Fleeting Winter WW

One 'FAT' Quarter

Have you heard this old adage?  A farmer friend of mine used to say "Eat it up" for the first line! It goes like this:

Use it up,

Wear it out,

Make do or

Do without!

Well, recently,   I had a novelty print fabric with some cute turtles on it and decided to 'use it up'.  I titled this post "One FAT quarter" but, as I think of it, I believe there was more like a third to a half yard of it. I really didn't mark it down. Anyway, I strive to not have leftovers, so I spent the afternoon using up this particular piece of fabric!  Look at what I ended up making--of course, by adding a few other fabrics from my stash! 

Two (2) crayon roll-ups with a matching fabric, two (2) little 'Anything Bag' zipper pouches (one I gave to my sister) and a pillowcase edging using some white fabric that I also had.  I did a post on Friday about the pillowcase, titled "Last but Not Least" which strikes me now as funny and so appropriate since it is a pokey turtle!  The remaining items are now available in my shop.  

It was a fun afternoon and I felt like I had accomplished something!   When is the last time you felt that way?

Last but not Least!

Not my usual 'Friday Finds' post today because I have one final thought about the SewExpo . . . .

Their charity for the event was Mary Bridge Children's Hospital & Health Center in Tacoma WA. They serve All of SouthWest Washington state with their mission to provide care for all children, regardless of the family's ability to pay.  According to Barbara Littrell, of the hospital, "Every child who comes to Mary Bridge gets to pick out his or her own pillowcase.  That pillowcase often becomes their comfort item--something they can take with them when they have to go for tests . . . you'll see children holding their Sew Expo pillowcase as they sit in chemotherapy chairs or get rolled down the hall for surgery. Of course, the children take their pillowcases home with them--which means Mary Bridge needs about 900 pillowcases a month."

I made one this year and was pleased to see a huge stack of pillowcases displayed at the Expo as the attendees brought them in.  They collected nearly 3000 pillowcases!  I know the kids will be blessed!

(I've been sew into reporting on the SewExpo that I forgot to do a post that I promised, about my productive day with this turtle yardage!  Watch for it on Monday!)   

SewExpo Profit Class

Although attending the SewExpo in Puyallup WA was less than I had expected, I did take two classes that I felt were helpful and worth the trip.  I have already discussed one of these classes in last Tuesday's post. 



Kandi Christian of SewTimeless

The other class I enjoyed was called 'Turning your Passion into Profit'  by Kandi Christian. (She is the author of a book by the same title.)  Kandi is  an entrepreneur, a former corporate executive who left the business world in favor of her creativity and her artistry. She is a fiber artist who specializes in heirloom embroidery.  I had a chance to talk with her briefly and she is a very delightful lady!

Her class was a lot of information that I, and other serious Etsy sellers, already knew, but it was a good refresher course with some new information to glean.  Of course not many in this class were Etsy sellers and Kandi dispensed tons of information for those wanting to be or thinking about being an entrepreneur.  She wasn't selling anything, although I did go to her booth later and buy her book.

The best advice, that I think she gave was to call your self an artist.  She calls herself a fiber artist, I call my self a textile artist. (Mostly because I work with fabrics, and Kandi works with thread, yarn, and fabrics.) It's all about how you think yourself to be, and presenting yourself properly to prospective buyers.  One other thing that she said was to call your items, not "handmade" but "handcrafted".  This denotes an artistic designed stylish piece, not just made at home.

Kandi discussed the four P's of PROFIT--Product, Pricing, Promotion, Placement--which I won't go into in this post--I'd be repeating almost her entire lecture!  Purchase her book on her website if you want more information!

All things considered, the SewExpo provided me with some information and some ideas of where to purchase specific supplies in the future, albeit not in huge amounts.  'Sew' . . . . I guess it was a good experience, but I will be looking for another informational venue for future attendance.

SEW . . . .
what shows or venues do you attend to learn more about your craft?

Coastal Caterpiller WW