Small Business Saturday

November 24th is Small Business Saturday. Come to The Shops on West Ridge, 3200 Ridge Road in Greece, New York. This is a collection of 200 small shops that feature Artisan Creations, Antiques and Collectibles. My shop #407 is one of over 15 shops with individually crafted items, a great place to start and maybe finish your holiday shopping. There are two full floor, so plan enough time for your visit, there is a Cafe for lunch or snack to refresh and continue shopping. Open Thursday to Sunday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, check the website for additional days in December.

These are some of my applique items that may still be available, it first come and get it for unique items. I also have table runners, Christmas stockings, journals, mug mats and much more....

I will also bring what is left by then to the Eastside YMCA Crafts for a Cause event on Dec. 1st.

Thank You to all who are first time to my blog

Greetings,
A quick hello to everyone who is reading this because they picked up my business card at the show. Thank you for stopping by, thank you for looking and thank you for shopping. Remember my shop is #407 in The SHOPS on West Ridge and they are open Thursday through Sunday, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. Plan to visit soon! If you are on Facebook, please go to my Facebook page SewingHusband and like the page, it will provide much more current information than the blog.

Craft Show at St Rita School 2018

Welcome

Hi there and welcome to my blog. Please sign up on the right, if you want to be notified when there is a new posting to the blog. I will be the first to admit that I do not post here as often as I should. So, if you are on Facebook please like my page @sewinghusband this has many more pictures and posts. My goal for 2019 is to start the video series that my wife said I should do two years ago.

As I write this post, I am getting ready for a busy weekend. The photo on the right is all projects that need to be finished today! Some just need a hanger while others need borders and backings. You may have visited with me at "Fight Night," an event to fight breast cancer, at The SHOPS on West Ridge Road. You may have also seen me at the St. Rita School Craft Show in Webster.

If this is your first visit to my blog, you may wish to go the the earlier entries to read of my humorous start to sewing. Yes, my wife is still speaking to me but is much happier now that I have my own sewing room and sewing machines. She encouraged me to get my Brother Dream Machine and software to create my own designs. The snowmen and flowers you see above are purchased designs. The hearts are my own creation. I have also created the "Home" below and have crafted some little tea lights for some fun holiday decorating.

My permanent shop location is at The SHOPS on West Ridge Road in Greece, NY. The address is 3200 Ridge Road, Rochester, NY 14626 and the shops are open Thursday to Sunday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. This is a coop and I am not always in my shop. You may purchase from the shop at anytime, all items go through the front registers. If you would like to talk to me in person my schedule is listed on the sewinghusband FaceBook page.

The Snowmen are Coming

I love these guys and I have gotten a lot of positive encouragement from friends and family on FaceBook. The base of these projects comes from an in the hoop design at Sweet Pea Machine Embroidery Designs.

Each snowman takes over an hour, closer to two hours, to sew out in the embroidery hoop. I choose the colors for each part of the design through the fabrics that I apply as I sew through the multiple steps. I have five variations of snowmen to choose from. Once these are completed I play with how they are arranged as table runners or wall hangings. 

Here is my first set of snowmen all in black and grey. The blue snowflake border compliments the blue snowflakes in the designs of the snowmen. Below is a wide variety of ways that I have chosen to finish my creations. From single snowmen to groupings of two to five with a wide variety of borders. I continue to create these products as I get ready for upcoming shows and stock for my shop.

Christmas Stocking Promo Video

 

This is my first video on the blog. It is a promo for "First Saturday" at the Shops on West Ridge Road. This is a cooperative group of shops and I am one of the many vendors there. My shop is #407 on the upper level, in the back right corner near the Rest Rooms and the Cafe.

It is located at 3200 West Ridge Road in Greece and is open from 10 am to 6 pm on Thursday through Sunday. Every first Saturday of the month there are special events, live music and a treasure hunt for tokens that offer a surprise discount on your purchase.

I am also excited to offer classes on my Christmas Stocking. I am looking forward to teaching how to have fun with your sewing in a variety of ways. I was a Sunday School teacher for 16 years and I did product demos at Wegmans for about 8 years. After promoting KBS, Knowldge Based Service at Wegmans, I look forward to promoting FBS in the future, Fun Based Sewing. Below are some additional stockings already waiting for you in my shop. Stocking may be personalized for an additional charge.

Photos on Fabric

I have finally found a product I like for photos on fabric, without a heat press. Many of you remember the photos on fabric that I produced at The Zachary Bear Store in Webster. The store closed over four years ago so I have not had a way to produce photos on fabric since then.

This spring, at the Lancaster Quilt Show I found a way to produce photos on fabric that I like the quality of again. Of coarse it meant a new printer to go with the right paper.

I have a few samples in my shop at The Shops on West Ridge Road. A wall hanging with vacation photos share memories and beauty of our Caribbean trip to St Lucia. The dog pillow has four shots of a friend's very photogenic dog. Photos may be emailed for items to pick up locally in Greece and will set up online ordering in my Etsy shop soon for orders to be shipped.

This is just a beginning of the many things that I have to offer. House photos on a pillow make a great house warming / new home gift. A pillow for a graduate to take to college could contain a host of memories. Birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and many occasions can be shared with photos on fabric. My wife even wants me to offer a variety of quilt labels.

Sign up on the right to get my blog updates. I will be posting regularly as things become available and this link to the right will have items in my Etsy store.

View from the front

This view is the reason I like the location of my new shop. I am at the end of an aisle you can see all the way from the front. Click here if you would like to look at a map of the shops.

Lots of stairs today to get everything to my new shop upstairs. I got the displays set and the wall hangings up on the wall.

This Saturday, June 2nd I will be at the Shops to do a demo day from noon to 4:00 pm.

Every First Saturday The SHOPS at West Ridge Road celebrate with a store-wide treasure hunt. We have Shops Tokens that are not-so-hidden throughout the building. The tokens correspond to surprise discounts worth up to 100% off of your entire purchase that day! Some restrictions apply. We also have live music and live artists! Come and join the fun. Open 10a-6p.

Corner display, a place to sell the odds and ends.

The Next Chapter

Today (5/26/18) is my last shift at Wegmans. I am not retiring but rather starting a new chapter. I have been at Wegmans on Holt Road for 8 years, and would have reached 9 on my start date anniversary in August. In that time I have served many customers and worked with many people of all ages. I have especially enjoyed working with the 'kids.' Often their first job in high school or a return for summer job for the college kids. I have enjoyed watching the learning and growing. I have listened to and encouraged the dreams as they progress through the years.

One of my favorites. A fun combination of Half Square
Triangles (HST) using copper color fabric and a batik.

This past week was the ultimate from me. I talked to one of the young people who told me of her dream to become a lawyer. When I asked her about her progress on this dream she told me that she was graduating as a lawyer this year and already has a job in corporate law.

In many ways this new chapter is my chance to pursue my dream. I enjoy expressing what I see and hear in the tangible form of an art quilt. I enjoy using scraps for spontaneous designs. I would also like to do some teaching to help others express themselves and find fun in their projects.

The next chapter begins this coming week and I move into a new space on the main level of The Shops on West Ridge Road. If all goes as planned I will be there with my sewing machine on Saturday 6/2/18 as a part of the monthly first Saturday activities. The "Shops" are open Thursday through Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm and are located at 3200 West Ridge Rd., Rochester, NY 14626.

Irony in my world

As I come back to my blog today, I realize that it has been approximately 5 months since my last blog entry. The irony is that my last blog entry was part of a challenge to blog daily. That Is Irony....!

Current shop # 587 on the lower level

So what is new in my world since then? I have a shop that is part of a co-op. The Shops on West Ridge Road in Greece, NY is the new home to my Art Quilts, Wall Hangings and Table Runners. It is a great location with wonderful wall space to display my creations. It is on the lower level of the building. Because there are so many vendors with artisan creations, antiques, home decor and so much more many people never get to the lower level. That is about to change.

The next chapter is about to begin...

Vacation Photo on Fabric

I have given notice to leave my part time job at Wegmans. I will jump full scale into supporting my shop, developing new products, relaunching my Etsy shop, writing patterns and teaching. In the line of new products I am able to put photos on fabric. This can document an occasion or celebrate a special memory. I can put a photo or invitation on cloth for you to use in your project or I can produce a completed item such as a pillow or wall hanging. The sample to the right shows a special memory I have from a Caribbean vacation. In this house they showed the process of making batik fabric and had batik fabric for sale.

Another view of what is available in my current shop.

Another part of this next chapter involves changing the local on my shop within the same building.
Sometime in the next few weeks I will be moving to the main level of The Shops on West Ridge Road. I have walls to paint before I can make this move but the location is great. I will be in the back right corner of the building near the rest rooms and the 1 2 3 Cafe. Not there just yet so watch for an announcement of my location change.

My new location will be #407, not my cases, see why I need to paint the walls