THE FRONT PAGE

I came THIS CLOSE to the front page of etsy. I received an email from craftcult telling me my black and white Laura Ashley toile tablecloth was chosen as an alternate for their black and white theme. Heck. But then again, at least etsy is now aware of me, and perhaps maybe one of these days, it will happen!




Meanwhile, I keep sewing. I am working on my spring collection and listed this the other day:






This is a gorgeous Lee Jofa handprinted cloth called "Aylesbury Print" from their Archival Collection, and is now discontinued. This is the only piece of it I have (sigh). I spent good time making this, and I am very happy with it.

Rummaging through my goods that have been tucked away I have found more springtime fabrics that I will make something from soon. Not sure what yet, the pieces are only 24" square. Maybe pillows?

My Website

In my never-ending quest to increase my exposure, traffic and ultimately sales, I have been joining and networking all over the place. I now have a website, http://customdesignsbynancy.com! Since I have become so much more technologically adept by learning how to blog, I was able to set my website up on Vistaprint with very little trouble. I just wish I could edit more, change fonts, etc. I'm not ready to spend the extra $$$ to gussy the site up just yet. Let's see how much traffic it generates, and how well my sales are. Need the do re mi before I can sing any louder!

I have also joined indiepublic and a few groups there. This is the photo I am using for my avatar:





My grandmother painted this of me when I was a teenager. I have another painting of me as a baby which is charming, too. She was a tough New Englander, ferociously Democratic, and is missed. I loved her dearly. She encouraged me to be artistic and express my creativity. I am who I am in large part because of her influence.

MONDAY MONDAY

Another Monday...what to do? Think I'll share some personal things...




This is a phalanopsis orchid, widely cultivated and sold in the US. Most people throw them out after they bloom, because, let's face it, it's not a pretty plant. It's a pretty flower, and when the flower is gone they don't want the ugly plant hanging around for a year or so until it blooms again. So little patience, so little tolerance. A woman I know gave me this after the last time it bloomed, when she didn't know how to take care of it. "Easiest thing in the world", I said. "Water when it is dry, and let it have some sun." Anyway, she let me have it, and it has bloomed twice since then.

Just saying...

Saturday Bloggers Shopping Spree

It's time for another Saturday Bloggers Shopping Spree! This Saturday and Sunday only Feb 20 and Feb 21 I am offering 20% off any item in my shop. Please write like "20% off" or "Saturday Blog Shop" in notes to seller and I will refund the difference. Some of my newest items are just in time for spring:

This is the Asian Music Tablerunner. It measures 52" x 11 1/2", backed with silk:





Let the sunshine into your house! Spring is coming, yes it is! Yellow toile "Lovers" in yellow:





Verstatile tablerunner: spring on one side, fall on the other. Just turn it over when the seasons change:




And this is just cheerful. You can't help but smile every time you see it:





And be sure to click on the Saturday Blog link on my sidebar to connect to other bloggers offering more great deals. Happy shopping!

POTHOLDERS AND TRIVETS

This is my (belated) Saturday bloggers post for Saturday bloggers in Unique Women in Business. If you are a member of UWIB and wish to purchase anything from my shop, please add "UWIB" in your message to seller, and I will give you 10% off your paypal invoice. Thank you, all Saturday Bloggers! And please follow the link to Saturday Bloggers on the left to see more great shops, and follow some other terrific blogs.

Hey hey I sold all my large potholders! Yippee for me! Unfortunately, there was some confusion over which potholders my customers wanted, and how many they thought they had purchased. It all worked out in the end, but now I will list them differently. Instead of "assorted large potholders", I will list each pattern/color separately, to be sure my customers get exactly what they want. Now to make more!

The blue and yellow Laura Ashley toile is the most popular, so I decided to make them first, but I did cut out and start sewing ten new large size potholders/trivets at the same time. I find it faster and more efficient to think production line when creating many of the same item. First, cutting and sewing:
















Then, snipping corners and turning inside out:






The trick to a good product is constantly ironing, every single step. This allows for quality control too, snipping threads and resewing seams that don't meet inspection:




Finally finishing, which means sewing the last seam and quilting concentric rectangles.





Hours later, I finished four blue and yellow Laura Ashleys first, so I could post them right away:





And now I have to finish the blue and white Laura Ashleys. I did two in blue and white. These pictures show the two sides of the two pieces, and a closeup of one:



























And the blue and white Winterthur Museum toile. I did four of these. I really like the crisp fabric and sharp image, the dark blue print. Again, I show the two sides of the four pieces, and a closeup of one of them:






I will be finishing these and listing them as separate items on my etsy store as Blue and White Laura Ashley Large Potholders/Trivets and Blue and White Winterthur Museum Large Potholders/Trivets. Please look for them coming soon!