August Lately

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!

In the Works

I'm always thinking about new items that I can add to the Design Your Own line, and two more are soon to be introduced on the site.

The first, just in time for cooler weather, is the design your own scarf. This will be available to coordinate with any of our bags and accessories. It's not super bulky, but the flannel backing makes it just snuggly enough to keep the chills away.

The next, which will also soon be available, is the Design Your Own Pendant. When you sew handbags for a living, you end up with a lot of scraps. I'm always trying to think of ways to make good use of them, and I think this is one of the best ways ever! Each one is unique, and I will make sure that each one is special and lovely.

Another New Addition

Yep- my new baby. I spent many months doing my research for a new machine and settled on the Pfaff select line. No frills, but an incredible workhorse. Please excuse the bad night-time photo- she's much prettier in person.

The only problem is, I can't decide on what to call *her*. I feel that she is definitely a she, and I'm so fond of her, she needs a special name. My first thought was Bessie, but for some reason that just didn't seem to fit. Any suggestions?

The bag in the photo is a prototype for a new design I'm working on. I have a tendency to design small bags and I'm trying very hard to expand (pun intended!) the line to include larger bags.

Why do I have a clock on the wall right in front of my sewing table? I have a tendency to get absorbed in sewing projects and I've had a few close calls when it was time to pick my preschooler up at noon. This way it's almost impossible to lose track of time!

And More!

More new goodies now available:

New Pretties

I had a productive day today-

Freshly listed and in-stock at the website or the etsy shop.

Play Time

I had time to work on that shoulder bag idea sooner than I thought. I just couldn't stand having it bounce around in my head any longer, so I pulled out a little bit of my Amy Butler stash and got busy!

I always love it when the finished product looks even better than I envisioned it, especially when it's my first try at a new technique. This bag uses a curved gusset which requires a fair amount of patience to sew correctly. I honestly didn't expect it to turn out half as well!

Blizzards, Cold and Flu, Oh My!

It all started a week ago when our oldest son came down with the stomach flu. We knew it was only  a matter of time. Then our youngest Tuesday morning, then myself Tuesday night and through Wednesday, then my husband Wednesday night. What a romantic Valentine's day. Add on top of all that (literally!) a couple feet of snow and temps hovering around zero and you've got yourself a pretty miserable week! Luckily we're all on the mend now, and looking forward to February break.

My creativity is slowly returning and I've got several works in progress at the moment, including a new wristlet design. I made some new fabric cards as a quick crafty pick-me-up, available on the site now.

I've also got lots of yummy new fabric on the way. Some is on backorder until March, but I promise it is worth the wait!

Hey, Thanks!

Ladies, thank you so much for your comforting words. It really helps!

As promised, the new fabric gallery is up and I've added some customizing options to some of my most popular items. Specifically, there's a new wristlet with removable handle and inner pocket.

I've also made my messenger bag

and the pocket clutch customizable as well.

There are currently 30 fabric combinations available to choose from, with more coming soon, I promise! Sounds like a good recovery time task, as long as the meds they give me don't make me too fuzzy brained. This from someone who gets completely incoherent when she takes Sudafed!

I'm trying to make today productive and not think about tomorrow. It's so hard when all you want to do is get something over with but you have to wait. And wait. And wait. Ah well, I just keep telling myself that by this time tomorrow it will be over and I'll never have to worry about it again!

What I Did Today

Today, while Liam was at preschool, I began the monumental task of cataloging my vast fabric supply. It makes more sense to allow customers to choose the fabric combo they want, rather than to sew one of each product in every combination there is, right?

I started with autumn color schemes for obvious reasons but I also included some of my favorites from the summer. Hey, there's a good half of the globe that's looking forward to summer starting in a few weeks right? I don't want to forget my Australian customers!

So here is a little preview of the first installment of the catalog. I made this using a flickr tool, so the names are cut off, but they'll be up for viewing on the website soon enough.

I will have many more aqua/green and blue/yellow combos up, as well as vintage, soon. Very soon!

Also, I wanted to say thanks for your nice comments from yesterday. Believe me, I am almost busting at the seams about this project but I really can't even drop a hint until things solidify. So far, so good!