jcaroline

Ready, Set, Go!

Yes, THE FABRIC is available for sale!  Admittedly, it won't be here until Thursday, January 31, but I couldn't wait any longer.  I had 100 yards of each print sent UPS so we would have it sooner and the remainder will be sent by truck, arriving in the next two weeks or so.  Order now and we'll ship it to you at the end of this week.

My posts (and focus) has been a little narrow lately.  But once we get the fabric in and some projects done, I'll broaden my horizons once again.  My mother is here this week and I've already warned her that she will be helping me, or rather, sewing up some projects from the sample yardage I brought home.

Jessica Rocks!

I couldn't wait- I had to use my new blog header and color scheme that Jessica Jones (you know, that girl from How About Orange) designed for me.  The jcaroline creative! website will be undergoing a face lift in the next couple of weeks, but that overhaul is a little more major, so we'll have to wait.  Thankfully, Jessica encouraged me to perk up the site that has looked the same for at least four years.  Now I have a cool venue to showcase her fabric!

Jessica posted about her new fabric on her blog Friday and the comments are overwhelming.  She certainly has a fan club and they came out in full force to congratulate her.  She did create an incredible collection and I feel like a proud aunt!

Okay, I will shut up about THE FABRIC until I can give you a date that it will be here.

Glad you're excited ('cause I am too)!

This is Jessica Jones from How About Orange and me in Southwestern Massachusetts for the printing of THE FABRIC.  We are standing in front of the final strike-off of the soon-to-be-famous Peapod pattern.  And no, we didn't plan to match our sweaters to the fabric.  (It might explain why we were attracted to those colors, yes?)

I asked Jessica to design a fabric collection last summer and she came up with this super cool Modern Flora Collection.  She gave her blog readers a sneak peek in September.  In shades of apple green, lemongrass, deep green and turquoise, she came up with the designs of Sprig, Leaflet, Herb and Peapod.  Three of the fabrics are printed on a 7 oz. canvas 54" wide.  Herb is the scattered leaves design and is printed on a 54" wide fabric known as "Fortuna", which is a mid-weight cotton sheeting.  This fabric is perfect for linings or other applications where you want a softer texture and lighter weight.

How did all this happen?  I've always liked bold, large prints in bright colors and they are not always easy to find or afford.  I found Jessica through her blog (she tells people we met online) and was really attracted to her designs.  So, I had this vision that we should produce a line of fabrics that are hip, modern and bright on a canvas (which is reasonably priced and I personally love the weight and texture).  But I also wanted a lighter weight print in the collection because sometimes you want a purse lining or other home dec item where you don't want the weight and texture.  And I wanted to make sure some solid cottons existed that matched the prints so that you had more design options, which Braemore's Apple Green and Turquoise Carson City match to a T.

So now I'm just staring at the samples I brought back and dreaming of duvet covers, canvas totes, pillows, upholstered chairs, curtains, awnings, crib sets, messsenger bags and shower curtains.  By the way, we'll have the fabrics in about 10 day to 2 weeks.

Ta-DAH!

It's going to be cold...

       

Weather Forecast for Providence, RI

Tuesday         Jan 15                                                                                                                                                                     Mostly           Cloudy                     High:           32°F (0°C)           Low: 19°F (-7°C)                                                                                                                  Wednesday         Jan 16                                                                                                                                                                     Partly           Cloudy                     High:           34°F (1°C)           Low: 15°F (-9°C)                                                                                                                  Thursday         Jan 17                                                                                                                                                                     Mostly           Cloudy                     High:           36°F (2°C)           Low: 31°F (0°C)                                                                                                                  Friday         Jan 18                                                                                                                                                                     Wintry Mix                     High:           39°F (3°C)           Low: 21°F (-6°C)                                                                                                                  Saturday         Jan 19                                                                                                                                                                     Partly           Cloudy                     High:           24°F (-4°C)           Low: 12°F (-11°C)

Why do I care about the weather in Providence?  Because I'm going there tomorrow.  Thankfully, I bought a coat and gloves last week.  Why am I going there?  That's a secret.  Until Wednesday or Thursday and then I'll tell you.  Possibly with pictures.  Maybe it is textile-related.... For those of you thinking this isn't cold, realize it is currently 60 degrees and sunny in Houston.

Shoe Redo

This pair of shoes I bought from Lands End last year.  I like them, but I made a crucial mistake when I first got them.  I assumed that the leather lace was more than decorative and if I untied the carefully tied and sewn bow, I could actually tighten up the shoe a bit.  Ooops.  The laces on the side and the top are in no way connected and now the top laces just come untied all the time and never look right.

So Friday I decided it was time to redo them a bit and turn them into some weird mix of practical moccasin with decorative ribbons.  And voila!

I pulled the laces out of the top and actually cut the holes just slightly larger so I could slip a 5/8" ribbon through them.  I used long tweezers to push the ribbon through the holes.  I then tied the ribbon, put fray check on the ends and placed a little tacky glue in the knot hoping to keep it from untying.

Of course, then the laces on the sides looked out of place.  I used a hobby knife to cut the lace out of the first grommet on each side.  (I used a hobby knife versus scissors as it let me cut it down in the grommet so it wouldn't stick out.)  After much fiddling, I discovered two things.  First, I should use two ribbons, one for each side of the shoe (to avoid trying to pass the ribbon through the heel).  Second, I just needed to tuck the ends of the ribbon back towards where I laced it to avoid conflicting with the piece of leather lace I just cut off.  I stuck a little Tacky Glue in the beginning and ending grommet and tucked the ribbon back under and held it with a clip until it dried.  I used a 3/8" ribbon on the sides.

However, after I finished, I thought of another idea.  Since you can't tell if the side is one continuous piece of ribbon or not, next time I might try treating each pair of grommets separately.  For example, I would run a short ribbon through the first and second grommet, stitch it together and then slide the ribbon until the seam was buried within the shoe.  Then you could repeat the same trick for each pair of grommets and you wouldn't have to worry about the ribbon ever coming undone.  That method would also make it easier to change out the ribbons if you got tired of the old.  I may have trouble getting the glue/ribbon mass out of mine.

I'm excited about my new ribbon mocs.  Admittedly, I wouldn't have had the nerve to start cutting on them if they were brand new.  But I didn't have much to lose since I had owned them a year and not worn them a lot because of the untying laces.

Michael Miller Organics are here

We just received our shipment of Michael Miller organic fabrics. The line is very nice as it includes a variety of textures and weights to lend itself to a variety of products.  The line includes recycled felt, fleece, terry cloth, sheeting, sherpa knit, gingham check, a natural colored herringbone and a herringbone checked heavy cotton.  Still to come are the gingham check ric rac and bias trim.  It screams to be baby or bath items for its softness.

Organic cotton fabric is fabric that has been grown in fields that have not been treated with pesticides or other chemicals for three years.  The fabrics may be dyed, but most manufacturers are using eco-friendly dyes.  (The Michael Miller fabrics are not dyed with the exception of the gingham check and the herringbone.)   Fabrics are not treated with any of the chemicals typically used on fabrics, such as sizing, soil repellent or flame retardant chemicals.  The USDA certifies producers of organic cotton.

Many makers of baby products have been using organic cotton as it eliminates the skin irritates for sensitive babies and because of the unknown long-term effects of the pesticides that leach from the fabric.  Environmentalists are also promoting the use of organic cottons, as conventional cottons are estimated to use 25 percent of the pesticides used in the world.  Organic cotton has been available since the early 1990's and is predominately produced in the United States and Turkey.  In the U.S., Texas produces the majority of organic cotton, followed by California, New Mexico and Missouri.

If you would like to know more about organic cottons, there are several web resources available.
The Organic Trade Association (www.ota.com ) has a great page on Organic Cotton Facts.  Another site sponsored by a group of organic cotton producers and supporters, www.aboutorganiccotton.com, gives a "slideshow" presentation of the differences between conventional cotton and organic cotton.  The O'Mama Report, sponsored by the Organic Trade Association, offers "Organic Information and Inspiration".

New Ribbon!

I don't know about you, but I am excited about this little piece of loveliness to the left.  We used to have a similar ribbon, but the vendor stopped producing it last year.  It was a very popular ribbon for our customers, so I drew up a design I personally like better (it spells jcaroline in nautical flags), emailed it to China and voila!  Two weeks later it arrived here and it is as spectacular as it looked in the pictures they sent me.

So, what really excites me is now that I know it actually works- I send an email (oh, and some money) and I get product, we plan to produce more little cuties to replace the ribbons that we have not been able to get anymore.

So my first foray into importing worked and has opened a world of opportunities for me to produce crazy ribbons.  You can buy this one here. 

Tell me what you want to know... within reason

I added a page to the blog yesterday.  It's called "What do you want to know?" and will always be available on the left column somewhere under my mug (which I intend to start rotating through all of my equally awful pictures).  Ask me something you want to know more about in regards to sewing, crafting, home dec, ribbons, fabric-- anything under that general umbrella.  If I can answer it on my own, great.  If I can't, I'll do some research to find out more.  Then I'll do a post on it and give the person who generated the idea a $25 gift certificate to jcaroline creative!

I'll hope you'll use this opportunity to get your questions answered and I'll even help you out by giving you some ideas:

What makes a cotton organic?  (Which I do plan to post about in the next few days, but if you have a specific question, bring it on.)
How are most fabrics colored, dyed, printed or finished?  (Again, specifics help narrow the focus, but if you want a broad overview, I'll do that to.)
Why are some ribbons one-sided or a certain texture, etc.?
Why does my sewing machine misbehave on occasion and what should I do about it?
How do I make a cosmetic bag, small purse, install a zipper, etc.?

I'll look into just about anything as long as someone is interested in it.  I will try to do two "knowledge" posts a month, but if I can do more, I will.

Kokka Fabrics from Japan

Cool fabric alert!  We just received a few pieces of Kokka Fabric from Japan.  Cool prints on cotton and some cotton/linen blends.  The pieces shown here are from the Echino collection by designer Etsuko Furuya.  I can't claim to have discovered her- print and pattern blog did a post on her designs as long ago as July 2006- I just figured out where to get her fabrics.  I love the colors and I love that they are on a linen blend- gives them an interesting hue and texture.  She is a free lance textile designer and the theme of her company Echino is "creating something I love and to be happy."  Thank you to nakamachi  for providing a rough translation of her profile in the comments at the print and pattern site.  (Unfortunately, a lot of the text on Etsuko's site is in Japanese.)  Don't worry- I feel like we'll see more and more of designs, so we'll eventually learn more.

I am also thrilled with the other Kokka fabrics we've gotten- I expect about fifteen more prints in the next several weeks.

   

Happy 2008 Again!

I didn't get Christmas cards out this year, but I did make it for New Year's-- well, close enough anyway.  And if you aren't on my Christmas card list, I didn't want you to miss out on yet another picture of the most photographed child in the world.  Feel free to also admire the layout I put together.  Most importantly, have a great 2008!

Happy 2008!

Okay, the holidays are over.  It's time to straighten up and get back to work!  I hope everyone had a great holiday break.  Olivia and I covered approximately 1600 miles by air and 500 by car in six days.  We visited my parents in Arkansas and then John's parents in Missouri and Olivia touched absolutely everything in both houses.  She also saw snow which she didn't think was so great because her hands got cold and I agree with her completely.

The girls above are John's teenage nieces showing off their new quilts.  Last time John's mother visited Houston, she picked up some remnants for the girls who had expressed interest in making quilts.  They pieced them together last summer and I'm sure had long forgotten about them.  John's mother had them quilted and gave the quilts to them for Christmas.  If you've ever made a quilt, you know how dramatic the difference is when it is finished versus when you have just pieced the top.  They were thrilled with their new quilts and matching pillows.  I had great fun naming the Michael Miller and Amy Butler fabrics found in each one.  I was impressed that both girls are basically beginning sewers, but were able to piece together really great looking quilts with just squares of fabric.   They used solid flat sheets for the borders and backing.

 

I thought the quilts were darling and a great way to showcase a fabric stash.  And a way to keep your children entertained during the summer.  And possibly encourage budding creative types!