2015 Wrap-UP

I bought this album when it came out on the occasion of Frank's 50th year. This year is the 100th year since his birth. I no longer have the original. It is on my iTunes.

To paraphrase the lyrics of my favorite Frank Sinatra song:

Its been a very good year
for small town* girls
of independent means.

*I've switched the small town and the blue-blooded girls

Last night I discovered I have been featured in a travel blog for my jewelry rolls. I am so flattered as the blog is quite beautiful.
                                                  Page by Paige-Female Travel Blog


My Etsy shop has done very well and I could have done even more if I had planned ahead and partially made up jewelry roll components during the slow times. But, not being a fortune teller, I sewed on new stuff instead.  I was getting so many orders that I had to curtail them early in the month or spend all day AND night sewing.

Actually I could have completed more items but then we have to depend on the speed of the United States Postal Service to get them delivered. The USPS does an excellent job but, like all the delivery services, December is CRAZY!

All of my packages traveled to their destinations with relative ease EXCEPT one that took a little side trip to Tampa, Florida!!  It saw snow in Chicago and split.  It eventually came back but the 2 day priority became 5 days...but altogether not bad.

Today was Christmas Cards Day.  Well, it was Finish the Christmas Cards Day. It took me a few.
I am so into this new embroidery machine that I decided to sew my cards. There was a stash of red and green card stock in a drawer complete with envelopes that I had forgotten about.  All I had to buy was some white linen which I overbought by about 2 yards so there may be more white linen projects.

Cutting the linen to size and creating a bit of fringe on the edges created quite a mess of pulled threads and fuzz when I trimmed with the rotary cutter.  This photo shows only the teensiest portion of the fuzzy waste.

You can see that we are probably having a green Christmas this year!

Here is the machine stitching out the design. Its a simple wreath with minimal satin stitch and 24 of these ate up lot of thread.

The design used only three colors.  You can see my great new spool box on the right of the machine. It holds 80, I said EIGHTY! spools and has chambers at the top that you put them in with holes for the treads to feed into the machine. Really keeps them organized and easy to set up and use.

You can see the design I am sewing on the screen on the machine.

 

.

Sulky KK 2000 Temporary Spray Adhesive secures it to the card stock before more stitching is added to hold it permanently

                                                          

Here I have switched over to my non-embroidery Janome to stitch the linen on to the card stock.  I chose a squiggly sort of stitch that looks kind of floral-like because it hides the fact that I didn't always get it exactly even.

I did green thread on the green card stock.

I could work on this machine while more embroidered wreaths were being churned out on the Memory Craft 9900. I only had to jump up to change threads and hoop the next one.

The greeting inside was printed out on some heavy paper and also sewn onto the card with the same squiggly stitch.  I momentarily considered stitching out our names, but that was going a bit TOO far. As it was, I had to go 3 miles to pick up a metallic Sharpie to show up on this dark green. A touch of elegance, I think!

For my blog readers and friends, my wish for you is to have your 2016 be as happy as 2015  was for me and
                         Merry Christmas

My New Best Friend

 Hi!
Is anyone still out there?  I haven't posted since June so I wouldn't be surprised if this just goes into

cyber oblivion.  I have been very busy with enjoying the summer sunshine which only appeared about the time of my last post on June 28th. But mostly I have been kept very busy with jewelry  roll orders from my Etsy shop.  I have now cut and stitched over 300 of them plus a few other items.

AND this is why I have a new best friend.

You probably can't see it very well. Underneath my rotary cutter is a clear acrylic rectangle. I have one of my Thimble Fingers stickers on it so I am better able to find it. The reflection of the light fixture above shows up on it.

Is this better?

Using  a little program called SKITCH, I drew a line around it.

This template arrived yesterday and was put to immediate use and now measuring and cutting jewelry rolls is going to go so much faster that perhaps I will blog more...or clean my house...or cook a meal. No promises, though.

Where did this come from, you ask.  Well, I found Eric of AllThingsAcrylic on Etsy. I'm not even sure what I was searching for.  He makes a lot of templates for quilters and best of all, he will custom make stuff.  I immediately sent him a message requesting this simple rectangle and he replied promptly with a VERY reasonable price and even included some markings (which you cannot see) at no extra charge.
Now I can measure and cut with one simple pattern.  My old paper patterns had to be remade often since they would often get accidentally "trimmed" by the cutter.  The template will be especially helpful when I want to line up a print fabric and get a motif centered or placed a certain way.

Here is version 5 or 6 of my Kraft paper pattern which was due to be replaced shortly.
I may add a few more markings on my buddy...I think I will call it/him Buddy...with permanent marker.
My second best friends are the twins in photo 1and 2.  The magnetic pincushion is wonderfully practical. Pins don't have to be placed on it. You can practically throw them from across the room. Pickup from the floor can be done blindfolded. But, TWO! Yes, because I keep one on the ironing/cutting/pinning table and the other next to the sewing machine.  The table one is constantly being emptied and the one by the machine is constantly being filled. I just switch them back and forth and save myself a lot of getting up and GOING back and forth.

Do you have a sewing best friend? Please comment and tell me about yours.

Sewing in My Sleep

My little shop on Etsy is keeping me pretty busy since I jumped on the jewelry roll train. I have sold near 150 of them since mid-January and though things have slowed a bit they are still steady sellers.

A friend commented that I "can probably make them in my sleep now" and if it wasn't for the sharp objects required, that might be possible. I stab myself daily when awake so sleep-sewing could prove deadly. I am expert at removing dabs of blood from fabric.

However, even though I make the same thing over and over, I still find it thoroughly satisfying.

This ugly wrinkled bit of brown Kraft paper is my trusty pattern. It is the second one I have made.

I know that I could just measure rectangles and cut them, however since I am not ALWAYS alert, there is too much chance of mis-measuring and this works better for a semi-sleep state.

           I think these run the gamut from gaudy to gorgeous without being too much or too little.  

If you sew, do you always want the challenge of working on something new and challenging? Or do you  find just the process of sewing satisfying in itself?  I admit to being the second type.  That is probably why making these and selling them is something I love doing. As a retired person, I want to support my sewing habit without the concerns of screwing up!  

Now, if I could just think of as many blog topics as jewelry roll designs!

Blogging Excuses

When I began this blog I promised that I would post once a week. Promises! Promises!

I am glad that I can manage once a month now. Here's why.

I am lazy.

I was away on a trip.

I got sick.

I have nothing to say.

I have nothing new.

And no one really cares!

But I will show you what I have stitched up with the fabulous Liberty of London fabric I bought in LONDON.

They are in my Etsy shop at:
shttps://www.etsy.com/shop/CherylThimbleFingers

Snake Eyes + A Jacket Muslin

New Embroidery Machine - bad photo

When I bought a new sewing machine about two years ago, I was sure I had all the bells and whistles that I needed. My Janome (did you know Ja No Me means SNAKE EYES!) even has an automatic thread cutter.

However, I have been making all manner of items for my Etsy shop and just this last January fell upon the item to make the shop really begin to pay off. SEE HERE.  Many of these are being purchased as bridesmaid gifts and the brides keep asking if they can be monogrammed and I have to say "NO".

Many of them have still proceeded to purchase them and I have brought in more revenue on these than I did for a whole of 2014. So when I attended the Cleveland Sewing and Quilt Expo a few weeks ago I checked the embroidery machines out. And I brought one home the first day.  The dealer had an offer that I literally could not refuse without feeling stupid.

It is another Janome and besides the offer,  I really like that its controls and accessories are interchangeable and very similar so moving back and forth between machines is effortless and less taxing to my aging brain.

I have have to learn more about acquiring the fonts and some editing software to be able to offer more choices and I will be lettering all over the place.  The cool thing with these machines is that once you have it all set up, it sews on its own. I can step over to my other machine and work on something else while it does its thing.

Other things might include working on that jacket I have been planning since I bought the fabric in Rome.

Here it awaits its transformation draped over Francine, my mannequin.

I am taking on the red wool knit first in Vogue 8982 jacket by Marci Tilton. My last post was about Marcie's sister Katherine's zipper-trimmed shirt.
I have another trip planned and want to be able to
have the jacket, at least.

 For the first time in my life I made a muslin...well, a half-muslin. Since this knit is thicker and pretty stable I felt it was alright to use a woven (old bed sheet) for my trial. Shoulder fit is always the problem for me. So that is all I am concentrating on.





The markings were made while on me. Francine's
shoulders are much wider. I will trim this and adjust
the pattern and I am keeping my fingers crossed
that I have a better fit.


The pattern is very interesting and that is why I chose it but,  due to the sort of wrap-around back/side piece, I will not be able to sew the sleeve before the side seam as I usually do with a knit. A real set-in sleeve is on the agenda. Wish me luck. Should I embroider my initials on the inside?

Oh, and that snake eyes thing! Wikipedia explains:

The name "Janome" (蛇の目) literally means "snake's eye" and was taken from the appearance of the latest bobbin design. At the time of brand establishment in 1935, the round bobbin system was the more advanced technology replacing the traditional long shuttle type. As the new round bobbin looks like a snake's eye, Janome was chosen as the company's name.^[

Even MORE Perplexing Pattern Problems - LEGAL

Many of you reading this know that along with Thimble Fingers Blog, I also have an Etsy shop CherylThimbleFingers. Maybe it was because yesterday was Friday the 13th (even though I am not really superstitious) I had a bit of bad luck.

Offenders awaiting trial

I was accused of breaking the LAW...COPYRIGHT LAW!!

As a former school librarian who was tasked with keeping the teachers in line with copyright, fair use and all of that, I should have known. But, should I really? It seems that the laws when it comes to the pattern and sewing field get very murky and muddled.

I was not reported to the higher ups at Etsy to remove the delinquent items; I just received a message from a fellow Etsian who said that some items in my shop were her design and her pattern which were published in a book with the statement in the fine print stuff up front that we librarians call the verso.

Now, understand this. I am not copying the pattern, instructions or any part of the book. I am following the written and illustrated directions to create a fairly simple purse organizer/wallet/wristlet/whatever that has a zipper. There is no pattern to cut out and use as a template. I must draft my own from the tiny drawing with measurements.

If you look at the bottom of the cover of the book ,it says what you CAN DO but nothing about
what you CAN'T DO.

 I snatched the listings down and then began ruminating on the matter and, as I am prone to do, I started questioning and researching and discussing. These kinds of issues come up all the time on the Etsy Forums with many opinions and none of them with the force of a court.


It seems the biggest problem with these things is that they never reach a court because the so-called infringer is too intimidated to take it on.

WELL, I AM HEAR TO SAY

that I probably won't either in a legal way but
I can QUESTION.

It was determined a number of years ago that dress pattern companies could not restrict what a home sewer did with the item made from the pattern.

The whole point of the first sale doctrine is that once the copyright owner places a copyrighted item in the stream of commerce by selling it, he has exhausted his exclusive statutory right to control its distribution.

Quality King Distributors, Inc. v. Lanza Research Int, 523 U.S. 135 (1998).

                                     From Circular 31 by the US Copyright Office (click on link for more)

Copyright protection extends to a description, explanation, or illustration of an idea or system, assuming that the requirements of copyright law are met. Copyright in such a case protects the particular literary or pictorial expression chosen by the author. But it gives the copyright owner no exclusive rights in the idea, method, or system involved.
Suppose, for example, that an author writes a book explaining a new system for food processing. The copyright in the book, which comes into effect at the moment the work is fixed in a tangible form, prevents others from copying or distributing the text and illustrations describing the author’s system. But it will not give the author any right to prevent others from adapting the system itself for commercial or other purposes or from using any procedures, processes, or methods described in the book. 

And there is a whole lot of interesting reading HERE that seems well-documented, but those who want to extend their grasp are known to refute .

 What am I going to do? Probably not a whole lot beyond discussing at this point. I only have 6 of these things I made hanging around and they have been very slow sellers on Etsy and at the few craft shows I have done. AND the are a B%@*H to make!

So, are there any sewing lawyers out there who want to take this on? I don't want a law suit to win damages. I want the United States Supreme Court to free us who sew from the bonds of control over things we make using a pattern that isn't even truly unique.

P.S. If you want to copy anything I have on this blog or in my Etsy shop, I won't do a damn thing about it.

UPDATE: 
While checking out a friend's Pinterest page, I found this:

http://www.liberty.co.uk/blog/12437/guest-blog-kerry-green-sewing-portfolio-organiser/
Scroll down a bit past the interview and behold. FREE instructions on the making of a folding sewing accessory holder, very much what I made,  with wonderfully detailed directions and NO warnings that if you make one you CANNOT SELL it.
But, we are not done yet. Click on the comments link at the bottom and....I dare not spell it out!

Still Rolling Along + Sewing Hesitation

Been off the blog for a bit and the reason is I have been sewing the same thing over and over and over and....

My last post was about the jewelry roll I created and put in my Etsy shop and how it was taking off. Well, it's still going strong.  I acquired more fabric and seem to have cornered the market on it.  By the time it is all gone I will probably wish it had never been woven.

I've been doing some in another fabric I got on sale from Fabric. com.  I don't think it will have the appeal of the gray dotty stuff but it is pretty classy.

          This, like the gray, is a heavy upholstery weight with machine embroidered swirls all over it.

I may have negated the classiness of this outer fabric with the
inside fabric choices.  COVER YOUR EYES AND SCROLL DOWN.




READY?




SET?








GLARE!

                         The green is still a work in progress. It appears much subdued here.

  And this eye-popping purple is awaiting its completion when I get a second purple zipper. I have 2 fat quarters that somehow got in my stash and this seems a way to use them up.

Do you see how I am coordinating the inner side with the embroidery colors on the outside?  Maybe I will do a nice dull one with a gray since there is also that in the embroidery.   Somehow, I feel these will not have the action of the original gray ones.

AND THEN:

Wish this mannequin that the fabric is draped over was my size but alas, it is only a display piece.

Now to an entirely different project - sewing for myself.  The fabric stash for that is piling up and making me feel guilty.  This is the wool knit and silk I bought back in October in Italy (see post).

As a retired school librarian spending most of my time sewing or playing around online, I don't have much occasion to wear cool stuff as much as I used to.  I still love the idea of being well-dressed but no reason if you hardly step out of the door and when you do, its in a puffy red down coat.

                                                                       BUT

this spring we have scheduled a trip to London.  This fabric is dying to go with me but doesn't know how it would look best.  Several things need to be considered when choosing the design

1. I am short - very short.
2. I have very narrow shoulders but 38" hips
3. I want to keep it simple- to avoid screwing it up
4. There is not enough of the print for sleeves - too expensive
5. Most likely to be worn with navy pants
6. I want it to be interesting

  Marcy Tilton Vogue #8982 just might fill the bill. I have enough fabric. The pattern is suitable for knits and I like the seams and darts to add interest to a solid fabric. I looked for a raglan sleeve because I dislike sewing set in sleeves and they are easier for me to fit but,  they all were too sweater-like and drapey.   I have a pattern with a draped neckline that will do fine for the blouse.

ANY OPINIONS?

 

Mixing it up with the Public + My Etsy Reader

Staying at home as a retiree and sewing up stuff all day and trying to support the habit with an Etsy shop makes for a lot of alone time.  Hubby is constantly being asked for his opinion on all sorts of things that he is no expert on but he is also retired and nearby.

So yesterday was one of my few outings into the real, non-cyber world at a crafts fair.  Christmas-by-the-Lake was held at my old alma mater, Avon Lake High School.  It was a scholarship fund-raiser sponsored by the PTA so I felt good about supporting them and the most fun was meeting up with old friends and neighbors.

The front of ALHS as I knew it - pic from the web

For me, it was a good, even fantastic,  show since the one I did in October was a money LOSER!  I was pretty busy most of the day and if hubby hadn't come to assist I would not have survived the set-up and take-down on my own.  We even stayed overnight at a nearby hotel to avoid the long drive in the AM when the weather might have been iffy.  Disclaimer: The expense did not cut into my profits since I used my Hilton Honors points for a free night. I also got out of having to cook dinner for two nights straight :)  Cooking is definitely not my thing.

New Main entrance which is really at the back - low res pic from ALHS page

I was so busy talking, walking and selling I completely forgot to take pictures to put on this post. My selling space did look pretty spiffy and was quite generous. There was extra space around the allotted 10' x 10' so my hanging racks for bags and aprons could angle outward and made lots of room for shoppers to see and finger the wares.

Since I have nothing else to  dress up the post with, here are some items I sold.

               This wool purse was snapped up right away. 

I had just completed it days before.  My favorite part of this is the ruffle made from the selvage.  

The fabric is a herringbone that has been hand dyed by RubyMountainDyeworks. I was trying to match another purple solid to make this style:

                                       However, it was too red. I wanted it for the side pockets.

This gray bag also went to the show with me and was admired often and sold for my full asking price even when the buyer tried to get me to come down.  This little baby got more "favorites" in the shortest time on my Etsy shop than anything I have ever made. Now I am really determined to get just the right coordinating fabrics to go with that nice thick coat weight royal purple.  I have enough for at least two bags, so in the mean time, perhaps solid purple with a stitching detail?

                                                                Aprons went pretty well, too.

 This one had matching potholders that have a sort of bra-like look in this photo.

At right is the apron I wear at shows.  The two giant pockets hold my cash and other necessities.  This was my first show where my phone was one of those necessities.

Etsy has made available a credit card reader, the Etsy Reader , that works like Square and some other similar things but this one connects directly to your Etsy shop so that items are removed from your online shop as you sell them directly.  You can even use it for sales that are not Etsy items and it worked smoothly and efficiently and helped me make more sales. It emails you a record of each sale, adds up your totals, helps you make change and will email a receipt to your customer. Thanks, Etsy!

Oh, and those little cuties I put in my previous teaser post are still with me. I sold ONE but they were all handled fondly by lots of hands.  They will see another show day. Too small and fiddly to list and ship on Etsy.