It's only been a year! I guess it's time for a new blog post. Today I spent time working on a new skirt prototype. Its something very different than I've done in the past. A gathered waist skirt with a set on waistband and zipper...GASP! I know - a fitted skirt.

I am using up a pile of upcycled vintage, found, remnant and reclaimed fabrics to make these skirts. Each one will be different and one of a kind. These are made to be worn at the actual waistline (belly button area); and I think they are flirty and fun. This particular skirt is a 30 inch waist and 20 inches long.

What do you think?

Website!

Yes, you read that correctly....after securing my domain nearly a year ago I'm finally getting ready to launch my very own website. Sales will still run through www.thepainteddaisy.etsy.com but I will finally have a landing place for a gallery of my work, links to my etsy site, FB & blogger, upcoming events, lists of the brick & mortar shops that carry my goodies and a little information about me & my sewing business. Plus its very pretty :)

This has been a long process...I have a lot going on in my life and anything computer-related always falls to the bottom of the list. A very kind parent from my kids' swim club helped me finish this daunting project.

Soooooooo a big shout out THANK YOU to Justin Packard of Route 37 Design. He can be found at www.route37design.com.

Most of my friends know that I split my time between my own sewing business and working for an upholstery shop. Jason, the owner and master upholsterer, and I work together on a variety of different projects. The other guy in the photo on the far left is Brian - the resident lifter, delivery guy, deconstructor, mechanical parts guy and sometimes furniture refinisher. I sort of come and go from the shop as my schedule allows. For this reason I don't get involved in some of the really big projects anymore. Here's an example of a sofa I helped Jason with awhile back - it was custom built from the frame out. The customer brought in a photo of a sofa from a catalog. Jason customized it to her specifications, including a loose base cushion that could be flipped. Our finished product! The past two weeks I worked on a few smaller projects - here's one. A customer needed a lumbar pillow for their favorite chair. They brought in the seat cushion and I created this pillow out of a coordinating fabric we had leftover from a different project.

Here's another - new cushions for this glider rocker. Here's the project in process...


All that is left is inserting the seat cushion and replacing the fill for the back and adding button tufting. Jason will handle that for me....I won't be back in the shop until next week.
I'm excited about my next project - It's a set of cushions for a friend. Wait until you see the before & afters!

Working on updates for my blog...coming soon!

So where did 2011 go? So much for keeping up with the blog. I'm going to do better in 2012! Watch for updates soon.

Sharing the Sweater Love to Support Breast Cancer Research & Recovery

Recently a friend asked me if I would be interested in creating a sweater wrap to donate to a fundraiser silent auction. The event is By Women, For Women (http://www.bwfwgolf.com/) a local, annual women's golf event that raises money to assist in the battle against breast cancer. Of course I was thrilled to be asked and said YES!

The only request was it be a pink-themed sweater...so this past week I came up with the following creation:



I hope it gets lots of bids and the "winner" wears it proudly!

Patchwork is the *Word*

I am currently obsessed with patchwork! I think it is carrying over from all the reconstructed sweaters, scarves and arm warmers I've spent the past 10 months creating!

Here's a new patchwork Frances Skirt (so dubbed "Patchwork Fran") that I just debuted in my Etsy shop last week:





And an ugly pic of me wearing a red...



These were born out of my inability to throw out scraps. I had 4 60 gallon garbage bags FULL of scraps. So I sorted them, trimmed and starting sewing together yardage in color families. Dark red, bright red and cinnamon brown are done. Next up, peach/orange, blues and dark brown, to be followed by greens, golds, pink, fuschia and blacks.

I also have a dozen pieces of patched together scraps of cotton fabric. My mom is a very talented quilter and I give her my bags of sorted cotton scraps and she pieces them together into pleasing yardage for totes and bags. Those will be coming soon, as well as some simpler twill totes with tattered ruffles!

So much for keeping up with the blog....starting over!

So the first 5 months of 2011 have gone by in a blur. A blur of sweaters, sweater dust and upcycled sweater creations! Here's a very, very small sampling of what I've been up to:

A few weeks ago I finally pulled the plug on the sweater machine, in order to work on a few lighter weight, spring/summer creations. Since then I've been making skirts, vacuuming sweater dust and scheming new ideas and possibilities.

I've also been restocking all the neglected shops that have so graciously carried my handmade clothing for the past 18 months. So far, I've stocked/restocked Glitter Workshop, Wholly Craft and a new shop, D.I.Y. Studio & Gifts. Coming shortly will be stock for Anthology, and two additional new shops, Weathered Goods and Modern Mercantile. I added links (if available) to these cool shopping destinations in the sidebar to the right.

Other shop updates include the sad news that Jack 'N Jill in Helena, Montana is closing at the end of May because the owner's spouse has taken a job out of state, and recently Dainty Daisies in Oshkosh, Wisconsin has downsized to a smaller studio and is only taking consignment on a very limited basis. You will be able to find The Painted Daisy products there the month of October - I will be the guest gallery artist for that month!

Let's see...other news....2011 SHOW SCHEDULE!

July 9 - Contructor Fair, NW Chicago Suburbs (Fitzgeralds, Berwyn, IL 10-6)
http://www.constructorcraftfair.com/

July 24th - Summer Craftacular, Madison, WI (East Side Club 10-5)
www.glitterworkshop.com/craftacular

T.B.A. September - Annual Trunk Show, Lexington KY

October 1st - Gallery Walk, Dainty Daisies, Oshkosh, WI (6-9pm)
http://www.daintydaisies.com/

and hopefully...

November 19th - Handmade for the Holidays, Oshkosh, WI
www.daintydaisies.com/handmadefortheholidays.html

December 3rd - Holiday Craftacular, Madison, WI

Keep an eye on my blog for updates about my upcoming shows, new products, tidbits and non-sensical trivia about my sewing, family and life in-general!