Textile Trends 2009

As my love for fabric has been rekindled, here is the latest textile trends for 2009:

Touch of Pink

Touch of Neutral


Gone Green


Additional information can be found on the California Apparel News Site, along with manufacturer links for some of these gorgeous fabrics.

Look Thinner in Photos

Aside from watching my former friends lives continue without me via Facebook, this site also torments me by the photos that others have posted of me. Never a fan of having my photo taken, I have decided that knowing I have gained weight and having to see it online are two different things. I was reading through my email and one of the posts from the SheFinds Blog had a title that caught my eye, Look Thinner In Photos Without Relying On Spanx Or The South Beach Diet. Apparently, in order to appear thinner, you have to strike a strange pose which includes standing sideways and moving one foot to the front pointing directly at the camera. The writer went on to say that it is an old trick has been used by celebrities for ages in order to appear slimmer in photos.

I have to admit that this article amused me and don't be surprised if photos of me in Facebook start appearing with me striking a bizarre pose with one foot in front, weight shifted back, twisted torso, shoulders back and chest up, my arms slightly away from my body and head up to minimize the appearance of the double chin.

Strike a Pose!

1 Year Anniversary - Etsy

I was updating my Etsy account today and noticed that yesterday was my one year anniversary of joining Etsy. Last year around this time I pulled the plug on my website, Loner Designs and opted for less expensive method to be online.

So how have I done? Not as well as I had hoped, 23 sales (minus one for non-payment) for a grand total of 22 sales. However, it is 22 more sales than I would have had since my sister and I have stopped attending shows, which drove the sales I did have on my old website. The funny thing about it all was that it had been such a painful debate on shutting down the site that a whole year should pass without notice. The nice thing is that the sales I have gain through Etsy are more profitable since I am not paying show fees, higher commissions, or website fees and have been introduced to a new customer base (even though I really do need to work on growing that base). Oh well I guess it's time to start following the advice I wrote about in previous post:

Etsy Tips

Success on Etsy

Hobo Bag - Part 1

Last weekend after finishing my first bag, I decided it was time to start another bag. I settled on the Hobo Bag pattern provided by JCaroline Creative . It is a great looking bag and when you have time you should stop by her site to take a look around as she has a great store, tutorials and blog. I decided to use the Black/White/Gray Leaves fabric that I purchased from Ikea a few weeks ago.

My Progress So Far:

Here is a pic of the bag after cutting the pattern out (I think this is the interior of the bag)...

This is a picture of the exterior of the bag with the interfacing sewn to the fabric and after attaching the front and back pieces... messy, messy, I know... And finally, this is the right side view of the bag's exterior after pinning the loops and hardware together and basting the top hem...I decided to use a bright silver finish for the rings because of the white in the fabric. I figured this was better than the gold or the antique finish.

14 Year Sewing Hiatus

As I am feeling more and more like a recluse these days, I have taken to activities to occupy and quiet my mind which has been festering with other thoughts. Lately the thought of sewing and fabric stashing have calm me and provided some satisfaction as well. There is something soothing about browsing through rows and rows of fabric and flipping through the pattern catalog books.

My sewing machine, which has been occupying a corner of my workbench for several weeks has been waiting quietly and patiently. I thought that after a 14 year hiatus from sewing I should ease back into sewing with something simple such as a handbag instead of a piece of clothing which would require too many adjustments for my body type.

Several weeks ago (months ago?) I purchased a pattern for what I call a messenger bag Vogue 7862, but the three invisible zippers and the gorgeous baroque fabric I purchased for the pattern, freaked me out. So for my first attempt I chose an easy pattern - Burda 8560 with a heavy upholstery cotton fabric I purchased from Jo-Ann's that I found among the clearance pile (don't forget the 40% off coupon). I started the bag about two weeks ago but wasn't happy with the overall design, so I went back to Jo-Ann's during lunch and by eye balling it, purchased an accent fabric for the top inside half of the bag, (a perfect match). I also ended up making two modification, one was to insert a lining (how can a bag not be lined you ask, so did I) and the second was to include a pocket for my cellphone, keys or whatever. Look at me, I have mad skills, but....

I was happy with my progress until it came to joining the two straps in the middle. The combinations of too many layers was just too much for my poor sewing machine (which I purchased in my teens or early 20s). What can I say...it looks like crap and I guess I will have to redo. Maybe I can fix this with a quick slip stitch by hand?
Oh well, I guess I have not finished my first bag after all.

Lampwork Beads for Sale

As I continue on my Lampwork Bead Theme, I just posted some lampwork beads on my Etsy site: Orange Dot Mix Lampwork Beads

These were created during my Orange Phase....A mix of white, black, orange, red and yellow Moretti (Effetre) glass. The set contains 2 shapes, one created with a crystal bead press, the others are shaped with a paddle at odd angles for an irregular round shape. The set contains 5 irregular rounds beads and range from 25 to 35mm in size as well as 5 crystal shape beads.

Lonely Saturday

I had the house to myself this past Saturday was feeling lonely so I spent the day lampworking, or glass painting as I like to describe it. I pulled my babies out of the kiln this morning and wasn't that thrilled with the results. While I enjoy mismatched shapes and designs these may be a bit too mismatched.
I haven't decided what I am going to do with these babies (try to sell them on Etsy as beads or perhaps use them in a design). Of course there is always adding them to my ever growing pile of existing Lampwork Beads.