August Lately

And Back Again

Life can really, really become a distraction sometimes! Suffice to say, given the lack of posts on this blog, that  life in general has been busy. The Hadley Homestead has been slowly awakening as the four (yes four!) feet of snow has finally begun to melt away and we have daylilies tentatively poking out along the edge of the house where roof melt has provided a bare patch of ground. This is not just a cheerful sight, but a miraculous one, because we have not seen a winter this long and snowy in years. We were all beginning to think we'd stumbled into a new ice age up here.

I've been keeping busy sewing custom bag orders and the busy bridal season has started. It hasn't left much time for new product development, but I'm not complaining! Assembly line bag-sewing doesn't quite fulfill my need for creativity however, so I've re-taken up knitting and have actually gone farther with it than ever before. I'm actually knitting an adult sized sweater! I'm remembering how much I love the textures and colors of yarn and the process of using simple stitches to create a unique and beautiful fabric. Since I've never knitted sweaters before, I'm planning to use up my stash of cheap acrylic yarns first so that by the time I get into my wool and cotton, I will feel confident in what I'm doing.

I've always loved working with natural fibers and materials, so I was not surprised when my muse recently whispered plant dyeing and spinning in my ear. As the snow melts away, I'm thinking about the plants and berries that will soon come to life again and provide me with an abundance of colors to work with.

I was finally able to get into Ravelry, an incredible knitting community, which I hope will help me to connect to others who will inspire me as I continue along this new crafty adventure. I found a beginner spinners group, newish knitters group, and a Vermont knitters group! If you haven't checked it out, and have even the slightest interest in yarn and knitting or crochet, you will definitely want to.

Updates

I'm sorry to report that there still is no word on Nicholas Francisco. I continue to hope for a good outcome for his wife and children. If anyone is in the Seattle area, please continue to keep your eyes open. The reward for information leading to Nicholas is now $15,000.

As for August Lately, I've been working on orders and sneaking a few new designs in between.

Meet the roomy shoulder bag:

This particular bag is made from the Amy Butler Belle collection and is a bit livelier than I intended.

The same design looks incredibly different when made with dark brown ultrasuede and a classic floral print:

The ultrasuede is gorgeous in person but what a challenge it is to photograph!

In other August Lately News- The Belle bag is now also available as a design-your-own bag at August Lately:

We're battening down the hatches for yet another snow storm here in Vermont. What a winter! Hopefully I'll get some extra sewing time in.

Nicholas Francisco Update

Nicholas has now been missing for over a week with no leads whatsoever. The good news is that Christine has now been able to get national exposure for Nicholas on Fox News and will be on CNN tonight. Every person who sees the story is another who may potentially help to bring him home.

If you are so inclined, please read the article or watch the interview on FoxNews.com. The more clicks it gets, the more promotion it will get on their site, the more eyes will see it.

The reward for information leading to Nicholas is now $15,000

A Member of the Crafting Community Needs Our Help

Nicholas' wife, Christine, has a shop on etsy.com. Nicholas has been missing since last Wednesday, with no sign of what happened to him, no cell phone, email or bank account use.

If you are in the Seattle area, or know anyone there, please pass on the word and help bring Nicholas home to Christine and their two (soon to be three) children.

Local news links:

http://www.komotv.com/news/15682797.html

http://www.king5.com/topstories/stories/NW_021608WAB_missing_seatac_man_KS.cbc94803.html

Sewing Serendipity

What if I added a piece to the top of the hobo template? That's what led to the creation of this bag:

I love it when things come out beautiful on the first try!

I'm a Knockout!

Nah, not really, but I did get a little happy surprise this morning- I noticed that my little front-pocket clutch is featured in the rotating "knockout" images on the front page of etsy.com:

A sign that the rest of the day will go well? Let's hope so!

It's Cold Outside

Which makes it that much more appealing to work on new designs for spring. I have a gigantic stash of fabrics that I don't use in my for-sale products, but instead use them up when I'm working on new designs.

Here's a sneak preview of what's to come for Spring 2008:

Flare Tote- Pleated tote bag with choice of recessed zipper or magnetic snap closure:

Bolsa (means bag in Spanish- guess I retained something from high school!)- A roomy shoulder bag with pleats and darts. Choice of recessed zipper or magnetic snap closure.

I'm not entirely sure what to call this one, or that the design is finished yet, but this is where I'm at so far with this pleated hobo:

Apparently I'm hobo challenged because I've been having a heck of a time working the shape out!

I'm planning to roll these out on the main website some time in early March. In the mean time, keep your eye on the etsy shop!

Still Here

Well, I did have a nice post all ready to go until firefox decided to crash on me. Typepad, why don't you save autodrafts for me? It would be ever so helpful!

January was the month of The Flu in the Hadley house, which is why I never got to that handmade holidays update post. The gifts we gave were gratifyingly appreciated and it is definitely something we'd like to continue for years to come.

That apron I designed? It came out so nicely, and I got such good feedback from it, that I decided to add aprons and matching dish towels to my product line. It's an idea I had been toying with for some time, and the enthusiastic response I received from the recipient sealed the deal. I'll be adding several reversible fabric combo options later today.

In January, I spent much of my time on the couch with one arm around a sick child and a sketchbook on my lap. Now that things have gone back to normal for the time being, I will be working on bringing my 2D imaginations into 3D reality. Stay tuned!

My Handmade Hoildays- An Update

So far, my husband is definitely in the lead. He has already completed the bunk beds, and since they’re hard to hide, the boys are already happily sleeping in them. We’ve reformed our original plan- the surprise/Christmas day element will be the pirate theme- complete with handmade pillows, pencil cups and pirate flag curtains from mom.

My husband has also completed my much wished-for kitchen cabinet doors, something that I have been waiting on for over five years, since we moved into the house. They are absolutely beautiful and the fact that my husband made them for me makes them so special. Home Depot could never compare.

Me? Well, I did manage to make half of an apron (which is on the list for two of our family members) before I decided that the flouncy pattern I bought was not easy- at least not for me. I’ve never been one for patterns, so in my usual style, I decided to wing it, and drafted my own pattern. It will be a grand experiment, at the very least!

I’m planning to sew like crazy to get as many August Lately orders out of the way as possible today so that I can dedicate the weekend to holiday gift sewing. Wish me luck! I’ll be back with another update next week.

Did you take the handmade pledge? If so, how are you doing with your holiday gift making?

It's a Blog Happy Day!

I'm a crafting hero. Well, I'm not so sure about that, but Lisa over at Craft Boom called me one! She was very kind in asking me to do an interview, and it was posted today! I must say that I feel a bit out of place among such incredibly inspiring women as Amy Karol and Amanda Blake Soule, but am very, very honored. Thanks Lisa!

And, when I came here to log in, I noticed that Rare Bird Finds, one of my absolute favorite blogs (run by some of my very favorite indie ladies) is the Typepad Featured Blog. Congratulations Sharla and Mei-Lynn!

Wow, that was a lot of exclamation marks. No more coffee for me.