Year End Review

Here we are at that cusp - getting ready to go from the old year to the new year - and all the crazy thoughts that seems to bring.

I thought I'd take a look at how 2012 has been for Sew Darn Simple.

I organized (and reorganized) my sewing space throughout the year.  Here we are and it's still a mess.

I wrote my first patterns and sold them both in my etsy shop and I also opened a Craftsy pattern shop.

I did two patterns in 2012 - the zipper wallet and the patchwork purse.  Hopefully I will do at least two in 2013 - although I'm not sure what they will be yet.

I spent a lot of time perfecting a zip around case for the kindle fire - and I did sell a few.  The issue I have with making cases for these items is that each one is a different size and every new one that comes out is different which means that the cases aren't always interchangeable.  So I'm not sure if I will continue down this path in 2013.  With a 'regular' job, I don't feel like I have time to commit to making a huge number of custom items.

Jennifer Paganelli from Sis Boom has become one of my great friends - she sent me a great bundle of fabrics from her Girls World Vibe line - I in turn made some items that I did a giveaway for.  I had the opportunity to meet her at the Country Living Fair in Columbus this fall - what a great weekend that was!

I did several craft shows this year - with varied success - we had such crazy weather this year - and that always plays into the show turnout.

As I reach the end of this year, I'm trying to determine where I want to take this business in 2013 - I have some craft show applications that I need to complete in January - so I need to get some new photos and potentially some new products in the works.

Stay tuned to see where 2013 takes us!

Happy Sewing,
Susan

Thoughts beginning.....

For a while now I've been mulling around that my sewing room is out of control and I need to reorganize it. So here we are the end of a year, and as seems to happen, the new year brings the need for changes to the forefront.

I'm privileged enough to have a fairly good sized room for my sewing, and yet, I also have managed to take over space in both of the upstairs bedrooms as well. So whenever we have company, I'm scrambling to move things out.

It's time to get organized and I'm going to really do it this time!

I have two 8-ft tables side by side in the center of the room that are inteded for cutting space. When I work with decorator fabrics, I want to be able to put them out. However, as table space does, it's turned into a dumping ground for stuff, and then I still have to move things around when I need to cut larger items.

I also have this old entertainment center, and a pretty big tv, and yes, I'm going to admit it - a fairly large vinyl album collection taking up valuable space.

Also, when I got my serger (ok, that's been almost two years ago) I never really organized a space, so it sits on my cutting area too.

Here are a couple of pictures of what I'm dealing with.



So over the next few weeks, I'm going to get organized, get rid of stuff that I'm never going to use, and take back my spare bedrooms and recreate my space to be more functional and organized!

Of course, Christmas is this weekend, so don't expect too much until next week!

Stay tuned,
Susan