My booth at RMSC Holiday Bazaar

Happy Thanksgiving to all. A big thank you to everyone who attended the Rochester Museum and Science Center 49th Annual Holiday Bazaar. I had a great time and "The Sewing Husband" was joined by "The Quilting Wife." Deb did a great job talking with customers and inviting them into the booth. Tina came on Sunday and you can tell she grew up around retail. She shared knowledge and pride in the work done by both of her parents.

Deb made scrunchies, hand warmers and purse pockets to sell along side of my wall hangings and table runners. Of coarse the first sale of the day was a scrunchie! These are also available in my shop #407 at The Shops on West Ridge Road in Greece, New York. The Shops on West Ridge is a coop of over 150 vendors selling artistic creations, antiques, collectables, home decor, repurposed furniture and much more. It is located at 3200 West Ridge Road and is open Thursday through Sunday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm with additional days in December just visit the website.

My booth at RMSC Holiday Bazaar

If you are reading this because of the listing on my business card you should know the post here are not as often as they should be. For more current information and updates please visit my Sewing Husband Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/sewinghusband like or follow the page to get regular updates.

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.

Christmas Cards Continued

This deserves a second post. As of last night I have produced 70 Christmas Cards.

 

Each card had the message printed on the background paper. It is then mounted on the plastic grid that runs through the Silhouette Camero cutting machine. The background grid is a sticky surface to hold the paper while cutting. In the picture below you can see the card removed from the mat. The card is on top, ready to fold. Below is what remains on the mat and must be removed before the next card is mounted on the cutting mat. The mat looses its stickiness and must be sprayed with a temporary adhesive. As you can see, there is a lot of "JOY" left behind on the cutting mat. Two side panels fold to the middle. One holds the message and one will cover  the colored paper panel that shows through the cut opening. The colored paper is fixed in the opening and a star is mounted up front.

Ok, that is all done and the envelopes all have stickers for mailing and return address. Just need to sign, seal and stamp.

So why do I do it? It is one little piece of Christmas that I can add individuality and creativity to.

 

Return to the Daily Blog Challenge

Time to make Christmas Cards...

2017 Christmas Cards

2017 Prototype

I have realized that some people make Christmas Cookies and some people make Christmas Cards. It is just my tradition to make cards. The origins of Christmas cards go back to making special greetings to send as Christmas cards. This one for 2017 began with a prototype that received a few changes and is now being printed and assembled. I cut the tree and the word joy on a computer guided Silhouette cutting machine.

One of my first cards go back to drawings made by my kids that I used for the cards. I love the blue nosed reindeer made by my daughter Tina. She was age 5 at the time. When I asked her why they had blue noses she said because they were cold. The inside pop-up fireplace with santa's feet came from drawings by Jake and he was 10 years old.

Pop-Up Shop - Day 4 - Dec Blog Challenge

Sunday Fun Day - I was invited to open a pop-up shop at a local gift shop. I had a great day and sold as much as I did at the craft shows that I attended this fall. I plan to be there again next Sunday.

If you are in the Rochester area stop by Kittelberger Florists in Webster on Sunday, December 10th from Noon to 4:00 pm. I still have some Christmas wall hangings along with everyday runners and wall hangings. Kittelberger Florists is located at 263 North Ave., in Webster, New York 14580.

I have a beautiful banner featuring 3 vintage Santas or some on individual wall hangings. The banner fits nicely on a door that is weather protected. The individual wall hangings are nice to decorate with for Christmas or make a great gift.

Oh Christmas Tree - Dec. 2nd - Second Day of the Blog Challenge

Thank you to the 40 people who have visited my blog. For me those numbers are great and the best since last spring. I hope y'all will keep coming back.

 Now for the Christmas tree story. My wife was showing me how to use her beautiful, Bernina sewing machine. She showed me a best practice of putting a little starter strip of fabric under the foot as a way to make an even start when you begin sewing. She used a little piece of green fabric that was next to the sewing machine to show me what to do. Since she used it that day I assumed it was a scrap, silly me! Some days later I thought I would use her pile of scraps to make Christmas tree. The two you see here are a couple that I made that day, along with the four trees together on a wall hanging in the next photo down. Well, those 'scraps' were actually bias cut strips that she had ready for an appliqué project. They were to be the stems between flowers on a bed size quilt. When I showed her what I made she just smiled and walked away. I could sense something was wrong. She later told me about the appliqué project and admitted it was all her fault because she used that little piece as if it was a scrap when it wasn't really.

So from that example you see how most of my projects happen. They just happen as I put together shapes and fabric in pleasing combinations. In this photo you see the wall hanging with four trees in it. That is one of my favorites and is used to decorate for Christmas. It contains the fabrics from my wife's appliqué project, so I don't think I can part with it. It is one of the many pieces I hope to write a pattern for. In the mean time, in the same photo you see two new wall hangings one with three trees and one with two trees in various stages of completion.


In addition to my small strip trees I have made some larger strips into trees. The first group of five sold right from my FaceBook posting. The single trees below are actually the second group I made this year and there is another "Joy" waiting for the hanger on the back to be finished. I use scraps to make the trees and decorate them with those fancy stitches on the sewing machine that never get used. These will also become a future pattern or maybe a class.

It wasn't my fault, really!

It was my wife who said I should start a blog and she thought it would be a video blog. I may grow into that someday. But my first attempt caused a few problems. I posted it below, not sure if it will play.

My wife saw this video and then didn't say anything for a few minutes. Then she asked where I got the scraps. Then she admitted it may be her fault that I used the pieces that she had cut for an applique project. Something about bias strips... Well earlier that week she used one of those strips to show me how to start up stitches after putting in a bobbin. So I thought they were all extra stuff just in the way around the sewing machine. I was doing a good thing by using them up. If you have read my first blog about the time I cleaned up the sewing room, you may remember that she said all the  projects were in clear plastic bags. So if it wasn't in a project bag it was available and even in the way. That is what I thought, these were stems that went with flowers to be appliqued. It wasn't my fault, she even said so.

From those strips I made a few different projects, all of which have a special meaning at Christmas time. She did buy me my own fabric for Christmas, I think she wants to keep me away from her projects. But she bought me the good stuff, Stonehenge is one of my favorite brands. I also got my own scissors, an Ott light and my own pins. Below the pieces that grew out of my mistake.