Needlings

Hey guys! As promised, I don't have too much to show you from the workroom last week and additionally less because I seem to have picked up a bug that has rendered me mostly useless.

Luckily I was still able to finish what was planned for the week - mostly. Most importantly the boring taxes and paperwork! I can't fully express to you how glad I am to have them out of the way.

My worktable was covered in reciepts for most of the week but when I finished, I did a little reorganizing again then dove in to the supply closet to see what was hiding under the clutter and supplies...

Lots of goodies! The few fabrics on the right will become skirts for me when I get around to sewing them and the rest I think I can use for doll dresses and other fun things. I'm glad they are no longer buried and forgotten! And the closet is a little easier to get around now which was the initial goal.

Since summer shows will be coming up sooner than later now, we've also been painting some more potential display items to match the display trunk I finished for One of a Kind Show a while back. The little table in the top left was made by my mom's dad many years ago so I'm excited to use it for my display now. Lots of white things happening!

It'll be fun to get another brand new display together for the big outdoor shows this year! Some of you may know that my mom and I combine our handmadies for the local shows so her knits will be mixed in with Needlings once fall comes!

I was working on the last batch of cell phone sleeves that will go along with a big batch of goodies for Wholly Craft in Ohio before I started to feel a littly flu-y. Not fun!

Hopefully I'll be back to normal soon so I'll have the finished bunch to show you next week. Fingers crossed!

See you then friends!

As I mentioned in my last workroom update, I went in to Toronto on Saturday to check out the amazing City of Craft Spring Show with one of my crafty friends Lisa of Nerdbiskit. I'm so used to being a vendor at all the craft shows I attend so it was nice to be a customer/visitor for the day!

We walked in to Trinity St. Paul's on Bloor Street and it was adorably decorated with handmade paper flower decorations so even though it was quite a chilly day for Spring, it was beautiful and sunny and cheerful!

I could have bought something from every single vendor there but I refrained and only spent a teeny bit and had a great time looking around at some new and some familiar favourites.

Picked up a few cards, a postcard print of a drawing by one of the vendor's kiddies, Bookhou (who's bags I am in love with), and a washi tape covered heart pin from Ghostface Knittah.

One of the cards is from We See Inc. that had a booth up in preperation for a performance piece and their Soul Bank! We happily donated our souls via our fingerprints and strand of hair! Yep, we did that! Anything for art's sake.

The other card was from Have & Hold Design that puts together super cute photobooths and photo props! Lisa and I of course couldn't pass them down.

So much fun! 

As we were walking down the street after our craft show fun times, a girl who turned out to be Karyn of KillerKurves.com, a plus size fashion blog, asked me to participate in a street fashion feature on her blog! Turns out we even have some friends in common! Small world!

Forever squinty glasses girl. Windy but bright day! Someone needs some prescription sunglasses...

All the details from my outfit are over on the blog feature including a little Needlings plug. I'm so happy to make Karyn an Owl Mama of her own now! It's funny how just walking down the street sometimes can end up exciting. 

So that was our day! I can't wait to visit the holiday City of Craft this winter and will be spending some solid time visiting the vendor's via the internet in the meantime. Check the vendor's list here. Every single one of them is worth a look!

See you soon!  ♥

And by when I said, "see you next week for the last post of 2012," what I really meant was see you next Wednesday for the first post of 2013! I'm a tricky one. I hope you all had a lovely time ringing in the new year!

I had a great last week of 2012 making another new skirt for myself and a few friend Xmas presents, a few more holiday get togethers with said friends and doing (a) little work in between it all. Obviously blogging was not one of those things but I'll get back in to the regular swing of things now that the holidays are over!

I did some work on the Homespun restock which is now all finished and headed out to Indiana!

Added pockets to an old skirt prototype.

And finished a few presents!

I made my lovely friend Lisa of Nerdbiskit a skirt to match her Nerdbiskit colours:

And we had a lovely friend time (and lunch) with Paula of https://www.facebook.com/pages/Orange-Octopus/342295672462423?fref=ts" target="_blank">Orange Octopus at Earth To Table Bread Bar in Hamilton!

Smiles all around!

And then the year was over! Just like that it ends and another one starts. I always thought it was kind of weird that we box them up like that. Every minute of the day things change and evolve so slowly. But I suppose you can hardly tell until the date changes and you have to get a new calendar. So 2013 it is! I'm looking forward to lots of exciting Needlings things this year and even more in the workroom photos! I'm excited to share these exciting things with you too. How exciting!

Anyway, goodbye 2012!

Hello 2013! See you this weekend! (I swear)

Or "Oh Christmas Tree," if you like. One of my favourite parts of the season, going back to various tree farm visits where my brother and I would run around trying to find the tallest, chubbiest, best tree which my mom or dad would then cut down (because the choose a pre-cut one was never as exciting), I've always loved having a real tree in the house for the month.  It's a bit weird I think still, cutting down a tree and putting it up inside, but it smells nice and the family pets always seem to like it too.

This year, after a day off from Needlings sewing to make myself a new sort-of-gingerbread-man's-girlfriend skirt, I headed over to Bennett's Apple Farm in Ancaster and while we didn't cut it down ourselves, we did pick the chubbiest, best one/the one in front and brought it home to cover it in years of handmade ornament making and collecting - in addition to some old favourites, not before picking up some goodies and cider inside of course. Callie the pup enjoyed herself too/chased small prey then freaked out in the car.

I think we got a good one, don't you think?

Callie is totally in to it.

Yep, two fun holiday craft shows in Hamilton! Two of my favourite shows of the year, even.  I have done Merryberry Market in Westdale and Makers' Market on James St. North for 4 years now I think and they have become a big part of my own holiday season. It really doesn't feel like Christmas until we've had a bit of snow, and I've done these two shows. Happy to say, both of those things happened this weekend! We had so much snow on Friday in fact that the usual 20 minute drive to Westdale on city streets took about 1 full hour. Of course it has all been rained away but I'm hoping for a least a little white on the ground for the 25th.

Anyway, so we had Merryberry Market first which is a cute little show and fundraiser for Westdale Children's School. Only a small amount of vendors and lots of sweet little kids running around and playing Christmas songs.

So much holiday fun! These people are all some of the nicest people I've come across in Hamilton. A really nice warm night to end a snowy day. These are the kinds of shows that make me feel extra lucky I have the coolest job ever.

So we packed up and went home just to head downtown the next morning to the beautiful Christ's Church Cathedral on James St. North in Hamilton to set up for the Holiday Makers' Market show.

We were there and ready to go early so I got a few photos of some of the other vendors setting up in this beautiful space. I almost don't realize just how amazing it is until I look back at the pictures. 

There are these lovely green light covers in the church that give all the photos a sort of greenish glow but it really was a fun day. It was busy for most of the day and I was happy to spend the day talking to familiar customers and new ones as well as some of my favourite crafty vendor friends.

Lisa of Nerdbiskit, one of my loveliest friends, was only a table away. Check out those aprons. And hot beverages. It was a great day but a little coffee/tea pep never hurt anyone! Unless you spill it I guess. Anyway, it worked for me!

See? That's one happy Needlings' maker.

Thank you to everyone who came out to these shows to spend their hard earned money locally supporting local artists and crafters. I wouldn't be able to do this without you. If I could hug you all I would!

I hope to see some of you at our last show of the year this Saturday, Crafternoon Delight, at Dundurn and Aberdeen, 11am-4pm.

Thanks for stopping by, friends! See you soon!

Guelph, Ontario is home of the University of Guelph (and other things) and happens to be an adorable little city about 45 minutes away from where I live.

It had been awhile since I made a visit to this place since becoming acquainted with it only a little over a year ago (a story involving a Guelphian ex-boyfriend) but I became quite attached to it quickly and have been looking for a reason to make a visit.

On Saturday, I found one!  My friends Rovena and Dave of Handmades by Rovena were doing a craft show in the beautiful Old Quebec Mall so my mom and I took a trip out to see them and check things out!

Here they are at Rovena's beautiful table of cards and other paper goodies.

It is the least "mall-like" mall I have ever seen - which is a good thing! Ah, Guelph, you charm me so.

It was lovely to see them, pick up a card and chat a bit.  Then my daytrip partner (my moms) and I set off on a little walk around the downtown so I could take some pictures and oogle at things in cute shops. I almost bought some shoes and then an owl wearing a monocle but decided against both and continued phototaking and window shopping. Regretting both decisions only slightly.

Spent a good amount of time in Mocando Books - an amazingly charming used book shop packed with books that I've visited before but this time found a couple hidden owls. As if the sheer amount of books wasn't a big enough sell. I may have ended up a toy maker but I am an English major booknerd at heart forever. When books are stacked so high I can hardly get at them, I know I'm in the right place.

I may have gone a little crazy with book pictures. But don't you feel like you've been there now! I had to document it. 

It was a perfect sunny but chilly day! I really do love Guelph. I won't stay away so long next time.

And here's my outfit of the day:

Lots of old favourites.  All in all, a really nice day! I hope you had one too!

When I first started sewing Needlings in 2007, it was strictly living room/coffee table work.  This worked for longer than I'd like to admit although slowly taking over other tables and closets throughout the years.

Now I have beautiful big worktable and workspace that I love and a stuffed closet full of extra supplies, fabric, display pieces, etc.  

I am a big believer in the fact that there is no right way to do anything and work needs, craft rooms, workspaces, studios are no exception.  I use what works for me and am constantly changing things around to see fit.  As a result, my "In the Workroom" photos have had a lot of variations over the years.  Through some hardcore picture folder research and organizing - I found some examples to share of variations of workspace looks.

This was my "storage table" for finished goodies, paperwork, and extra supplies in December of 2007 only a few months in to Needlings.  Because most of my work in the past few years has been stocking stores, very rarely do I have this many finished Needlings goodies to store before they have to be shipped out! 

June 2008

*2009 seems to be the dark ages as far as workspace photos goes.  

March 2010 (with work snacks)

October 2010

April 2011

September 2011

January 2012

And today!

It's an ever evolving mess of scraps, supplies, and paperwork but I try to keep it tidy with lots of room for cutting and thinking. It's also fun to see the evolution of my work itself. And photo quality.

Do you have a studio or craft space? Where do you work? I'd love to see it!