WIP Wednesday - Where did October Go??

I thought September flew by, but October was even faster! I expected the orders to slow down as it got closer to Halloween, but they did not. Instead, I had to put the shop on vacation for a week so I could catch up on everything! The mail did end up losing 2 packages, but for the amount I shipped out, it wasn't too bad, I guess. Now I'm in total crunch time trying to get ready for the craft shows! I planned on having at least 30-40 new blankets for the shows, but at this rate, I'll take even 20! I need to restock all the popular doodle dolls since they have been selling at the boutique over the year, and I think at this point I'm going to give up on doing lanterns this year. Next year for sure! As long as the 2 shows I'm signed up for do well, I think that will be it for the year, otherwise I might try to squeeze in one more small show but it would also be nice to be done with it before Thanksgiving!

This blanket looks so much better in person!

WIP Thursday - October? So Soon?

September FLEW by, mainly because I was busy with shows, stocking up for shows, and SO MANY Etsy orders! I think that was probably my highest number of orders for a single month, other than during the craze of vax card holders in 2020. I'm not out of the woods yet, orders are still coming in, and as soon as I am caught up again I'll be opening up the listings for a few more orders. It's already a week into October and I am barely getting a post out! That is one sign of how busy it has been.

First time I've modified the police dog wings to be the construction dog, and it's glittery yellow!

WIP Saturday - No Time For Shennanigans!

I really prefer to break up my WIP posts with fun bags and other projects, but I'm stretched so thin right now that my brain just can't focus on remembering details and fun stuff to say about the backlog of purses and bags I still need to share! I had my first event of the season last weekend, and it did MUCH better than I expected! Now I need to restock a ton of blankets and work on preparing for other shows. I may be able to do another big show in November, especially if the physical therapy helps my shoulder enough that I won't need surgery. Fingers crossed!

Orders that went out last week!

WIP Thursday - September Is Here!

I am really not prepared for it to be already September, there's SO MUCH I should have finished already and I haven't even gotten started...my goal of doing 2 blankets a week has definitely not been met...I don't think I even did 2 blankets every month. At this rate I'll never use up my collection, especially since I can't stop buying more when I see a really cute one! 

Perfect Fall blankets, really need to stitch up the ones I have left!

WIP Wednesday - When Is Fall?

With record high temps, I'm DEFINITELY ready for cooler weather! Or even a day under 100...not that I go outside much but I'd like to have the option. Good news is that rainy weather is on the way, but I'm sure it will be hot again soon! 

Coffee makes me smile! New patch

Ghoulfriends Bagmaking Set - KNITorious Fabrics

My Strike for the Spooky round from KNITorious Fabrics was this fun Ghoulfriends Bagmaking panel! I didn't get a picture of it before I cut it up, but the fabric came with 2 sides of a tombstone and the coordinating damask attached. I could have just cut it up and made a very simple tote bag with the provided fabric, and it would have been HUGE but skinny. Instead I decided to do some creative cutting and add in a top zipper panel plus use some of my fabric stash for the lining.

The handles are just webbing, so hard to make them stand up long enough to step away and take the pic!

VHS Roma - Teresa Lucio Designs

When companies first started offering vinyl versions of the custom fabric, I was hesitant to try working with it, mainly because I worried my machine wasn't sturdy enough to do it justice. It was a valid concern; you can't hide when you have to rip out stitches in most vinyl since it leaves little holes, and I do that often. I've used it a lot for accents, but an entire bag intimidated me! Fortunately the Roma from Teresa Lucio Designs was a great test bag, so cute and little, and I was able to make the entire outside out of the Backstitch VHS vinyl.

This is my childhood...in vinyl