Wednesday, October 2, 2013

piping and zippers

.
Early this summer, I met Daniela of Aesthetic Oiseau, an interior design blog. Lovely style!  She sent a client project my way for custom bedding and an appliqued pillow cover.  Boy, she pushed me outside my comfort zone.  The bedding included a duvet cover with piping with a buttoned panel to close as well as standard pillow shams, two-sided, with piping AND hidden zippers.  Piping and zippers, piping and zippers - together in the same seam!  
.
..

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

JUMBO Applique Monograms

.
JUMBO applique monogram letters on BIG pillow covers.  Shop requests have upped the dimensions to letters that individually fill the embroidery hoop.  The machine has reached its limit!  So graphic and bold; however, calluses on my scissor-cutting fingers aren't as pretty as the pillow covers.  
.
.
The 16" x 20" cover is filled to the brim, and the letters on the standard sham make nearly the same impression.  
.
.
These seem to be favorites for decorating boys' bedrooms among my shoppers.  The set above is two of three shams that will decorate a room shared by three boys.  Nice to have something for the boys, though now it might be time to make a change on the calicodaisy label to something less flowery.  

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Kiss Me! Double Layer Chocolate Cake ...

.
I'm not Irish and I don't wear green that often, but I am totally willing to celebrate the day with a green sugar dusted Farm Chicks chocolate cake.  Yep, I don't change too much.  If a cake is needed, this is the one for me.  
.
.
Spring Cleaning -- One room completely dusted, walls washed, sorted, and staged.  Before company came to ruffle it back up, I snapped a photo of the long lumbar 14 x 28 large monogrammed pillow cover against the matelesse linens.  Once a year - or so, everything comes together.  

When the company leaves, will I spend at least an hour a day spring cleaning through the house? I can only hope.  Meanwhile, there's a piece of chocolate cake calling me ...      

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Bolsters!

.
The best moves forward to new products in the shop are generally initiated by client requests, and now the custom bolster with optional design features is in the house!  The first set ordered is created to match a set of the Veronique applique pillow covers (as seen here with my own monogrammed version).  This bolster cover is photographed on a bolster 2" too large, thus the ends at the seams don't look very crisp here, but the pillow form was the closest I could find to the requested bolster cover size.  
.
..
The client chose a ribbon bordered design with drawstring closure, 6" x 18".  There are a number of sizes in the bolster world.  Here is a mockup, though, of what the bolster might look like with a monogram.  Instead of ribbon, one could choose piping at the ends.  We could do closed ends and a zippered closure along the bottom seam.  Applique.  Lots of choices!   

The shop is on hiatus right now while I move through a treasure trove of orders and try to mix in spring cleaning and my "day job."  With all that on my plate (and all I really want right now is a large piece of fudgy chocolate cake on that plate), it will probably be Friday evening or Saturday before the doors open again if I can get to the scheduled target before the weekend.  
.
.
Another client request created but not listed in the shop yet is a monogrammed / appliqued tissue box cover.  I love it but am working out the details.  What details could there be to consider on a tissue box cover?  You'd be surprised ... or maybe I'm just surprised because I get worried over the littlest of choices - oval tissue opening or slit, lined or unlined, worth the effort for the competing price (?); sometimes it takes all my energy.    

I'll be thinking and making a list of bolster options to be ready for new ideas that come my way for these.  One task I should complete this week is staging the guest room and adding proper lighting so I can take photos of these custom bedroom decor items set up in their proper setting.  My personal home decor has sure taken a big backseat to business building these last few years.  Renew and refresh this spring should be my mantra. 

Monday, March 11, 2013

calicodaisy on the porch!

.
Just in time for new spring decor, there's an outdoor fabrics option at the calicodaisy shop both with and without embroidery.  The range of outdoor fabrics is nearly as marvelous as inside home decor.  Shown here is the classic calicodaisy look in solid shades of outdoor canvas.  

Outside of choosing solids for pillow covers, custom orders will require the client to choose fabrics from online shops, send me the link of fabric desired, and then we will go from there.  With embroidery, without embroidery, piping, no piping, zippered closure ... etc.  There are a number of factors to take into consideration regarding the outdoor decor options.  

Regarding embroidery on outdoor fabrics, there is a brand of embroidery thread that touts "colorfast and fade resistant."  I can't guarantee the strength and length of that promise, but I imagine those who put the investment into an embroidered item for outdoor decor most likely plan to keep that item in a covered area.  I'm looking forward to finding what new ideas come my way by client request!  

Due to marvelous sales this early 2013 and the need for a good spring cleaning around the house and studio, the calicodaisy shop is on hiatus this week until Thursday or Friday.  I am here working and available through shop convos and through e-mail, so if you have a pressing idea or want to get an order started in the next few days, just contact me either way, and I'll be in touch.  Please stop by the calicodaisy FB page to keep up with new happenings around here and to contact me as well.  

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

A Long Time From Start To Finish

.
My very first, completely finished quilt.  In my mind, the start of this quilt seems like it was just a couple years ago or so.  However, based on my post dating when I had this quilted on the longarm in November 2009 and then further looking into my older photos, turns out this little gem is four years old!  Talk about time flying by.  As it turns out, this was promised to my girl at that time, so along with the crocheted chevron afghan, she has the best of me right now ... finished items.  Anyway, it is so marvelous to have a finished item.  After the photo session, I washed the quilt, and now it is so yummy and scrunchy, as all blogging quilters say.  So true!  You'll have to check out the backside of the quilt below.  Back before piecing the back was popular to local sewers around here, my longarm lady was highly unimpressed with the pieced back. I love it.     
.
.
.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

pour le bebe

.
Je suis fini ... my first knitted item following a pattern.  So sweet in a blue-gray worsted weight wool.  No baby heads around here, so my trusty candlestick with a small ball of yarn underneath will have to do.  
.
.
I spotted a small alabaster bust up on a shelf hoping the photo isn't too odd.  Link to the pattern here.  Very simple to follow - especially after watching a couple YouTube videos to learn a couple of stiches.  My favorite is how the three slipped stitches at the end of each row creates the pretty band around the face of the bonnet.  
.
.
Though I might get obsessed with this new found skill, I must put the needles away and pay attention to studio orders.  Great new ideas are pouring in, which keeps things fresh and busy.  My favorite this month is a LONG lumbar monogram pillow cover at 14 x 28 inches.  Lucky for me, a local client brought a bench over for me to create a cover, so I had a great prop stand to show off the long lumbar made with my own monogram.  This damask was a find at the mill a couple of months ago, and I just love the vintage-y look on the loose weave fabric, and the piping covered in the same fabric creates a pretty frame without taking anything away from the design.  This length will look great in front of pillow shams on the bed or, as in this case, to decorate a hall bench.    

Friday, February 22, 2013

... and now she knits

.
Small dream come true!  This gal's got her gauge on!  Previous to these blogging years, I was completely satisfied being very good with the crochet hook and believed my gauge was just too tight to knit well.  How times change!  Reading Purl Bee and watching so many bloggers whip off gorgeous items, my favorites are baby bonnets and top-down cardigans, created quite the desire to get my gauge under control and cast on.  Plus, I'm crazy to use the artisan variegated dyed yarns available, and I think they are best used for knit items.  After a little lesson with friend who helped with the casting on and proper form as well as watching a number of YouTube tutorials, I started a 40-stitch swatch/scarf on #10 circulars to practice keeping it all even and changing colors.  
.
.
As usual, one project isn't enough, so I searched around Ravelry and have so many favorites but decided on this LTK Pilot Cap because I can use worsted weight yarn and reasonably sized needles.  This pattern calls for using markers (tied pieces of yarn for me), increasing with kfb, slip stitches, and soon decreasing.  Can you see the pretty shaping in the photo at the top?  The increases create that pretty V to contour to a sweet baby head.  I hope it fits a sweet baby head properly; that will be gratifying as this is my first adventure in following a knitting pattern.  If I get this one right, I will drop needle size and yarn weight and knit a fine little bonnet.  

Friday, January 25, 2013

Started A Trip ...

.
... that I hope I can finish.  Last week I succumbed to the pull of the Scrappy Trip Around The World quiltalong using the Quiltville tutorial.  Goodness, I tried to resist; I have quite enough work due to others and business to attend to, but can I tell you how satisfying this quilt block is?  Cut strips, sew strips, iron this way and that, make a tube, and then slice.  Rip, rip, rip the little seams in a row, and all of a sudden the pattern appears just perfect.  The way the seams that are ironed this way and that snap together under the sewing machine foot is dreamy and makes me feel like a professional quilter.  

The only downside is fighting my need to depart from the random scrappiness.    I tend to get wrapped up in the planning, and this isn't the purpose.  The purpose is to destash.  When I read Nanette's post about organizing the lights and darks, I started to hyperventilate worrying about the black and dark brown prints in the mix.  So, now the plan is to hand around my strips basket to anyone who comes by the house or lives here and tell them to "put six strips together without looking" and then make them watch me sew them together for keeps.    
.
.
I'm into this about 20 finished blocks right now and going for a queen coverlet size, about 90" x 90" ... maybe 80" x 80".  I'll have to send it out to be quilted should I finish the thing.  My favorite quilting design is the one FITF used.  

We'll see ... a little distraction is a good thing, and the ever-needed DESTASH is a better thing, and the resulting "heirloom" will be the best thing ... if I finish.      

Monday, January 14, 2013

A Rare Finish For The Home

.
About 18 months ago, a ripple/chevron crochet afghan was started.  About two-thirds through when I was really loving it myself and imagining it in the family room, my daughter claimed it to be hers when complete.  
.
.
Just as the story goes about the cobbler's children having no shoes and the other story that the daughter doesn't like the mother's style, the two tales combined equals my girl has a completed item of my design that she loves and will keep her warm and cozy, especially since my little bird flew the coop this month and moved to student housing!  
.
Lots of new time on my hands and a very quiet house.  Otherwise, a great finish!  Well, nearly a great finish and nearly a finish for my home ... I just need to tie off all the yarn tails and decide which border to complete.  The very simple ripple crochet pattern is linked on my ravelry page
.

The pattern for this throw is the Easy Ripple Afghan.  I used a size K hook, 80 rows.  

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

The Color Block King & The Scraps


The Color Block King Sham.  A new design directed by a client resulted in this bold statement for a bed.  The color block option just opens up all sorts of design ideas.  There are lumbar sizes available as well.  
.
.
The Scraps.  For months, I've had these 1-gallon, approximately 1-pound baggies of fabric remnants waiting to be listed.  I wanted to make a pretty presentation, but impossible.  There are seven scrap bags in the shop, each priced at $6.00, plus shipping.  Good stuff stuffed in the baggies!  Quilt quality cottons, twills, home dec, and flannels.  All fabrics have been washed.  Perfect for quilting and collage and small projects.  

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

New Year - New Skills


.
The first moments of this New Year found me downloading a free month of Photoshop/Illustrator in preparation for an online Illustrator class with Nicole's Classes.  After following her blog for months wishing to take Illustrator 101, I jumped at the chance with a Cyber Monday discount. 
.
 .
It's mind blowing and frustrating and gratifying and fun all together.  This is week two of class, and already our instructor has nicely taken us through a number of tools and Illustrator concepts.  Week one homework was to create a typography poster using our text sizing and coloring skills.  I wanted to be a lot hipper, but not so much after I saw the other participants' cool work.  Not bad though.  

Today, however, I hit gold!  I have been CRAZY to have the dashed line to frame my label.  A simple thing, I know, but as a modern sewist, I want my label to have that stitched frame.  Now I know.  (Hint:  Rectangle tool with stroke adjustments.) The frame design isn't perfect today, but it will be.  The lessons also covered pen and pencil tools, shapes, and line draw.  I found myself doodling and made another poster design.   
.
.
My mission is twofold.  One, my embroidery software seems to be based on Illustrator type tools and I need to create vector graphics to digitize embroidery designs properly.  Second, I want to create my own graphics for everyday marketing, packaging, and labeling of my work and blog.  There is also a design in mind to send to Spoonflower for calicodaisy fabric printed to line my goods.  

Stop by Nicole's Classes and see all the interesting subjects offered -- just saw the new floral design and blog classes.