Some designs to pursue

Wow! I am seriously out of practice here! And I mean that in so many ways, but primarily on the blogging front. I will say that in the last few months I've at least added a post or two on The Creative Bungalow website, and just last week I posted a phone wallet tutorial on Cool Cottons' blog. I'll eventually repost that tutorial here, but that might have to wait until after the holiday season.

As I am trying to get ducks in a row, plan new projects and simply looking for inspiration going forward I decided to revisit some of the designs I created during my short-lived activity with the Quilt Design A Day Facebook group. Here are a few of the ones that still appeal to me and I think may have some potential:

As you can see, there's really no rhyme or reason to this grouping. Colors are completely disparate, design elements vary quite dramatically, but all look to me like I'd enjoy making the quilt. I suppose I should first concentrate on finishing a few of the MANY projects I already have in the works, which of course included actually quilting a dozen or so tops, but isn't it fun to think ahead?? 

Do you have a pattern or design you've been eyeing and are excited to try out? If so, I would love to see what's inspiring you today!

Accentuating One's Strengths; Accepting One's Weaknesses

So much about getting through this world depends on recognizing one's strengths and one's weaknesses. I would say that this applies to pretty much anything we do, but I'm here to talk about sewing, right?

In the last few years since I've started making items for sale I have gotten a few special requests as well as multiple inquiries about certain items related to those available. For instance, with the pot holders many people have asked about oven mitts. A good question and very useful item! Initially it never even occurred to me because I don't use the one I have. Just doesn't hit my radar.   But this isn't necessarily about what I would use. So I gave it a shot.

Those guys above are about as far as I got in this experiment. As you can see I tried to use the template offered with the Insult-Bright roll of heat-reflective batting, but neither fit very well. On the one with the bats the loop ended up on the INSIDE, the other one has the loop going at some skewed angle. The thumbs are too tight and it was all just awkward. I tried once more with little more success.

That's the stage at which I say, "I've been doing just fine sticking with pot holders. I'm sure I could improve upon my technique for these guys given lots more practice, but that is time and materials I really don't want to spend right now, especially with uncertain success rates in the stars." Abandon ship.

A little further down the road I started playing with the skillet handle cozies.

At my booth display I include an actual cast iron skillet to model how these guys fit the handle, but invariably I get questions as to what they are. And at least 2 or 3 times at the last show someone wondered whether they would work as a case for her readers.

Bingo!

So that is my new bulk project, to make eye glasses cases using the EXACT SAME TECHNIQUE as the skillet handle cozies. So much so that my first prototype even includes a layer of the Insult-Bright — whoops! 

Obviously the sizes are different, and I've added that little dip along the edge, which requires a bias binding, but all in all this is merely an adaptation of something I am already doing and feel confident with. 

*Note: My glasses do fit all the way inside the case — they are just sticking out for illustrative purposes.

They will make their debut at the Art in the Rose Garden exhibit at Peninsula Park Rose Garden on Sunday August 16. There may be a somewhat meager supply, but their numbers are growing slowly and steadily. And with excitement (unlike those oven mitts)!!

Staying up on updates

All of you bloggers out there are familiar with this, no doubt. We keep making, keep doing, maybe even keep documenting. Then comes time to make sure those new pursuits are shared with others in this social media world. For me this can be a struggle.

After unloading my car from the St. Johns Bizarre street fair a couple of weeks ago I quite promptly started taking photos of some of the smaller inventory items still in my care. As I think I mentioned briefly before the fair, the plan was to document items coming back with me in the hopes that there would be MANY fewer to document and that I wouldn't be posting items that subsequently sold just days later.

So I took photos. Lots and lots of photos:

There are dozens and dozens of these guys. Many are still unedited. And there's the crux of the delay. Don't you find it mind-numbingly tedious to just resize, crop and enhance the lighting of one product photo after another?? Well, I certainly do. So I put it off. Indefinitely.

I'm trying to be better. Trying to share the positive in what is going on at the Surrounded by Scraps Studio. Trying to stay connected with other bloggers. Trying to spend an appropriate amount of time both making, editing and sharing my work. Always trying.

With this surge of motivation there will also be updates to my gallery and shop pages. Step by step. And if anyone has tips for me, bring 'em on!!

Street Fair in review

I've now had a week to decompress, take stock (literally) and go through just a few photos since breaking down my booth in St. Johns. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how one looks at it, I was too preoccupied during the day to take many photos at the street fair, but I did manage to get some shots of the initial booth set-up:

As the day went on I made some notes about how to better my booth arrangement if ever I do this again, which I am thinking is quite likely. For one, I liked seeing the booths where the artist's chair was not blocked off from the customers by tables. I did feel a bit separated at times. I also noticed that folks were not immediately seeing nor grabbing my business cards. I moved some around throughout the day and of course landed on the obvious answer - put a stack right up at the front of the tables, even if it breaks up the "display".

And signs. I was sorely lacking in signs. I had priced and tagged most of my inventory and had price lists posted in 2 places, but now realize that placards at the display stations is the way to go. Filing that one away for future reference! 

Also I had a generous friend agree to sit with me for the day, help with set-up, watching the booth (and the one next door) so we could take breaks and best of all she helped me break down the booth at the end of the day. Thank goodness we had a gorgeous day to chill and hang out, visit with each other and the passers-by, do a little hand-sewing to pass the time. And we got visits from friends we haven't seen in years! That was probably the best part of the day, honestly.

So yes, all in all a very good experience. I now know what items to bulk up for the next go-round and which to let ride.

And I learned that cute bunnies hopping among mushrooms appeals greatly to adult men in N. Portland! I <3 PDX!

St. Johns Bizarre Street Fair, May 9, 2015

It may take me a year or so to update my "Updates" section on this website, but when there's something really good I do get around to it! For instance, the upcoming street fair held in St. Johns, Portland, OR at which I will have a booth... This will be the 9th year of the St. Johns Bizarre and the first that I have applied to participate. I couldn't be more thrilled to be a part of this. It's a great neighborhood with its own character (completely separate from the popularized Portland hyperboles, though may carry a few of its own) in a beautiful part of the area and I am honored to have been accepted as a vendor.

Any of you who follow my Instagram will have seen some pics lately of last-minute inventory additions I am making for this event. I'm bolstering my pot holders, pan handle cozies and coasters for starters.

Can you tell I've been much better about the process shots than finished product shots? Maybe that's something to take into account and try to work on the next couple of weeks? The optimist in me says to wait until after next Saturday in the hopes that there are fewer products to photograph... that could also be the procrastinator talking — she has a much louder voice.

So, short of a few more bindings on pot holders and a bunch of topstitching for the coasters I feel like I've done a decent job of reinforcing my standards. The next step was figuring out if I wanted to offer something more (I mean, I will be taking place mat sets and smaller quilts that were already made). I currently have only 2 table runners in inventory, one of which is decidedly winter/holiday themed, and at the last show I did with Cherie several people asked about runners. And I did start working on one, but as I got further along it felt more like a row for an improv quilt than a stand-alone table topper. That has happened before, so I think table runners just may not be my thing. Not that I won't try again some time!

My next thought was throw pillows. I've made a few, I have fun with them, but I only had one pair in stock. Time to change that!

It's almost down to the 11th hour and there's still a lot to do (do I have enough tags printed out for everything?? Where did I find that skinny ribbon I was using for tying on the tags? I need more of that! I keep forgetting to log into my PayPal app to update the products there...) but I am sure it will come together.

In addition I have some great people in my corner... Cherie has been invaluable and is loaning me several items for a successful booth, including the outdoor canopy (and there may just be a few options available from The Creative Bungalow). Jenny has agreed to come and hang out with me during the day helping at the booth. Then of course there's J who will hopefully be decompressing from a big event that he is hosting tomorrow and has agreed to take care of our pup while I'm off for 12 or so hours. I keep thinking it would be rad to have a booth dog, but dear Atlas just isn't that dog — not chill enough.

I hope to see many of you Portland locals wandering around the booths, food carts, craft tents, listening to the live music and (fingers crossed) enjoying a lovely sunshiny Saturday in May!

Selfish Sewing in Disguise

Pardon me while I shake off some of the dust that has gathered on these keys here... I didn't realize exactly how long it had been since my last blog post until going in and getting ready to write this one! I may be a bit rusty at this, but here goes:

Instead of the full onslaught of all of the projects and activities I've been working on over the last 2+ months I'll jump right on in to one in particular (that is still in progress - surprise, surprise!). Earlier this year Cherie and I did some pattern shopping for The Creative Bungalow at E.E. Schenck, a local quilting and craft distributor here in Portland. Often on these trips each of us will find a pattern that strikes us much more than the other, but for the most part we make a point of coming to a consensus on our purchases for the business.

On this particular trip we picked up a pattern by Madison Cottage Design, Citrus Punch.

We felt this would work really well with some of the fabrics we had been collecting, but still needed a few more to build out the kit properly.

And yet I was eager to give this a shot, so I decided to "pattern test" it using my own stash. Although I have many (MANY) fabrics with which to play I kept seeing my Kaffe Collective collection filling the spot. So I jumped right in.

An initial fabric pull.

These guys lend themselves so well to the mixing and matching that the pattern calls for. I did my best to go for decent contrast with the accent strips in these stage 1 blocks, then commenced with more slicing and dicing.

and mixing and matching...

At this point it's really just a matter of piecing all of the quarter-square triangle blocks and playing around on the design wall. Did you hear that? Playing around on the design wall!!

I've since gotten distracted by more pressing projects (another shock, I'm sure!) but this will remain on the design wall until I get all of the blocks complete and the final layout decided. I like to think I did a good thing making sure this pattern sews up well — which it absolutely does — before committing it to one of The Creative Bungalow kits. Good deed indeed!

Let the Games Begin, part 2

I left my last post about my UIOLI (Use It Or Lose It) stash challenge with an enticing "To be continued..." didn't I? So let's pick up where we left off. 

I was considering adding some warmer and lighter prints to the original group of deep earth-tone fabrics. After looking at a possible arrangement on the design wall I felt that I was missing something:

So I pulled a bunch of lighter oranges and more greens, dipping into my Kaffe Collective stacks. I think the instinct worked in my favor, if I do say so myself. 

I know the difference is subtle, but it's effective. That extra shot of a different value really made the whole thing look less monotonous to me. So I kept going with it:

That should end up being a good-sized throw! So far I've got the top 1/3 or so of the rows sewn together and thankfully had my trusty studio partner keeping me company for the chain-piecing.

And since this project is now well under way it allows me to start picking for the NEXT UIOLI project!! The neo-Nouveau print was the jumping off point for this one:

The strips are cut, with a few changes in selections, and I'm thinking I'll be replicating a quilt I made a few years ago for a friend's first child. One I've always meant to try again. Here's my chance!

Cool Cottons Online!

Today I am not speaking for Surrounded by Scraps or even The Creative Bungalow. Today's plug is for my absolute favorite LQS here in Portland, and yes I may be a bit biased (and in full disclosure, have been working here for nearly 4 years now). The great little shop in the SE Portland craftsman house, Cool Cottons, has launched an online store!

Can now be found on the World Wide Web...

Those of you who have had the opportunity to visit the shop here in Portland and have met Marie know what a unique place this is and what an amazing eye she has for finding the best of the best prints. After working at a couple of other local quilt shops for several years I told myself that the only fabric store I would work at in the future is the one store that never hires. So I figured I was out of the business (which honestly would have been fine with me at the time). But about 2-3 months after I left my previous job to concentrate on Surrounded by Scraps, that "never" turned around. Marie was looking for help just one day a week. It turned out to be a win-win. And continues to be.

So we're ready to start this new adventure and looking forward to "meeting" more of you quilters and sewists from far and wide. But keep in mind that even though the Cool Cottons fabrics are now available from your computer screens, to get the true Cool Cottons experience there's nothing like a visit to 2417 SE Hawthorne, Portland, OR!