Sewing Bio

I am a new sewist, but ever since I have gotten the itch to learn, I haven't been able to stop.  The first pattern that I bought was from ithinksew.com - a zippered pleated coin purse/wristlet in three different sizes, and I only bought it because I had 2 yards of fabric by chance and I didn't know what to do with it.  I had never sewn anything before, but with the help of my mother I made several Christmas presents with this pattern.  That was at the end of 2009.  In the beginning of 2010 I took a sewing class at B Sew Inn in Tulsa, in May, my son was born.  In August I registered myself as an Etsy seller, though I had no merchandise to sell.  In November I listed my first item, an upcycled sweater bunny named Virginia.  Because I had two small children, my sewing and subsequent listing of items was sparse... my sales were 98% to people I knew.
Everything changed when I signed up for the Etsy Craft Party, organized by Trina.  It was there that she told me about a craft fair she was planning, the B.A.zaar, the first of an annual event.  I applied for the show, was accepted....... and frantically started sewing because I didn't have hardly any inventory to fill a craft fair booth!  The last 2 months was really where I picked it up, I started trying to find my real niche.

 I want to fill my home with handmade things and offer others the same opportunity.  Anything that can possibly be reasonably handmade, it needs to be.  

I started filling up my inventory with washcloths, dish cloths, place mats, curtains, pillow cases, and also custom dolls! I am really excited about this one.  For some reason, a beautiful, simple, handmade doll is one of my favorite things to make/own/look at/whatever.  And I figured out how to do it myself, make a doll with a persona and give it two accessories and a tote bag to all fit together in.  I am really proud of this.  I am usually pretty humble about what I make, because it's really simple to follow someone else's pattern, but these I own and I love.

I love this picture because of the early morning light coming in

The B.A.zaar was coming up quickly, I was still freaking out, staying up all hours, eating nothing. But once we started setting up, I just got caught up in the flow.  I talked to other vendors, friends, customers, it was great.  Then I started getting great feedback and I got really excited.  I made some excellent contacts and was invited to participate in the Alliday craft fair.  I made several sales, not enough to wipe out my inventory, but that's probably good :)  I also got a good number of custom orders for dolls.  I had a great time, and I am so excited.

Right now I am taking a Sabbath.  Taking photos, listing items that I was hanging onto for the craft fair that didn't sell, ah yes, and doing laundry, and cleaning up the house that has been so neglected for several weeks.  

Then I will be off and running again, trying to develop home items of my own design and working on my custom orders.  This is more than anything I really hoped for.  All I want to do is to bring handmade items filled with love and personality into peoples homes.