Cutest thing I've made...EVER!

Recently a good friend of ours told us she was having a baby. YAY! Deb got so excited and decided we should give her a baby gift. Of course by "we should give her a baby gift" Deb meant, "I'll finance, you whip it up."

We were debating what to do while stumbling through JoAnn's when inspiration struck. It came in the form of Kwik Sew Pattern K0113 by Ellie Mae.  Long story short you cannot go wrong with tiny cowboy boots.

These are the pictures from the pattern:

On further examination we decided that every kid should have red cowboy boots! I had a pair when I was four that my brother wore after me.  I think he wore them till his toes popped out of the end. Once we had the inspiration and the motivation it was time to get to work.

The pattern has multiple sizes so I used a trace wheel (this is my favorite available at www.pgmdressform.com) to copy the pattern size I needed onto brown paper.  What was great about the brown paper patter was that I was able to trace the stitch detail and cut them out of the brown paper creating a stencil. This made it really easy to transfer the star and toe pattern onto the fabric, making it easy to know where to stitch.

Once I marked it out on the fabric, I then cut it out of the red exterior fabric, the interfacing, and linings.

Then it was time to get sewing! They came out SO freaking cute!

Thimble was shocked by the cuteness:

"Those boots are SO cute!" -Thimble

It's compact, it's functional, and it's DAMN pretty!

Continuing my process of give aways in exchange for reviews I have a new wallet pattern that I am so excited about.  The wallet that started it all was a large trifold, with this wallet I wanted to do something smaller that was a play on the traditional pocket sized wallet.

This wallet is heading to a Miss Kar Fedosh.  Kar is a Derby Dame and aside from being killer on the track she has great taste in accessories...I know it's shameless but yes I am talking about myself.  I am nothing if not humble.  

I know she'll love it.  I tried to make use of some Derby Dame colors. I think it was pretty successful.

Like all my projects it was a family affair.  I had LOTS of help.  By lots of help I do mean that Deb relaxed with puppies while I worked my fingers to the bone.  Ok I may have exaggerated a little bit. However there was a large bucket of cute in my studio!

I've got a few more things to send out from my Facebook offer and I am so pumped.  My website is going to be launching soon, so get your orders ready cause soon we'll be up and running.

You want it? I'll customize it.

My dear friend Meagan wanted to do something really nice for her awesome girlfriend Joy on her birthday.  She knew she wanted it to be a sleeve for Joy's MacBook Air. The only question left was how to take it to that next level.

Joy and my lovely wife Deb have known each other for a very long time.  Joy as a result has a very special relationship with our dopey cockerspaniel Hobbes.  Meagan thought it would be great to have Hobbes on the cover of the laptop sleeve.  I thought it was phenomenal idea and got on it.

I decided to use vinyl because it makes the applique easier.  By using the vinyl I don't have to worry about fraying. It's genius!

On top of the practicality I am really enjoying the artistry of creating these appliques.  For Joy's case I took a cute photo of Hobbes and did a contour line drawing of his features and made a pattern from them.

I am so proud of how this came out.

Hopefully I'll be able to post up a review of what Joy thinks of her new case soon. Hope she loves it.  Happy birthday Joy.

I'm available to do custom applique work from your favorite photos. If you want it and if you love it, Just call me up and let me know.

::Guest Post:: Deb Dares You!

Those who know me well will tell you that I’m incredibly picky.  I like things how I like them, and rarely try to make things work that fail the laundry list of needs and wants that drive my life.  Needless to say, Caroline’s patience and humanism are challenged on a daily basis because I live in her house.  Per usual, her graciousness prevailed on this little project that she whipped out for me.  I love to read, but hate stuff.  Keeping that dichotomy in mind, my super hot wife bought me a Nook e-reader and then nestled its impossibly thin body into this rad case.  I dare you to find anything sweeter for such a perfect piece of technology.  No.  Really.  I dare you.

I also have a drawing tablet for my computer that I use to make movies for my precious lambs at school.  Most people don't tote this item around, but during the school year I'm constantly carrying it to and from the high school.  It was such an oddly shaped technology item (with lots of peripherals), it failed to easily be placed in any one thing.  Never backing down from a challenge, Caroline cranked out a case that exceeded what I thought I needed and wanted.  Not unusual, but definitely appreciated.  Bottom line - Caroline can make any case, tote, cover, bag, satchel, clutch, purse, handbag, napsack, billfold, carryall, pocketbook, reticule, or book bag that you might need to ensure safety and happy manners (paramount for maintaining healthy relationships).  Yes, Caroline's products ARE that powerful.

And for those of you who read my Caroline’s blog religiously… yes, I was relaxing during its construction. 

Deb shocked Thimble with a surprise ending to chapter five!

-Deb

This is gonna be BIG for me.

I am finally going to do it! I am going to devote more effort to building a business.  Those of you who know me, know I've had a label called "New Mass Designs" for almost two years now.  It started with making wallets and in the last couple weeks I've had an explosion of new ideas.  I'm starting on bags, iPad and tablet cases, as well as expanding my wallet designs.

I read a great book called The $100 Startup, which was completely inspiring.  It's all about starting a micro business without going into excessive debt to do it.  For me it's all about using the materials I already have and not buying anything new until I get paid.

My first mission was to pull out all of the fabrics I own which I was inspired by.  I found lots of great options. ***If you see anything you like let me know, I can whip something up.

One of my goals is to get the word out about my company.  My plan is to make samples of a couple of my favorite new product ideas and to send them out to friends of mine.  I put up a Facebook post asking for volunteers.  They had a couple of prerequisites they had to agree with first:

1. Accept free gift.
2. Use it.
3. Take photos of yourself with it.
4. Write a review of it that will be posted here as a blogpost.
5. Put the link to the blog post up on your favorite social media site. *i.e. Facebook, Twitter, etc.

I wanted to do a couple bags, an iPad case, and a wallet.  I have finished two bags and worked on a prototype for an iPad case.

My first product I'm calling the Rain or Shine Bag.  Its an oversized clutch with an optional handle.  This bag is for my friend Courtney's wife Kelly.  It fits an iPad perfectly and has a zipper pocket on the interior.

The other bag I've finished I'm calling the Wild Garden Tote.  Our good friend Beth is accepting this one.  The bag is 15" wide, has a large zipper pocket, and a partitioned open pocket.  One of the difficult things was the base.  I wanted to imbed some firm book board in the base to make it really sturdy. I got it in and it worked out great.

I've also become completely enamored with doing decorative top stitching.  I took floral images present in the fabric, free handed the images on the bag's handle, and then topstitched them.  I'm a little bit in love.

Now what I'm working on is the iPad case.  It's been tricky but I am definitely loving it.  The intended recipient is going to be my friend and Deb's colleague Will.  The trick with this case was that it needed to be stiff, but it also needed to be well padded.  I lined it with fusible fleece and then also inserted book board to add the stability to the backing and cover.  I put slashes into the book board so that when the cover was opened and tucked behind the back you could thread the closure through the loop. This would allow the iPad to sit on a slight angle to make it easier to type.  I think this one is going to be my iPad case because I have some grand ideas for my Fab-a-lous friend Will.

The other newest development in my life is the addition of some extra help in the studio.  This is my new little helper Thimble.  We found her at the shelter and she is just so cute and so sweet.  Deb thinks that she is very ugly and calls her Ugly Face.  She says that Thimble is so ugly its startling, but she more than makes up for it with how sweet she is.

Then of course I had help from the others already in my life.  They all helped by relaxing in my general vicinity.  Don't they all look so hard at work? Not.

Lastly, soon I will be launching my first website! HELL YAH! Hopefully it will be up in the next couple weeks. Soon you'll be able to find me at www.NewMassDesigns.com.  Boo Yah!

Bad Blogger, Great Pictures

First things first, I am so sorry.  I am a bad blogger.  I have been so busy these last three months that I have completely neglected to post.  Shame one me, now slap my wrist and we'll move on.

St. Louis was AWESOME.  I worked with some really amazing women and we didn't even kill each other when our cycles synced, I think we deserve metals.  We built some really amazing things and I think we were all very proud.

Our first projects were for Carmen, however, the first things we really made from scratch were for Sweeney Todd.  We had these really phenomenal fascinators for all the chorus members to wear.  They were for something we ended up calling "the Meat Scene".  We got to play with feathers and netting, which of course was all followed up by photos of us being ridiculous.

My main project for Sweeney was a top hat for Pirelli.  It was a labor of love, especially considering we didn't have a top hat block.  A hat block is a hard shaped piece usually made out of wood which is used to drape the hat's shape .  We had to force the buckrum to take shape without a block.  I think it turned out very nicely and I was quite proud.

Our third show was Cosi Fan Tutti.  It's a Mozart opera and I will say it is a long one.  While I am not the hugest fan of opera in general, Mozart wrote some of my least favorite operas.  It's not that they are not beautiful operas, they are just SO long.  There are two characters who disguise themselves as Albanian suitors and they are quite ridiculous.  I made this fez for one of them.  One of the most interesting parts was implementing a technique called swirling for the velvet.  Using water, steam and a brush, you swirl the velvet to give it a specific direction.  It is most evident on the tip of the fez.

Alice in Wonderland was an imaginative dream of a show to work on there were so many amazing projects to work on.  One of the best was making the Cook's hat.  It needed to be very full and voluminous.  The trick of it was that when I was making the tip of the cap I lined it with two layers of stiff tulle.  This allowed it to be very full without having to be stuffed.

The other project I took real pride in was a hat for the Mock Turtle in Alice.  The performer playing the role was a man named Sean Curran.  He's a phenomenal dancer and was an original member of Stomp.  He was one of the most wonderful performers that I have ever worked with, he was very funny and really appreciated his hat.

My surprise favorite project of the summer was recovering shoes.  I recovered two pairs and walked one of my apprentices through a third.  It was so much fun, which is why I have a great many phots of the projects.

It was a great season and I thoroughly enjoyed all the ladies I worked with, my precious little lambs.  I miss St. Louis, but you can bet that my dearest Deb is so glad to have me back.

New ink and I hope St. Louis is ready, cause I'm here.

Well first I have got to begin with the new addition to my body.  An awesome tattoo on my ankle paying tribute to my passions!  I am a little in love with it.  Deb and I were talking about seeing a movie, then I joked and said we could get tattoos instead.  Well the movie didn't seem that interesting so we got tattoos instead.  We got our last tattoos after a similar conversation and nothing good playing at the multiplex.  

We've gotten all of our most recent work done at Ben Around Tattoos in Waynesboro, VA, and they've all been done by Shawn.  He fit us in last minute, came up with beautiful artwork for us and said the nicest think we had ever heard a man say about his wife.

Deb: "What Does your wife do"

Shawn: "She's compassionate.  She goes out of her way to help others."

It was a pretty incredible thing to hear a husband say about his wife.  We welled a wee bit and not from the pain.

***I would also like to have a side bar and say that I though getting Tattooed on my ribs was like the worst of the worst, but that honor had to go to the inside of your ankle.  HOLY CRAP! It hurt.  I decided after the shading that I didn't need color at this time.

Long story short, I have been so bad about posting but you'll have to forgive me.  The last couple weeks were full of packing and getting ready to leave for St. Louis.  After Almost 14 hours in a Prius (way good choice for a road trip) I arrived last night in St. Louis with my dear friend and co-worker Kelsey, in tow.  Hooray!

Here is our Journey, in images:

 The mornin' was super misty, foggy, and rainy. Boo!

The lovely and luscious Kelsey, who affectionately offered to drive me to STL.  Woh! She's Awesome.

Clearly on this trip I discovered instagram! Its super great!

Lewisburg, WV was named the #1 small town US.  They had a plaque.

Kelsey loves eating Nori just like my sweetie pie, awe Deb I miss you!

West Virginia is BEAUTIFUL!

This is me relaxing like a Princess, in Princess, KY!

Here we are bringing the Sunshine to Clark County, KY.  

Conversation with the clerk at the Clark County, KY, gas station.

Clerk: "You girls aren't from here."

Me: "No we're not how can you tell."

Clerk: "You actually seem happy."

Me: "Oh is that out of the ordinary?"

Clerk: "Yah."

Me; "Well, happy to bring the sunshine, have a great day."

Indiana Pistols! We didn't see a welcome sign.

Yeah that's a goat in the back of that truck.

Kisses for Deb!

This was in the bathroom at a rest stop.  Looks dicey to me.

Again there was no sign for Missouri, but hey, Welcome to Missouri!

I got bored and camera happy.

WE MADE IT!!!

You are probably wondering, what was Deb and the puppies doing when you were tripping around the midwest.  Well here are the photos that deb sent me of the puppies:

Orson Baby! on his bed

Hobbes so sad I'm gone.

Orson looking for me.

Blue Bear and his crazy eyes!

Our delicate boy on his bed.

Sweet boys.

She Loves ME!!!

On sunday after our long day in the car we wanted to do something fun.  We were going to go to the Zoo.  The traffic and parking was such a situation that all we saw was this statue honoring the Zoo.

Our treat for Kelsey and my last night together!

Yay Blue Moon.

It was a great trip, but now I have to get going and be ready for work.  Till Later, Posting soon.

~ Caroline ~