How I make my own patterns

Earlier this week I blogged about my inspiration, but today I want to share a secret about my designs. My previously ultra, topsecret, super important design book! If any professional designers see this, they will likely scoff at my chicken scratch, but this process WORKS for me. You'll be able to see by looking at my book, that even by showing it to the world, it would be very hard to make sense of my notes, so in turn, really hard to steal my ideas :)

My design book. Sorry if you were expecting something fancy. 

But I am just not a fancy girl!

Simple is the way I roll.

So after I find inspiration, lose a little sleep, the next step is to try to create it. First, I kind of scribble what the bag should look like in the end, so I can remember how to put it together again. Then I guess the approximate end size, and guess how big I should cut my pieces. This often gets me in trouble! But you've got to start somewhere :) Once I get a size I like, I write it in my notebook. Sometimes my kids will help decorate my book when I'm not looking. Not sure yet if I appreciate that or not :/

A couple of my "patterns"
Along with my patterns, you will see some scribbles from my budding sidekick, Audrey :)

Then there are the ideas I get that I really want to get to, but don't have the time yet. So in comes my sticky note system. These are usually ideas that pop into my head quicker than I can get to my notebook. So I scribble them out, and eventually, they find a home in The Book. If they are lucky, they become actual bags when a new season rolls around!

Can you guess what this became?

That chicken scratch turns into something like this :) Not too shabby,eh?

...and this, eventually became...

THIS! One idea, a piece of paper, some fabric and some time :)

How I Design My Bags

I'm realizing now that most people don't know where I get the patterns and designs for my handbags. So I thought I'd use this post to answer that question. Here it is.

My Head. That is the answer. I am constantly on the lookout for new patterns and handbag ideas. Then I lose sleep at night, trying to figure out how they will come together. Then I get up and try it on some scraps the next day. That's it :)

It is my "not so fancy, but works for me" design process. It is actually my favorite part of my business.

Some works in progress. Notice the sticky notes?
 I'd be lost without them! 

Designing my next product and holding it in my hands. Some things work beautifully. Some things are labeled "one of a kind". They are labeled one of a kind, usually because they were so difficult to put together that I never want to do it again!

OOAK: in other words, cute, but super hard for me to put together :)

But that's where my creative process gives me some freedom. Sometimes I will stop a design, only to pick it up with a new idea a few months later. When making one thing, it gives me a great idea for another. And so on.

I loved the ruffle I put on this wristlet so much, it inspired me to think bigger...

So I added a few more, and came up with...

THIS! Who says less is more?!?!

On Friday I will post how I actually document my patterns and re-create them. I'm not promising it will be pretty.... :)

6 tips I've learned for organizing my work space

When I first started sewing bags a couple of years ago, I was working out of my dining room. I hated having to put everything away at the end of every work day, so I eventually moved down into our storage room. There at least I could leave my ironing board up, my sewing machine out, and my projects half finished! Then a little more than a year ago, my husband upgraded me to my current space, our former excersize room. Now that it is finished, I feel less embarrassed to share with you a couple of tricks I've learned over this time, on how to organize my space, supplies and projects...

1. One of my problems was always forgetting to turn things off. I can't tell you how many times I've left my iron on, or walked away with my sewing machine lights still burning. So I configured my space and cords (of which there are many!) so that they could all be plugged into one surge protector. I checked with my electrician friend, and he assured me that this a perfectly safe:)  This way, when I start to work, or finish work, I just flip one switch, and everything turns off! There is also another reason I did this...last summer, while I was working, our house got struck by lightening. Fortunately all of my equipment was fine, but I don't want to take any risks. Now I have only ONE plug to unplug durning a bad storm. Ahhh, easy peace of mind :)



Now I have only ONE plug to unplug durning a bad storm. Ahhh, easy peace of mind :)



I have yet to figure out a chic way to hide all of my cords...any ideas?!?!

2. I also have all of my supplies stored in this hideous, bright red, professional tool box.

I camoflauged it by hiding it under my ironing table, but it is still an eye sore.

My soulution? A shower curtain, attached with a tension rod.



I also made myself a

floor mat cover out of the same shower curtain to

cover my ugly, industrial rubber floor mat.

Much cuter, I must say!



3. I got a great idea for storing my piles and piles of fabric. I made little mini fabric bolts out of foam core board. It is like a mini fabric store on my cutting table. I keep as many of my prints and textures as I can on there, with an extra cabinet of solids or pieces which are way too big for the bolts in my closet.  Here is a link to the tutorial where I found the idea...thanks!

4. After trying a tackle box for my small parts, I came up with the economical and cute idea of using different size mason jars. I love the way this looks!



                              



5. I never had enough room on my ironing board for all of my pieces, so I had the idea of transforming a tabletop into my ironing board. I layered a baby crib mattress, bath towel, and Insulated interfacing. Then to make it look better, I topped it all off with a really cute vintage sheet, cut down to size. This is the table I work at 90% of the time, and it works great for me!  

                     

              *disclaimer- The steam on your iron WILL RUIN the table top,even with all of the layers. So PLEASE don't try this on a

table you plan to turn back into a table. Capiche??? Good :)

6. Pegboard. Who knew?? I took a scrap of my Dad's old peg board, painted it blue and Voila, I have a place to keep my tools within easy reach, while adding a punch of color to my room at the same time! This would be a great addition to any craft room, and can be customized a gazillion different ways with different hooks, shelves, colors etc. Have fun with it!

So there it is, a few lessons I've learned from my mistakes! If my studio were tidy-er, I would share some more, but I guess that will have to wait until another day!

 I hope someone else can take some of these tips and find their own creative way to spruce up their work space. I would love to see pictures ;)

*New Bible Covers

A request was made after seeing my crayon bags for a "big girl" version to cover her bible. Duh! Why didn't I think of that sooner?!?! So I made one today and was so tickled with how it turned out. My own bible feels so...naked now :)

I will be adding these to my website, on a made to order basis. If you  are interested, please email me at  { contact at gathered-sown dot com } Subject: bible covers. Cost for a cover made to fit your  personal bible measurements is $18-$25, depending on the size.

New in my shop :) (and some soon to come!!)

I may have been kind of quiet lately in blog land, but I have been busy! Here are some of my latest additions to my Ruffle Purse family :D

In this batch of bags, I'm letting the fabric make a quiet statement. No loud patterns, just subtle, beautiful colors, accented by flirty, fun ruffles. If you see an orange one in Sheboygan, that's me! 

I made one for myself :)

This avocado green is my FAVORITE color for fall!

DIY Curtain Project

We have a beautiful, solid oak dining room table. It is big, heavy and has 4, yes I said 4, table leaves. These are great when we have a sit down dinner for 16...(read,NEVER) so I inevitably end up storing them. We tried storing them in the basement on shelves, but they took up too much space. We tried standing them upright in our hall closet, but with kids, it was dangerous. I had to find a place to store those monstrous things, so I would not have to look at them ANYMORE :)

So here is what I did, I sacrificed a section of my bedroom closet to make them a home. And also a place to store my American flag, apparently. If I were on the ball, it would be hanging proudly on my front porch, but since I always forget to take it down at dark, I feel disrespectful. So out of respect, it is in my closet. What?!?! Anyways...

Still ugly,huh? And did I mention there is a huge picture window directly in front of this shelf? A window that open to my front yard?  How will I ever hide these things?

On a trip to Walmart it came to me....

Here is how I did it:

I bought a $7 full size sheet in a color I liked. They have about a million to choose from. Just make sure it's a FLAT sheet. But you knew that already, right?

Then you'll need

-a sewing machine (or not, you can also use stitch witchery if you are a sewing machine - phobe)

-a seam ripper

-an iron

-a bar to hang your curtain on (I was able to use a clothes bar from my closet)

I measured the opening to my closet, and cut the sheet to the height, adding about 4 inches for the hem. Also keep your sheet at least twice the width of your opening, or you won't get any ruffle action. (Then it will look like you have a sheet hanging in your closet....)

I folded the bottom over twice to get a little weight at the bottom, as well as a straight hem. And since I was ironing, I stuck some stitch witchery in the hem as I folded  to "glue" my hem in place. It made it much easier to sew such a long straight line later.

I used the factory stitched top of the sheet as my curtain top. I had to open up the sides with my seam ripper, but then you are left with an open tube.

The factory stitching is gray, and I used brown, because I was in a hurry.  
But hey, it's easy for you  to see where I sewed :)

I stitched about an inch from the top of the tube to give a little extra ruffle.

And now I have a pretty, ruffly curtain to hide my hideous oak monstrosity's! Isn't it cute? These would work anywhere, even on a window. It's a low-sew to no-sew project that takes hardly any time at all.

A few new bags I'd like to show off :)

I just finished listing a few new bags I made in my etsy shop. I love coming up with new styles, and this one came to me one afternoon 2 weeks ago when I was bored. I love it when that happens!

Today I got caught up on orders. It is raining a much needed rain here, so I am in comfy pants, and am working on another brand new design. One hint: It is really ruffle-ey! Now I only hope it works so I don't look like a liar. Off I go, I'll show pics when I crawl out from under all the ruffles :)

Why I Treat Every Order Like It's A Gift

I have to admit that everytime I turn on my computer and see those glorious words "Etsy Transaction" I get very giddy inside. (And outside, I always yell to the hubs, or call my bff!) As a tiny business owner there is something so special about knowing that someone, someone who doesn't even know me, likes what I am doing. Likes it enough to invest their hard earned money in order to have it in their hands. And that speaks VOLUMES to me. I acknowledge every day how much God has blessed me both personally and in my business. I acknowledge every day this gift He's given me, to be able to provide for my family, doing what I LOVE, while still being home to be present with my girls. And I don't ever want to take that for granted.

So this is why I treat every order as if it's a gift. I want my buyer to get their package in their hands, with a sense that they are about to open something special. Even if someone comes to my studio to buy a bag, I always wrap it and box it with my signature style. Yes, they know what's in the box, but I just know that I'd be excited to peel back the layers when I got home, revealing the splurge that I've been waiting for.

When I mail out online orders, I always handwrite the envelope. You know that feeling when you go to the mailbox and see a handwritten card? I love that!

 

I got this picture sent to me on facebook from an awesome customer that said:
 "Hey everybody...look what I got in the mail today"!
I loved knowing her reaction, it was a gift in and of itself :)

I want my buyers to know that I took the time to personally wrap and deliver their new "gift". I also use the same tissue paper/sticker combo that I use on my "in person" pickups, to keep my packaging consistant. I feel like that little pop of color and personality gives the person a little preview of what they are about to unwrap! And with every mail order goes a handwritten thank you card. How can I let people know that I appreciate their business if I don't take the time to tell them? So I do :)

I really feel like the little details can go along way towards showing my gratitude. And I am more than grateful to wake up each new day and getting to see my little venture unfold. Who knows? Maybe I'll see a new "Etsy Transaction". Fingers crossed... :)