of strips of various fabrics all read to be sewn together into something beautiful. I have never quilted with Moda fabric before, and I have always wanted to make a quilt much like this one. It was the perfect opportunity to try my idea and it created a nice sized baby crib quilt. I even took a different approach to the quilting as well by quilting in horizontal s-shaped lines of varying sizes and at varying widths apart.

New Year, New Focus

2011-01-18T13:44:00.000-08:00

The New Year is off and running (with a bang I might add), and I have been extremely busy. While managing many tasks in my personal life, I have spent many hours studying, thinking, praying, and finding a new focus for my business. Since I was young I had a desire to work from home while raising my children. I never knew what working from home would look like until I started my sewing business nearly three years ago. While my business has had its highs and lows, it remains a constant in my life and my passion for it is ever increasing.

With a baby on the way (we are adopting a little one sometime this year), I am inspired now more than ever to take my business to the next level. My hope is to be able to produce substantial side income from home so that I can take care of our baby and our home.

I am reviewing my Etsy shop, the items I am selling, my target audience, how I market myself, etc... As I pursue this re-focus, I thought it would be great to get the opinions and advice from my customers and blog readers.

Your thoughts regarding the following questions would be so much appreciated!! (As well as your prayers if you are a praying person) You can answer these questions by clicking the comment button at the bottom of the blog. You can comment anonymously or not. Keep in mind that I am trying to narrow my focus regarding what I am making and selling.

1. Of the items in my shop, which ones do you think I should focus on making more?

2. What do you like about my Etsy shop?

3. What should be changed about my Etsy shop?

4. Do you have any other suggestions for me, my Etsy shop, marketing, my products etc...

Thank you for taking the time to help me improve and hopefully grow my business! I am so grateful for your support of my business and for you reading my blog!

So here is to the New Year, new changes, new focus, and new beginnings!!

With much love and gratitude,

Jen

Featured Clutch

2010-12-20T19:54:00.000-08:00

My Classy Clutch with a Bit of Bling was featured on another blog today. This blog belongs to a team I belong to on Etsy called Carried Away Bags. It is a really neat blog!

http://carriedawayteam.blogspot.com/

Hard at work quilting...

2010-12-11T16:18:00.000-08:00

I have had the honor of making a few quilts recently for a good friend of mine. One of the quilts she asked me to make was actually a quilt top that I finished for her. She sent it with a couple from our church who were going to India to visit the orphanage they used to work with. It was a very special quilt, and when I get the pictures, I will be sure to post them. ( I completely forgot to take a picture of the quilt before I sent it away... bad me!)
The other quilt I just finished for my friend was made by her request to match the other quilt she purchased from me last month. This quilt was made by using a technique I learned at the International quilt show I attended back in September. I was so intrigued by how cool the technique was, I managed to reproduce it from memory. Can you say "strip piecing"?? I loved this strip piecing technique! And for all you non-quilters, do not worry... strip piecing is totally G-Rated.

Clutches and more clutches!

2010-12-05T21:14:00.000-08:00

I just figured out how to make these wonderful clutches with metal framed clasps, and I am loving them! I sold my first batch of them so quickly that I wasn't able to post them. I spent time this weekend making more...
It took some researching to learn how to use clasp frames, and quite a bit of searching for the proper glue to use. The Gutterman glue I finally found is only made in Germany, and I there is only one dealer in the US that I have found so far that sells it! All that searching is paying off, and I am loving these little clutches!

This Winner is.....

2010-09-25T09:09:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Chris! You won the D'lil D'va Drawing!! Thank you everyone for participating in the drawing. Please visit my friends site any time!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Dlil-Dva/114682238587766

How Many Quilts Does One Girl Need Anyway?

2010-09-16T23:30:00.000-07:00

I was re-arranging my sewing room and discovered that I had many more quilts than I thought. Some are old some are new... I figure I really don't NEED all these quilts. So they are all for sale. Not to worry, I have plenty of other quilts around the house that I am keeping.... just need to pair down a bit.

Quilts New and Old

2010-09-16T21:05:00.000-07:00

I decided to post a few items to sell on Etsy. I made them a number of years ago, and I figure one can only have so many blankets and quilts... I really love this one made from recycled wool... super cozy and nice.

This one is actually brand new, but the pattern was from a class I took a few years back. The pattern is called "With This Ring" and it is a variation of the Wedding Ring patterns. I posted this on Etsy today as well.

I have a couple more quilts to add for the list, but I need to re-take the pictures. I just had an idea for taking better pictures....

Give-away

2010-09-14T09:38:00.000-07:00

A very good friend of mine from Colorado just started a wonderful little business called D'lil D'va making headbands for little girls. I am loving these headbands and wishing I had a little head to put them on. I know there are many readers out there who would love one of these little headbands and so I want to give one away to a deserving reader.
Comment on this post and tell me what you like about my friends creative headbands, and I will enter you into a drawing for a free headband. I will also be conducting the same give-away on our family blog: ScottandJenPersicke.blogspot.com. Feel free to enter a comment on both blogs!
Check out D'lil D'va:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Dlil-Dva/114682238587766?ref=mf

Duck Cloth

2010-09-06T19:14:00.000-07:00

My husband I went to the fabric store the other day to buy some fabric to re-cover our dog's bed. We chose some Duck Cloth for the job. After getting the fabric home we decided not to re-cover the dog bed. I was about to return the fabric when I had the thought of using it for a messenger bag.... what do you think?

Delicate Pinks and Browns.... awww!

2010-07-31T12:06:00.001-07:00

Just completed this one yesterday...

Finished Quilt

2010-07-27T08:55:00.000-07:00

As promised, I said I would finish the quilt. And here it is... just a little quilt for a baby, but it is super cute.

The Room is a Disaster!

2010-07-21T22:27:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have times in your life where you look back and not only do you wonder where the time went, but also wonder what in the world happened during that time to allow one aspect of your life to be completely forgotten by the wayside? I feel that way right now as I look back and realize that the last time I updated this blog was back in April, and the last time I turned my sewing machine on was about six weeks ago. And what happened to the sewing room during the past couple of months anyway? How is it that we collect so much stuff in such a short period of time? Where does it all come from anyway? We have been toying with the idea of having a garage sale with our neighbors. A couple months ago I didn't think we had quite enough to justify devoting an entire day to selling a bunch of stuff to only make a few bucks. But as we slowly clean out drawers and closets and spare bedrooms I realize we have more than I thought. A garage sale just might be in order.
As far as my personal creativity goes... well I am not sure about that? I guess it (my personal creativity) has been on a hiatus the past few months. I cannot tell you why it took a few months leave, but I hope it had a good vacation becuase it is time to kick it into gear! Today I got to thinking that something was missing, and it hit me like a ton of bricks... my creative side has definitely been void lately, and it needs to come back!
My sewing business has taken back seat to other things too long. I need to get back behind the needle, and get to work. A good friend reminded me just yesterday that I should take advantage of the time I have now to do the things that I will wish I could do more of when I am busy with motherhood in the future... best advice ever! Also I got to thinking... I have this God-given talent that is not being used... shame on me for letting it go to the wayside.
So tonight as I write this, I make a promise to myself to spend at least 5 hours a week in the sewing room. It can be more than that (I hope it is), but I have to start small. So here I go... off to baste that baby quilt that needs to be finisihed and put online....
And you friends of mine reading this (if you are all still reading this?) who have access to my email... please keep me accountable to this promise I made to myself. I need it!

Diaper Bags and Changing Pads, and new curtains

2010-04-13T16:04:00.000-07:00

I had a few special orders this week, and two of them were from my mother-in-law who needed diaper bags and changing pads for baby showers. I have never made a changing pad before, but I figured I could give it a try. I used Nylon for the changing side, and fabric for the outside. I put cotton batting on the inside for a bit of cushion. It turned out pretty cute, and fits into the diaper bag nicely.
I was also inspired to change my curtains in my living/dining room. I couldn't justify spending a ton of cash on store bought curtains or even fabric to make my own, so I decided to improvise. I like the fabric of my old curtains, I just didn't like the style anymore. It occurred to me that I could repurpose the old curtains. After a few cuts, and some simple sewing, I came up with this:
OLD curtains (this is the only picture I had of them as I forgot to take a pic before I took them down..disregard our friends in the picture. :) )

New Curtains:

And here is one of the diaper bags/ changing pads (again, forgot to take a picture of the other one before I mailed it off...)

Sold my Winnie the Pooh Quilt!!

2010-04-08T18:25:00.000-07:00

I actually sold my Winnie the Pooh quilt today.. I guess I was a bit surprised, and I am a little sad to see it go. It is going to Victoria British Columbia.... one of my Favorite places... so I am sure it will be going to a good Canadian home!

Nursing Blankets

2010-03-22T22:27:00.000-07:00

I recently finished and posted these nursing blankets on Etsy. Both are made with Amy Butler prints... her prints are so wonderful for all kinds of projects, and I especially liked how they worked in these nursing blankets.

Blog Feature

2010-03-14T13:25:00.000-07:00

I was recently notified that one my my baby blankets had been featured in a blog. The blog is called Handmade For Life, and it is comprised of a group of artists that support life. The post topic was promoting team member's baby items. Check it out:
http://www.handmadeforlife.blogspot.com/

So now I can post this...

2010-03-07T16:50:00.000-08:00

I made this little pink quilt for our dear friends who are expecting their baby girl in just a couple of weeks. They were actually the inspiration for getting some pink fabric to make these pinkly quilts. I love how they turned out! Glad you like M's quilt A!

Sweet Pinks Baby Girl Quilt

2010-03-03T10:56:00.000-08:00

I just finished this sweet little quilt. I love the colors and the pattern worked really well with the fabrics. I just put it on my Etsy site for sale. I will be posting another pinks quilt here soon, so stay tuned!

And Here it is...

2010-02-19T08:36:00.000-08:00

I finished up the binding last night on the green and cream snowball quilt. I am amazed at how quickly I can get a binding done with the Olympics on. With one eye glued to the women's half pipe, and the other on my sewing, I was able to complete it in about an hour and a half. I love how it turned out, and when Scott held it up for my to see from a distance, I knew I should keep it. Isn't it funny how just a bit of quilting and a binding can change the entire look and feel of a quilt:? I guess that is the entire point of quilting... ah ha!
On a side note... I love that pieceing a backing together is now acceptable and some would say the "in" thing to do. I think it makes perfect sense to take larger pieces and put them together. No sense in spending more money to purchase enough fabric for the backing.

Almost finished with this one...

2010-02-16T09:48:00.000-08:00

I am SO over the top excited (well that might be exaggerating a little bit), about the snowball quilt. I decided to finish that one next, and last night I got my "quilt sandwich" (that is quilt top, batting, and backing layered), together. And, much to my surprise, I got all the quilting done last night as well!! I LOVE how it has turned out, and I was considering selling it, but I am not sure I can part with it now... we will see. No pictures right now, I want to leave you in suspense for a little while longer. I will post pictures when I get it bound.

Finishing projects.

2010-02-15T15:38:00.000-08:00

I have decided to get some of those lingering projects off the to do list. It is the perfect time to finish as the Olympics are on, and I can watch as I sew. Last night I was able to finish the binding on this little quilt that I had made from scraps last summer. I gave it to Scott for Valentines day. Even though it is a bit busy for my taste, it is bright and happy and just a fun little quilt.

Weekly accomplishments

2010-02-13T22:35:00.000-08:00

I just finished a nursing blanket (or "booby blocker" as we like to call them), for a special order. I love the Amy Butler fabric that my friend chose, and I plan on making more nursing blankets for my Etsy site very soon... so stay tuned.
I also have added some Key Fobs to my repertoire, and I love them...

Name

2010-02-13T09:34:00.000-08:00

Oh, I forgot... because I asked for name ideas, I should probably tell you what I named it...
It is best on Etsy to have as descriptive names as possible. So I called it "heat resistant Curling Iron Pouch" But I really liked the name suggestions... especially Adams suggestion of "Hot pockets" Although, yes we would probably have some law suit if I used that name.

New Bag

2010-02-10T22:23:00.000-08:00

I just finished this computer bag as a special order for a friend. I love the brown and black fabric... cause then you can wear either brown or black.... This bag also has a zipper across the top, which I also really like.

What should I call this?

2010-02-09T16:31:00.000-08:00

I just completed a special order for a friend that is a new design for me. It is a protective cover that can be used to house your hot curling iron while you are traveling. (You know how the curling iron is always the last thing you pack in your suitcase, and it is usually still warm??) Well this little carrier/cover is lined with a heat resistant silicone blend fabric. It will allow you to store your hot curling iron in your suitcase without worrying about burning or melting anything next to it.
I made two of these little guys.. one for my friend, and one to post on Etsy. So my question for my readers is.. what do I call it??

Just HAD to finish it!!

2010-01-29T14:39:00.000-08:00

Here it is. I spent a little over an hour re-piecing and ironing it all back together. I had some other little incidental problems to fix along the way becuase of the whole ripping and re-piecing bit, but it turned out just as I wanted it to... and it is done. (Well except for the batting and backing and binding... I will get that done soon enough since I do not like UFO's (unfinished Objects for those non-quilters out there...)).

Totally messed up!

2010-01-28T22:03:00.000-08:00

I was working on finishing the top of my snowball quilt tonight. I had just finished ironing the last bit of the second border when I realized that I had totally screwed up!!! One row of my snowballs was perfectly wrong! The green snowballs were aligned with the green, and the cream snowballs with the cream. How in the world did I not notice that before?? I had spent time working on it, but obviously paid NO attention.
I knew immediately that I would not be able to live with such a major flaw, so I decided to fix it. I figured I could take out a row, make another cream block to add to the row, and carefully piece it back together. I proceeded to rip out an entire row. It wasn't until I had ripped out the row that I realized that I had ripped out the WRONG row!! Ahhhh how did I do that? Am I totally loosing my brain? I then had to rip out the correct row. Then I began to rip out the end block of the row that needed fixing, and I started ripping out the wrong block... seriously... what is wrong with me?
Needless to say, I am done in for tonight. Sewing it all back together will need to wait for another day. Tomorrow maybe?

Beauty From Ashes

2010-01-21T08:21:00.000-08:00

While getting back to work on my snowball quilt I found that I had cut a bunch of squares too small, and was thus left with a bunch of triangles that were too small. I didn't really want to keep the now "scraps" around, so I proceeded to pitch them in the circular file. (Actually my file is more rectangle, but you know what I am talking about...) Then it occurred to me that I should not be wasting the precious fabric (waste not, want not..) so I dug them out and decided to turn them into something beautiful. And I immediately knew who I would make the something beautiful for... my dear friend and fellow quilter, Chris. She and I had decided to take the "Snowball Challenge" a couple of months ago, and we have been working off and on together on the challenge ever since. She made her snowball in reds and whites, and I made mine in greens and creams. I thought it would be fun to give her a bit of my greens and creams in my own smaller version of a snowball. Happy Birthday Chris!! Thanks for being such an amazing inspiration to me!

Back to work.

2010-01-05T11:45:00.000-08:00

I took a bit of a break from my sewing room for a couple of weeks during Christmas and New Years. Now I am back to work. I spent part of yesterday working on my green and cream snowball quilt. I haven't really touched it since Thanksgiving when I realized that I had miscalculated the number of triangles I needed, and didn't have enough the make all the blocks I needed. I got to work again, starting with triangles yesterday. After sewing about 30 triangles, I realized that I had made them the wrong size... ooops. So I started over. By the end of the day I had I made another eight blocks...not bad for half a days work. I'm getting there...

Classic Winnie the Pooh Crib Quilt is complete!

2009-12-15T12:12:00.000-08:00

Last night I finished the binding on my Classic Winnie the Pooh Crib Quilt! I am very happy with how it turned out, and I just put it up for sale on my Etsy site. (Although I will have a very hard time selling it!!)

Free Shipping from now until December 20th!

2009-12-11T10:59:00.001-08:00

Visit www.mycreativethreads.etsy.com (or click on the logo on the left hand side) to take advantage of free shipping from December 10th- December 20th.

Here are a couple of my newest creations:

A new Design

2009-12-04T20:36:00.000-08:00

I received a special order for a large duffel bag. It took a while to figure it out, but I was very happy with the final outcome.

Classic Winnie the Pooh

2009-12-04T20:26:00.000-08:00

Over the long Thanksgiving weekend I was able to spend time finishing my Classic Winnie the Pooh Crib Sized quilt top. It just needs to be quilted and bound, and then I will be putting it on my Etsy site to sell. I searched high and low for this beautiful Classic Winnie the Pooh fabric, and I will have a hard time selling it, since I really love how it has turned out.

Black Friday Weekend Sale!!

2009-11-24T20:22:00.000-08:00

Take advantage of a great sale this weekend on Etsy. I will be offering 15% off one item, and 20% off each item for a purchase of two or more items Friday, November 27th-Sunday, November 29th. Also take advantage of other Etsy-ians great sales. Type in "Etsy Holiday sale" in the search tab on the main page of etsy to see what other great sellers are being offered by other etsy sellers.
You can click on the link to my Etsy site on the left, or cut and paste: www.mycreativethreads.etsy.com
The Main Page of Etsy link is: www.etsy.com
Happy Shopping!!

All things Handmade

2009-11-22T21:41:00.000-08:00

As we enter into this holiday season, gift buying is on our minds. The buying frezy begins this Friday, black Friday. The most insane shoppers wake up at the butt crack of dawn to be the first in the stores. The seriously insane shoppers camp out at the stores the entire night fervently pounding down the doors until they open, eager to take advantage of killer sales and supreme deals. I am not really much of a shopper, so the idea of fighting crowds all day, pursuing crazy bargins really doesn't appeal to me. I would much rather spend the day relaxing and exercising off the carbo-loaded meal from the day before.
Anyway, to get to the point of this post... I want to encourage all my readers to think twice before you spring for that super-great and fabulous made-in-China deal from Walmart. (No offense to Walmart shoppers, as I am one from time to time). I want to encourage you to think about purchasing gifts that are Handmade. There are multitudes of stay-at-home mom's and dad's, and entrepreneurs working hard to create unique items from home. By buying homemade gifts, you are not only giving wonderfully original gifts, you are also supporting a crafter/ artist who are using their talents to supplement their income and/or provide for their families. This post is not to promote my own handmade business (although, I will not stop you from clicking on the My Creative Threads logo to the left ), but rather to encourage the support of all things handmade. A good place to start is by shopping on the website I use for my business, Etsy: www.etsy.com. This website is a wonderful venue for handmade and vintage items.
It is definitely much BETTER TO GIVE THEN TO RECEIVE, and I hope that we can all enjoy this season of giving!!
PS. If you can't find the perfect Handmade gift, try making one yourself. Nothing says I love you more than something that you took the time to make!!

A mistake turned into quilt

2009-11-21T14:34:00.000-08:00

So I was working on blocks for my snowball quilt and I mistakenly trimmed four of those blocks to 6" squares. (They are supossed to be 6 1/2" squares). OOPS! Can't use those blocks in the snowball quilt. So I got to thinking about how to use them, and I decided to make a couple red and cream blocks to incorporate all six into a small table runner. So I loaded the fire place with wood, moved the sewing machine into the family room, turned on the tv and quilted away last night. Here is the finished product: (well not quite finished, it still needs to be bound).

I had a hard time deciding which order to lay out the green, red, and cream blocks. I finally decided I liked this way the best as I would most likely be placing a candle or other decoration in the center. TADA!

Very Busy

2009-11-17T21:43:00.000-08:00

This is a very busy time of the year for my business. With craft shows, home parties, and custom orders, I feel like all I do is cut, iron, and sew lately. But I love it! I have been busy restocking after the last craft show, filling custom orders, and preparing for the next home party later this week. Here are just a few of my newest creations. I call them pleated zoid bags. They are not posted on my Etsy site yet, but they will be by the end of the week if they do not sell at the home party.

And the Challenge Continues

2009-11-17T21:34:00.000-08:00

It was another successful day of working on the Snowball quilt challenge with my friend Chris. We utilized her fabulous felt design boards, which were very handy for quick and orderly piecing. The fabric sticks nicely to the boards which are easily stacked and stored.

Chris's Red and Cream blocks

I have received most of my lights from the fabric exchange. It is just like Christmas when they arrive in the mail.

He can Sew Too!

2009-11-13T13:11:00.000-08:00

I came in from the store today to find my dear husband sewing patches on his work jeans. Thanks to his great mechanical abilities, he is very able to use the sewing machine. (And he was wise to pull out my older model instead of using my new Janome unsupervised...) The sewing room was temporarily turned upside down, and I was momentarily annoyed until I saw the humor in the situation and was able to applaud him for his ingenuity and creativity in getting the job done.

Yes, those are bungy chords holding down the machine which is precariously resting on a book to give the neck of the machine some lift... very creative babe! And yes, that is my pin cushion around his wrist... very cute babe!

The final patch... not bad! Can you see the black sharpe marking pin line at the top of the patch that he marked for his cutting line? LOVE IT!
Great job Scott!

Beginning of the Snowball Quilt

2009-11-09T23:07:00.000-08:00

Today I began the Snowball quilt for the quilt challenge. My dear friend Chris and I are both participating in the challenge, so we thought we would take the day for starting our quilts. Even though we weren't quite as productive as we would have liked to be, it was still a great day of figuring out the pattern, cutting, and creating our first blocks. I finally decided on my color: GREEN. Anyone who has known me for any length of time knows that green is my favorite color. Over the years I have acquired a lot of green fabric, so it was only natural that I choose to use all the green from my stash in this quilt. Chris decided to use red, which I think will be stunning.
My Cut Fabric:

Chris's cut fabric:

My first block:

Chris's first block:

They would make a lovely Christmas quilt if we put them together!

A wonderful day at the Craft Show

2009-11-07T18:01:00.000-08:00

Today was the second annual FCC (Faith Community Church) Craft show. I have been preparing for weeks for the show, restocking previously sold items, and creating new items. We had a fabulous turnout at the show, and it proved to be even better than last year. Now back to restocking for the next event. Got to love this time of year!!

A little crazy?? I think Not!

2009-10-30T17:07:00.000-07:00

As I mention in my last post, I have decided to take part in a quilt challenge. ( albeit, against my better judgement)
What is a quilt challenge you ask? Well it is when a bunch of quilters get together and challenge each other to make a quilt by a certain time.
I have never done a challenge before, and I was eager to return to quilting and rejuvinate some of my quilting techniques. (Despite the fact that I am terribly busy stocking my shelves for the holiday season and the upcoming craft shows and house parties... why not add one more thing to my plate... right?)
Here is a picture of the model quilt. It is a "Snowball" pattern, and can be done as a two tone (as seen here with the reds and creams) or it can be done with multi-colors. I would like to do a two-tone, but I cannot decide which color to do. I am thinking of either red, blue, or green with the creams and whites. Any suggestions??

The other aspect of this challenge is a fabric swap. We were asked to look through our stash to find creams and light colors to swap with other quilters involved in the challenge. I didn't have quite enough in my stash, so I purchased some and cut it up to send out to 7 other quilters all around the country. It will be fun to see what fabric I get back in the mail from those same quilters. Here is my fabric all ready to be packaged and mailed off to the happy recipients.

A day of inspiration

2009-10-26T22:12:00.000-07:00

I have a couple of friends that I love to sew with, and every once in a while we get together for a day of sewing. Our day usually includes sharing our most recent projects, discussing new ideas, and testing out new techniques. Chris and Heather (Mother and Daughter) are both amazing quilters and full of wonderful ideas and techniques. On our latest sewing day we got to play with a ne product called Texture Magic. It sure was like Magic, and it inspired lots of ideas of how we could incorporate this exciting product into our work. We also brainstormed a new idea for a fabulous Purse-icke bag... so stay tuned for more info. on that. I was also convinced to sign up for a quilt challenge. (Like I need another project) But this particular quilt challenge really intruigued me, and I think it will be fun to participate. So, again, stay tuned for more updates on that adventure.

Texture Magic in action:

Fabric Fabric Fabric!!

2009-10-26T22:02:00.000-07:00

I ordered a whole bunch of fabric last week, in desperate attempt to restock my shelves after I sold half my inventory at the first Purse-Icke Party a couple of weeks ago. All of the wonderful fabric arrived in the mail today! It was like Christmas morning opening the packages of wonderful, beautiful fabric... So much fabric, so little time... So if you call and I don't answer, you will know why...

Favorite Color??

2009-10-22T14:22:00.000-07:00

I am curious to know what your favorite colors are? What colors are you most drawn to this season when you are out shopping for clothes or accesories? It can be one color, or a color combination. I would love to know!
My all time favorite color is green!! And lately I really love brown.

I LOVE clean floors!

2009-10-18T14:43:00.000-07:00

I love my floors to be clean... who doesn't? It just makes the whole house feel cleaner. One of my biggest pet peeves is stains on the carpet, and a dirty kitchen floor. I have to just get over the stains on the carpet in our house because are carpet is SO light in color is shows everything. No matter how often we shampoo the carpets, they just get dirty again very soon.
We also have light colored tile in our entry way and kitchen. I let the tile go for longer than I would like because I just detest cleaning it. We have this large mop (you know the kind with the big hairy ropes that you dip into the bucket and wring out...). It is such a pain to mop, and then I have to go back over the floor with a towel just to sop up all the remaining water. Sometimes I will let it go so long that my husband will get tired of it and clean it himself.
For quite a while now I have been wanting to get a steam cleaner for my tile floors. A friend introduced me to the Shark steam cleaner, and I have been dreaming about it ever since. I love the idea of cleaning without any chemicals, and the ease of using steam!
Just last week my husband was helping a friend work on her house, and she told him about a steam cleaner that she loved. So as a thank-you blessing to my husband, this friend sent him home with a brand new Wagner Steam Cleaner 960!! This thing is fabulous! It not only steams the floors, it has a grout cleaner, an uphostry cleaner, and it even removes wall-paper (not that I have any of that to worry about). I tested it out this morning... and Ta-Da!!... a clean floor in less time, with less mess... and the best part... (besides the fact that it was free to us) is No Chemicals!!! Yeah for clean, chemical free floors!! So whether you use a Shark, or a Wagner, I highly suggest going with the steam!!!

A tradition from generation to generation

2009-10-15T12:24:00.000-07:00

As a young girl, my mother and her best friend began a tradition of canning applesauce in the Fall when the local apples were in season. They would let their respective daughters help them run the apples through the food mill. We would watch in amazement as the applesauce came out the other side. Now, years later the daughters are carrying on the same tradition. I have known Rachelle since we were about six, and now that we live in the same town again, we decided to carry on the Fall applesauce making tradition.
This year, our second year of applesauce making, we decided to add marinara sauce to the canning repertoire. As the rain poured down outside we donned our aprons and began peeling, coring, chopping, boiling, and milling. Canning can sometimes be a trial-by-error process, as we experienced with the marinara sauce. We quickly learned that the food mill would not work for the tomato's, as the red juice leaked out and ran down the side of the cupboards, puddling nicely in the drawers and on the floor. Then we remembered the sieve. Aha! A much better method! The applesauce making process went much smoother than the marinara sauce, but the final results for both were fantastic!

First Purse-icke Party a huge Sucess!!

2009-10-15T11:57:00.000-07:00

I had my first "Purse-Icke Party" last Monday night hosted by my good friend Amy. I was completely blown away by the number in attendance and their interest in my products. The party was a blast, and I sold many more items then I ever expected! I even booked a few more parties! If you live within driving distance and would be interested in hosting a party, please let me know!

Did you know...

2009-10-04T17:53:00.000-07:00

While airing out the quilt from my last post, I was reminded of a very interesting piece of history. I have been reading a series of quilting novels by Jennifer Chiaverini. Her novel, "The Runaway Quilt" takes place in Pennyslvania during the pre-civil war time period. During this time, certain Abolitionists would offer their homes as stations in the Underground Railroad. The runaway slaves would receive signals directing them from one station to the next. A common signal was to hang a quilt on the clothes line indicating that the station was "open" to slaves. Typically each station would hang a quilt with a specific pattern, like the "log cabin" or "birds in the air". If one pattern was suspected by the slave catchers, the station would have to hang out a new pattern. Apparently there were many other signals along the Underground Railroad that were never discussed or even recorded, as the information could have brought harm to the runaways or those involved in harboring them.
As I hung up my bright quilt I thought of these amazing men and women (slaves and free) that risked their lives in so many ways during this fascinating period in our nation's history. I then had to laugh just a bit when I thought how well my quilt, with it's bright colors, would have been so easily noticed hanging out on the line.

The Ten-Year Quilt

2009-10-04T17:38:00.000-07:00

I recently pulled this quilt out of a cedar chest in our garage. This little quilt was started about 9 years ago during my "experiment in quilting" phase. I am not sure why I selected such bright colors, but I think it was because these colors were in fashion in the quilting world back then. I laboriously pieced the quilt together (this time I followed the quilting rules...). I chose a very hard pattern (I think this was a mariner's compass). After piecing the center star together I decided to break away from the pattern and create my own blocks as borders.
What makes this quilt so special is that I did all the quilting by hand. (Not the piecing... I used a machine for that). I worked on quilting this quilt for a while, and then I guess I got tired of it and put it away. When I pulled it out a couple weeks ago I discovered that I didn't have much quilting left to do. During a recent phone conversation with a friend I told her about this quilt. She informed me that she too has a quilt that she began about 9 years ago as well. The fabric for her quilt was purchased when she and I visited a quilting show at the Marin Civic Center. She also started hand-quilting her quilt, put it away, and recently got it out again. So she and I made a pact... by the spring we will both have finished our quilts!! They will be the "Ten-Year" quilts. So Ingrid, now our pact is official! How is that for motivation (for us both!!).
So stay tuned for pictures of BOTH finished quilts!!

How to Make a Clutch

2009-10-01T20:15:00.000-07:00

This is the first "how to" post, and I realize some of my readers might not actually go out and make their own clutch, but I thought it would be interesting to share how I construct my items.
This is a how to for my "Clutch-icke" design. The "Clutch-icke" is a simple clutch that can be used for a night out instead of a bag/purse. It can also be used to collect your receipts and/or coupons inside your bag/purse, or hold your cosmetics. The name "Clutch-icke" was inspired by my friends who recieved one of my clutches as a birthday gift and immediately started calling it "Clutch-icke" as a play on my last name, Persicke.

First cut out two pieces of exterior fabric, and two pieces of interior fabric. (My cut sizes vary depending on the length of the zipper and the amount of fabric I have to work with.) This clutch was cut 7"x 10". Cut 3"x 15" of exterior fabric for the wrist strap. Iron each side 1/4". Fold in half and iron again. Using top stitch foot sew down both sides of strap.

Iron on interfacing to the wrong side of all four pieces:

Place the zipper face down on the top edge of one piece of the exterior fabric:

Place one piece of the interior fabric, (interfacing facing up) to match with the edge of the zipper and the top edge of the exterior piece. Pin all three pieces together.

Using a zipper foot, sew 1/4 seam along the top edge

Press open:

Place zipper face down on the top edge of the second exterior piece:

Place second piece of interior fabric (interfacing up) to line up with top edge of zipper and top edge of exterior fabric:

Using a zipper foot, sew 1/4 seam along the top edge:

Press Open:

Match up exterior right sides together, and interior right sides together. Fold strap in half and place raw edges on the side between the two exterior pieces. Match the raw edges just below the zipper. Pin exterior side, making sure to pin the strap in the middle. Pin the interior sides together.

Sew 1/4" seams from center zipper along edge and bottom of exterior. Sew 1/4" seams from center/zipper along edge. Stop sewing on the bottom edge 2" from center. Begin sewing again 2" from opposite side to leave an unsewn gap in the bottom of the interior side. Make sure the zipper is open so that you are able to pull the fabric through after sewing.

Reach into the gap left unsewn to pull the exterior side through the interior side. "Turn" the clutch so that the exterior is now right side facing out and the interior is right side facing out.

Press both sides and seams:

Press 1/4" under at the unsewn opening. Using a top stitch foot sew along the opening.

Push interior into the exterior and press:

Tada! Your Clutch is ready to be used!!

I feel so.... Domestic!

2009-09-29T17:00:00.000-07:00

This summer while visiting my mother and father-in-law in Michigan, I discovered how enjoyable it is to use a laundry line for drying our laundry. It was not only enjoyable to hang my laundry on the line, I also really liked the idea of saving money by not using the dryer. So I got my husband to install a line in our back yard. At this point we have one line installed from the house to the back fence, and I am loving it! I find myself searching the house for dirty laundry every morning just so I can run a load to hang up. I love being out in the cool morning air, feeling the breeze, and taking the time to hang each piece individually. Everything is so clean and fresh feeling, and it is wonderful to crawl into crisp bedsheets! One caveat to the laundry line is that I do not hang my bath towels or jeans because they tend to get very scratchy and stiff. I understand that some people like the scratchy and stiff towels and jeans, but I do not prefer to be exfoliated when I step out of the shower. I highly recommend the laundry line, and I would encourage you to try it too... it is very refreshingly domestic! And for those of you who were paying attention, yes, those are jeans on the line. They belong to my husband, and he doesn't mind the scratchy and stiff...

So I make Bags...

2009-09-29T16:39:00.000-07:00

People ask what I do, and I say "I have a home business making bags, and purses, and baby items, and sometimes other things..." Ya, that pretty much sums it up. Mostly I focus on making bags of all shapes and sizes. I get inspired and I create the design in my head and just go for it. Lest you think that this is something I just stumbled upon, it is actually a skill that I have been developing over the last three or more years. It is a process that is continually refined and improved upon. I've been using the same basic design for a while now, and most of my bags are created fairly easily. This new bag design worked really well, and I loved the result:

Not every bag works out that easily for me, and every once in a while I will have a bag that just doesn't want to cooperate... Today I had one of those bags. It was a special order for a friend who wanted a school bag. Easy enough, but not a design that I have yet mastered. Creating this bag gave me nothing but grief, but I persevered and finally turned out the final product this afternoon. It is a huge bag, but it fits the dimensions I discussed with my client, so I hope she is happy with it!

If you like this fabric, stay tuned... I have enough left for another bag, and will have it on my Etsy site in the near future...

Also Stay tuned for the step by step process of Bag Making....

Fabric

2009-09-28T15:58:00.000-07:00

Over the years I have come to LOVE fabric, the textures, colors, and designs. The possibilities are endless as to what one can create with fabric. My love of fabric began when I was given a sewing machine, and decided a good first "test" project would be to make a quilt. I picked out a bunch of fabric that I thought would look good together and began to start cutting out squares and rectangles with scissors and measuring tape. With no apparent rhyme or reason I began to sew the pieces together one by one. I soon discovered that I had a lot of corners to contend with. I had no clue how to sew the fourth corner of four pieces fabric. Somehow I managed to piece together the entire quilt top. I used polyester batting and a coordinating backing. For the binding I simply folded a long strip of fabric over the edges and proceeded to sew along the top, securing both top and bottom together. (Missing much of the lower binding entirely) I decided to tie the quilt (I had seen this somewhere, and thought it was a great alternative to actually quilting it). Tada, my first quilt! And thus my love affair with fabric began.

My next few quilts got progressively better, though they do reveal that I was still trying to master the ary of quilting on my own. Over the years, I have learned from skilled quilters and friends the proper way to quilt. Since I have never been very good at following the rules entirely, I will admit to sometimes still making it up as I go.
*I will also note that the above quilt was the "inspiration" for a good friend of mine to start quilting again. She has since then far surpassed my quilting abilities and is a wonderful inspiration to me. She claims there is a pattern to the design in this quilt, but I (the quilt's creator) have never been able to figure it out...

2009-09-27T19:41:00.000-07:00

Welcome to My Creative Threads!!

I am writing this blog for many reasons. Firstly I want to provide little glimpses into the life of my business, My Creative Threads. I want to write about the process of design and the creation of my bags, purses, and baby items. Secondly, I want to share my creative experiences, tricks of the trade, and tips I have learned in other areas such as quiting, knitting, and crocheting. Finally I want to promote the lost domestic arts...or rather the daily tasks of life that I once found mundane, but am learning to find much pleasure and fulfillment in.

I hope my readers will be inspired to create, learn and try new things, and find pleasure in the simple tasks of life.
Thank you for joining me on this journey. I welcome your comments and insights along the way.

To learn more about My Creative Threads, please click on the logo on the left.