November 15, 2008
some finished custom diapers
I don’t like to talk too much about “the business”. I don’t want to look like I am bragging. I am proud of the work I do, but I don’t want to fill this blog full of talk and pictures of cloth diapers. This is one of those rare occasions where I want to show something that I have completed, just for the pure fact that I enjoyed making it, and it turned out looking so nice. A wonderful customer of mine sent me an email asking if it would be okay to send me some of her personal stash of fabric to use as the outer layer on a couple diapers for her. I have no problem with that, and I had time to do it, so I said yes. We emailed back and forth a few times and she sent me the fabric. I don’t get to work with designer fabrics very often, so this was fun. 
She picked out the surging and snap colors (though I admit, if she had just said “you pick” I would have chosen the exact same colors).
Here is the medium:
Large:
and some wipes for her:
I am just so happy with how they turned out, and I hope she loves them as much as I did making them.
July 7, 2008
Wasted weekend
So, I did not finish my 10 things that summer means to me. Mainly because I spent every waking moment since Friday morning, looking for a solution to a difficult problem. Our car died on Friday morning. We did a lot of research and realized that we probably made a big mistake in buying this car, the only solace I have is that all the info we saw was not posted on the net until well after we bought our car. After a lot of different testing and eliminating of possible problems, we decided it was probably the fuel pump. We went through lots of ideas, trading in the car as-is, keeping the car and using what little we have to get a working vehicle in the meantime, fixing the car, etc. I spent way to much time this weekend looking at the safety, mechanical stability, and value of too many vehicles to list. In the end, we decided last night at about 11:30 that we were having the car towed to the nearest dealership this morning and would have it fixed. Yikes. I don’t know that I have ever been less happy about being right. It was the fuel pump, but with the tow, diagnostic, parts, and labor, it is going to put us out a whopping $900 *eeeeeeeeeks*
Starting next month, we will be starting a “car payment” to ourselves. That way, if the car dumps on us again in the near future (God help us) we will have a little money saved, and if it doesn’t, we will have started a savings to buy another one. If we had had this issue on top of a car payment, we wouldn’t be eating, so a little savings will be a very good thing.
This car drama took a lot of time away from my sewing, which makes it really hard on me. I have all my cutting done now, just have to snap, sew, and serge (okay, so that’s a lot to do). When everything is done and up on HC, I will post pics here.
June 18, 2008
Twirly, whirly skirt
My oldest is in desperate need of some summer cloths, so today I whipped her up this quick circle skirt. You can find the tutorial to make your own at Amitymama.
It was super easy and the result is totally fab. It took about 20 min. to whip this up, I will add bias tape to the waist and the hem as soon as I get some that matches, but Mikayla wanted to wear it right away.
June 9, 2008
the next set
In a few minutes, I am going to get up, meticulously clean off my kitchen table and begin the rather arduous task of cutting out 12 large diapers. My next order is (what I consider) big at 12. It will take me in the realm of 5 hours from start to finish if nothing goes wrong. The cutting is my least favorite part, the serging is my favorite. I love to see them come together.
I also need to work on a bit of a de-stashing. I look at my fabric and it makes me antsy and that is never a good thing. Mostly it is the flannels. I know that I will never use all of the flannels that I have, besides PJ’s and the occasional shirt, what in the world do you make with flannel. *sigh* suggestions welcome.
May 29, 2008
At the rate I am going…
I will have this completed by the time she graduates college. I got the fat quarters for this quilt free from SR Harris the first time I went there (which was when Miranda was 10 months old). I thought they would make a great quilt, washed the pieces, set everything aside…for months.
About November-ish, I finally decided on a pattern and cut the pieces, I was on a roll, got all the pieces blocked and the body of the quilt together in one weekend. Production stalled again. I did not have batting, nor backing. Feb. comes along and I spared some change for a cute yard of fabric for backing and some inexpensive batting. Yay, I can work on my quilt! Only I can’t, because we hit a rough patch and I open my store back up temporarily to make a little money. Little did I know that opening my store back up would make people want my items more than they ever have in the past, and so, my poor little dejected Barbie quilt sits. Oh well, it isn’t like Miranda needs it, she does not sleep in a toddler bed anyway. She can use it as a lap quilt…when she’s 40.
May 28, 2008
Finally Finished!
I finally finished the order of 9 diapers today! Yay!! Started on the next three, they are cut, just need to sew them. I am hoping to get those done in the next 2 days. I am feeling a sense of accomplishment at finally getting that done.
I have to rip out a t-shirt that I started for Mikayla, I cut the sleeves incorrectly and they did not stretch the same as the shoulder while stitching. I hate wasting the fabric, but lesson learned. I need to make up a few pairs of shorts for Mikayla and then her summer wardrobe should be set.
I think I have made my decision, definitely going to open the Hyena Cart back up, but I think I am also going to open an Etsy shop as well, not right away, but I think it will give a nice diversity and etsy is not inundated with diaper sellers yet.
May 27, 2008
I didn’t quite finish
I did sew this weekend, but did not get quite done on the diapers I wanted to finish. I should be able to get them done and photographed tonight. I hate making people wait.
I am thinking of reopening my Hyena Cart doing the semi customs that I am doing is hard on me, I want them as close to perfect as possible and I want them done as quick as possible. I just don’t know that I am physically capable of keeping that up. I will probably still offer occasional custom slots, but the most of my business (at least I think today) will be in-stock.
May 23, 2008
sewing, sewing, sewing
The last two days I have been working on business sewing. In fact, I will be spending most of my time off-line today trying to get at least the first 9 (out of about 35 or so I have to do). Cutting is really hard for me, I can’t use my rotary cutter anymore and my scissors are nice, but slow. I will be serging the preflats and elasticizing the fitteds in a few min. Hopefully everything will go smoothly and I can get them done today. If not, my goal is to get the first 12 (an additional 3) done this weekend.
I had hoped to have more time to sew this week, hubby has been working a lot of hours, making him and I very tired. *sigh*
Monday is my birthday and I want to have at those done so that I can relax for a few hours. 
May 18, 2008
Oldest needs some summer cloths
It has taken a while with all of the business sewing I have been doing. I wrote a pattern for a t-shirt by measuring length and width on an existing t, and guessing on the arms, beginners luck, it worked. Even though the color of the t is nowhere in the capris, they are all in the same color family and the outfit looks really cute on. I might add an applique and I might finish off the neck with more than a rolled hem at a later time.
