~I want you, I need you, I love you...

~I want a new couch. Not for here in Florida, but for our home on Cape Cod. I know exactly what I want. I know the color, the fabric, the print, the style, even the size. I know exactly where I want to buy it; Angel House Designs. I know how much it will cost; $850. I know the color and pattern; Wigrose in black and tan. I know all these things. There's only one thing I don't know...if I'll have enough money saved by spring to buy it.

~Right after Christmas, I decided to designate all the profits from my http://www.apronsgonewild.etsy.com/ apron sales for one purpose...to buy this couch. It's going to reside in our new kitchen/tv room. It's going to look spectacular. I just know it.

~Shopping for it will be almost as much fun as owning it. Angel House Designs is located in an 18th century salt box in Brookfield Ma. It's a treat just to visit the house! And...inside the barn where the sofas and chairs and fabric samples are located, you can inhale the colors and textures of the colonial pieces that Angel House Designs creates, replicating furniture of the past. That's where our new sofa will begin and end...that is...until it gets to our house.

~I want it, I need it, I love it....

(Must get busy and sew, sew, sew!)

~What the heck?

~10,239 is today's number. Yes...10,239 aprons listed on Etsy. How on earth do I manage to sell anything with that kind of competition? I'll never understand. When I began this venture, in June of 2008, there were 4,000+ aprons listed. I thought that number was insurmountable. What? 4000 aprons? Get out! But...somehow, folks found mine and ordered them. Goes to show that www.etsy.com reaches far and wide. And that there's a market out there ready and willing to open their wallets.
~I listed a blouse this morning. 5,490 other listings for women's blouses! 5,490! Guess if you think of how many female shoppers there are in the world with access to the Internet and a credit card, it doesn’t seem that impossible. But...I still find it amazing. 10, 239 aprons? 5000+ blouses? What the heck?

Check us out at www.apronsgonewild.etsy.com

The Pile!

~There's a pile on my floor and table. It's fabric. Blues, reds, greens, browns. One as pretty as the other. But they're all over the place. I have no room! There's another pile. It consists of elastic, ribbon, trims, and appliques. Then there's the bag of thread. And the jar of buttons. All this couched in a small space in our cute little Florida condo. Whew!
~I was never the most disciplined kid on the block. I was the one coming up with wild ideas. I was always organizing something or other that required costumes or uniforms or a function that needed fabric and trim. Once in 6th grade, I organized a cheerleading squad for the 6th grade basketball team. I loved the cheerleading part, but I reached fever pitch when my mother gave me 4 cotton percale sheets and a box of dye out of which I created the most darling cheerleading skirts for all of us girls. They were powder blue. (Never mind that our school colors were green a white. Mom had a package of blue dye, not green, so blue it was.) They were circular skirts that opened up fully when we twirled around. We all had to wear tights underneath lest our underwear be exposed. Oh, how fantastic they were! Our disorganized little squad got out on the floor of the gym during every break and cheered our hearts out, twirling till we were dizzy. We were glorious.
~And so it continues. Even into my retirement years. I am surrounded by fabric and the rest of the lot. Dreaming up aprons in my head now. Pretty aprons. Cute aprons. Practical aprons. Each night when I rest my head on my pillow hoping to drift off to sleep, I imagine the next one. Will it be green, will it be blue, will it be yellow? Have to check the pile.
~The pile, by the way, continues to grow. Whenever and wherever I see fabric, I am drawn to it like a bee to honey. My heart beats a bit faster and my step quickens. Most women get excited when they see shoes, or handbags or designer fashions. I get all a flutter when I see fabric.
~And so it goes. The pile grows. The imagination wanders. The inspiration comes. And a new apron appears. But first...I have stop gawking at the pile and get back to work.
~Check and see what comes out of the pile next at http://www.apronsgonewild.etsy.com/

And Another!

~I'm on a roll. This one makes me wish I was still a young mom having a birthday party for one of our kids. I'd love to be wearing this happy apron!

http://www.apronsgonewild.etsy.com/

Did it!

~Got it done! Made it work! Figured it out!

~Got to work yesterday...cut and sewed a new apron for my shop. It's a beautiful, lavender/purple batik fabric. While I was making it, I was a bit uninspired. I didn't have that excited feeling I usually get when I'm sewing up a new apron. Oh, I liked it just fine. But I wasn't getting pumped. It felt more like a duty. Until, that is, I got to the embellishments. Before we left for Florida, I had made a blue batik apron embellished with buttons and little ragged ties, made by tearing strips of the batik fabric. The look is really adorable and lends itself to an almost "hippy like" feeling. I decided to add something similar to this new apron I was creating. Like a lightening bolt, my sentiments changed. The minute I added the first button and little torn tie, the apron started to captivate me. By the time I was done, I absolutely loved it! It made me think of Pocahontas! Remember the pretty little dress she wore in the Disney movie? It had a fringe along the bodice that was the lure. Well, the little ties across the bodice of this new apron immediately gave it a name. Purple Pocahontas.
It has little ragged ties at the bodice and on the pocket and it comes with its own, matching, elasticized ditty bag. Check it out at www.apronsgonewild.etsy.com
~ And now, on to the next apron. Hoping for the same inspiration.

Back to work! Back to work!

~I absolutely must get back to work. Hadn't even had the sewing machine out since we arrived here in Florida almost a month ago. Just can't seem to get in gear. Last Friday, I dragged out all my fabrics and looked everything over, hoping for inspiration. Set up the sewing machine, thread, pin cushion, scissors...all in order on the table next to the machine. I'm ready. Everything is waiting. So why is it now Monday and I still haven't touched any of it? Ugh. I need a kick in the pants, as my mother used to say.
~Today is rainy and dreary. The perfect day to sew and be creative. I swear, I will get back to work. I will. I will. I'll let you know tomorrow!!