This Blog Has Moved

Thanks for stopping by Irene Design.  The blog has now moved.  If you would like to keep up with Irene Design, please visit us at

http://irenedesign.blogspot.com

“Monday” or “How I avoided my chores”

This weekend I avoided my chores with

Too little sleep
sunshine
antique shops
walking in the park
candy shopping
catching up with friends
sewing

here is a sneak peek at what I worked on in the sewing room

This Thursday, April 15 is the last day to find new Irene Design updates at this website.  Please remember to switch your RSS feeds to http://irenedesign.blogspot.com

The Irene Design Blog Move

April 15 is fast approaching.  Do you know what that means?

Your taxes are due. Well, they are, but I’m not really here to remind you of that.

April 15 is the day that Irene Design moves to its new home!

In an effort to streamline everything I am doing, I am moving my blog to a blogspot address.  Between now and April 15, I will double post on both blogs (so they will be the same).  However after April 15, I will only add new posts to the blogspot domain.

I thought long and hard about this because I do not want to add to anyone’s confusion, and I do not want to loose any readers.  If you currently have my blog bookmarked in your internet browser, or if you subscribe to my blog with a feed reader (RSS, Google Reader, etc.) please replace my wordpress address with this one:

http://irenedesign.blogspot.com

I value each one of you readers and want to make sure I don’t loose you in the move!! However with my Real Food blog, and with the ease with which I can customize using blogger, this move in necessary.

I would love to know that you are following me over.  Please check out my new blog (it’s got all new background, header, link icons, fonts, and all), and leave me a message letting me know you made it!

Almost-Wordless Wednesday

The weather has been too nice to permit sewing. It’s perfect for exploring though!

My camera and I did a little exploring as well.

Easter weekend wrap-up

Our weekend revolved not only around the Easter Celebration but also the celebration of a good friend’s wedding.  Besides the obvious importance-of-marriage highlights, my top ones include

Taking lots of pictures (I love family photos!)

The band.  Seriously, this bluegrass band was amazing.  They led the party all night at the reception (we square danced!) then back at the Inn (yes, I laid in bed listening to them play until 2am), and then on Easter morning the cellist played right outside of our window to welcome the morning. 
(that is a cello, right?!)

Sunrise on Easter Morning

Hiking at the Natural Bridge State Park in Eastern Kentucky

We really had a great weekend full of friends (we did go up for a wedding!), great food (our friends are farmers!), laughing, fresh mountain air, and enough dancing and hiking to make my calves ache again this morning.

To top it all off, we had an Easter morning celebration that included singing Down in the River to Pray and Amazing Grace, a message about the significance of the historical ressurrection of a man named Jesus, and reading a poem by Mary Karr.  We sat out on picnic tables over-looking a cliff and had nothing but our voices–no instruments, microphones, slide projectors, anything.  It was serene and beautiful, perfect to reflect on the significance of what we were celebrating.

Descending Theology: The Resurrection

by Mary Karr

From the far star points of his pinned extremities,

cold inched in—black ice and squid ink—

till the hung flesh was empty.

Lonely in that void even for pain,

he missed his splintered feet,

the human stare buried in his face.

He ached for two hands made of meat

he could reach to the end of.

In the corpse’s core, the stone fist

of his heart began to bang

on the stiff chest’s door, and breath spilled

back into that battered shape. Now

it’s your limbs he comes to fill, as warm water

shatters at birth, rivering every way.

Descending Theology: The Resurrection

by Mary Karr

From the far star points of his pinned extremities,

cold inched in—black ice and squid ink—

till the hung flesh was empty.

Lonely in that void even for pain,

he missed his splintered feet,

the human stare buried in his face.

He ached for two hands made of meat

he could reach to the end of.

In the corpse’s core, the stone fist

of his heart began to bang

on the stiff chest’s door, and breath spilled

back into that battered shape. Now

it’s your limbs he comes to fill, as warm water

shatters at birth, rivering every way.

Catching up: Monday Edition

I am back, folks!  After a busy week of dinner guests, going to an out of town wedding, and celebrating Easter, I feel like I can sit down and spend some time catching up.

I made a special trip to one of our local quilt shops to buy fabric for a placemat and napkin set.  Do any of you shop locally for your fabrics?  I wish I could do it more, but when the price is $9.90/yard and I can buy it online for $7.50 it is hard to do.  With only one yard, the difference is not too bad, but with multiples, it adds up quickly!

Speaking of fabric, I have been seeing images of vintage sheets being used children’s clothing, pillows, and a whole host of other projects recently, and I am ready to get in on this!  While I was at the quilt shop, I also stopped by a thrift shop.  Of course they were in the process of sorting all of their “spring” items and all of the housewares were off the floor!  My step mom will be here in two weeks, and she is the queen of thrift shops, so I’ll take her with me then.  I’ll let you know what we find!  I did find some skirts and a dress for the wedding which I will tell you about in another post…I’m still waiting for the files to load on the computer!

How did you spend your weekend?

by a thread

I was this close to not being able to finish the custom napkin set I was working on last night.  I will tell you that I had taped the loose end of the thread to the spool and held my breath through the last two!

In honor of the Easter weekend, as well as the wedding celebrations, I will be offline the next few days.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

mini update

Hi Friends!  It’s been a busy week around here with work, dinner guests, and of course Spring!  It’s difficult to be motivated to sit in front of the computer when I could be soaking up some vitamin D.

This is what I want to be doing right now!

Pretty Birdie’s Tumeric Dress on Etsy

The busy-ness continues: dinner with a friend tonight, a custom order to finish, a ring bearer’s pillow to sew, a wedding to attend (I still need a dress!), dress shopping, and of course Resurrection Sunday (aka Easter) to celebrate.  whew!

If you do not see much of me between now and Monday, please rest assured that I will make it up next week!

If you really miss me, head on over to Quest for Real Food and see some of the changes that are already taking place.

Sunny Day Delights

Some pretty finds from my Favorites List for you on this sunny Wednesday (at least it is sunny in my neck of the woods.)

Asymmetrical Blue and White Rose Necklace from Brittany Chavers Studio

Karen Skirt from ChariotsAfire

Pink Flower Stems by Gold Evening Light from Lilydove & Chou Chou

Enjoy the day, friends!

New Photo Preview

Whether reading through the Etsy Shop Makeover Series, or a list of tips on the Indie Biz 2.0 course, one of the most common pieces of advice given to sellers is

TAKE GOOD PHOTOS.

I will admit to using less than worthy pictures in my listings, but from here out, I am focusing on photos that would make me want to buy the product.

Remember when selling something online, the customer cannot actually pick up the item and see that “it is so much better than the pictures lets on.”

For me, this means photographing in the afternoon in my kitchen, backyard, or dining room.  These are all places I get plenty of indirect natural light. It also means taking 20+ pictures of one item, using different backgrounds and various angles, to find a few that really work.  I have some great pictures with horrible hues because I photographed at night in my sewing room rather than during the day when the sunlight is pouring in.

I then spend some time editing.  I enhance the exposure, crop around the image, add backgrounds and even text, all to make sure that my photo shows how great the product is.  I am not a professional photographer, but thanks to programs like iPhoto and Picnik, I can make some minor adjustments that can really show off the images.  When I do not take the time to do this, it really shows via poor photo quality and no sales!

Once that is all said and done I’m ready to add the photos to a listing.  That’s another story, or another post. For now I have lots of editing to do so I can get these items listed!

One of my goals for April is to photograph all of my unlisted and listed items to make sure they are really spectacular.  By the end of April I hope to have no more “so-so” photos in my shop.

{Shameless} Plug: Today on Quest for Real Food: Tips for Buying Local Foods

I finally get to tell you what the surprise is!

New Years Resolutions seem to be something you either love or hate.  For some people it is a time to set unrealistic goals that will be forgotten a week later.  For others it is a time of reflection on the past year and anticipation of the year to come.  I fall into the later group.

Why am I bringing this up in March?  And what does this have to do with surprises? Or food? Good questions!

Back in December and early January, I spent a decent amount of time reflecting on what I wanted for the year ahead.  None of my resolutions were truly groundbreaking or even life changing.  Not yet at least.  But I did want to continue, deepen, and strengthen one aspect of my family’s life throughout this year, that being changing the way we eat to keep up with our views of how best to treat farmers, the farm, the animals, and the earth.  With this in mind, I also realized that we work with a limited budget; although sometimes if you look at my grocery bill you would not believe that.

So what was my resolution?  To keep our budget under $100/week but to continue to incorporate as many local, fresh, organic, and sustainably-produced items on our receipt as possible. Of course that incorporates a pretty big ambition and a lot of buzz-words, so to keep myself accountable, and to help the many others seeking to do the same,

I have started a new blog.

Actually, my friend Megan and I are starting this blog.  She is knee-deep in boxes in her new apartment in Texas (which she shares with her husband, dog and two children) so she’ll be posting a bit later this month.  Megan is amazing when it comes to planning, using coupons, and basically sticking to a budget.  I’m looking forward to seeing all that she offers in that department.  She is also transforming the contents of her kitchen, so she’ll have plenty to offer there as well!

It is of course a “work in progress”, but after several weeks of thinking about this and brainstorming ideas, I am so excited for you to see it! We will be posting recipes, recipe reviews, shopping tips, and of course chronicles of our own experiences.  I hope this is something that will be of value and not just “another blog”.  Feel free to let us know if you have any questions, ideas, or comments.  We would love to hear from you!

And for those of  you who actually read this far down, I’ll let you in on one more tidbit: today’s post is a little how-to for Chocolate Covered Pretzels!

What are you waiting for?  Check it out!

http://questforrealfood.blogspot.com

Sunday Driving

The weekend has been filled with naps, lunches out, rain, flowers, sunshine, walks, church, catching up with friends, and time in the sewing room.  I am working on some new zipper pouches (let’s call them zippies from now on, OK?  That’s easier to type.).  The zippes are for the Female Art Collective, and have learned a little something new about myself along the way.

What started off as a one evening, 90 minute max. project has turned into a two (maybe three if I do not get off the computer and up to the sewing room!) evening trial of new designs.  Rather than just form a little assembly line and make 3-4 zippies that are all similar, albeit utilizing different fabrics, I had to make each one unique.  Not that this is a bad thing.  I like unique.  I also like productivity.  “unique” does not usually equal “productive” in my world!

These zippies are different sizes, some are pieced, and some have special stitching.  Each will be beautiful in its own right.  Each will take more time than it should!
In case you have been on the edge of your seat wondering, I have yet to decide on a dress pattern or even if we are actually going to attend the Ball.  That means you still have time to chime in and let me know which you like best!

I am also incredibly excited to reveal my big secret to you tomorrow
(remember, it involves food!)

I hope your weekend has been filled with many good things!

Ladies, please help me!

Ladies (and gents if you’re interested)

I need a little help. It just happens that I may be attending a very fancy-pants, bust out your shiniest and most expensive black-bow-tie type of ball in just about a month.  Last time I attended a function with these same folks, I showed up wearing jeans and my red pumps while everyone else sported dresses and suit coats.  I’m surprised I was not thrown out!

So here is where you come in.  If you know of a great resource for finding sewing patterns or pattern reviews (yes, I’ve already checked Vogue…see below), please comment below.  If you are my friend (sorry, no strangers here) and want to babysit while I sew, please comment below.  If you are my friend and think I’m crazy for making my dress, please comment below. (please be aware that I may not heed your advice. unless it is really persuasive.) If you know of a great place online or locally to find a beautiful evening gown for an even better price, yes, please comment below.

So far, here is what I have found.

The dress I really like and may need to be talked out of making.  It’s a little low cut for my taste, and I’m not sure I’m ready to include alterations in my formal dress sewing repertoire.  Vogue Pattern 1030 (V1030)

The one I also kind of sort of like and would probably be easier to make.  I like the back and the gathering at the waist but am wondering if it’s a little too…two years ago. Is it? Vogue Pattern 8556 (V8556)

And then, there is THIS ONE.  The one? The vintage 1960s Simplicity 8497. Doesn’t that sound dreamy?  It is beautiful but I could easily see myself running to my mommy  crying(I love you, Mom!), and that’s tough to do when we live 2,000 miles apart.  But it really is beautiful, isn’t it? (the big gold one in the picture)

Soooooo what do you think?

Please do comment and offer any help you can give!  My wallet and sanity both thank you in advance!

every blog has a post about spring. this is mine.

I distinctly remember a day–just last week–when there were no flowers in sight.  Now they are everywhere.  I may have mentioned it once or twice, but let me just emphasize that

I
love
Spring.

I love the longer days, the bounty of color after a long winter of brown, gray, and white, the birds singing, the fresh foods that will soon be arriving on my table…the list goes on.

Speaking of fresh foods. I have a little surprise for you. No, it’s not a puppy. Or a cheesecake.  But it does involve food, me, and you (yes, you.)  On Monday I will tell you what it is.

Until then I will be enjoying the sunshine if it chooses to come back, but definitely the flowers and the birds and quite possibly even a little time to get creative between now and then.

“Focus” or “Holding a DTR with myself”

from tonebastianse on flickr

There are times when I set the auto focus on my camera but it goes in and out of focus attempting to determine where or what the object of focus is.  Sometimes I need to make a few adjustments before the camera can actual focus itself on the composition of the photo.

That is how I feel right now. Term 1 of Indie Business 2.0 has come to a close, and my brain and heart seem to be going in and out, trying to determine where or what the object of my focus is.

Do I focus online or locally? Craft shows or consignment?  Produce singular items or multiples?  Children’s clothing or home décor?  Blogging or personal networking?  Do I stick with Irene Design or think up something catchy and slightly more original?  Am I a hobbyist or a business entrepreneur in the making?

Do you all know what it means to DTR?  (Define the Relationship).  Back in my college days (I went to a Christian liberal arts school and loved it by the way), when a couple started to get serious about actually being a couple—or when one person wanted to let the other person know that they weren’t really into taking that next step—one would approach the other and hold a DTR chat.  The relationship was defined, boundaries were set, and usually within a few hours everyone at the school knew what the outcome had been.  It was a big deal.

I need to hold a DTR with myself.  That’s half of why I took this course—to determine what I even needed to discuss!

The reality is, as much as I push against this, choices must be made. I cannot have it all; boundaries and limitations must be set.  As I continue trying to determine where and what my focus is, my immediate reaction is against any kind of binary either/or.  I want it all! But this is reality.  I have just a few hours a week that I am able to devote to Irene Design, and that limitation must be kept in view or focus will never be achieved!

These questions do not mean that I am not enjoying the course or getting anything out of it.  To the contrary, this is exactly what I wanted!  I needed a little nudge, some adjustments, to get me to a point of being able to really focus on what matters.

How do you keep your focus, especially when it seems difficult?

Etsy Finds: Ring Bearer Pillows

When I was getting married not that long ago (I am not old, although today it took me a good 60 seconds to figure out my age!) the ring bearer pillows I saw were quite pathetic.  They were made of fake,  cheap silk  and while functional they were no where near beautiful.  We skipped on the whole ring bearer pillow (and ring bearer for that matter), but I think I would have found a little boy to carry a pillow had I see these beauties a few years ago!

From the Petite Silk Bloom Series
Designer: WoomiNY
Price: $40.00

From the Crystal Bloom Series
Designer: WoomiNY
Price: $45.00

These pillows have an aesthetic of overall simplicity, yet they really are not simple.  The fabric is intricately textured, and the floral details on top are elegant and demand attention without being overstated.

WoomiNY also offers garters, headbands and other wedding accessories.

All photos are property of WoomiNY.

Pattern Review: Reversible Mary Jane baby shoes

What: Reversible Mary Jane baby shoes, Size 0-18 Months
Designer: SweetPeaPattern
Price: $4.50
Pattern Type: Electronic, Adobe PDF
Sewing Level: Intermediate (just over Beginner)
Can you sell items made from the pattern? YES.

A few weeks ago I was browsing baby dresses and patterns on Etsy and came across this pattern for reversible Mary Janes with three strap options from SweetPeaPattern.  I will admit that this was a bit of an impulse buy, but from the listing I thought these little shoes would be a great little project to use up some of the many fat quarters and other fabric scraps I have overflowing my boxes in the sewing room.

The pattern came to me via email within several hours.  I have come to appreciate pdf patterns on several levels.  I like that there is no middle-man; I receive the pattern directly from the person who made it.  That usually translates into a decent priced pattern for me, and more profit made for the designer.  I have also found that pdf patterns are usually a labor of love: the photos are in color, the details are clearly laid out, and if something is not easily understood, the designer is usually readily available to answer questions.

After receiving the pattern, I printed it out and cut the pieces for a 6-9 month shoe with ribbon ties.  The pattern comes with lots of pictures and does not assume that the sewist knows more than s/he actually does.  Given the method of sewing the pieces together, it would have been very easy to make the directions more difficult than needed, but instead there were very clearly written directions and pictures to answer questions left by the instructions.  There are even little side notes and tips to make sure your shoes don’t pucker or cave.

All in all it took me about 70 minutes to make one pair of shoes.  I am so pleased with the outcome, even on the first try.  My daughter is nearly 7 months old, and I would have been fine using the 3-6 month pattern for her.  I think these will not actually fit well for another month.  She does love the shoes though and enjoys playing with the ribbons!

Did I mention yet that these are reversible?  I love that these can be made with complimenting fabrics, and both fabrics can be used as the liner or the actual shoes!!  The other good thing with this is that all of the seams are encased so there are no unsightly raw edges.

I have not made the other two versions of this shoe yet, but I plan to do so soon.  Once you make one pair, I think it will be easy to make the others without a  great deal of additional effort.

One more note to make, SweetPeaPatterns not only offers these sweet little Mary Janes but also has some loafers for little boys, kimono style shoes, seamless slippers, ballet style shoes and a pattern for car seat strap covers.

Want to buy the pattern? Visit SweetPeaPattern shop

Want to buy some already made shoes? Contact irenedesign@ymail[dot]com

Irene Design was not paid to conduct this review and is not supported by SweetPeaPattern.  Sewing Pattern Photos come from and belong to SweetPeaPattern.

everyday beauty

Every time I go to the grocery store, I am assaulted in the floral department.  I love flowers, especially fresh cut flowers on my table.  I can usually pass by unharmed, but not today.  Today it was a cold, gray, almost-spring day, and I could not resist the bright sunshine yellow ranunculas smiling up at me.  I picked up one bunch (I did resist the second.  and third.) and went happily on my way.

When I got home I played around with our camera and then iPhoto and these are two of my favorites.  Which one is your favorite?

Business Umbrella

Did you know I have owned the same umbrella for just a few months shy of ten years?  It’s true.  My French teacher gave me a beautiful umbrella just before I headed off to live in France for a year.  She knew how much it rained there!

One of the first exercises we did for the Indie Biz 2.0 course was to design our “business umbrella”.  In short, this umbrella is the theme under which all of my products and services fall.  So for me, “combining function and beauty” is  what I want to be the common thread that runs through all of my work.  Under the umbrella of function and beauty rests not only the products I already have but those I want to include at some point.

This concept of having a business umbrella has helped me not only bring some definition to what I want as I move forward with Irene Design, but it has also liberated me from the idea that I should only “do one thing and do it well.”  That model just doesn’t work for me; I like to explore far too much to just do one thing.

Along with sewing, I would love to incorporate photography as I get a little better.  At some point, I may bring in some paintings as well.  This umbrella is big enough to fit all of that but strong enough to keep some sort of consistency even with the variety.

The umbrella exercise has also been a great reference point.  I had some free time tonight and was able to look at that before deciding what to make.  Rather than starting one of the many random projects I have though about over the week, I was able to pick one that I knew fit within the umbrella.

I am hoping that this will help me to stay somewhat focused rather than having fifteen projects going at once that do not really fit together.  It’s fine to have some variety, but I really want to keep it well within the reaches of my umbrella.

Eleventh Monkey

Indie Biz 2.0 is off to a great start in my crafty little mind, and I am enjoying every bit of it.  I have already had a chance to gain some focus on my products and feel like I’m building a planter box for my seeds rather than scattering them all over the place.  I’ll tell you more about that later though.

One of the perks of this course is being a part of a social network of other students and getting to see what they are doing.

For instance, Louana of the Eleventh Monkey is making these amazing little creatures by hand stitching them.  Yes, you read that right.  I don’t even hand stitch my pillows closed, and she is hand stitching these clever little goodies.

She does not just make monkeys; she makes all kinds of little creatures.  My favorites are:

Can you see why I love these?!