Business Cards ordered......check
New embroidery designs ordered......check
"Forgotten" E Bay purchas paid for.....check
Misc Fabric ordered....check
First convo with possible Etsy order...check
Meds ordered....check
T shirts ordered......not check


Seems all the shirts I want are out of stock to day.  Guess I'll check back tomorrow.  It is only 10 am!  Wow!  I've had a busy day.  Now time to get to the studio and start sewing!


Nini

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions...

No Grand Daughter today... The Princess is visiting her other Grandmother today...(insert pouty face).

So, I have 2 options.  I can either clean house or sew.

And to those that know me, know that that decision took me about 2 seconds to make. (and only because I had hot coffee in my mouth and had to really think about swallowing it fast!)  I just downloaded a couple more design for the appliqued little boy quilt I want to finish so I can get it listed.

Yesterday I whipped up a bag.  All done up in Minnie Mouse.  Well, I didn't exactly 'whip' it up, but it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. All because I didn't actually use the directions.  I hate when directions make things twice as complicated as they have to be!  I can't decide if I want to use it for our Disney trip as my bag...or to keep trying to get something else.

Don't get me wrong, I love the bag.  I'm just not sure it will work for the park. It will hold a ton of stuff, but since I used batting and not super stiff stabilizer it is hard to get the stuff out of the pockets...it is too soft...so now I'm thinking that if I decide to use this bag for the parks, I'll need to make another bag to carry those things I will need to get to easily.  Like a wristlet, or something small along those line.

Of course, if I had used some type of stabilizer along with the batting I think it might have worked better. But do I really want to take the time to make another one in the 'hope' that it will work better?

OK...which project do I start with...applique quilt, Minnie Mouse dress re-do, baby girl quilt, yellow quilt, other assorted baby stuff, another dress, crayon roll ups, something to list or something for me....


Nini

Another listing in my Etsy shop and more on the way!

I listed another outfit in my Etsy shop yesterday.  It is a cute A line top and pair of capris.

And I have 4 quilts that I am working on...hopefully I will get one on the frame in a day or two so I can get at lest one listed!

Today is the seven moth mark for our upcoming Disney trip and I am so excited!  This is the point where we put our money down last year, so somehow that makes this trip seem more real!

I am so lacking in news for today!  But I have made a promise to myself to post at least once a week...so I thought I would give a drive-by post today.  Of course that means this afternoon I will have something really important to post....



Nini

Etsy shop is open for business

Wow...I feel so special!  I have an Etsy shop with 2 items in it!  It will be three as soon as I feel like venturing out to get some buttons for the cute A line top and pants I finished yesterday...but unfortunately I hate to drive in the rain!  So, I guess we will be listing tomorrow afternoon!

I'm still having a problem with the whole pricing issue.  I do my research, check my costs, decide on a price and then end up taking another 5 or 10 dollars off that price before I list it!  Someone will be getting a good deal!

If I start actually selling stuff, then I will work on getting some labels to sew into the dresses and on the Rheana's Raps, but until now...nothing.

Last night I had a great time with the girls coming over to sew.  Amanda is working on her first dress and Tasha is working on some diaper bags.  I need to get off my bottom and get the quilt that I started last week gets finished.  As it turns out, the colors aren't what the colors the mom-to-be is looking for, so I scrapped the idea of this as a gift for her, but I will probably finish it up and sell it in my shop....if I ever get it finished!

Yucky weather is on the agenda for today, so I guess I'll be glued to the tv.  Have I mentioned how much I hate bad weather!
ake care!

Nini
T

I still miss you Memaw

After five years you would think it gets easier...but nope.  It is still just as painful as it was on that Friday afternoon when you left.

We are hoping to plant five rose bushes in your honor today.  Down by your window so you could have looked out at them...



Love you always.


Nini

Official...Grand Opening!

Yup...that's right!  Rheana's Raps are officially on the web!

I finally got the courage to go ahead and list the raps. So as of this morning, they are now in my etsy shop.  Look under QuiltsbyNini and you will find my little lone listing for custom PICC Line covers that we call Rheana's Raps!

Now...I;ve got to figure out how to get a banner on the site, and get some cards, some more samples, and get to actually marketing them!

Nini

CRCT

I know the CRCT testing is important, and a lot of teachers' careers live and die by the results...but seriously, why should we put so much stress on the kids for a test that really doesn't matter?  The test doesn't tell us how much they know, only how well they preform under stress.

We are getting letters from school telling us how to have them 'study' for the test.  The teachers have spent the last two months 'teaching the test'!  How about teaching them what they need to know for life and let the test take care of itself!

As you can see, this is one of my pet peeves.

In the first grade, there was so much stress put on Miss B for the 'test' (and yes, that year they did not even record the scores.  It was just to teach them what they would be going through in later years!), that she didn't want to even go to school.  The next year, she scored a near 100% on each and every part of the test.

There is enough stuff in a kids life to teach them how to handle stress...do we really need to spend two months out of a school year to teach this skill?

Oh...and the new thing in our school system is to make the year shorter in order to deal with the budget shortfalls!

...now, back to your regular scheduled blog...


Nini

Grand Opening...soon

I spent the better part of the entire weekend working on getting my business plan together.  I have my Etsy shop 999% set up, just needs the listings, have an accounting program set up that will automatically download from my PayPal account, got some shipping options set up, and have all the information I will need for my business license and have my tax id....

My plan was to have the listing up last night, with a slight wait for pictures (at least pictures that look good!)

I have all the embroidery and applique done, all the cutting was done, and I was about to start adding the velcro and finish construction.  I had all 6 at the stage where I could finish them in just a few hours of uninterrupted sewing.  Not only did I forget to got o Joann's yesterday to get some thread to finish up my Vidas for the Disney trip...I also didn't realize I am out of Velcro (I always keep a roll of it around here...)but each and every thread I reached for was empty!

Evidently, once I got Bubba, I have been forgetting to buy regular sewing thread!  Yup...Joann's had thread on sale 50% off all last week!

So, without time to run to Joann's today, I think it is safe to say my business will take another day to get up and running!

Rheana's Raps will have their grand opening....soon.  I'm hoping by Friday.

Nini

Honestly you would think I was a newbie sewer!  I finished up the two vidas this morning...or at least almost finished them up.  I can't do the top stitching because I ran out of green thread!  This is the second time a pair of dresses was put on hold because I ran out of thread!

I mean, next to fabric, thread is the most important part of sewing!  You can sew without a machine, but you have to have thread!

So, I'm entering into the weekend with another project that can't be completed until Monday.  I'm about to run out of projects that I CAN work on!


Sheesh!


Nini

Ahh Sleep!

Sleep.  Such a wonderful thing!  It is one of those things you do on a regular basis, but don't give it much thought...until it is gone!

Missing a day of sleep is much worse than a day without sunshine (sorry OJ).  It is a day of nothingness. You get nothing accomplished, and nothing seems right.  You can go through the motions of a normal day, but it is totally useless (as are you!)  Anything you actually accomplish has to be redone.  No matter how well you think you are doing....trust me.

No matter how many cups of coffee you drink, there is no substitute for sleep.  Sleep is a form of rejuvenation and regeneration that all living things do in one form or another.  And, for the most part, it comes naturally.

With a good night's sleep you feel refreshed without even thinking about it.  Without it...don't ask.



And THAT is my ode to Lunesta!



Nini

Maid?

To my husband and kids,

Today's lesson will be on the definition of maid.  The dictionary defines it  as a female domestic servant.  I would like to more clearly define this word for future reference.

-When you leave a glass on the counter and the next day it has been put in the dishwasher and came out clean...that is the work of the elusive maid.
-When you put your 'stuff' where ever you feel and ignore it and the next day it has been put away ...that is the work of the elusive maid.
-When you spill sugar or creamer on the counter and ignore it and the next day it is clean...that again is the work of the elusive maid.
-When you leave your dirty clothes where ever they fall off and the next day they are washed...again there's that maid again.
-When you are cooking something and it spills over and the next morning it is cleaned...again the maid.
-When you step over something instead of picking it up and the next day it is gone...again the maid.
-When you empty your backpack in the livingroom and the next morning everything is back in your backpack...again, thank the maid.
-When you reach into the cabinet and find a clean glass...that is there because the maid did it.
-When you leave your candy wrappers on the sofa...it is the maid that digs them out from the cushions and throws them in the trash.
-When you lay your trash on top of the trash can, or throw your trash in the general direction of the trash can...it is the maid that makes sure it gets where it is supposed to be.
-When you leave your shoes and socks in the kitchen, until there are now THREE pairs, and they magically appear in your bedroom beside your bed...how do you think they got there?
-And when you finally decide to move your dirty dishes off the table and stack them all on the counter...above the waiting dishwasher...with food still in them...who do you think gets to clean them off and put them in the waiting dishwasher?  Is it the TOOTH FAIRY?  No it is me...the MAID!!!

To recap...the maid is someone who cleans YOUR messes; picks up YOUR clothes, toys, shoes, socks, and other assorted items left wherever they feel like going; makes sure YOU have clean dishes on a regular basis; and in spite of my announcing several hundred times a day.....I AM NO THE MAID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Please, if you are reading this, let my family know the maid needs a raise!


Nini

T Shirt problems

So...yesterday, before I went to Joann's I was working on a cute Ariel T Shirt for me.  The design has Ariel in silhouette against a big sun sitting on a rock.  I had a cute stripe fabric to use for the sun  and a cute black swirl to use for Ariel.  I, the embroidery nerd who likes to watch each and every stitch coming out of the machine, decided to walk a half step away from the machine while it was finishing up...really it was halfway thorugh the last step!  I guess you know what happened next!

Yup a big ole mess happened in my bobbin and I had to cut the shirt out of the machine.  The mess wasn't too bad and I was able to rethread and fix my issues without too much fuss...and the shirt only came un hooped on one corner.  I felt I was really fortunate and continued to finish the shirt.  I checked and rechecked the placement, and then checked again.  Placement seemed fine, so I let it stitch.  For the first few minutes it looked fine...then I discovered it was off by a fraction of an inch.  I mean it was off less than 1/8 of an inch!  How small of an imperfection is that!

At this point there is not much I can do, so I let it continue its merry way.  Now, look at what I have to work with:

See all that yellow inside the black satin stitch?  That is NOT supposed to be there!

So, I spent the next hour picking out the yellow stitches.  Then, while at Joann's, I picked up some fabric markers to try and hide the remaining imperfections.  Luckily, they were half price, so I didn't spend too much money!  I bought a pack of four...and all of them EXCEPT THE BLACK worked fine.  The black was completely DRY!

Thanks to the advice of a very talented embroiderer, Lisa, I tried some black paint on a toothpick and some fray check where the fabric didn't get properly attached.  I then trimmed a bit of the fabric that was outside the satin stitching...

Final product?  If you are standing at least 10 feet away it looks ok.  But, if someone is standing next to me, not so good!  I really love this design and can't stand the thought of it being out in public in a less than perfect showing...so I think I will end up using this shirt to paint in and just getting a new shirt and starting from scratch.  I know it will be cheaper and a lot less time consuming!

Now, back to sewing....

Nini

Status update on Disney dresses!

Another week, another problem...well, not really...

I had to stop on the Black and White dress because I ran out of black thread...and my local Wally World is no longer carrying fabric, so they have not restocked their thread cabinet in forever!  There was all kinds of florescent greens and yellows, but no blac or white thread in the place...except for a tee- niny spool of black embroidery thread priced at 9.99!!

So, I decided to start on the Green Santa Pooh dresses (thanks Heather for the name!  LOL).  There was a lot of drama in my house about how it should look, and my budding designer told me to 'let the fabric speak for itself' in response to the embellishments I was going to add!

So, in cutting it out, I made a rookie mistake!  One of the first things you learn in fabric cutting is to cut the largest piece first.  Not me, I am cutting out 2 Vidas, one in a size 3 and one in a size 10.  I cut the side panels  (all 4 of them) for the size 3 and managed to get 2 side panels (yup, out of the 4 needed) for the size 10!  I know you can get all 8 panels out of only 1 yard of fabric with a bunch left over...but somehow, I could not get another two panels cut from the mess I made.

Since I like to make both dresses at the same time (it makes it seem like a lot less work to me!)I could only get as far as attaching the side panels before I had to quit....

So, off to Joann's today to get another yard of that green fabric and some black thread...I wonder if there is anything else I need to stock up on before I leave there?  Hmm...what will I run out of next?

But, on a good note, I received a message that the cute Mickey head buttons I ordered from Hong Kong have been shipped and should be here in 12 to 14 days!  I really hope they are exactly what I am looking for.


Nini

Only 229 more days to go!

I feel so sorry for my son and daughter in law!  They are going to have their hands full when my adorable Princess gets older!.

We don't allow some programs in our house.  Some are just plain inappropriate for anyone, and some are inappropriate for kids.  One of those programs is Spongebob.  Now I know some people don't have a problem with that show and that is their business, but we don't allow it in our house.

The Princess saw a commercial for 'Sponge Bobby' yesterday.  It was coming on later.  She started yelling "Sponge Bobby, Sponge Bobby.." When the kids replied, "No Sponge Bobby", she got mad and ran to me.

We had a talk about how Sponge Bobby said bad things and we couldn't watch him.  Her response?
"Sponge Bobby not bad, I like him!"  This went on for several minutes.

She finally stomped off saying she loved Sponge Bobby and he wasn't bad...and even if he was she was still going to love him forever and ever...

Can you just see this girl at age 14...and 'loving' the bad boy?  Please don't let him be named Bobby!


Nini

memories...

No, not the kind you have of something or someone...the kind you keep loosing, or not having!

I discovered my camera batteries were dead on Easter...at the Easter Egg Hunt!  Here it is Thursday and I still have not gotten any new ones for the camera!

It took me a whole week to remember to get the thumbdrive loaded with the new embroidery/applique designs for the dresses I am working on (one of the designs is a 'test').

I can't remember to charge my phone until it doesn't ring for a day or so...

I always have great plans (I am a PLANNER!!!) but my execution and follow through leave something to be desired!

...does this mean I am officially old?


Nini

Well, I see I neglected to say anything about a nasty fall last week..Partly because I feel very stupid about how it happened and partly because nothing was broken...just a few bruises and sprains.

Because of that fall, I have been neglecting my sewing.  I have managed to help my wonderful daughter in law finish up a few items she is going to sell, but nothing of my own.  Well, yesterday that changed.  I sewed!

First, you have to know to know that I like projects I can finish up quickly.  The dresses I made last year for Disney took less than a day to complete.  Some of them only an hour to complete.  I can make an A-Line in less than an hour, a Simply Sweet in 2 (only because of the gathers...I hate gathers!).  I finally went down on Monday morning with the intention of setting up my studio a bit better, straightening up a bit (Thanks Tasha!) and maybe working a bit.

I finished drafting out the pattern for the modified Stripwork Jumper I am using for the dress the girls will wear at Disney Hollywood Studios...took a bit longer than I expected.  Then I decided to cut out the dress panels I was going to applique on.  Then I decided I would take a couple of minutes to actually do the applique.  COUPLE of MINUTES!!!

I want these dresses to be perfect, so I might be just a tad bit obsessive.  But I found that making a dress around the applique required a ton more planning than just adding an applique to a dress!  Up to now, all the applique/embroidery I have done on clothes is almost like an afterthought.  I have a design that would look cute here...or wouldn't that look cute on a t-shirt.  This is the first time I have decided to make a dress based on the designs I could find.

Two days later, I have 3 of the 4 panels finished.  I'm guessing another day to get the last panel finished and get the skirt sewn together.  Then I have to cut and applique the bodice; then put it all together....of course I'm thinking of adding a ruffle which will take a bit more time.

I will never again think that those people that spend upwards of $200 on a custom dress with applique and embroidery as strange or extravagant!  It would be worth every penny!


Now, back to sewing!

Nini

PS...Heather Sue, I have not forgotten you.  I will try to get to that for you today!

A moment of silence for the mourning of another lost fabric department...

Imagine my surprise when I wandered into my local Wally World this morning only to discover there were Easter Baskets in the FABRIC AISLE!!!!

They only had a few bolts of some disgusting polyester stuff...but it was marked at half off.  The Fabric Lady (hereafter known as FL) told me that department only closed two days ago.  She further enlightened me that most of it was purchased by employees.

Now, I do enjoy shopping at Joann's, and I do have nice coupon advantages there that I don't have at Wally World, but I loved the convenience of having so close at hand.  I mean 5 minutes would have me there, parked and waiting for someone to cut it.  Now it will take a 30 minute drive to the next fabric carrying Wally World, or another 20 minutes to Joann's.

FL did let me in on a secret.  My next closest fabric carrying Wally World will be discontinuing their fabric department soon.  I really think this should be brought up to a vote.  I mean this is a democracy right?  Isn't one of my rights the right of pursuit of happiness?  How can I possibly pursue my happiness when the object of my obsession is going to take me almost an hour to get to it!!??!!

At least I can take comfort in the knowledge that everyone is complaining about it ....



Nini