Getting Involved is a Good Thing

I love to sew. It's absolutely the most fun, creative, exciting and interesting thing about me. I can take an idea and make it a reality. Is there any greater gift?

I started sewing about a year and a half ago when I bought our house. I loved it.  I became involved in the online sewing community on Facebook. The ladies were so nice and wanted to help me learn. Oh it was fantastic. I loved my sewing groups and I loved learning new things. I met some very good friends and I met some not so nice people, too.

Pretty soon I discovered that there are huge cliques in the world of Facebook sewing. I really, really wanted to be one of the cool kids....but I'm not. I admin'ed a couple of very large groups and it was fun for a while. It was very dramatic and everyone was always trying to get the better of everyone else. I couldn't even tell you how many paranoid BFF groups I was dragged into. Sounds ridiculous but it's true.

I'm a straight shooter. If I think a thing, you will know it. I can't BE a sell-out because I am incapable of supporting a cause I don't believe in. I'm full of honesty and integrity and people don't necessary like that.

My abilities as a sewist (I intentionally choose the amalgam of sewing and artist, because it IS art) have dramatically increased and I feel that there is nothing I can't do with the pattern pieces I already have. What's left for me in Facebook sewing? Unnecessary drama. Unnecessary pattern expense. Unnecessary wasting of my time that would be better spent sewing or playing with Little Bub.

I don't condemn Facebook sewing, but I think that I no longer wish to be a part of it. It discourages me from being creative. I don't need negativity in my life. I am looking for the chance to create and to grow. It seems like at this point, I would be better served to focus on creating the beautiful garments that make me so happy. Getting involved is a good thing, but maybe so is taking a step back.

This is why I sew. I want to make beautiful things for my beautiful child to laugh and play and grow up in. This is real life and I REALLY want to ENJOY it, don't you?

Opening an Etsy Store

I tell you what, opening an etsy store is hard. There's 10,000,000 zillion billion things you have to do.....aaaand then there's no guarantee that anyone will like your stuff. I'm really worried about that. I am TERRIBLE at failure. lol

The first step was getting my sewing up to par. I've worked really hard for months. There isn't much I can't do. I'm going to be making a dress, the Jenny by Scientific Seamstress/Sisboom, this very week so that I can teach myself a new technique. I'm totally going out of my comfort zone on this dress in both technique and style. I'm kind of excited to make it.

Then I had to figure out who I wanted to sell to and for. You have to know who you're talking to. I'm choosing plus size ladies. We don't get many choices. Mostly I have casual wear now but I'm going to be dressing things up a bit in the very near future. Big girls should get to look pretty, too! I want to lol. I'm also going to feature items for little girls. Hmm. Kinda seems like a no brainer. I want to sell to people like me only with money to spend on hand crafted clothes. lol

I had to sew up samples. That was the fun part :)

Jocole Mix & Match

EYMM.com Piko Top

I arranged for photos. It's impossible for me to take a decent selfie. My friend Kim White took the photos. She doesn't have a business but she certainly has the talent.
These may be the two best photos of me ever taken. I'm pretty far from photogenic. Thank you, Kim. Please accept this gratuitous plug for the business you haven't started yet!

I started my Etsy shop. The "Grand Opening" will be sometime today. I did a lot of research on this. I read everything Etsy published and  I talked to the ladies in my Facebook sewing group, Sew & Tell. Those ladies are sharp and they know how to do business on Etsy. Etsy gave me the first 40 items free so I plan to use them. Today I will upload photos and add tags.

This is all pretty exciting and nerve wracking at the same time. Wish me luck.

It's done! We run an Etsy shop now!

Hibbadoray

the Jocole blog: Knit for a Princess!

Today I am tickled pink to show you a post that I wrote for the Jocole Blog. I'm pretty impressed with myself lol. Check it out and let me know what you think! Be sure to show Jodi some love!
 
the Jocole blog: Knit for a Princess!

New Beginnings and Some Back Story

Two weeks ago I quit my well paid job as a Network Engineer to pursue my dream of raising my tiny girl myself.  It's going to be quite a journey and this seems like a good way to chronicle it.

I...am nobody special. Six years ago I found myself pregnant and alone and unemployed. I had NO idea what to do with myself or my life, I just knew I was about to be responsible for this tiny little life and I better not jack it up! I went to college. I got my MCSE and I got a good job. I started off at the bottom. $30,000 per year for doing remote tech support. It was GREAT! Exciting and fun. I was good at it and customers liked me so I excelled.

Promotions and raises came. I bought a house when it came time to send my precious baby to school. And I worked. And worked. And worked. And I paid people to watch this precious girl for me while I worked. And I felt like my own life was screwing me over. I wanted to be with my daughter and not pay people to raise her on my behalf. No matter how much I did it wasn't ENOUGH because I was so busy making a life for little Bub that I wasn't enjoying what I was building.

I had money. I had a house. I had a solid future. I was miserable. The only time I was happy is when I was with my tiny girl or when I was sewing. So I quit. I gave it all up to telecommute for $10 an hour. I'll be opening an Etsy shop here right away to help support us.

So what's this blog about? Sewing. Raising little Bub. Living life. The pursuit of happiness and the American dream lol. The things that REALLY matter. idk for sure what they are just yet, but I'll keep you updated.

Wish me luck.