Super Moon

Sitting here LATE on a Sunday night--well really, it's so late, it's now Monday morning and I'm sitting here staring at the Super Moon.  I just finished sewing a top for an 18 inch throw pillow that is my next project.  I am offering this project as a class and also as kits or as a custom order.  Classes galore coming up as we make our way through summer.  I am finishing up with the last two beginner's classes over the next couple of week.  These are the last of this class until October.  Coming up, watch for throw pillow classes, table runner classes, appliqued throws,  iPad case classes and many more.  I am offering my class patrons a class pass so they can take unlimited classes for one price.  I recently purchased a die cutter to help cut applique kits.  It's out of the box, but as usual, it's taking me a few days to actually get around to making friends with it.  I'm really excited about the die cutter in that it will help me teach my classes how to applique and open a new market for my kits.  My online shop plugs along pretty well.  I'm still averaging about one sale per week which still keeps me busy and keeps my inventory turning over often enough.

All in all, business is good and the summer is busy.  The new tote I am offering for custom order has not caught on like I had hoped, but that's fine.  My daughter loves using hers on her summer camp pool days.  I've got a few more purse ideas cooking and I'll be introducing a school lunch bag in time for back-to-school.

I was getting a facial and (overdue!) eyebrow wax yesterday, and my esthetician agreed to allow me to hang a couple wall hangings in her salon.  She is the owner, and a very nice lady who enjoys helping other small business owners where she can.  Currently, she has displayed paintings by a local artist.  I'm really excited for this local exposure and plan to get then done in the next month so I can have them ready by my next facial.  I'll be ordering the fabric tomorrow to begin that project.  My daughter and I will be starting her bed quilt in fun floral prints.  It is so much fun to sew with her.

Things have slowed down some, as they do ebb and flow in any business.  It would be easy to become frustrated but the other day I received this sweet message on Facebook messenger from a woman that used to attend our church.  She sews as well (I mean she actually knows how to sew EVERYTHING like a true professional--she's not a straight-lined quilting poser like me! Lol!) and wrote to me to express how proud she was of my success and was so encouraging in her message.  That's when I realized that God provides everything we need in His perfect timing.  Her message made my day and reignited my motivation.

Today, my minister's message was about extending hospitality to people--inviting them to your home just so you can get to know them and show the love of Jesus to them.  That struck a chord with me as well, as one of my current students who is another church member and has been coming to my home for her quilt class has been having serious behavioral issues with her little girl.  Someone who started out as an acquaintance at church, has found in me someone she can talk to about her struggles and we have become good friends.  Old fashioned hospitality really works to build relationships and quilting of all things, opened that door for me to get to know someone better that I might otherwise not have made the time or effort to get to know.  "I'm so busy" is our mantra now--what are we missing out on?

So until next time, I'll be finishing up my class samples--two different throw pillows.  My daughter and I will be starting on her bed quilt and I'll be making those wall hangings for Serenity Salon.  We'll fit a couple more vacations in there too...but for now, I'm going to go back to admiring this amazing moon and go to bed like a normal person.  Be who you are...chase your dreams and relentlessly pursue who God called you to be.  Good night.

Summer is for Sewing!

Its been a couple of weeks since my last post. Our family survived five straight days of soccer tryouts at three different local clubs. The Sunday following tryouts is "call day" and families wait by the phone starting at 2 PM to find out what offer their child will get. My little one made the U10G Premier Team, she will be returning with five of her previous teammates and has a phenomenal coach who played for his European national team. We can't wait to get started with training. 

For the Memorial Day holiday weekend, we headed back to our hometown to visit and decorate graves of family members.  When we visit, we always stay with my mom's brother and his wife.  The quilt you see above was made by me as a Christmas gift for them about eleven years ago. They have used it regularly ever since and it still looks pretty good for it's age. It brings a smile to me to see that this thing I made still makes them think of me and all the quilts or gifts I make, even for non-family members, carry a piece of me.  There aren't too many things we do in this life that allows us to say that--many of us spend most of our lives pursuing things that don't really matter at all. 

My inaugural boot campers completed their table toppers.  My second class is knee deep in piecing and I have another class starting this Tuesday. I've launched a new product, a reversible tote in time for the summer pool and beach season.  I've actually swiped a pattern from a Craftsy class for this one just because it was a great project that was simple and practical. Love it! 

So now our family kicks off our summer with the first of three planned vacations. We have always kept up a pretty fast-paced lifestyle so our vacations mean a lot to us.  It's our way (especially for me) to be forced to slow down and just be together. 

Summer 2013 will bring more classes, (hopefully) more custom made products, and work beginning on my home-based quilt shop.  The plan now is to kick off my grand opening with a crafters/consultants open house at summer's end and I've already got a couple of independent business owners registered for booths. Riding the waves and excited to see where they take me....thanks for riding along.