My step sister, Ashley (www.fernanimals.etsy.com), had given me a bunch of baby fabrics last year and I fell in love them so much, I didn’t want to use them. Or waste them. So they’ve been sitting in my storage cabinet all this time. But since my quilts haven’t been selling, I didn’t want to use the fabrics on more quilts that won’t sell. I was thinking of other things to make and remembered the pattern for the bib.

Like I said, I started cutting the fabrics yesterday. And cut some more today. I was thinking of making them double sided, with a different fabric on each side, so it would be like having two bibs for the price of one. That way if the baby was to stain one side, you could just flip it around and use the other until it’s either worn out from washing, or stained too. I don’t have any children and don’t know anything about baby products but it seems like a good idea to me. At first I thought of using snaps for closure, but I don’t know how to apply those and was thinking ribbon would work better, so that it could be tied as tight or as loose as it needs to be. A snap and/or velcro would make it so it wouldn’t be adjustable at all. A coordinating ribbon will work, I think. I’ll try it and see and post photos of course along the way.

I also took new photos of my pot holders yesterday, on a little table by the window in my living room. Those will be to put them up for sale in my Etsy shop. I haven’t gotten around to uploading them onto my laptop yet though. I’ll do that sometime within the next few days. I have a doctors appointment tomorrow afternoon, so it most likely won’t be then. Probably Saturday, since I’ll be home alone all day while my boyfriend goes to his RC racing at the hobby store.

Well, I think that’s all I have to say for now. Just wanted to update everyone on what I’m working on right now. I got called “productive” by a fellow Etsy team member yesterday on Facebook. That made me laugh. I don’t feel productive very often. I think I’m lazy and wish I was way more motivated than I am!

Please leave me some comments  and  suggestions for the baby bibs or anything else you think I should make! Thanks!

More another day.

Love Jessica Always

In the bag was a small piece of dark green felt. I have been wanting to start using felt to make different versions of my stuffed bears and bunnies, as well as start making new things like pillows and other various stuffed animals but haven’t yet. I made a fish shaped cat toy with that piece of felt and now I really want to start using it even more than I did before. It’s so easy to cut by hand (I am not physically able to use a rotary cutter, due to being disabled) and is pretty easy to sew and very easy to stuff. It’s so soft and holds a form really well once stuffed. I really like the way the toy came out. I like the way all of my toys come out, but there’s something about the felt that just makes it different. I’m disappointed that there was only that small piece of it in the bag and that I only had enough to make one toy out of it.

I think felt is pretty cheap to buy, but I guess I have to look into it more and find out.

If anyone reading this has any felt that they no longer need or want, I’d be more than happy to take it off of your hands as well.

I’ll post photos of the new toys and finished pot holders either tomorrow or Friday. I know I’m definitely taking photos of everything before Saturday, so I will make sure to post them here. And then I’ll take photos of my table, all set up for the craft show on Saturday and post those here too either  Saturday night or Sunday.

I have to go make dinner now, so… more another day. Take care.

Love Jessica Always.

Also I need to ask for some advise again, and I need it as soon as possible. I have been making new pot holders the past few days to sell at the aforementioned craft show next weekend, and don’t know which way I want them. When I first began making pot holders, I just tied a knot in the middle with embroidering floss instead of “quilting” them. I tried quilting a stitch around the inside of one the other day and like the way it looks. Now I’m not sure if I want to make all the new ones like that from now on, or like the ones I was making before. I sold all but three of the old version at my yard/craft sale last month, so I kind of know some people liked them the way they were, but they haven’t been selling in my etsy shop, so I don’t know if I should change them.

This is where you come in… Do you like the old one or the new one better? Please let me know.

Old One

New One (Please pay no attention to the bad stitching job, it was my very first time doing such a thing)

My messy desk, as it is today.

All of the thread and zippers that I've been wanting to sell.

My pile of almost finished pot holders.

My pile of completely unfinished pot holders.

A stack of my finished quilts. I've sold one since this photo was taken.

My cat, Gracie, being naughty on my desk. My desk isn't usually such a big mess, like it was that day!

Gracie's brother, Little Man, being naughty like his sister, on my desk and getting into my crafts. (I think his mouth is open in this photo!)

My desk, covered in finished and unfinished crafts, a few months ago.

My fabric stash, in my storage cabinet, after organizing it all.

Maybe I’ll take newer photos soon.

I hope you enjoy these for now.

I have red, yellow and blue squares, all with white polka dots.

Should I put the colors together along with white squares and make one quilt or make three different quilts? One blue and white, one yellow and white and one red and white?

I kind of want to make three different quilts.

What do you think?

Edited to add: Here are links to the eBay auction pages that I won so you can see the colors of the fabric.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170348877779

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170347938660

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170345088484

Hopefully those links work. Let me know. I want to get working on it or them tomorrow!

I thought I got the motivation from yesterday. I had a really good day out by myself. I walked a few blocks downtown to go to the Arts Market, where I met some of my fellow NH Etsy Team members. I chatted with a few of the ladies for a while about crafting, Etsy and the Arts Market. It was really nice to be able to talk with people who are into arts and crafts like I am. It’s tough living with a boyfriend who doesn’t have any interest in your craft and when that’s the only person you have to talk to every day. I hope to have future meet-ups with these ladies and that we become good friends.

After the Arts Market, I walked over to Main Street to visit Peggy Anne’s Quilting store, which I never knew existed until last week when one of the crafters at the Arts Market told me about it when I asked her where she buys her fabric. I have walked up and down Main Street many times and never noticed the Quilting store before. It’s a cute little store with a lot of beautiful fabric. I went there to ask if they ever do any classes or group meetings for local crafters/sewers. They said they are working on a schedule now and took my email address and phone number to contact me when they have a set schedule. I also left a bunch of my business cards there.

I’m really into meeting new people lately, which is strange for me because I have always been the type of person to stick to myself and never venture out to make new friends. I’ve always been shy and would never talk to new people unless they initiated the conversation and even then, most of the time the conversation would end very quickly because I’ve been so shy and was terrible at small talk. A few years ago I would have never walked up to a stranger and introduced myself. I guess I’m growing more as a person (or just desperate for friends. LOL.).

After that I just walked around downtown for a while, enjoying being out in the sunshine and being out by myself, free to do whatever I wanted. I went into a couple of the stores and took my time browsing the merchandise.

But now, I don’t have the motivation to work on anything. It’s too hot and I’m tired and just don’t have any ideas at the moment.

Leave me some comments and give me some encouragement!

More another day.

Love Jessica Always

I love fabric so much, so most of the time I have a hard time deciding what to do with it, because I don’t want to waste it by having the finished project turn out ugly or looking like crap.

I’m contemplating whether or not to do a craft show next month. I have to call the lady tomorrow to see about it.

So, that’s what I’m up to now.

More another day.

Love Jessica Always.

I made my very first quilt in my tenth grade Home Economics class. By then I was more in touch with my girly side so I chose different shades of purple fabrics with varying flowery prints and made it in an Around The World pattern. I still have it to this day.

After that I kind of lost interest in quilting. I was more into hanging out with friends and chasing boys. And still not willing to learn how to do any of the crafts my mother was doing.

In 2001, after I graduated high school, and a two month hospital stay, I suddenly wanted to make another quilt. So, I did. This time choosing pink and white fabrics. After that I made a black and dark blue quilt and gave it to my brother Jason that Christmas. Then once again, I lost interest.

My mother moved to MN in 2002 and I went to live with my father. I tried college for a couple of years, but that wasn’t for me. In 2006 I met my boyfriend Corey and six months later we moved into this apartment together. About a year and half ago I started getting the creative itch again and wanted to get back into sewing to give me something to do while Corey was at work. I didn’t have a sewing machine though. I mentioned it to my grandmother and two aunts, who also sew, and one day while at my grandparents house my great Aunt surprised me by giving me her spare sewing machine. Soon after that I found a woman on Craigslist that was selling all of her fabric for a dollar a yard. I couldn’t pass that opportunity up. I explained to Corey how good a deal that was and he brought me to her house one day where we spent a couple of hours going through piles of fabric. We ended up buying sixty dollars worth.

Now all I needed was a desk to put the sewing machine on. We found one not too long after that and my craft room was finally set up. I started sewing but was quickly frustrated with the machine giving me trouble every time I tried using it. Last year, noticing my frustration, Corey bought me a brand new sewing machine of my own. Finally I was able to sit down and successfully sew a quilt. I started making baby/lap sized quilts and pot holders. Later on I started making stuffed bunnies, bears and cat toys. All of which are in my Etsy shop right now @ www.lovejessicaalways.etsy.com

Love Jessica Always