Sunday 7 June 2009

Sometimes I'm sooooo lucky!


Lucky for me I was able to dredge up just enough of the 'Modern Vine' lining for Carmen's 5 X 3 X 2, which was the sticking point - if I'd just made it in the wrong colour, it wouldn't really have mattered because I could have just made it again - but I didn't think I had enough to line it - quelle horreur - and then I had another look - it was only 1/8" out, and with the fabulous spreadsheet calculator made by MWH*, I was able to fudge it... and here it is!

Anyway, the lovely Carmen was gracious enough to say "yes, thanks, you are an idiot but I'll take it", which is extremely nice of her - there's been lots of to-ing and fro-ing between us to get these pouches sorted out, and she's going to put a spreadsheet of her own together to keep track of it all. So long as we don't go to a normalised relational database, we're going to be okay!

Also I spent some time today making this for my WMIL*:

I made her one in black & white a while back, and now she's brought me orders from three girlfriends. I've had this gorgeous fabric for a while, not quite knowing what to do with it - but when my WMIL said one request was for 'autumn colours', well! what else could this be! Two more tomorrow, one in Erin McMorris's Park Slope, that gorgeous turquoise Leaf Dot, and the equally gorgeous orange swirl, and the Leaf Dot in Orange.

More, later!



Sometimes I'm sooooooooooo stoooooooooooopid

And other times I'm just brilliant, but yesterday wasn't one of those days! After more consulting with MWH* about the size calculator, I made up the second 5 X 3 x 2 Pouch for my lovely customer Carmen, and it was perfect! Size, shape, everything. Then, last night, I posted it up for sale here, only to have a note from Carmen this morning saying I'd made it in entirely the wrong colour. Damn, damn, damn.






So, of course, now I don't have enough of the lining fabric to make it in the right colour, and as is still the case referred to so fleetingly in my last, somewhat tired and emotional, post, I am waiting for the ship to come in, with my supplies!


Lucky for me Carmen is very kind and understanding, and seems to be holding off on sending round the men with baseball bats, but boy! I am so irritated with myself it's the most I can do to be in the same room. I've also made her a small surprise, but I can't show you pictures because I know she reads this!


On a happier note, my WMIL* has procured orders for me to make not one, not two, but three, yes, count them, three, spectacle cases a la the one I made for her - colours designated but fabrics of my choice! Nice!


Did I mention the size calculator? I'm sure I didn't. MWH has put an excel spreadsheet together which will work out the perfect size fabric to cut for a given finished size of box pouch - so if you want a 5 X 3 X 2, put in those numbers, and it will calculate exactly what size to cut. It also allows you to change the size of your seams, so if you're doing 1/8" seams but want to make really sure of something by doing some zigzag over the stitching, for which you might need a bit more room, you can change the seam size to 1/4", and it recalculates.


Anyway, I made another one of these yesterday, as a bit of an escape from box pouches, and it came out nicely. Next thing will be a handle, I think, or a d-ring, or even a lobster claw? Or both? Whoo, lets go really overboard.


Those Erin McMorris 'Wildwood' fabrics are really versatile - they all seem to go together so nicely. She's pretty clever, isn't she? I must go & check if there's a flickr group for this fabric & I'll let you know if I post anything.


Ciao!
*Wonderful Mother-In-Law
*My Wonderful Husband