Ms. Eileen has been absent for the last three weeks, and we have yet to receive a note from home. Unfortunately, these accumulated absences cannot be excused. Please contact us as soon as possible, to avoid further embarrassment and potential anxiety caused by her absence.
Amazingly enough, people are still reading the blog in spite of it.
Sincerely,
Blogger
Ever get caught in a funk? My muse abandoned me lately, stuck in the corner like a refurbished Roomba, repeatedly bonking her head into the wall. Or maybe that was me, come to think of it. I was sitting here feeling sorry for myself, worried that since both (BOTH!) on-call jobs hadn't called me in in over a month, I was slowly going broke again just when I'd started catching up. I know what did it - I was actually thinking that I was going to get ahead for a change. Danger, danger, Will Robinson! How can you have two on-call jobs and still be out of work? I had made merry plans, with all kinds of things I wanted to accomplish this month. Yet at every turn, things just weren't working out the way I had planned.
I did finish a couple of UFOs...and now in the middle of a heat wave my sons finally have their flannel PJ pants. (Yeesh, Mom.)
I haven't gotten started on the porch swing yet. Which was probably a good thing, considering we just had a freak early morning rainstorm a couple of days ago. Still wondering if I dreamed that....
I pulled out tons of shirts and even bought a dress with an overskirt at the Assistance League to refashion using that Vogue V7883 pattern, only to find out that it required copious amounts of fabric which the shirts and the dress wouldn't yield. Argh. Thinking I might mix and match bits and pieces instead, but I don't have enough shirts & fabric that I like the look of together. So I'm still ruminating on that one.
Haven't pulled out the paints yet to try my hand at painting the purses, though I did manage to find another one to work on at the Assistance League.
Still haven't gotten brave enough to try the free-motion stitching, though I can clearly hear it calling me night and day. And I'm looking forward to doing some hand-beaded accents once I get going.
It's the Getting Going that's the trick, especially when you feel like nothing is going your way.
Tell you what DID get my butt up and moving, though. I answered a couple of ads through Craigslist for a seamstress, and lo and behold, they both got in touch with me for potential work. One wanted to come to the house to bring a test sewing sample, and the panic set in - I haven't cleaned up in my workroom and the living room (a.k.a. the cutting room) in ages...there wasn't even a place for her to sit! Thus began a whirlwind of clearing out and cleaning up, aided by both my sons and my older son's girlfriend. After the interview, I decided that I really liked being able to get to the things I need to get projects done, so now we are in the process of figuring out the most logical way to rearrange the entire house in order to make this a more permanent change. Even though I have to travel a bit more to get to some of my stash & supplies for the time being, it's worth it. And when I finally get everything settled, it will REALLY be worth it, as I will have reclaimed the workroom for its original intended purpose. If all goes well, it will STOP looking like a cave and START looking like a more professional workspace, perhaps even with seating for future clients.
In the meantime, one of the new clients does maternity wear and sent me home with a pattern & some lovely navy knit fabric to make it up in.
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| Floor length maternity dress with tons-o-pleats! |
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| A close-up view of the crossed horizontal & vertical pleating. |
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| I think maybe this shot shows the pleating a bit better. |
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| Not to be outdone, the back had some AWESOME starburst style pleats as well! |
www.julesfordmaternity.com
I sure could have used beautiful dresses & outfits like these when I was expecting 20 years ago - most of what was available back then was either frumpy or far too pricey for my pocketbook.
The second client sells through Etsy and does appliqued onesies that are just adorable:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheSweetTartLab?ref=pr_shop
Her work has also been picked up by a couple of local stores, which would have swamped her and her business partner with orders, so they needed extra help. That's where I come in! Only problem is, I really need to keep the Sewing Assistant away from this project, as they requested smoke-free and pet-free sewing area. He just doesn't understand the new rules. (No, he doesn't smoke. Neither do I.)
Things are looking up - two new clients, a big sewing project to work on for Son #2's fall field show (more on that later), a cleaner place to work (and actually be able to get to more UFO conversions), a clearer head, and - now that I have work - more excitement for getting some things crafted for myself during the breaks. Because that's just how my Muse rolls. When she's not rolling into corners, anyway.
By the way, the Sewing Assistant is still trying to ship himself out to Grandma, probably hoping he'll get more sympathy (and more kitty treats, I'd warrant)....
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| (HMPHH! Pet-free, indeed. Send me to Grandma's house!) |
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