More Ideas!!

Yesterday, I took my daughter to a local mall to play in their play space. Well, after lunch, she crashed in the stroller, so I decided to walk around a bit and let her sleep. I found a store called "Strasburg Children", which is a really expensive special occasion store for children up to size 14 in girls. The lady working in there offered me a catalogue to take home and share with my dh (haha), and I accepted it. I brought it home, and boy, did I find all kinds of neat ideas to include in my own designs! Readers, if you aren't familiar with Strasburg Children, all their clothes, for the most part, are hand-made or hand-decorated with lots and lots of smocking, tasteful embroidery, and using high-quality materials. Each item has French seaming, piping, etc. Absolutely gorgeous! Of course, I didn't tell her that I design baby clothes (well, Christening dresses), but I did get a lot of ideas with various pieces of styling they use. (If you want to see a sampling of their items, check out www.strasburgchildren.com) After I sat down and thought about it, I was able to figure out how to 'copy' some of the ideas and I was mentally able to 'see' the stitches required to do this.

I began writing down my ideas on some paper, and realized that if someone else were to try to follow my directions, they may need to actually see an example of what I'm talking about. So, I've decided to put together a designer's notebook. I've seen all kinds of knitters' notebooks, quilters' notebooks, and seamstress notebooks, but never have I seen a crochet designer notebook. So, I've decided to make one. Hmm...what should I put in it?

Let's see...

• basic stitches
• pattern stitches
• sizing directions
• sewing directions translated into crochet patterns (which is what the premise behind this thing would be)
• graphs
• decoration implementation (i.e., bobbles, beads, faux-smocking, etc.)

I'll have to think about it some more...As I work on it, perhaps I'll publish it here online to share with everyone...I'll have to see what kind of response I get.

Tata for now!!

WIPs and Chains and other things...

The work on the Anona dress is going quite slowly...then again, I keep going back and forth between working on it and working on a doggie bag. The bottom row of pineapples is almost finished, and I've decided I don't like my #10 hook. I think I prefer my #9, which is just a hair bigger, and, as it is an older Boye, much smoother. The 10 is a little too pointy.

The doggy bag I'm making is going to be used by my daughter when she goes trick-or-treating this year for the very first time. She's going to be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, and the dog I'm making is Toto. "Toto" will be her treat sack, if all goes well. If not, I'll use the extra gingham I bought yesterday to make her a matching sack to go with her dress. I can't wait to see how it comes out. I'd offer up a link to the JCPenney's catalogue to show you a picture of the bag I'm talking about, but there is not yet a picture available--at least, not until the 11th of October. They are very, very cute bags, and I hope my variation on them does just as well.

Today, i went to Toys R Us to look for a model for my dresses. (I'd have used my daughter, but she was too big for them already.) I found one for $21.99, and I think it was on sale. It looks a lot like my daughter, as well, so I just had to buy it. The first thing my daughter did when I took it out of the box was crawl on my lap and take the doll's bottle. She wouldn't get near the doll, nor would she let it touch her! Lol. I believe she felt threatened by it, not understanding that it was just a doll and not a real baby--probably because it was only a little smaller than she is! Don't worry, readers, I didn't tease her with it...I'm not cruel like that. I just held it up to her to see if she'd talk to it, like she used to 'talk' to other babies or dolls she plays with. I guess it just freaked her out. *shakes head*

Well, dear readers, I must bid you adieu, for now. I have to attend to my laundry and reorganize my projects so they don't drive me nuts.

WIPs and Chains and other things...

The work on the Anona dress is going quite slowly...then again, I keep going back and forth between working on it and working on a doggie bag. The bottom row of pineapples is almost finished, and I've decided I don't like my #10 hook. I think I prefer my #9, which is just a hair bigger, and, as it is an older Boye, much smoother. The 10 is a little too pointy.

The doggy bag I'm making is going to be used by my daughter when she goes trick-or-treating this year for the very first time. She's going to be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, and the dog I'm making is Toto. "Toto" will be her treat sack, if all goes well. If not, I'll use the extra gingham I bought yesterday to make her a matching sack to go with her dress. I can't wait to see how it comes out. I'd offer up a link to the JCPenney's catalogue to show you a picture of the bag I'm talking about, but there is not yet a picture available--at least, not until the 11th of October. They are very, very cute bags, and I hope my variation on them does just as well.

Today, i went to Toys R Us to look for a model for my dresses. (I'd have used my daughter, but she was too big for them already.) I found one for $21.99, and I think it was on sale. It looks a lot like my daughter, as well, so I just had to buy it. The first thing my daughter did when I took it out of the box was crawl on my lap and take the doll's bottle. She wouldn't get near the doll, nor would she let it touch her! Lol. I believe she felt threatened by it, not understanding that it was just a doll and not a real baby--probably because it was only a little smaller than she is! Don't worry, readers, I didn't tease her with it...I'm not cruel like that. I just held it up to her to see if she'd talk to it, like she used to 'talk' to other babies or dolls she plays with. I guess it just freaked her out. *shakes head*

Well, dear readers, I must bid you adieu, for now. I have to attend to my laundry and reorganize my projects so they don't drive me nuts.

New Inspirations...

Over the weekend, aside from the flea market, I also had a few inspirations for spring craft shows. I was going through my baby name books, trying to find a name for my first christening dress, when I ran across the name, Anona, which means 'pineapple' in Irish. Hmm...which got me thinking. The last time I went to Rue de Lily, Karen asked me to make a dress which had elastic in the bottom, kind of like a sleeper-sack. Hmm...combine the two together...Hmm...Great idea! So, my new WIP is a pineapple christening dress that is a sack and it will be named Anona. I have the skirt figured out, but as I'm writing down the pattern as I work, it may be a while. I have no idea how I am going to work the bodice yet, but it will come in time. I do have an idea for the bonnet. Get this: there is a pattern for a pineapple potholder somewhere here online. I will work several of these pineapples in thread, work them together like Irish lace motifs, and make a cap remeniscent of Anne Geddes-style hats. If I do this, the dress is going to be kind of frilly...I hope it won't look ridiculous, because I can't stand a lot of frou-frou. I prefer simpler, classy things, which appeal to wider audiences.
I also have two other goals which I hope to have completed before March.
Goal 1: Design and work a boys' christening outfit. Perhaps with knickers and a vest? There is a sad shortage of crochet patterns for this genre, and I realize the difficult task of making a crocheted item not look too girly. I feel I'm up to the challenge!
Goal 2: Design and work a doggie bag, inspired by this year's JCPenney Christmas catalogue and a chihuahua pattern I found online. I got a great deal on fun fur yarn at a local store, and thought, "hey, I can really try this!" Hobby Lobby also has purse straps which could pass for leads/leashes, and to disguise the opening, I would work in a sweater for the closure, using a standard magnetic snap. It sounds kind of corny, but it isn't, really. I saw so many people carrying their little dogs in purses, and actually pushing them in baby strollers!! *raises eyebrow* You never know...the idea could take off...

Let me know what you think! I'd love to hear from you!

New Inspirations...

Over the weekend, aside from the flea market, I also had a few inspirations for spring craft shows. I was going through my baby name books, trying to find a name for my first christening dress, when I ran across the name, Anona, which means 'pineapple' in Irish. Hmm...which got me thinking. The last time I went to Rue de Lily, Karen asked me to make a dress which had elastic in the bottom, kind of like a sleeper-sack. Hmm...combine the two together...Hmm...Great idea! So, my new WIP is a pineapple christening dress that is a sack and it will be named Anona. I have the skirt figured out, but as I'm writing down the pattern as I work, it may be a while. I have no idea how I am going to work the bodice yet, but it will come in time. I do have an idea for the bonnet. Get this: there is a pattern for a pineapple potholder somewhere here online. I will work several of these pineapples in thread, work them together like Irish lace motifs, and make a cap remeniscent of Anne Geddes-style hats. If I do this, the dress is going to be kind of frilly...I hope it won't look ridiculous, because I can't stand a lot of frou-frou. I prefer simpler, classy things, which appeal to wider audiences.
I also have two other goals which I hope to have completed before March.
Goal 1: Design and work a boys' christening outfit. Perhaps with knickers and a vest? There is a sad shortage of crochet patterns for this genre, and I realize the difficult task of making a crocheted item not look too girly. I feel I'm up to the challenge!
Goal 2: Design and work a doggie bag, inspired by this year's JCPenney Christmas catalogue and a chihuahua pattern I found online. I got a great deal on fun fur yarn at a local store, and thought, "hey, I can really try this!" Hobby Lobby also has purse straps which could pass for leads/leashes, and to disguise the opening, I would work in a sweater for the closure, using a standard magnetic snap. It sounds kind of corny, but it isn't, really. I saw so many people carrying their little dogs in purses, and actually pushing them in baby strollers!! *raises eyebrow* You never know...the idea could take off...

Let me know what you think! I'd love to hear from you!

Taking Back the Art!!

Okay, okay...It's time to start a new movement! To all the crocheters out there, I'm speaking to you!! We need to take back the art of crochet! Why do knitters get to make more money on their items (if they sell them) when we use even more yarn, take just as much time (especially if we work with thread) making the items, yet make barely more than the cost of the materials on our work?! THIS IS NONSENSE!! Okay, I'm venting. but there is a very good reason for my vent. I was a vendor at a flea market yesterday, and there were a few other vendors who had either crocheted items, or knit items available. The knit items cost more, and people were willing to pay those prices, yet I had heirloom-quality christening dresses available (made of thread, using 16 hours of work, and lined with hand-stitched linen with French seams, no less!), and I had people gasping at my prices, saying they weren't going to pay $25 for a hand-crocheted dress (mind you, readers, this was my least-expensive dress, no less!) that was lined with 100% linen, hand-stitched! Granted, I know my venue was a poor choice for showing off my wares--although I was able to generate some interest from a select few who understood the amount of work I put into my Tiny Trinkets Garments--but still, HOW RIDICULOUS! (I was selling off my entire Coca-Cola collection, as well, and was very successful at it) I was so steamed at the comments I heard! (One old lady said, "who does she think she is, charging that much? I ain't payin' that! That's made of sewin' thread! Why should I pay $25 for something I can buy for $2?" !?! Does she not realize that time is also valuable?) I do know of a few craft shows I'd like to enter in the spring, and I'll probably have better luck there.
I just had a thought...perhaps people at flea markets don't realize how long things take to hook together? But then again, I even tried to show the lady my portfolio (which had approximate time-tables next to each garment) when she asked what else I make, but she wasn't interested. Oh well, win some, lose some. Not only this, but also crocheting is a common liesure art. It is so common, in fact, that when you tell a non-fiber person (one who doesn't work with yarn, string, thread, etc) that you crochet, that person--more often than not--immediately thinks, toilet tissue covers, tissue box covers, towel toppers, etc. Stuff that takes less than an hour to make and thereby costs less than $5. It's so bad in my area, and in the town where I grew up, that anything crocheted is devalued unless it's a garment from a department store. I have to go to higher-income areas where most people don't do hand-work (especially with thread) and sell to a boutique, and even then it's iffy.
For those of you who knit, as well, please don't misunderstand me...I knit, also. I'm not great at it, but I do appreciate the beauty of the hand-knit item. However, crocheted items can be just as beautiful, and just as valuable. I don't know of 1 fiber artist who does not take pride in his or her work.
What are your experiences with this, readers? I'd like to hear from you!