143 Means I LOVE YOU

Some of you may not know this, in fact I didn't know it myself until my husband told me the story about it. He even bought me little earrings that are stamped with 143. Last Christmas he made me the wooden block that you see in the photo and it's one of my favorite gifts ever!

There is a beautiful story behind the 1-4-3 about a lighthouse. Every day, Minot’s Ledge Lighthouse blinks “I Love You” to Lighthouse Lovers by using a 1-4-3 flashing sequence which is the same numerical count as the words “I love you.” The lighthouse carries the nickname, the “Lover’s Light” or the “I Love You Light.”

On November 15, 1860, Fitz James O’Brien’s “Minot’s Ledge” poem was published in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine. There are also great stories of hauntings from this romantic lighthouse. I found this great article explaining it in much better detail than I have here:

https://lighthousestars.wordpress.com/2008/02/14/minots-ledge-i-love-you-lighthouse-143

The mug rug pattern shown above can be purchased at my Etsy Shop or my Craftsy Shop.

A Peek Inside My Job(s)

I do consider myself a full time business owner where I set my own schedule and work from home. But what some of you might not know is that before I took that plunge, I worked full time for an animal clinic where we also work with rescues, humane societies, and we rehab wildlife. It's such a stressful, yet rewarding job where there is never a dull minute. That's why when I left there in November of 2013, I happily told them I would love to fill in for vacations and various days off for my co-workers. It's a perfect situation for me and them! They get someone to fill in when they are short handed, and I get to get back with the public, the animals, and the best group of co-workers you could ask for. Occasionally I can't fill in sometimes, but most of the time, I jump on the opportunity.  You seriously never know what you are going to get from one day to the next. Early in my career there, a gentleman handed me a six foot python and told me he could no longer keep it. That was the first time I ever held a snake. It was a nice snake, thank God!

For the past few months I've been filling in a lot, and I'll be filling in a lot more during the summer months. I've shared pictures on the blog of cool things or unusual animals we get in. Last week we even made the local news. Since our doctor is a generous man and and exceptional veterinarian, we make the news a lot. A few months ago it was a coyote that fell off the third floor of a parking garage. We fixed his leg and he was later released. Yesterday a man was walking his dog and was shot. Unfortunately he didn't make it, but animal control brought us the dog which we did a leg amputation. Below is a link to the news article. You can see the interview with my boss and the treatment room where all the big stuff goes down!

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/video/11427248-dogs-leg-will-be-amputated-following-shooting-that-killed-owner

Tutorial - Car Bag or Tablet Cozy

 

I actually designed this bag out of need. I don't always know which car I'll be in day to day, or what I'll need for that trip. If I'll be using the GPS on my phone, I'll want to grab my charger, or I might need my sunglasses or camera. If I'm going to be gone for the day, I might want to pack a healthy snack. I suppose I could carry a larger purse but I like to travel light so I carry a very small cross body bag. It's so easy to put what I need in this bag, and I can leave it in the car. The best part, it hangs from my doorknob so I don't forget it. I even made one from fun citrus colors for my tablet. Plus, I never forget my bug spray for my walks anymore!

Supplies

Strips of 100% cotton fabric, at least 2 or 3 inches longer than the width of your bag

--Can use various widths if you want, I placed mine at slight angles

100% cotton batting or interfacing fleece, size depends on how big you want your bag

--I wouldn't recommend polyester batting because the "loft" will affect the finished size

100% cotton muslin, about 1 inch larger all the way around your fleece or batting

100% cotton fabric for lining, same size as your finished quilted piece

3 X 14 inch fabric for strap (optional)

Scrap of fabric for inside pockets, size you desire (optional)

2 to 5 inch piece of velcro, depending on the size of your bag

--For my larger bag I used a 5 inch piece, for the tablet cozy, I used a 2 1/2 inch piece

Thread

Cutting tools

Measuring tools

Pins, needles, sewing machine, iron, fabric marking pens

Instructions

1.  Iron your chosen fabrics and muslin. Cut the batting or fleece down to the size you are making the bag. For example, I want my bag to measure 11 inches wide, by 8 inches high, with about a 6 inch flap. For my bag to be this size, I cut my fleece (I used fleece for the car bag, and 100% cotton batting for the tablet cozy):

--12 inches wide (my 11 inches plus 1/2 inch for each side seam allowance)

--23 inches long (my 8 inch height times 2, plus 6 inches for flap, and 1/2 inch for seam allowances)

Note: I did notice that my length shrunk just under 1/2 inch during stitching. This isn't uncommon when machine quilting. If you will be making a cozy, and you want a snug fit, take this into consideration and make your measurements accordingly. It's also important to remember that your seams will be bulky. This is critical to figure in if you are planning a snug fit.

2.  Lay your batting or fleece on top of your muslin which should be about an inch bigger all the way around. Pin in place to secure. Machine baste all the way around about 1/4 inch from each edge. For this part I like to loosen my tension because if your stitches are too tight, they will really shrink your fabric and fleece. (Image 1)

3.  Cut the muslin even with the fleece or batting. As you can see, I like the rounded corners on mine, so I just took a food storage lid and drew a line to round my corners. After I cut them away, I went back to the machine and stitched the curved edges just as I did the straight edges, with a basting stitch and 1/4 inch away from edge. You can also do this after you have stitched all your strips to the batting or fleece. (Image 2)

 

4.  Place this on your work table with the batting or fleece facing up. Lay your strips of fabric across the width overlapping each other. I slightly angled all mine to give it a super casual look, but you can stitch them perfectly even all the way down if you prefer. Be sure your ends extend beyond the sides so there will be no white showing through. If you are going to stitch them down in angles like I did, you will want them to be a couple inches longer than the width because you will be flipping the fabric strips over after stitching. 

Arrange your strips until you are happy with the way it looks. I always cut a few extra because I usually need them. Now stack the strips up neatly in the order you will be stitching them down and take them to your sewing machine with your batting or fleece and muslin piece. (Image 3)

5.  If you loosened the tension for your machine basting, don't forget to adjust it now for your stitching. You want your stitches to be secure but you don't want them to be too tight. I always use a test strip of the fleece or batting I'm using so I get it right. Place your first strip down with the right side facing up. This is the only one that will be stitched on this way. Stitch it in place along the edge that it is covering using 1/4 inch seam allowance. You won't be able to see the edge, but you will be able to feel it when you are holding the fabric down. Don't worry about the ends extending beyond the edges, we'll trim them away later. (Image 4)

 

 

6.  For the remaining strips you will be positioning them with the wrong side up, then flipping them. So place your second strip on top of the first one and stitch 1/4 inch away from the edge that is closest to the center. I have placed mine at angles, so I trimmed away the excess of the strip before it, but you don't have to do that if you don't want. Be sure that that you smooth it out neatly before stitching and remember that when you flip the strip over so the right side is facing up, there should be no white showing and the ends of the strips should extend just a little beyond the edges of the batting or fleece piece. If you do flip it over and the color you stitched this one to is darker, you might have to trim it away so the darker seam allowance doesn't show through lighter color strip. 

(Image 5, 6, 7)

7.  Continue using this technique until you have all your strips stitched in place. When you get to the last one, be sure to stitch the edge of the strip down 1/4 inch away from the edge of the batting or fleece piece just as you did for the first one. This will keep them secure for the final steps. (Image 8)

8.  Take back to your work table, with the wrong side facing up, and cut away all the excess fabric. Flip it over now and see your designer fabric! (Image 9, 10)

9.  Position one of your velcro pieces (centering left to right) on this piece. The best way I have found to do this is by folding your fabric piece exactly how you will when you are ready to assemble the bag. Turn your upper edge of the bag 3/4 inch to the wrong side, secure with pins or clips, then bring your flap down where you want it to be. Make sure that the the velcro piece is completely covered. I allowed the bottom of my flap to extend at least an inch beyond the velcro piece underneath so that after the seam allowance (when stitching the flap to the lining) there is no way the velcro could peek through. Pin in place to secure, then stitch the velcro piece down close to the edges of the velcro. It's also important that you begin and end your stitching with back stitching or your velcro pieces with tear away from the fabric when you are opening your bag. Back stitching is something I always do at the beginning and ending of my stitching as a standard practice. You can leave the clips or pins in where you folded the edge down, but don't stitch that yet. Set aside for now if you will be making the strap or pocket. If you will not be making those, skip ahead to step #12. (Image 11, 12, 13)

10. If you will be adding a strap, take the 3 X 14 inch piece of fabric and fold it in half lengthwise, iron. Now take the two long edges and have them meet in the center, and iron. When you fold the strip, you will have a 3/4 inch wide piece with one fold along one edge, and two folds along the other edge. Stitch along both folded edges for a nice, finished look. Set aside. (Image 14, 15)

11.  If you want to make pocket(s) for the inside of the bag, you will make those now and stitch them to the right side of the lining that will be at the back of the inside of the bag. Here is how I made mine:

I want my pocket to be 7 X 4 inches. I want to put a seam down the center of the pocket so that it will be perfect to hold access cards, gift cards, lip gloss, or a quick place to access my toll money. For my pocket to be that size, I cut my fabric 7 1/2 X 5 1/2 inches. I allowed an extra 1 1/2 inch for the upper hem and turning under the bottom edge, and an extra 1/2 inch for turning under along the sides.

Along one of the edges (the one that will be the top of your pocket) turn under 1/4 inch to the wrong side and iron. Now take that edge and turn it to the right side (right sides together) one inch. Don't iron but pin to secure. Stitch the side edges where you turned the fabric to the right side. Clip corners, then turn that edge right side out. push out corners and iron. Now stitch the "hem" in place. Take this back to the iron and turn the three remaining edges 1/4 inch to the wrong side and iron. (Image 16, 17, 18, 19)

To get the correct placement of your pocket, fold your lining (that has been cut to the exact dimensions as the outer bag piece) down just like you did when you positioned the velcro piece on your outer bag piece. Decide where you want your pocket and pin in place. Stitch the sides and bottom of the pocket to the right side of the lining, which will be the inside of your bag. If you want to make your pocket into two just like I did, simply stitch a line down the center. (Image 20, 21, 22)

Note: for my tablet case/cozy I didn't want a pocket or strap, so I omitted those steps.

12. Fold the upper edge of your lining fabric 3/4" to the wrong side just as you did for the outer bag fabric, iron. (Image 23)

13. With right sides together, fold the quilted piece the way you want it to look and pin to secure. Two important notes:

***Pull your flap down so that it will completely cover the velcro, and don't forget you will have a half inch seam allowance for the flap as well as a some top stitching around the flap when you are finished.

***I cut my strips on the wider side so I slipped my hand in between the folded piece and make sure that the strips are smooth along the bottom fold so they don't bunch up. If this happens, it will look horrible when you turn the bag right side out and your corners will bunch up. If you will be inserting the strap, do not stitch the sides yet. (Image 24, 25)

Repeat this step with your lining piece. Lay them side by side so that you can make sure that your flaps line up and the upper edges (where you folded under 3/4 inch) line up perfectly. This is very important. Secure the side edges with pins. Stitch down the edges using a 1/2 inch seam allowance. (Image 26, 27)

14. Before you stitch up the sides for the quilted piece, you will want to slip your strap between the seam. Fold the 3/4 inch wide strap in half forming a loop. With the loop toward the inside of the bag, line up the ends with the raw edges on one side of the bag just below the folded edge. I left my ends extended slightly so you can see where I placed them. (Image 29, 29)

15. Stitch down each side just like you did the lining. For a little extra security, I stitched three times over the strap area. When you get to this part, it helps to hold the fabric in front and behind the needle. Since it is so thick, if you just hold the fabric in front of the needle, it's going to bunch up and your needle will not go anywhere. Guide it GENTLY from behind as well. Trim the bottom corners near the fold for this and the lining piece. (Image 30)

16. Turn both pieces right side out. With right sides together, line up your flaps. Make sure the the folds in the lining line up with the fold in the outer fabric. Pin to secure. Stitch around the flap beginning at the fold on one side, and ending the stitching at the fold on the other side using a 1/2 inch seam allowance. Trim seam allowance and clip curves. Turn flap right side out and iron. (Image 31, 32, 33)

17. Now you can turn your lining piece wrong side out and slip it inside the outer bag piece. Line up your folded edges and pin to secure. Stitch along that edge combining the outer bag to the lining. I find that my open arm works best for this part. (Image 34, 35, 36)

18. Top stitch around the edge of the flap about 1/4 inch from the outer edge.

19. Stitch your final piece of velcro to the underside of the flap. For correct placement, fold the flap over and slip the piece of velcro underneath so that it's even with the one you stitched down earlier. Pin to secure and stitch in place.

If you are using this for a car bag like I am, you can hang it over your doorknob and it will look nice while it's waiting for your next adventure!

Do you like free embroidery designs and tutorials?

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Organizing Your Time

If you search through my blog you are sure to find some great organizational tips to keep your creating space clutter free and you'll know where everything is. I haven't touched on how to organize your time. This isn't just for your hobby or business, everyone can get get more done with a little organization! I'll share some of my tips and techniques. Some will work for you, some may not, so do whatever works for you.

Let's start with calendars. Some people prefer to use a paper calendar and I was the same way until recently. I'm also the type of person who not only hates clutter, but also I like travel (day to day) very light. I like the Samsung calendar that comes with my phone. I can sync it with my Google calendar. Works very well for me. Paper or electronic, find one that works for everything and if you have a business, you'll want one that will merge the two events so you only have to go to one place. I love the color coding for events and tasks as well.

Where to store all your general (and non general) data? This is where I find that Evernote does the best job ever! I keep my trips organized, my business information, addresses, websites, various notes, and even recipes. You can create various "notebooks" and each notebook can have several cards or pages. This thing just does so much, I don't know where to begin. It's best for you to just check it out and see for yourself. And yes, it's FREE! There are several apps and websites out there, and I've tried several, but once I discovered Evernote, I quit looking.

List, lists, and more lists. I am a list maker! It just feels so good to cross off items as you complete them. Before I used the electronic apps I used the old fashioned paper and pencil, and you should use whatever works for you. There are so many apps out there if you want the electronic version, again, find what works for you. Other than the usual grocery lists and packing lists, I like to keep some To Do lists as well.

TODAY: I always have a "TODAY" list in all caps of course. On my app I always have a list with the name of the day of the week, although I don't get too far ahead of myself. If I absolutely don't want to forget a task, I'll put it on my calendar then add it to my list the night before. This is an important list because this is how I make sure my stuff gets done for that day. I use the same list for business and personal. If for some reason I don't get a task finished, I'll add it to the next day.

WEEKLY or MONTHLY: These are nice lists to have and are good for big projects, or things that you need to get done that month. You can move these items to your daily list when you can fit it into a certain day.

"WHEN LISTING" LIST: I know this sounds silly but when you know why I call it that, it will make sense. When I first list a new pattern, there are various steps that I don't want to forget, so I create a list of things to do at that time. For example, before I list an item, I proof it, prepare display images, turn it into a PDF document, add it to my items inventory list, introduce it on Instagram, etc.... There are actually about fifteen things I do when I first list a new pattern or clipart set.

I also have other lists where I like to use Excel spreadsheet. An important one is my "Shop Check Off List." Between my graphics and my patterns, I sell at about eight different places. The first two places I list to are Craftsy and Etsy. Then I spread out the other listings throughout the week. It would be too hard to remember what I posted when and where, so I created the spreadsheet so I can have a check off list.

Above are a few ways I like to keep organized. Feel free to share your tips in the comments section. I'd love he hear them!

Turn That Frown Upside Down!

I never knew that my greatest joy in life would be becoming a Nana! Brian and I are now empty nesters who can come and go as we please. Yet when I walk into my dining room, I see a chair that has a booster seat, there is a toy basket in my studio, Paigie prints on my living room windows, rubber bath toys on my tub, and my husband (aka Grandpa Brian) has become a jungle gym. Yes, every time he sits on the floor, he's fair game for a little blonde peanut to climb on. And what is my new favorite saying....."Turn that frown upside down" because every time I say it, I get the biggest grins and giggles!

Yep, being a Nana is one of the greatest gifts imaginable! And what's really cool....the Easter Bunny and Santa stops by my house every year!