A Custom Backpack!

Last year, for her birthday, my mom and I pitched in together to buy my favorite (shhh, don't tell the others) cousin a Vera Bradley backpack. Two weeks later she took it out on a boat and it got battery acid on it. I guess she got tired of carrying the battery acid backpack because she asked me to make her one to replace it. She picked it up today so I did a short photo shoot!

Do you think she's happy or what?

Quilted Pot Holder

I found a tutorial for a quilted pot holder on Oh, Fransson!, a blog that I follow. Elizabeth Hartman is the blogger and she makes the most wonderful modern quilts. She also has an Etsy shop where she sells quilt patterns, one of which I bought and have been too scared to try.

I have avoiding quilting because A) I don't know how to do it, B) I don't (didn't) know how to do the binding, C) I don't have the proper presser foot for my machine, and D) I knew I would be hooked once I started, which you could compare to opening Pandora's box.

So Elizabeth Hartman posted the tutorial for the quilted pot holder. I immediately bookmarked it since I have been wanting to make them and because several people have been asking me to put some in my shop to match my aprons.

Yesterday I finally made one and it turned out just great! I am very happy with it except for how badly my hand hurt after hand sewing the binding. Surely there must be a better way...

Enjoy the photos!





There you have it! I am sure that once I find a less painful way to stitch the binding, that I will have some in my shop! Of course, if you're dying for one I will make it for you!

New Make Up Bag!

I just listed this gorgeous makeup bag/zippered pouch! It is made from Amy Butler's Nigella Wood Fern collection and is READY TO SHIP!!! It is fully lined with a coordinating Kona cotton solid. It is interlined with thick fleece interfacing and stands on its own!

It measures approximately 8" wide, 7" tall and 3" wide at the bottom.

You can find this in my shop in the READY MADE/READY TO SHIP section! (Don't forget you can also contact me directly to purchase it!) To see all of my zippered pouches, click HERE.

Custom Apron in Gothic Flower

A client requested I make an apron out of Patty Young's Gothic Flower in the Leaf color combination. This fabric has had me mesmerized since I first saw it, so any chance I get to use it, I do. I hate to use it up, though, and it's always hard to send something out to someone else that I love so much! Pardon the sunspots in my photo, I had to take them at a bad time of day. I guess it's better than no picture at all, right?

The Apron:


The Embroidery on the Pocket:

New Labels!

Whenever people see that my items have sewn-in tags with my logo on them, they love them. They think it's so neat that a small shop like mine has something like that. I put these labels in my items because it's like having a business card attached to the item. Someone asks, "Oh, where did you get that purse?" They respond, "Let me look at the tag." Voila. Company name and website is there. I think the tags scream professionalism and are definitely worth the investment.
For a while, I had printed labels that looked like this:

But I love woven labels and have finally found a place that has reasonable pricing on them! Here's an example:

I can't wait until they get here!!! Here is what the image looks like:

Friday Favorites (Monday Installment)

From OutaAfrica, I picked these fabric gift tags! I love the colors!


I've been trying to figure out where I could put this hanging airplant pod from mudpuppy:


And this fire pit from johntunger belongs in my back yard:

Custom Apron in Purple

My cousin's wife is undertaking a baking project with her friend and asked me to make them some matching aprons. They chose Robert Kaufman's Flower Child in purple for their fabric. Enjoy the photos!

The One That Started it All

This is the same style of apron that I made for myself about a year and a half ago! I was instantly hooked! I love browsing Etsy at all the different styles available. There are really complicated aprons with frills and such, but I'm a simple girl and just love beautiful fabrics. You can find this apron in my shop!

Changes!

Greetings to all of my clients and friends!

I have been busier than ever this spring, thanks to you! It's been a lot of fun. I've had time to pause to evaluate my business and have seen that changes are needed in my policies and pricing. The changes are not drastic but will better help me to serve my clients with the attention they deserve. I find myself being upset by companies who keep their prices the same but greatly diminish the quality of their product (like the now non-half gallon of ice cream!!! You all know what I'm talking about!). Rest assured that this will not be happening here! I wouldn't be able to sleep at night.

My sales come from both my Etsy store (www.forsheedesigns.com) and from direct orders (people I know, word of mouth, etc.). I have set up my new pricing to differentiate between those different types of sales. Etsy costs money to use and I don't believe that non-Etsy buyers should have to bear the cost of that. There is a new pricing sheet with Etsy Prices, Direct Prices, and the Old Prices.

Attached you will find a new pricing sheet and a copy of my revised policies. These will go into effect on June 15. Until then, I will continue to operate at the Old Prices.

Thanks so much for reading and for your business! I truly value my clients and look forward to sewing for you!

My contact information:
April Forshee
www.forsheedesigns.com
aprilforshee {at} gmail {dot} com
404-274-4153