Sewing for Grandtwins

Today I decided to sew for my grandchildren. The college football season will be next week. I wanted to make them something to support The University of Georgia. I bought some UGA themed fabric last fall; so, I took a break from preparing for this fall's craft show. They will look really cute in their new overalls. I am not sure these will be the correct size. Carlie does weigh a few pounds less then Grant; but, I made the both the same size. I am sure they will be a little to long.

GO DAWGS!!

Getting ready for Craft Shows.

Here it is the middle of August. I can't believe several weeks have already passed since I made an entry. I have spent the day getting ready for some upcoming craft shows. The first is in Suwanee, GA an upscale town. This is always a good show. It is the 3rd Saturday in September. My best sellers are bibs with cute sayings. People enter my booth and spend a great deal of time just reading them. This makes my booth look busy; which, attracts more people. I have also been working on key fob, headbands and handbags.


I enjoy making the handbags the most. I found the design for this handbag from another blogger. As soon as I find the blogger's page again I will create a link in the My Favorite Internet Places. Anyway, it is very simple. Cut 8 strips of fabric for each side. The strips measure 11 inches long and they are 3 inches wide at the bottom and then taper to 2 inches at the top. Assemble the strips using 1/4 inch seams. Then use the completed piece of 8 strips to use as the pattern for the interface and lining. I used a purchased shoulder strap for the handle and added a tab closure with a covered button.

I think it turned out really cute. What a great way to use all of the pesky scraps.

Anyway, let me get back to how I am getting ready for my next craft show. I hope to have about 100 bibs finished, along with 50 headbands, 100 key fobs and other miscellaneous items. I should also have about 50 handbags ready to go. Everything still has to be priced and packed. I know this sounds like a lot; but, the following week I will be participating in the Duluth Fall Festival, in Duluth GA. This is a super great show. I will take everything I have to both shows. I like to set up my booth the night before the show begins. It takes me between three and four hours to get everything displayed just right. I am always amazed at those who can set up their tent and have everything display ready in an hour. How do they do it?

I have been a little concerned about sales for the upcoming craft show season. I have been reading a lot on line about how slow sales have been so far this year. I guess the price of gas has affected sales. The price of gas has gone down over the past few weeks. I saw a gas station near me yesterday that was selling gas for $3.52 a gallon. That's down over 50 cents a gallon over the last month. If the gas continue to trend down, that will be great for sales.

Introduction

This is my first attempt at blogging. I will start by telling you a little bit about me. I have one daughter who is married and is the proud mother of twins. Of course, they are the perfect pair. A boy and a girl. They are two years old and are beginning to learn about the world. I will probably occasionally include them in this blog even though I am creating this blog to record my more creative side.

I own a small crafting business called The Judy Bag Company. I make a lot of hand bags, accessories and some baby items (mostly bibs embroiderd with cute sayings) to sell at local craft shows. I live in the Atlanta area so there are plenty from which to choose. I recently created an Etsy Store; but, I have not added any items to sell there yet. I will let you know how that goes.

My mom taught me to sew when I was about eight. My grandmother taught me all of the tricks of the trade. My Aunt Ethel taught me knit when I was about ten. I taught myself to crochet in my early twenties. I am now trying to learn about hair bow making. This has proved to be a real challenge for me.

I recently learned how to make woven headbands and I am now addicted. I can't believe how creative one can be with some ribbon and a plastic headband. My fist attempt took me a couple of hours. I had to redo it several times. The weaving process was a little confusing. Now I can complete one in about a half hour. The tricky part is finishing off. I have a couple of methods and I am not quite happy with the results. I will keep trying to perfect my method even though the current results don't look bad. Anyway, here is what I have finished so far.

I will try a post a tutorial on how to make these soon.