Almost famous

Ohhhhh I just woke up to find a message to say that one of my little pocket pouches has been featured on a blog! Very exciting! It might not be there later as they rotate, so here's a screen shot (mine is the first one!):



So a huge thank you to Sharon of Redlady Art! You just made my day!

Admitting defeat

It's almost 3 in the morning. My back is killing. And I just broke a needle and threads and stuffed up the timing of my machine again. I fixed it and finished what I was sewing, but then decided it's probably time to stop for today.

The unexpected wholesale order is proving to be a major pain. I'm hoping to get the hemp component of it done and delivered on Tuesday. I've done just over half of it, but first I didn't have enough hemp washed, so it's out to the washing machine at midnight and I hope it dries quickly tomorrow (if tomorrow is like today it will - hot and windy yay!). And second, I've run out of organic cotton thread and of course it is not sold in Australia. So I'm seriously contemplating ditching that thread. It kinda sucks to sew with and keeps breaking and I'm not convinced it's very durable. I don't want to upset the folks who want organic stuff, but if the snaps are plastic, does it matter if the thread is polyester?

On that note, I probably should go to bed, or pack some stuff in a box or something...

Just quickly

Time is really getting away from me at the moment. This moving on short notice thing is tough! Actually it's not even the moving that's the problem, it's the work that needs to be done first. But I'm slowly getting through it and taking advantage of the lovely customers who told me they can wait a few weeks for their stuff. I'd be on track if a certain wholesale customer hadn't sent an unexpected urgent order through. Not sure I'll get to it, but doing my best.

Anyway, that's all very boring so I'll leave it at that and instead show you a picture of my backyard-to-be.

From little things...

Big things grow... (that's a song by Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody by the way)

I was talking to my mum today and she thinks that I should turn the studio at my new house into a shop. It's a very interesting idea and I'm very seriously considering it. I'm thinking just a couple of opening times a week, or by appointment kind of thing. Obviously I wouldn't expect many customers, but who knows?!

I'm also thinking the studio or workshop (or garage) would be PERFECT for screen printing and printing in general, so that's another thing on my to-do list - work on some printing ideas.

Of course I have to sign the lease and move into the house first!

Oh and I looked at my new house on google earth and discovered much more backyard than I realised was there (because I didn't actually go look properly on Friday). Am going to check it out on Tuesday and am really looking forward to it. Thinking I can try my hand at a vegetable garden...

PHEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I got up early today and started my drive up to the mountains to check out the house I mentioned yesterday. Halfway there the agent called and said that if I had time, she had another place to show me as well. It sounded promising so I said that would be great.

The first place I looked at was so so so small. Basically a tiny loungeroom, a kitchen/hallway, a tiny bathroom and a tiny bedroom. Infact, I think the backyard was bigger than the 'house'. There was a gorgeous dog next door who I made friends with while I was waiting and also a lovely little ginger kitty, but the place was so small that there was literally nowhere I could put my sewing machine.

So, off we went to the second one. I'd seen it on the website but it said no dogs, so it was not on my list but the agent said she was pretty sure the owner could be convinced since they were having a hard time getting someone in. So I look and I like and I apply and an hour later it is mine!!!

3 bedrooms (2 with built in wardrobes!); a studio, workshop and lock up garage outside; a cubby house(!); a big front yard; a crazy winding up the garden path kind of backyard; a blue bathtub; the UGLIEST poo green shagpile carpet; wood paneling on one wall in the lounge room and a big old heat bank/radiator thingy sets the lounge room off beautifully.

So it's not so pretty inside, but I really like it for some reason and anyway, old ugly carpet is good - I don't have to worry about the kitties wrecking it! It's all nice and private and sunny and not too far away from the city so I'm happy.

I still have mixed feelings about the move and I just had a sad 'I'm not going to be a city girl anymore' moment, but I'm also incredibly relieved! I sign the lease next week and can pick up the keys next weekend. So I probably should stop blogging and get some work and packing done!!

Is it possible?

I wonder if it's possible for a persons brain to spontaneously explode? Cause I must be nearly at that point. I have soooooooooooo much work to do and this house hunting thing is driving me nuts. I don't do well with things being up in the air. So I'm moving at some point, mum is coming to visit at some point and in between I have to get an absolute tonne of work to do. Oh and it's my birthday on Sunday, so that's most of a day off work too...

I'm off to look at another house tomorrow. The price is good, from what I can see it looks fairly flat. We'll see what it's like inside when I get there.

Now, got to run, work calls....

It wasn't me!

Dear nappycino people, if you're looking for your swapper, it wasn't me! I'm not in the swap. I can only guess that all the hits from the NC blog ring are people searching for their swapper! I wish I was in the swap, but am just too short on time... Probably because I spend most of it on the computer instead of at the sewing machine...

Industrial sewing machine repair: Lesson #37

When you undo a screw to adjust something, be sure to do it up TIGHTLY!! Failure to do so will result in the timing you set so well being totally ruined and two hours of time wasted figuring out what is wrong and then fixing it.

I did fix it and I did finish the bag I was making at the time. And now I've got 3.5 bags still to make. Better get back to it!

Something new

It's raining and freezing and I've got at least 5 bags to make in the next week or so, and what am I doing? Well first I slept in. Then I washed the dishes and stared at the kitchen ceiling for ages to see if it was indeed leaking since I found a suspicious looking puddle on the floor. Then, I finished a new little product that I started last night.

You can't see it in the photos of the sewing room, but for months, I've had this little piece of paper stuck on the side of the cupboard... On it is sketches for bags that I want to design. So the new little product is one of those, finally being made. Very happy with it and hopefully they'll go well. I really needed to make something smaller and cheaper than my other bags and something that I can post overseas cheaply so I can get some sales happening on etsy.

So here is the new Pocket Pouch


If you'd like to buy it, go here.

As promised...

I said I'd be back with photos so here they are. Please excuse the crappy quality. But looky at the new fabric storage system (its the slat base thingy from a bed)!

Moving

Just the furniture at this stage. The rest is another story (in short, they're putting my rent up by $100/week so I'm outta here - when I find a new home).

Yesterday I did some serious rearranging of the sewing room. My desk is no longer a bed, but an actual desk/table. The industrial machine is in there next to it. There's a new storage system for fabric. It's tidy and rather spacious and makes me happy. I seem to still be recovering from the effort it took to move a double bed, single bed mattress, desk, cupboard and 400000kg sewing machine though.

I will be back sometime tomorrow with photos.

Oh and the beast is going well and I sewed 14 pads on it today with no dramas. Wasn't brave enough to top-stitch them though. I really need more bobbins before I do stuff like that as it involves many different thread colours. No rush to use it more and I don't want my other machine to feel too neglected! I also sewed a bag on it since my last post too.

And lastly before sleep, I don't know if I dreamed this or not, but I think I know why mousey (naughty kitten) has been waking up so early and whinging every morning. I'm sure this morning I woke up to find him shivering. I'm sure I then put him under the doona and we all went back to sleep. I hope I didn't dream it and the solution to combat the pre-7am starts is to keep the little guy warm.

Right, now, sleep.