The End of One Road, But the Journey Continues

Where did summer go?  My daughter is back in school, Labor Day weekend is nearly upon us and her soccer season is in "Go" mode. It seems like I was just writing about the Niagara Falls trip that we took right after school was out.  Labor Day is bittersweet as it brings the end of summer, but signals the beginning of Fall in Ohio which can be a very beautiful time of year.  Of course, Fall is followed by Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day which right now NO ONE wants to think about!

This Labor Day weekend brings a little something else for our family;  the sale of the rental property that I had mentioned several posts ago, will be closing tomorrow.  I'm so happy to not have to go clean it for showings or have my husband worry about keeping up with the grass, but as I mentioned before, I wish things could have worked out differently for my brother in law and he could have purchased it.   It was not God's plan I guess, and we wait to see where He leads.

With the rental property gone, I can get my husband focused on finishing my shop/studio!  We are in the process of giving the hot tub away, my windows will hopefully get ordered next week and I've been amassing vintage antiques for use as fabric storage and display.

   As this picture shows, my cat assumes I bought a new kitty perch just for her.  She's got a surprise coming!  I mentioned in the last blog post that my daughter and I were trying something new...and yes it is an AWESOME new product:

No, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you ---Quilt Store Next Door will soon be selling assorted soaps with gift sets.  Marketed as "Two Roses" for Quilt Store Next Door, these are shea better and goat's milk soaps in several colors and scents.  I already have about a dozen orders for the soap gift sets which will also include a lovely appliqued finger tip towel made by Quilt Store Next Door on this sweet baby:

Yes, I broke down and decided that I needed a 

serger!  I've contemplated buying one for years but couldn't justify it since I don't "sew."  Well, it will be a life saver when I'm making these towels, as you can see however, I am still afraid of it so it is still safely in the box until I can figure it out!

Getting time to figure anything out lately has been next to impossible with how busy my shop (and me!) is becoming.  I've made oodles of lunch totes and still have an orders for 6-7 more in my queue.  

I also made my daughter a class switch bag and the new item for Fall is a microwaveable bowl cozy.  These items have been flying out the door so hence, I never get out of my studio when I'm home!  I don't mind though, I LOVE what I do.  I realized this week that I think I finally know what I would like to be when I grow up, and this little humble business is it.  I have a lot more plans that you will be seeing solidify in the upcoming months, but for now, I am actually going to go to bed and get some beauty sleep.  Thank you for your faithful reading and God bless you and your family.  Until next time, good night!

I Spent Friday Dyeing

As the title of this week's post tells you, my big accomplishment was FINALLY getting around to hand dyeing some fabric! My daughter and I joked all day about "getting around to dyeing" or "after we run errands, we're going to dye" and in her words: "that joke never gets old!"  She's hit the age where she LOVES a good play on words! Nonetheless, I posted about six months ago that I had bought dyeing supplies and PFD fabric but then I didn't want to do it inside so as not to have proper ventilation and once nice weather came upon us---well, it's "August Already" and here we are. As I mentioned in my last post, I'm spending the last two weeks of summer break home with my daughter, and so we "dyed!" Ha! Here's the breakdown: I had read plenty about the process, but reading and doing are two different beasts. I had already gathered my armamentarium, so we set up on my porch (aka future quilt shop and studio) and from there, it was messy and a little nerve racking. Of course, the labels warn that you should wear a mask and gloves, as procion dyes are known carcinogens in the state of California (haha, I love labels written like that) and so I figured it was safe to assume that the powders were carcinogenic in Ohio as well. So, there was just a lot of care to be taken.  My daughter dyed and painted a little t-shirt as well. In the end, it was one beautiful mess. I dyed five yards of fabric and the results look like this 

You'll notice you only see four bolts.  I have another bolt of green that was too light and had too many blotches so that becomes part of our next project.  More on that next week! ;-)

These did not come out perfect for my first rodeo.  The fuchsia has some grains, the purple has one really light blotch, but the green and blue actually turned out nice.  These are available by the half yard on my website www.quiltstorenextdoor.etsy.com for $5.50 per half yard. 

Would I do it again? That would be a resounding YES! In true Shelley fashion, I am hooked on this--it was fun, a little stressful, very messy, but the results were worth it. I ordered more fabric today and some new fall tones.  

It was a great ending to a great week with my girl. Monday, she took her first sewing class that taught how to make a pillowcase.  We came home and made a second one for her full sized bed and they are gorgeous! I'm very proud of her.  We visited the Columbus Zoo, had lunch with my husband, dyed fabric and signed her up for TWO MORE sewing classes for September and October.  That was our first week! We have one more week and LOTS of plans....I'll tell you more later--I've got a sleepover to get to.  Bye all, and as always, thank you for reading. 

If you haven't already, you can "like" Quilt Store Next Door on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. 

August Already?

Good morning! It's a beautiful Sunday morning in Lexington, KY! Our family enjoyed another weekend getaway, this time to Lexington with my in-laws in tow so they could enjoy a visit to the Kentucky Horse Park with my daughter. If you are at all interested in horses, this is an amazing place to visit. You will learn about many different breeds and get to see several retired race horses, including Kentucky Derby winners. 

As we head home today, I begin a two week "staycation" from work. I'll be spending the last two weeks of my daughter's summer break with her before she heads back to school.  It is so bittersweet that it is August already. I have been looking forward to having this time off with her all summer, but I also know it means back to school is coming, followed by the end of summer.  But I am also amazed that it is August already because my quilting journey part two, that you have been faithfully following, started in January---seven months ago! It's been an incredible seven months! My online shop, Quilt Store Next Door, just finished a record sales month in July. It's only August 4th, and the shop has already had one large order on Friday that I will be shipping tomorrow morning. 

In my physical home-based shop, I'll also be working on completing four more lunch tote orders. This one below is the first completed order which will be delivered tonight to its very excited owner! 

The next tote is getting personalized. This allowed me to play around with my Accuquilt die cutter making letters and doing some appliqué. 

I'll post a pic next time of the completed lunch tote. This is going to be a cutie! 

As for progress on my home-based quilt and fabric shop, I got an estimate on windows which was a great price and we will be moving forward getting those installed hopefully around the end of this month. I've been checking flea markets for hutches, shelving and decor for the interior of my shabby chic/vintage look shop. More ideas swirling in my head. 

Next Sunday, is the beginning of August class season.  We will start with another throw pillow class, followed by a "Bring your own project" class that will allow students to bring that project that they either have no idea how to get started or, have no idea how to finish, and I will help them through it.  Later this month, my students will get to start their first applique project with some simple applique circles. I have a lot in store for them--now I just have to get started on the class samples!

My little one, upon asking for her sewing machine that reignited this whole thing, wants to learn to make clothes......well, I don't do that and I have no desire, or available time to learn, so tomorrow we head off to the big box craft store so that my daughter and her BFF can take their first sewing class.  They will be making pillow cases followed by a girl's day out lunch with her and her mother.  It'll be a great way for us to kick off our two week girly staycation and we're pretty excited.  I think I see some simple kit ideas coming out of this pillowcase class.  

Lots of work to do and I love it!  I'm not quite where I had hoped to be on some things, such as my catalog, but when I start beating myself up for getting behind, I have to stop and remind myself that this all began because I was following God's plan and still now, I have to leave things up to His timing.  Yes, it's August already....

Traveling to Mecca

Hello form the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY!  Well, actually, I'm not there anymore, I'm back home trying to keep up with this summer that seems to be racing by us!  But, my family did make the trip to Paducah--the Quilter's Mecca-- this past weekend.  The museum is absolutely amazing.  These are not your Grandma's quilts; these quilts are art in it's truest sense.  Beautifully imagined by their creators and made with the best of craftsmanship, each one is the creme de la creme of quilts.  I don't know that I'll ever be as skilled as any of the artists.  Even my husband, who had already relegated himself to boredom, was awed by what he saw.  If you get the chance to make it down there in the near future, they are currently displaying a Civil War Quilt Exhibit that is amazing. While in Paducah, we visited several quilt shops, including Eleanor Burns "Quilt in a Day" shop and the famous, and overwhelming, Hancock's of Paducah.  I can't even begin to guess the number of fabric bolts they have in that store.  By the time I'd left, I was in sensory overload!  The next day, we headed over to Louisville, KY where we attended a worship service that left me speechless at Southeast Christian Church.  It was a great weekend.  The best part was that prior to leaving on this trip I had completed my daughter's school lunch tote and once it went public on my Facebook page, I immediately received five orders.  I have to admit, it is SUPER cute!

After returning home from Paducah, we released the Painted Lady butterflies my daughter had been raising and I was able to get this amazing photo. 

Wednesday my little one headed off to church camp for 2 1/2 days.  She had a blast and even though I missed her like crazy, I know experiences like this are helping her grow into a stronger person and stronger Christian. As for me, I fully intended to really sew! sew! sew! while she was gone, but instead, I just hung out with my husband and enjoyed some time alone with him.  While I'm glad I made that investment, I now have A LOT of work on my plate for the next couple of weeks.  

Tomorrow is another class day.  A throw pillow class and a pattern reading basics class with my usual group of ladies who I just adore. 

I truly enjoy writing this blog each week.  I am blessed to be able to express myself this way, I am blessed by all the friends and family who have supported me from day one in prayer, sales, orders, promotion and by word of mouth.  I appreciate all the wonderful comments, compliments and feedback I have received that has kept me encouraged.  As always, you have my gratitude.

  

Spoiled Little Princess

Good Evening!  We made it home safely from our Virginia getaway and life continued on as usual.  Today I taught the first "Make Your Own iPad Case" class.  I'm only offering this class one time this year.  I have so many other projects I'd like to share, I am ready to move on.  I'm not happy if I don't have seven projects going at once and I guess I want all my students to be in that predicament too! Lol!  Nevertheless, these ladies did great and took home some beautiful creations.  A lot of fun was enjoyed, and I believe some new friendships made, as well.

As I mentioned last time, my online shop has been crazy busy! You won't hear me complaining, I love shipping new orders out to places far and near.  I feel like a little piece of me gets to visit all over the world!

My husband's truck decided it was wanting some attention in the form of some transmission work..no big deal...transmissions are cheap! Right! This new little expense now jumped ahead of the need to get the windows installed in my porch so construction can begin on my shop.  Pair that with the fact that our rental property still hasn't sold and of course, there are expenses incurred in carrying a property that is sitting empty.  I would be lying if I didn't tell you that I became discouraged---beaten down, really.  I began to question whether this "quilting thing" is really my calling by God and that maybe these things were His way of telling me that I just needed to grow up and work my nice little job like everyone else does and just be content with what I have.  I spent some time in prayer--a little ranting, a lot of pouting, really.  I let God know I was angry.  I behaved like a spoiled little princess---and you know what?  God showed up. Despite my ingratitude for a life already enormously blessed, He showed up.  That day we had three showings on our rental property and two offers--a multi bid scenario-- and it is now in contract for list price!  We're not having a party yet, there are still at least 45 days, an inspection and appraisal between us and "SOLD," but He did not forsake me.  He didn't let me give up on this dream.  I hope you realize, my friends, God loves you more than anything and He can handle your anger.  You're not going to spew anything at Him that He doesn't already know is in your heart.  He knows your innermost thoughts, He knit you together and knows you better than you know yourself.  You can't surprise Him, and if you let Him, He will show up in your life too.  As I said, my situation is not in the "happily ever after" stage yet--I don't know what will happen next, but God let me know that this dream is real and that maybe it isn't time for me to grow up quite yet.

Let Freedom Ring!

Happy Fourth of July! I'm writing today's post from the comfort of the home of our very good friends, Bill and Becki and their three almost-grown sons who live in Virginia. This sweet family used to go to our church where Bill served for many years as the Associate Minister and Worship Leader. My husband and I got to know them well singing with them in our church's worship team. About six years ago, Bill took a position at his current church in Virginia where he now serves as the Senior Minister. Since they moved, a Virginia vacation has become a yearly tradition for our family. Each year, we visit different peripheral locations for fun while we're in the area. This year was no different--we visited Washington and Lee University, historic Lexington, Va, Virginia Horse Center, historic Staunton and Charlottesville. I have recently decided that my new mission is to "quilt shop hop"--visit quilt shops in every location we visit to get ideas for my own quilt shop. I want to experience the elements of each quilt shop that invite you to return. The quilt shop pictured above is located in Staunton, VA. This was an adorable shop in an old railroad station that invited you in immediately with the sweet smells of handmade bath soaps. We went on to Charlottesville, VA where we visited the quilt shop pictured below. 

This shop, located in a strip mall, lacked the charm of the shop in Staunton, but was also a Bernina dealer (yes, I am in the market for a new machine) and had some very knowledgeable and helpful staff. After a nice chat, we moved on to our friend's house. Last month during a visit to Niagara Falls, I visited the next shop in a town called Niagara on the Lake. 

I have also used this trip as an opportunity to "clear my creative head," watch some online quilt classes and tutorials and get some new ideas for my upcoming product lines. It's so easy in my line of work to try to spread oneself too thin and make too many things in an effort to appeal to EVERYONE.  I believe it is necessary every once in awhile to "retreat," regroup and refocus. I'm probably not the only "artsy-fartsy" type of person whose head just sometimes swirls with ideas so it's definitely a good thing to get grounded. 

Things otherwise have been busy. The last beginner's class is finishing up.  Next Saturday I'll be teaching the first "make your own iPad" class followed by the "frame it up" throw pillow class in two weeks.  I've offered to my returning students a "class pass" to enable them to take unlimited classes through November. My online shop has picked up considerably this month and work is in progress on my home-based shop.  I'll be calling a window professional on Monday. 

"Frame it Up" 18 inch Throw Pillow

So, for now, I plug along, but after this trip, I do it with a bit more clarity and defined direction. I've made a list of 28 items that will be featured in my first catalog as I embark on my future home parties. I'm free of some of the confusion I was experiencing recently; but I feel fireworks inside my heart and mind when I think of the independence and freedom I hope to someday gain from this venture. 

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.