Fabric Flair

Why I'm thankful

I know so many blog writers take pause to reflect on the reasons they are thankful, so..... here's another for you!

Beginning with the obvious, I'm thankful for the support I get from my readers and customers.  I have laughed louder, cried harder, learned more from, and found support from the most amazing people that I've met here on my 20" computer screen.  Sometimes I forget that we're not actually in the same room!

I'm thankful that even without leaving my small corner of the world, part of me has traveled to more parts of the world than I could ever dream of seeing.

I'm thankful that the experiences of each day help me build upon those of the days previous, and not only has my business grown as a result, but so has my sense of purpose and my understanding of where I fit in this crazy rollercoaster ride I call life.

I'm thankful for my family, for their support, for their patience, and their never ending ability to be enthusiatic over my ever changing dreams.

And beyond all else, I'm thankful to God without whom none of these things would be possible but with whom all things are possible.

 

Like a kid at Christmas

In my house, we don't need to wait for Christmas or a birthday to have a blast unwrapping.  We just need a fabric delivery! 

My "little helper" has as much fun unpacking new fabrics as I do.  In fact, if they are delivered during his nap time, I always wait until he gets up to open the boxes.  Even though it would be easier if I just brought them in myself, he always needs to be the one to take each and every bolt out of the box and bring them to stack on my cutting table.

These pictures did not turn out as well as I'd hoped, but it was later in the evening on the day that Anthology's High Society arrived so the lighting was not very good.  And it's hard to catch a picture of such a quick moving target!  Anyway, I thought I'd share them with you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you think his unpacking is good, wait until you experience his customer service!

Innocent Crush ~ Charmed or Swept Away?

I'm a couple days behind letting you know that Innocent Crush by Anna Maria Horner arrived this week in the shop (2 months early, can you believe it?!) and I apologize for that.  But looking at it, touching it, adoring it for a little longer gave me more time to really think about it and I found myself being quite introspective.  I know what you're thinking,

"introspective about a fabric delivery?"

and you'd be right, it's a little out there.  But I could hardly unwrap bolts of fabric with the names "Lovesme Lovesmenot" or "Maybe" or "Bubble Burst" without taking a little trip down memory lane.  It's not too often that you have reason...or maybe I should say that I have reason...to think about my first crush.  Don't you wish you knew then what you know now?  Or maybe that's half the fun.

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 I decided to look up the word "crush" and concluded that it is an aptly named occurrence.  Only the very, very last of the definitions referred to first love, but many related  squeezing, submission, burden, reducing, and altering or destroying structure.

g

Altering or destroying structure.  Hmmmm....Think about your first crush.  Were you ever the same thereafter?  Not often does your first crush turn into the love of your life, so tears, heartbreak, and maybe even devastation are bound to occur.

(Some of the following prints are not in stock in my shop, but I used them for dramatization purposes.  I have 14 total prints from the collection.)

It all begins with your

FIRST IMPRESSION

 

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You may get

MIXED SIGNALS

 

(I didn't order this one and really wish I had )

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and wonder if

MAYBE

 

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he

LOVESME LOVESMENOT

 

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Depending on the

TURN OF EVENTS

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you may end up with your

BUBBLE BURST

 

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or your heart

SHATTERED

 

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But hopefully before that happens you'll get the chance to

SLOW DANCE 

(Sadly, I didn't get this one either)

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And though there may be another meaning for the name of this print but it reminded me of this

you'll carve your initials in a tree and they'll be

WOODCUT

 

forever.

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So what was your first crush like?  Were you

CHARMED

or completely

SWEPT AWAY!

  

Enjoy!

Where did I come from?

Have you ever been so engrossed in thought while you were driving that suddenly you noticed you were at your destination but remember very little of the drive?  You know, that autopilot that has you stop to wonder, "did I stop at that stop sign?  do I remember the light being green?"  Please say you know what I'm talking about, and if I'm the only one who has ever done this then I suggest you stay far away when I'm driving!

Every now and then I have one of those moments in my life as well.  While I wouldn't call it autopilot, since my destination is rarely a familiar path I have well traveled, I certainly have made it to a few places without stopping to realize the turns I took to get here.  If I could tell you how many times I've found myself cutting fabric orders and then stopping to think "how'd I get here?  where did I come from?".  At times I feel as if my life is a tangent.  One long tangent that has strayed so far from its original course it blows my mind.

I graduated with a teaching degree from a University of Pittsburgh branch campus.  Moved to SC and taught for a few months.  Hurried back to the mountains of PA to teach kindergarten.  Which ultimately led to my husband moving here when he graduated, which brought us to building our first house.  Building the house led to an ignited interest in colors, design, and decorating.  Which led to my first "handmade" etsy shop (which I was not very good at, by the way).  Which led to my love for fabric.  Which caused me to open my fabric shop.  And now the scraps from my shop have inspired me to use them creatively for appliqueing reusable/recycled produce and grocery bags.  And I stop and ask..."how'd I get here?"

It all sort of reminds me of the song I loved growing up..."and the bird in the egg, and the egg in the nest, and the nest on the twig, and the twig on the branch, and the branch on the tree, and the tree on the root, and the root in the hole, and the hole in the ground...and the green grass grew all around and around and the green grass grew all around" *deep breath*

So in ten years time I've gone from being a teacher in SC to cutting fabric from my little shop in central PA.  Wow.  I wonder what the next ten years will bring!

My Creative Inhibitions

I have previously mentioned that despite the irony of owning a fabric shop, my  sewing skills are very limited at best.  My suspicion is that it has less to do with my actual ability to acquire the proper skills and techniques as it is the time investment involved in doing a project well.

Okay, here it is, I'll come clean: I prefer projects that offer instant gratification.  My underdeveloped ability to display patience seriously impedes both my desire to begin a project and my ability to follow through with that project once started.  I like fast results.  I want to see the fruits of my labor quickly.  There.  I said it.

 That is my number one problem with learning how to sew, and here's my number two.  I'm a perfectionist.  I can't make a creative decision.  I'm afraid I'll make the wrong fabric choices.  I'm afraid to mess it up.  I waver back and forth about making a decision about color, style, etc. and eventually my desire for it to be perfect results in nothing at all.  I like too many things, can imagine too many possibilities, and therefore often can't get my creativity off the ground.

So here's my plan.  I'm going to take on a number of simple sewing projects from sewing books and online tutorials.  Many of these will be home decorating related fabric projects.  Some will call for limited sewing and others will require me to take my time and work in steps.

My desire is that I will be able to release some creative energy (for which I actually provide very little outlet), follow through from start to finish (hopefully you will help keep me accountable), and ultimately be able to finally sit back and enjoy the process.

Pleased to make your acquaintance

I realized today, that outside of the limited information posted on my "about page", that I have not shared very much about myself, my background, or how I got to be here.  So I thought a little opening up was in order (hang on, I typically am used to pouring myself laying on a couch, so let me get comfortable!)

A couple years ago I discovered a passion for decorating and design while I was taking  some time off from teaching.  My flame was sparked during the building of our home.  Making decisions about colors, flooring, window treatments, furniture layout, it was a very exciting time.  I decided to earn a certificate degree in interior decorating, opened my own business, and took on a client or two.

But the birth of my son brought my endeavors to a screeching halt.  I always intended to be a stay at home mom, but I wanted something more.  I needed something in  addition to feedings, diaper changes, and sleepless nights.  My love for fabrics was born from my decorating experience.  Colors, textures, applications, I love it all!  I admit, I'm not as skilled at actually USING the fabrics to create something as I am inspired by it, but it hasn't stopped me yet!

I opened my Etsy fabric shop in May of last year (I can't believe it's been over a year!)  It has been an exciting ride thus far, watching my dream and determination attempt to get off the ground.  One of the things I love most, is when I am able to help a customer make choices about colors, styles, and types of fabric.  I love to see bolts of fabric come alive and take shape as anything, from handbags and dresses, to quilts and kids clothes, but interior decor holds a special place in my heart.

 It is my desire to build a fabric shop full of selection and variety and help customers realize their decorating dreams along the way.  So stick around, visit with me for a while, let me share with you my experiences while I learn from yours, so that in some way we can bring your home to life!

I wish there was more time in the day for...

...Keeping up with all my favorite blogs.

...Reading a book just for fun.

...Learning a new skill.

...Developing the skills I already have.

...Learning to garden...that is, how not to kill my plants.

...Spend a leisurely lunch with a friend.

...Shake the creativity out of my head and make it into something tangible.

...Taking pictures of the moments I'll remember for the rest of my life.

...Writing down the funny things that my two year old says so that I never forget how amazing his sense of humor is.

...Giving attention to my cats, who have fallen down on the totem pole since the birth of my son and the birth of my business.

I could probably go on, and on, and on.  But maybe instead I'll take this time to go do one of them!

Flowering Spring

Growing up in the mountains of western Pennsylvania meant that winter was long.  And cold.  It seemed as if spring was never going to come.  And even once it did, there were mountains of plowed snow in parking lots until May!  The one thing that I like about having moved to central Pennsylvania is that even though it's not that much further away, spring always comes sooner!

When I first moved this direction after graduating from college, in the spring I was awestruck by the number of naturally growing flowering trees.  I don't know what they are or exactly when they bloom, I just know they astonished me.  Back home
(again, not that far away) it seemed that the only flowering trees we had were the numerous pear and apple trees that somehow always seemed more of a nuisance. 

But the one tree that has always been nostalgic for me is the dogwood.  There is something about seeing a dogwood tree in full bloom that means home to me.  We had a summer cottage growing up that had 2 dogwood trees along the side.  They weren't very big, but the open, wide branches were perfect for climbing as a small child.  I remember spending a lot of time in the branches of those trees.

I find it no surprise, then, that the new fabric collections Poppy by Laura Gunn and Modern Meadow Joel Dewberry draw me in.  Initially, I was only going to carry one of the collections in my shop.  But I couldn't decide which.  In the end, I chose many of the prints from both collections.  I long to make something from them, but my limited sewing skills just won't do them justice!  I love that I get to see them on my shelves.  Sometimes that is just enough!  Knowing that they are there =) 

I can't wait to see all the wonderful things that all the talented sewing people out there make from these collections.  I have begun to see a few, but am keeping my eyes open for more!  If you can't make it yourself, buy it from someone else!

Chalk Dust

Do you remember in grade school how everyone was assigned certain jobs for the week in effort to teach us about responsibility and community?  There were plants that needed watering, trash to be emptied, fish to be fed, etc.

My favorite was always to clean the chalk erasers.  There was this really cool machine that you ran the erasers back and forth over and it sort of brushed and vacuumed the chalk dust away.  It was sort of strange how my favorite (well, exaggerating a little) part of the day was when the blackboards had been washed clean and the chalk dust was gone, as if each new day brought a new set of possibilities as the old day was washed away.

Anyway, I was taken down this memory lane because I taught Conner how to take the chalk eraser outside and "clap" the dust out of it.  It is now his favorite thing to do and I am finding myself wishing that door lock was up just a little higher now!

Sometimes I wish washing each day away was still as simple as using a damp sponge and cleaning out the erasers.

The Sweetest Things

In the craziness that has become my life, I sometimes forget to stop and appreciate the little things my 2 yr old does as he grows and continues to weave his life with my own.  The smallest things that say "Hey mom, I'm paying attention to you, are you paying attention to me?"

I was cleaning out some old shoes from the foyer closet the other day, and as I found  handbags and pairs of shoes worthy of keeping, I took them to my closet.  I had cleared a part of one of my shelves months ago for him to put a few of his own things on, and here's what I found.  I didn't realize he had found a pair of his own shoes and decided to do his part in helping with the organization.

 He has been desperate to help mommy sew on her sewing machine ever since I  started with the crib bumper project.  He pulled this along side and plays with it when I sew.  He calls it "Conner's sewing machine".

Other things that make me stop and smile?

• When he stands beside me with his own hair brush when I am drying my hair in the morning.
• When he tries to help US take off OUR coats when we come in the house.
• When I lay out a fabric to be cut and he touches it and tells me that it's "beautiful fagrip" (we're working on it!)
• When he takes a priority mail envelope and tries to use an empty roll of tape to keep it closed.
• When he wants to put the groceries away himself.
• When he picks up my jammies from the bathroom floor and puts them in the hamper (how sweet is that)

Life is crazy.  Life is short.  I have to remember to slow down and notice the little things.