too much fun .....

........... yep, that's the gist of it ... I'm just flat out having way too much fun - sewing.

It's not as easy as it used to be.  Because of our tiny kitchen/dining area, we replaced our dining table (aka the most perfect sewing table - ever) with a tiny kitchenette version.  So now I lay out patterns on the bed and the fancy cutting matt on the floor, set up the sewing machine on my worktable and ironing board in the laundry room.  I basically take over the whole 2nd floor of the house.  Ah well, it is what it is.

But just look what I've been making!  I've decided to cut and sew up a significant quantity of my treasured vintage homespun linen and I'm going to share!  So there's going to be a bunch of these - Itty Bitty Ditty Bags in a variety of shapes and sizes ...

The front one is about 5" x 3" and the back one is about 6" x 4".  These have dark brown Euro flax linen pulls, the front one with a stack of fine silver beads, the back one with a steel nugget.  I'd have a whole slew of these, but I only bought two zippers ... gots to get more zippers ASAP, 'cause the possibilities are endless not to mention I'm utterly obsessed with these enormously precious little bags.

For branding, I'm using a KVK stamp with my Chinese chop red ink ... really like the look of the red ink on the old linen.

Love the way the bottom is sewn ... Okay, so it's not an original design, but I am putting my spin on it.

So I've got more!  Here's a couple of bags in progress ... this one's got inside and outside pockets and will have a leather shoulder strap.  The front flap just laps over with the leather scrap and steel discs to weight it down - the Trad Messenger.

Then this one's kind of a tube that will have a fold-over top and linen shoulder strap, mostly machine stitched but with patchwork/sashiko deets - the Boro Bag.

And last, for now, but certainly not least ... this is the Super Jumbo Tote, 19" x 18" with a front pocket.  I used waxed Euro flax linen to whip stitch the selvedges for the side seams and left the raw edges at the top and around the front pocket.  I'm going to run it through the wash to get those raw edges more ragged.

So that's it for now.  I'm really enjoying all the pattern making and sewing, figuring out all the different elements and accents - my design palette if you will - and how to make the best use of this precious resource, 19" wide, 100 year old (or thereabouts) homespun linen from eastern Europe ... enjoying, that's the understatement of the week ... like I was saying ... obsessed. 

Stay tuned for the finished products ... I'll be listing them on Etsy for sure.

So you folks in the United States ... have a blessed and safe Thanksgiving / and the rest of the world - thanks for stopping by. 

with deep gratitude and Thanksgiving blessings .......
l i g a - kvk

my morning thus far

Taking my time.
The sun's pouring in ... a rare thing as of late.
Feeling an ease about things in general ... a relief.

Waiting for the kettle to boil, the morning sun was hitting my newly installed prisms.  The colors and the reflections off the kettle inspired me to run upstairs and grab the camera.  This led to walking around and seeing what else caught my eye. 
This is what I'm enjoying right now ...

waiting for the kettle to boil ...

my latest concoction ... nettles tea

I'm always getting teased for my concoctions.  I was drawn to purchase a bag of dried nettles from Red Moon Herbs this past weekend.  Got home and did some reading up on nettles ... looks like a perfect spring tonic.  Tastes like straw ... very green, very fresh ... I love it.

now, settling in to my studio ... sun hitting my rock and shell collections ...

 

and a sneak peek at my new project ... I'll be selling these medallions on a "donate what you can" basis to raise money for my nephew's medical expenses.  The silver prototypes are done.  Now I'm heading over to work on the bronze versions ... more details to follow.

Off to work for this little peep ... 

l i g a - kvk

p.s. thanks Carol and Sparrow ... fiber arts in some form is definitely a part of my future.  I've been thinking about the rocker and there's a strong possibility that they made it themselves and the "arts and crafts" period would be just about right.  They were accomplished woodworkers and made some amazing pieces.  Looking at the finishing details leads me to believe it might be their handiwork ... need to ask Dave's mom.  xoxo

God is in the details

I'm winding down production for now.  One order is out the door; one is nearing completion but will have to wait until we get back from our little vacation.

Before leaving this computer for at least a week, I thought I'd share a few more images of my production details.  I'm a firm believer in the quote from Mies van der Rohe, "God is in the details."  I take great pride in all the details of my work ... that includes every aspect from the pieces themselves to the packaging.  And like I was saying before, I do everything.  So from where we left off ...

The soldered components spent several hours in abrasive media to get to this lovely light patina ...  a few completed pieces - stitched silk, fusion on silk cord and chain and a few waiting to be strung on cord.

Today, the smaller order is ready to ship ...

More of those details I like to see to ... I make all my own clasps and ear wires.  It would probably be a lot easier and cheaper to purchase ready made, but that's not what I'm about.  I'm especially fond of my forged hook ... kind of a signature element for me.

Then there's all my product packaging.  I came up with this new look maybe a month ago with my first ever purchased headline font - very clean but still organic ... earring cards, 'care and feeding cards', sales staff info, little labels for the zip-loc bags.  I print everything here as needed.  My envelopes, shipping labels and business cards all tie in.  I change everything frequently, so it really doesn't make sense to print up gazillions - I will no doubt change my mind the next week.

Then everything gets zipped up.  When I first dove into wholesaling with the big boys (SFMOMA, Real Mother Goose, Ansel Adams Gallery), I came up with a yummy packaging concept.  I used to wrap each piece in a slice of onion skin paper, kind of a Japanese folded paper thing.  It all looked so very precious - kind of like how loose gemstones are wrapped.  I got a very polite email from the buyer at SFMOMA requesting zip-loc bags - better visuals for checking things in and storing back stock.  It hadn't really occurred to me because that was my first time with accounts ordering so many of one thing ... you know like six or eight of something.  Sadly, sometimes practicality wins out over aesthetics.  

The last little detail is wrapping everything in midnight blue tissue paper, which also ties in with the chocolate brown pillow boxes I use for retail sales.

So that order is off to the Pacific NW.  My worktable is clean and the other order is put away until I get back home.  We leave Monday for St. Augustine - hoping that sub-tropical depression has moved through by the time we get there.  We'll be in St. Augustine through Thursday, then head over to Tallahassee to see my sister and then back home on Saturday.  I'm hoping my house sitter likes greens, cause I got a little carried away at our new neighborhood farmer's market on Thursday ... I just couldn't help myself - it was all so beautiful!

So ciao for now!  

Looking forward to starting our business conversation back up when I return!

l i g a - kvk

elements of a composition

Further along in the process of filling a couple of wholesale orders ...

Yesterday's work, the soldered elements ... after spending the night tumbling in stainless steel shot - ear wires, forged hook clasps that have yet to be curved into shape, chains with hook and link clasps, chain link extensions, gemstone pendants, gemstone studs and earrings - all patinaed and ready for several more hours in the tumbler, this time with abrasive shot

Next on the to-do list - my beloved Gudebrod silk that will be plied into cord for necklaces

And then the finished pmc components, ready for assembly.  

These two orders were heavy on the coin and pickets designs

Okay, back to work ......

ttfn

l i g a - kvk