Testing...

Testing, testing.... is anyone out there?  LOL
I know it has been ages since I last posted.  In fact I'm not sure if anyone is even still out there listening, but I have been feeling the need to post, so I am going to post anyway. :)

First, an explanation, sort of as to why I have been gone.  It was really just a matter of reallocating my time to other things.  I was feeling sort of frustrated by the fact that I would post and no one would respond, so that led me to believe that no one was reading.  I felt like posting was a waste of my time if no one cared whether I was posting or not anyway.  Secondly it seemed like everything I was making was a gift for someone, so I couldn't post about it until it was done anyway and that didn't seem fun.  Posting the process is part of the fun for me.

So with that said, I am going to TRY and start posting again.  I am in the midst of a whirlwind of projects and ideas right now, so I'll try and catch you all up on what I have finished so far this year.

In January I pulled my sewing room apart and did a MAJOR overhaul and redo.  I put up shelves, built a cutting table with cubes underneath and put hangers on the wall for things.  I purged a lot of stuff and made a commitment to trying to use up what I have and finish projects that I have already started.  I put myself on what my friend, Amanda, calls a fabric diet. Only purchasing fabrics that I NEED to finish a project.  So far I have done pretty well.  I have only purchased minimal fabric this year and only for specific projects that needed something I didn't already have.  No stash building.  My stash barely fits in the cabinet as it is. :)  I figured I had close to a thousand dollars tied up in unused fabric and that was just ridiculous.

Here are some pics of the newly organized room.

So far I have been able to keep it fairly organized.  The problem I run into is if I have more than one project going at once.  Then I don't know where to put the current project that is not in process at the moment.  

In January I also took on a sewing student.  It was really fun.  She had never used a machine before and had been given a machine that was older than I am. :)  It was a throwback for me to the days when I used to sew on my mom's old machine.  She got that machine when I was like 3 or 4.  This machine was probably 6-7 years older than that still.  We met 3 or 4 times and I helped her make a quilted table runner.  She did an excellent job and I was really thrilled to be able to share what I know.  I have no formal training at all, but I have learned through experience and reading.    

Also in January I made a great little Feliz dress with ladybugs on it and spent a fun morning with my friend Natalie and her daughter, Lauren getting some great pictures of it for my website and Etsy shop.  

I have to say I never tire of this pattern.  There are so many possibilities with it and they always turn out soooo cute!  That is good, because when I listed this dress at Etsy, I wound up with two custom orders within the next 3 months for Feliz dresses.  Here are the two I made. They aren't the greatest pictures.  I wish that I had had time to get better ones, but that is just how it is sometimes.  

Natalie's sister, who is also named Lauren has also asked me to make flower girl dresses for her wedding. More on that later....

I have also put together some new things for my Etsy shop and I have several new designs rolling around in my head that I want to make soon.  I am working on a complete overhaul of my website.  I am trying to really refocus The Merry Church Mouse and really try and develop it into what I have always wanted it to be.   That has really been consuming a lot of my thoughts and time lately.  I'll share more about that as time goes on as well.  

I am also feeling the need to challenge myself and to grow as a seamstress and a designer, so I will be sharing more about that in the coming days as well.  

I think I have probably inundated anyone who is reading with enough for one post! LOL  Thanks for reading if you have made it this far. :)

More another day...