Getting Ready

Well I can't believe I have left this blog alone for 2 years, but it is true I guess. I have been busy, not only with the kids but I also get all the paperwork and such done to become a legal business. So now I get the privilege of collecting sales tax on everything I sell. It's a double edged sword because now I have actually attend craft fairs and sell online, but I also have to report sales quarterly. Seriously, I don't make that much money to warrant quarterly reports but that is the way it is right now.

So what has brought me back to the blog? Well I am getting ready for my first artisan fair that is being held in about 4 weeks (eek). I have been in "full swing" getting ready for it since about July. But I am feeling the crunch right now. Any time I haven't spent making actual product (I plan to bring about 90-100 items to the show) is spent figuring out what I actually need for the craft fair. Things I have never even thought of that I will need.

I have been searching other blogs and Pintrest to see what others have said they needed and I know I will end up forgetting stuff but that is the way of the learning process. I did find this one particularly helpful blog and did a good job of laying out what I you might need. I get a bit overwhelmed thinking about all the stuff I will need there but in true "Me" fashion I have a list (or 2) that I am slowly crossing off item by item. I love lists and so if you are like me then you will love this. I am putting my "Craft Fair To Do List" on the wonderful world of the internet. So for your enjoyment here is what I am doing to get ready for the craft fair.

1. Make Product (that sends you to a different list)
2. Order Receipt Paper
3. Frame Certificate of Authority to Collect Sales Tax
4. Order Vinyl Banner
5. Get a Table Cloth
6. Set us a Mock Display at Home
7. Buy some more Bins to transport product
8. Make Bag Labels (turn regular brown paper bags into a custom All Cozy bag)
9. Order Brown Paper Bags
10. Get a Money Box
11. Make up Custom Order Forms (incase you don't see exactly what you want)

I don't even think this list is complete yet I keep adding to the one at home. And then there is still the list of what to actually bring to the craft fair, and like I said I like this blogs list it seems pretty complete.
So wish me luck, and I can't wait to share how the show goes (and really clean my office because it is very messy right now but I don't have time to clean).

Velour Satin backed Blankie

So Boo (our almost 2 year old), fell in love with a blanket I made her when she was a few months old. It is a velour blanket with a satin self binding back. She is attached to it so much so that it was becoming hard to wash it. My timing had to be just right so that it would be clean and dry at both night time and nap time.  So just this last week I made her a second. She calls it her "Kiki," which is about the cutest thing ever right?

This time when I made it I took some pictures of how I did it. Not the most impressive of projects but a quick easy one to do and makes a nice baby shower gift too.

-First gather your supplies.
-1 yard Velour or Minky fabric (I'm using bubble velour)
-1.5 yards Crepe Back Satin (it has kind of a cotton backing on it and is machine wash and dry able don't confuse it for the satin in the dress/apparel section).
-Coordinating thread.
-Tape measure
-Pins
-Scissors

Pre-wash your fabrics!!! This is so important or else you will get shrinking of different amounts when you do launder your blanket (and baby blankets get laundered A LOT). Then iron the satin fabric.

Triangle method for square cutting.

For my blanket I chose to make it square about 36"x36" and it has a 2" satin binding trim around it. So for cutting the fabric I measured a 36"x36" square from my velour fabric. I did this by folding a triangle with my fabric and checking the 2 sides adjacent to the right angle were both 36." ( I forgot to take a picture of this but it looks just like the picture for the next step only with the bubble velour fabric.)

The satin it needed to be 4' larger on all sides. You can either lay out your satin with the velour on top and measure 4" around all sides and cut or used the same method as above (with the triangle) and make sure your 2 sides adjacent to the right angle are both 44" (36+8).



Now lay your 2 fabrics down and center the velour on top of the satin with the wrong sides together.

Conrail you can thank me for the plug latter.

With a ruler measure that you have 4" on all sides of your satin fabric. It is also important to make sure your satin is lying flat or you will get lumps and bumps in your backing once sewed. Trim any extra if you have it.







To make the binding just fold your satins raw edge to the edge of the velour...

and then fold it over one more time.










For the corner it is easiest just to show you a picture. But here's the best way I can think of to describe it. Fold the edge you have been working on all the way to the end of the fabric. (As if more blanket was there but it is the 4" of satin on the next side)

Now make a corner by laying the outer edge of the binding fabric along the new edge (the next side) right along the velour fabric.

Then fold your next sides raw edge in to the velour.

Then over again (like you were doing for the binding originally) to form your corner.

 Pin, Pin, Pin to hold the corner. Continue folding in the binding till all 4 sides are done. The more pins the better to hold the slippy silky fabric in place and keep it from causing unsightly bulges in your stitching. (My picture doesn't have enough pins, I added more and should have added even more cause I had a few tucks in the satin when I stitched).

Speaking of stitching. Now is the time. Stitch with a straight stitch about 1/8"-1/4" from the edge of the binding starting in a corner. I just lined it up to the edge of my presser foot cause that was easier. A walking foot may have made this easier but I don't have one. So I just had to make due with what I had.

That's all you have to do, but if you choose to you can use a ladder stitch to close the mitered corners on the binding. I haven't done this on either of my blankets and it hasn't been a problem.

Hope your little one enjoys the blanket.

Homemade Vanilla

Get an early start on this great Christmas Gift. 

Well I made this last year for Christmas and it was a big hit. Great for all those people you would like to get something for but just don’t know what, including but not limited to, teachers, pastors, secretaries, and grandmas.

I found lots of different recipes online and talked with a few friends, who have made vanilla, then I threw most of that out and did whatever I wanted and it came out great. So here was my process…

Ingredients:

Vanilla beans (I used 10-12)
Vodka (though I read you can use rum too, most people say vodka)

Large Glass Jars with tight lids

Small (4oz) Glass Jars with lids (for the individual gift size once your vanilla is ready)

Knife or Kitchen Scissors.

Small Funnel

Time (about 2 months)

First I researched vanilla beans, it seems that vanilla beans are sort of like wine, in that they come with hints of this and hints of that. I found a really great comprehensive overview of vanilla beans on the Vanilla Garlic blog. I then selected Mexican Vanilla beans to make my vanilla, and purchased them from ebay.

Here is my step by step process…

Wash some large glass jars. I used quart canning jars ‘cause I had them, you can use any glass jar with a tight lid, I also used 2 in order to make the quantity that I wanted. Again you can make as much or as little as you would like at a time.

Cut the beans up the middle to about an inch of the top (so they stay together).

Put the beans into the glass jar(s) I had about 4 in each jar.

Pour vodka in, and close lid tightly.

Shake (a lot).

 

Put in a dark cool spot (our basement was perfect). Here is the progression of our vanilla.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 14

Let it sit for about 2 months. Shake about every week or so.

Day 60 (ish)

 

Prepping for the small glass jars.

I cut my vanilla beans all the way through now so I had half a bean for each jar. This allows for my recipients to have unlimited vanilla (more on that latter.)

Put 1/2 a bean in each small glass jar.

Pour vanilla into the small jars, a little funnel makes this so much easier and less messy. I found my funnel in the camping sections of Walmart or Target (I forget)





Attaching a label to your jar is a nice finishing touch. The label should tell them to shake the vanilla before using it (to get the best flavor).

My label also includes instructions on how to make your vanilla last forever. What you wanna know how to do that too… Well here it is…

When you use about half of your vanilla from your container fill with more vodka shake and let sit for a week or so, then you have vanilla ready to go. If you refilled after every use you would ALWAYs have vanilla ready to go. It is just that simple.