I missed Bernie's 30th Birthday!

My sweet and loyal Bernie turned the big 3-0 on April Fool's Day and I totally forgot to celebrate her. I was too busy playing our little boutique prank and having my 1-day sale and it just escaped me. But I will make it up to her this weekend as we will be spending lots of quality on-on-one time again. Jon took the kids to Chicago so I could catch up on my Etsy orders. Of course I am still allowed a few minutes of computer break every now & then, so I wanted to come here and share what's been going on. First, check out this hilarious message at the bottom of Bernie's sales receipt:

If you can't read it on the picture, it says: In the event of mechanical problems, place the machine in a Greyhound Bus, directing it to Alt's, 335 North Ashland Avenue, Green Bay, Wisconsin. Alt's will pay the cartage both ways and we will not charge anything for a period of five years.

A greyhound bus? WTF?!? Well, my FIL tells me that Bernie has never had to take that fateful bus ride and as long as she's been with me she has never had a malfunction (I have but she hasn't). So I really think Bernie has super powers.

This weekend, actually Bernie will get a bit of a break because I am sewing with knits and will be using Baby for most of the construction. Bernie will only be there for hemming and sewing on the tags, etc.

Want a little peek into my madness? Here's what my studio wall looks like right now. Not very pretty but keeps me organized and focused.


My cutting table looked like this yesterday morning, now they are all packaged and ready to ship.


I received a new shipment of Marimekko fabric yesterday and thought it looked just so sweet all piled together like this. I *heart* fabric so much I could just stare at it all day! LOL! Oh, and for those of you who've been keeping up with my Marimekko clothing designs, YES, that's a new print there (new to me) second from the bottom. It's the KIVET dots in hot pink & white. YUMMY!!! I'll be making some stuff out of this and other coordinates as soon as my pile of work is back to a manageable size.


Now I'll leave you with a fun close-up of some rolled hems. Jon thought this looked like a can-can skirt (It's actually 4 of my KIVET twirl skirts piled on top of one another!):


***adding to my post***

So, this is what $21.75 worth of sushi looks like:


Yes, my family is still in Chicago. This was just for me. I bought this much because I intended to eat half of it tonight for dinner and the other half tomorrow for lunch. But I parked my ass in front of the T.V. and watched an old episode of Project Runway that I had DVR'ed and next thing you know I'm plucking away at an empty take-out container with my chopsticks! Well, there goes my plan to lose 10 lbs. by Quilt Market! pfft

A Method to my Madness

Since I was spending my weekend with Bernie, I had to make sure I maximized my time since I don't get that sort of luxury very often. I turned my studio into a little manufacturing plant in which I was the sole assembly line worker and made a little documentary of my process, which means that in addition to spending time with Bernie, I also spent a lot of time with Penny (my Pentax D-SLR) and Maci (my Macintosh computer). It was a girls' weekend for sure! ;)

So, for all of you out there who might be wondering how a weekend with Bernie, Maci & Penny is spent, here is the breakdown:

1. Cut all pieces
2. Label each piece using a sticky note & pin
3. Stack according to sizes and type of pieces (i.e. all 2T Bistro pants on one stack, etc.)


4. Sew all "like" pieces together (or shirr if needed)
5. Serge all "like" pieces
6. Topstitch all seams


7. Attach MODKID clothing labels plus size & care labels


8. Add any finishing trims or embellishments as needed


9. Hang & Tag
(repeat steps 1 - 9 for the next set of "like" pieces)


10. Package each outfit in individual cellophane bags


11. Box & Ship

Needless to say, in between each step you can add "take pictures" which I guess added a few extra minutes to the process but makes for an informative blog posting. And, of course, all this was done to a background playlist comprised of 80's & 90's rocking tunes played as loudly as possible on my iTunes.

Thanks to all of you ladies who kept me "virtual company" while I worked. Your comments were all so sweet! My to-do list is now about half the size it was which is so amazing to me because when I first saw it "on paper" I felt completely overwhelmed. I got the large orders out which was the most pressing and the rest of the list is definitely doable during my usual schedule. Oh, and for those of you who inquired, Jon loves his new grill and we have already used it a couple of times! :)

Weekend with Bernie

I am spending the first 36 hrs. or so of this weekend with Bernie... and LOVING it! No, I am not having an affair. Bernie is my sewing machine, a Bernina Record. And although Bernie is a "manly" sort of nickname, she is definitely a girl. Bernie is old, a bit worn-out, and rough around the edges, but she is tough, resilient, a definite work-horse and will persevere no matter what challenge I throw at her. No wonder we get along so well! :)


So, why am I spending the weekend with Bernie instead of Jon? Well, I received some rather sizable boutique orders recently. Some are just what we call "custom boutique"... one offs, made to order. And others are wholesale, standard sizes, to be sold at online boutiques. I am thankful for the work and my ever-growing Paypal account, but my new to-do list required some desperate measures... me kicking my whole family out for the weekend and locking myself in my studio with Bernie until my list is done!

So, Jon took the girls to Chicago yesterday and will not return until noon on Sunday. This will afford me about 36 - 40 hrs. of uninterrupted sewing. Yes, I know I am not sewing right now as I am writing this post, but Bernie & I needed a short break. She's chilling over there while I have a snack and update my blog. But, don't worry, I am not neglecting my man on Father's Day. The minute they arrive on Sunday I am saying "later!" to Bernie and spending the rest of the day celebrating "Jon". He has been wanting a new stainless steel gas grill really badly lately... our old one is not functioning properly and I've caught him several times ogling a certain one on the Lowe's website ... and since he only drools that much when he watches Shakira videos, I figured this would be the perfect gift to get him (well, either that or a Shakira DVD, but I think we can all get a lot more use out of the grill).

I ordered this grill (see picture below) over the phone and am happy to say that I was able to pay for it entirely with my Paypal account... WOOHOO! This is the first time in I don't even know how long that I can buy Jon a gift with my own money! :) It is being delivered tonight between 4 pm & 8 pm and I will probably look like a mad woman when I answer the door for those poor Lowe's delivery guys since by then I will have been sewing for over 24 hrs!! And since I know that Jon never reads my blog, I can rest assured that my secret will be safe here! ;)
So, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all the daddies out there!!! I will be relaxing with my sweet family and hopefully eating some grilled yummies.