sachets

little by little i'm getting it together...

i have always wanted to enclose a little bonus present into the packages i send out for etsy orders. i like the idea of sachets because opening a package and smelling the scent of lavender before you even see what's in there just seems like such a nice treat! so last week i finally started making some and one lucky customer in the UK was the first to get one with her purchase. i had fun playing with the embroidery function on my machine, which i rarely use. from now on some kind of small 'thank you' gift will be tucked into every envelope i send... i have plans for moth-repelling herbs for my woolens, and another kind of surprise for the dog slings.

if they could just stay little...

my little chicken friends have grown so fast! it's been quite amazing to watch them transform. the red ones have lost most of their yellow fuzz (a few little tufts remain) and the little black one is now white and black (that's her in the solo pic above). i've been joking that the speckled one (top left photo) is actually a chicken HAWK because she just doesn't look like a chicken! i have to look up what breed she is. the guinea hens want nothing to do with me and will be released soon to run free and roost in the trees like their older cousins, but the chickens are becoming really friendly with me and seem to enjoy the 'chicken massages' i've been giving them in the mornings. i want them to be as cuddly as these ladies were!

under construction

hello! just a quick note to say that we are going to do some renovating around here, so things may seem a little odd and frequently changing for a few days. please excuse the dust, as they say, it'll all be worth it you'll see...

oh, and i did finally finish the new banner; as soon as i can get the construction crew in, it'll be hanging up in the rafters there, yippee!

who doesn't heart handmade?

i am so woefully slow in posting, but the very fantabulous marichelle of the super-cool crafty blog heart handmade wrote a piece about lil' ol' me about two weeks ago! she said very nice things and asked fun questions and you can see it here. HH is an excellent overview of happenings in the handmade world, and i love to see who and what she discovers every week. some of my favorite series are 'shop and tell' where people show and tell about a handmade item they bought recently, 'the other half' in which she interviews the significant others of handmakers, and of course the 'featured artist'.

belltower market

hey catskills and hudson valley peeps! come check out hodge podge handmade clothes at the new arts & crafts market in rosendale, new york: BELL TOWER MARKET. i'll be there both days hocking my wares, and i'd love to see you! they are still seeking vendors too (this is happening every weekend through the summer) so if you're a maker in the area, get in touch with the organizers at rosendaleartssquad.org. otherwise please help spread the word to anyone you know who lives or weekends in the vicinity! rosendale is one of my favorite little towns around here, and features a fantastic bakery, yummy restaurants, and cute shops.

classes this week!

i just want to remind you that i am teaching a whole buncha classes while i'm here in brooklyn this week, and there are still some spaces available: crochet is thursday, sew a top or dress saturday, embroider saturday evening, or sew a t-shirt sunday. act now and learn something new!

oh renegade you had it made

woot woot! renegade 2009 was the. best. ever. i shared a tent with my pal jen of raeburn ink and we were a frenzy of activity the entire time.

for five years we have all waited for the weather to cooperate, and this year it finally did! when it is 90 degrees and 500% humidity (as the past four fairs have been, with occasional downpours), NO ONE feels like trying on clothes. but this weekend was in the seventies, with a cool breeze blowing, and it was like a miracle. i sold every short-sleeved smock dress i made, plus most of the long-sleeved ones. thanks mama nature! i knew you were my friend.

and most importantly, THANK YOU to everyone who came out and said hello, and if you bought something from me, you have my undying and infinite gratitude! when you buy from independent makers, it really does mean the world to us.




here i am hand-delivering my favorite linen crochet-yoked smock to the lovely joi of stereoette, who adopted it. i'm so glad it went to a good home! i look a little insane but renegade kind of does that to me...


there's joi with her new dress, and another sweet customer who came back on sunday wearing the one she bought saturday. i love happy customers!


here are two more: emma with the shirt that's been 'waiting' for her, and teeter of 31 corn lane with wiggles in her new sling!

across the way were my buddies siri of treehouse and kayte of love forever's booth. i caught siri and gertie smooching between the tents...

see you there!

last minute

oh yes, you know i will be sewing up to the very last second before i leave for Renegade! i know you haven't forgotten but in case you need reminding, it's this weekend, saturday AND sunday june 6-7 in mccarren park. of course, the new development this year is that i have to pack up my car and drive two hours to brooklyn the day before the fair, which really cuts into my frantic 4am-the-night-before sewing plans. is that good or bad? not sure...

above is a sneak peek of the sundresses, short-sleeved yoke tunics, and new reversible hats i've been working on. please come out and see me and gert, not to mention treehouse, raeburn ink, love forever, 31 corn lane, a.s.i.s., perch, and almost 300 more! the weather report looks promising and as always, anyone who brings me a lemonade or treat gets 15% off any hodge podge purchase.

ok, back to the sewing machine...