Archives for posts with tag: Etsy

It is already April, and I have been very busy in this “new” year. I’ve been working on items for my store, but also for friends, and for my kids.

Five wristlets or clutches for shop and upcoming show.

Hipster purses and messenger bags for the shop and upcoming show.

More wallets which I have trouble keeping in stock. These are all mostly sold, and I need to make more.

Zip Card Carrier Wallets

Zip Card Carrier Wallets

New scarf design which sold quickly.

Shades of purple scarf

Shades of purple scarf

Therapy bags I made for my mom. The eye pillow is filled with flax seed, and the neck/shoulder pillow is filled with seed corn. They can be warmed or cooled.

Therapy bags

Therapy bags

I made a series of sewing machine mats with attached pockets for my mom, her friend, and myself. The mat is a microfiber dish drying mat, and I sewed on a five pocket flannel panel. Don’t you love my vintage singer?

Lastly, just finished robes for a king, queen, and magician for my son’s school play. Maybe Wills and Kate will want ones in the future (and Harry can be the magician!).

King, Queen, Magician Robes

King, Queen, Magician Robes

25wallets
I finally finished the 25 wallets I started a few weeks ago. Then, I had to wait for a week or so for the sun to shine for my listing pictures. Now, I am in the process of adding them all to my Etsy store.

At about step 11 out of 13 of making the wallets, I realized that I had forgotten to add my Full Cup Design sew-in labels. They should have been added around step 3. I faced the choice of ripping out all that stitching, or just going forth, label-less. I decided on the latter since the labels really only matter to me and the marketing gurus. I am a perfectionist, though, and the labels were hard to let go.

As I made this choice, I was reminded of the title of the appendix to one of my favorite books, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers. The appendix in my softcover copy is called Mistakes We Knew We Were Making. It somehow makes the mistakes seem OK and not so big of a deal. You can let the mistakes get to you, let them go, embrace them, or change the names to protect the innocent!

A full cup must be carried steadily. English proverb

I’ve been sewing and working with fabric since I was a child. My mom taught me to sew, and I have taken needlepoint and embroidery classes. I started by making sleeping bags for all my favorite stuffed animals. When I went off to college, my favorite item was the tie-dyed comforter cover I made.

After college, I had a job writing and delivering training to Wall Street traders and FAA air traffic managers. I left that high-stress world behind when my husband and I started a family. I still needed a creative outlet, and re-discovered my love of sewing. When my children were very small, I made pillows, curtains, and purses for myself and for friends and family.

In 2010 when my youngest started school, I opened up my Etsy shop. I wanted to try my hand at sewing for a wider audience. I love to buy fabric and try out new patterns, and thought Etsy would be a great way to do all of those things.

A few years ago, I saw a Nuno felted scarf that I fell in love with. I learned how to create them from my mother-in-law and decided to put a new section in my Etsy shop. I enjoy putting colors and designs together with wool and silk.

Along with reading, sewing and felting are my hobbies and stress-busters. My mission: finding beauty in simplicity and laughter over a full cup of tea.

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