we celebrated our pre-christmas with Aaron and his two brothers yesterday before the kids and I head for OK tomorrow.  I accidentally opened gifts that were meant to be birthday gifts…there we so many brown amazon boxes addressed to me, I didn’t know which ones were which (some were wrapped and some weren’t).  I really am feeling guilty for opening them early (but totally loving the contents).

My mother (who is off in Asia with my sister) bought us a Flip Video, people this is the coolest little handheld camcorder ever!  If you can use a digital camera you can totally work this little baby, it is about the same size as the nikon camera that Ashton Kutcher is hawking in the commercials these days- the cool pix I think it is.  I SO wish that the flip people would give me another camcorder so I could give one away to you awesome people (flip people, are you reading this?).  I’m totally loving the ease of use, the way it adapts well to low light and gets darn good sound.  I intend to play with it a lot, don’t you want video of me alone with 2 kids in the airport on Christmas eve tomorrow?  Anyhoo, here is a simple Thank You to my mom, I hope she can catch it on her iphone.

A few weeks back my “good scissors” (I use that term loosely) stopped working.  I think maybe I tried to cut through a pin, thus causing a sticking spot on the blade.  In an oh-so-bright moment I thought I could sharpen them up on the same sharpener I use for my knife blade.  Hmm, really bad idea, it made them worse.

A combination of cheapness and lazyness prevented me from purchasing new scissors right away, instead I pulled out my plastic red handled scissors that came in my very first sewing kit when I was about 12.  Amazingly they still worked well, and it’s been a long time since I was 12.    Between the red handled ancient scissors and my equally cheap rotary cutter I managed to get by.

Yesterday while I was at JoAnn’s I noticed that all of their scissors were 40% off- that helped curb my cheapness and I bought a new pair of scissors.  I stayed away from the orange plastic Kane scissors this time and started looking at their Gingher line.  They look sturdy, sounded foreign and were on sale- that was enough for me.  I really liked the sturdy looking metal handled ones, but they would have been about $5 more and well…cheapness is me, so I went with the plastic handles, telling myself they will feel more comfortable.

Now if you were to ask me to recommend a pair of scissors to you, I would tell you hands down my favorites are Wiss.  Talk about strong-last-the-rest-of-your-life-all-you’ll-ever-need-in-a-blade scissors.  I have 2 pairs of Wiss scissors and I love them.

My mom found the pinking sheers at a garage sale years ago and gave them to me as she already had a pair.  The thread clipper used to be hers as well.  The thread clipper is awesome, everyone needs one!  The blades can lay flat up against your fabric and trim those loose threads down to the seam!

What about you, what kind of scissors do you use?

For the first time in a long time (maybe ever) my husband accompanied me to the fabric store.  The son was at school, the daughter at preschool and husband had the day off, it was wonderful to be alone with him.  Adding to the excitement of the day, Heather Bailey’s fabric arrived in the mail!

I was thinking that I would make a purse/bag with them, the green rectangles being the lining.  Now that I see the fabrics together I don’t think I like the purse idea.  No worries I have about 3 other ideas!

Also, making some progress on the holiday project.

Jessie asked if she could interview me for her first of a weekly series over at Feeling Stitchy. I was so excited and promptly said yes! I’ve always admired Jessie’s work and figured if she was doing the interviewing then no one would ever get to hear her story. So I took the opportunity to interview her today to learn what makes her tick!

Tell me about yourself, and where you live.
I’m a stay at home mama to Jack, age 5, and Olivia, 7 (and wife to another “Jack”). We live in the suburbs of Chicago with our two fluffy white dogs, Gracie and Lola

What’s one thing we probably don’t know about you?
I’ve always wanted to be in the FBI. Really.

When and how did you first start stitching?
I remember stitching when I was a little girl, like eight or nine years old. I would come home from school and sew or knit.

My interest in embroidery resurfaced when I was pregnant with my daughter. My husband worked extremely long hours, and I was home alone a lot. Stitching was a very satisfying (and super cheap!) hobby.

Do you do other crafty things as well?
I do all sorts of random crafty stuff; My basement looks like an art supply warehouse exploded in it. Right now, though, I’m really into sewing, working on graphic design projects, and photography.

It takes so much time to complete an embroidery project. How much time do you usually spend on a project, and where do you find the time?

I spend hours on each embroidery project, but if I’m really feeling the love for it, I’ll have it finished in a day or so. I bring my embroidery bag with me everywhere, and steal a few minutes here and there – while I’m waiting in the car to pick up my kids from school, while they’re at their sporting events, whatever… I especially like to bring my embroidery with me when I travel (but if you do that, remember to bring a very small, rounded tip scissors or they’ll take it away from you at security!)

Stitching is very creative, yet also very detail oriented and precise. Does it reflect your personality?
Absolutely. I’m a tightly strung individual.

Do you ever rip out stitches to re-do them in a different color or type of stitch?
All the time. If one thread color is bothering me, I really can’t move on without fixing it. I have drawers full of abandoned projects around the house.

Which stitch do you use most often?
I think I use a backstitch most often, but I really like the look of a nice outline stitch. French Knots give me endless amounts of trouble.

Where do you find the patterns you use?
From the Hoop Love Flickr pool, and from my collection of vintage embroidery transfers. There are also a couple of re-issued (new but vintage looking) Aunt Martha patterns that I really like.

Do you have an all-time favorite pattern you’ve used again and again?
Yes, there’s a sweet deer that I’ve used a bunch of times. It’s one of those Aunt Martha’s that I just mentioned. It’s from #3738 – Baby Animals.

What kinds of things do you like to embroider on?
I really like to work on flannel for baby blankies. It’s really smooth and easy to stitch on, and doesn’t require any kind of stabilizing.

Do you ever make anything for yourself?
No. But I wish I did!

Where do you find inspiration?
Flea markets, vintage children’s books, wallpaper samples, and Flickr!

Are there any websites or blogs you visit regularly for creative inspiration?

There are so, so many blogs I visit regularly. There’s a lengthy list of them on the sidebar of my blog.

Do you sell the items you make? And if so, do you have any tips for people who want to start selling their work, either online or at craft shows?
I do sell some of the items I make. I have a shop on Etsy, and have sold at craft fairs as well. The stuff I make fits in better at the Renegade-type craft fairs. I wouldn’t do well at a local craft fair next to someone selling clothing for those outdoor patio geese (Is that just a Chicago thing, or do you know what I’m talking about?)

Etsy is a very user friendly venue for starting out online. Until you have a really solid customer base, I don’t see a point in selling from a private website, because there are already so many people ready to shop for handmade goods on Etsy.

It’s almost impossible to pay yourself for the amount of time you’ll put into making and selling handmade goods. I do it because I love it, but I probably won’t be taking over as the breadwinner in our family anytime soon.

If you could listen to anything while you worked on a project, what would it be?
This American Life on Chicago Public Radio.
Grab your ipod and hit “shuffle” – what song comes up first (no cheating – no editing!)? Okay, do it again – what song? Alright, once more:
1. Vegas, Sara Bareilles
2. Bright Smile, Josh Ritter
3. If This City Never Sleeps, Rosie Thomas

Can you show me a few projects and tell me about them?

I’m really into nature themes right now, hence all of the birds, and the deer, and the mushrooms….

Where can we find more of you ?
Well, I’m guest blogging over at Feeling Stitchy every Thursday, and of course, you can always find me on my own blog at www.sweetjessie.com , and my etsy shop.
Also, a few of my projects in the upcoming book Sweet Booties! Which will be published by Lark Books in January, 2009.
Thank you so much, Heather!!!

Thank you Jessie- it was a treat to get to know you better! Now you’ll have to photograph the lawn ornament clothing, I’ve never seen it but I’m stifling a giggle at the thought!

I just bought myself a new shirt, I never buy anything for myself.  This design was so cute, I didn’t even ponder over the purchase I just impulsively clicked “buy now”!  Will take pictures when it arrives.

Be sure to check out the whole boygirlparty shop, lots of other great shirts (this one is also offered in red).

I’ve taken a bit of a break from all my custom work to sew a little for pleasure. When Alien Sunset posted this pattern the other day I just knew I had to stitch it!

I chose the colors to coordinate with this Alexander Henry print. I’m going to make it into a decorative pillow for the shop. I just LOVE the colors in this print!

So, about the give-away, last check there were 74 comments! I am flattered and beyond amazed that there are that many of you out there! I’m so glad you want my vintage trims, because I cleaned out the garage this week and found even more! I think I’ll have enough for 2 boxes! (I just realized each sentence ends in an exclamation point-note to self: learn to properly punctuate.) I think I’ve heard the masses loud and clear- you want more tutorials. Am thinking of more to add ASAP!

One of the things I wanted to use this blog for was to spotlight artists and creators whose work inspires me. Today will be my first of many artist/product spotlights. While clicking around etsy I found something that made my heart swoon! The sweetest vintage looking notebooks.

The Paper Princess sells a set of 3 (a bird, cowboy & elephant) for a mere $6.50. Don’t you think they would make super cute baby shower invitations? A little bit bigger and you could print the shower info. on the inside.

All of her illustrations and images are so sweet with a vintage-y modern feel to them. I’m highlighting her work today because her products inspire me! The illustrations she has on her not-so-frequently-updated blog are really fun too, she is an amazingly talented artist!

When I started collecting vintage embroidery patterns I grabbed myself a heat transfer pencil from JoAnn’s. Most vintage patterns- even unused- won’t transfer with an iron. I usually have to scan the pattern and reprint it, then trace it with my pencil and finally iron it onto my fabric. The pencil has done its job over the last year and a half, however the lead was so soft it was always breaking and sharpening it without additional lead breakage was a real chore.

I googled around a few weeks ago thinking there must be a better way, or better product. Then I found the Sulky Heat Transfer PEN. I bought 3 purple ones (min. order) and they arrived yesterday! I tested them out immediately on the cutest mushroom pattern from doe-c-doe.

Oh my goodness! The ink slid on so smoothly and the transfer was so dark and so crisp. I am in love with my new pens! The best part is that they offer these in 10 different colors including white, which means you can now transfer patterns onto dark fabric! I highly recommend these pens, the transfer was so clean, better than a new Aunt Martha’s pattern!