recent clothing experimentation

I just mailed out a custom order of 5 of these babies today. Christmas presents. I think it's cool.



This maternity shirt is listed over in my shop {click pic to get to listing}. I have a medium and large left. They're not the best product photos, but they're kind of artsy and cool. I may re-take them in a few days. {Or I may not need to. I've sold 2 of the 4 I listed last night!}



The shirt below is my fav! It's a really pretty purple {deeper than the pic} and it has a few random hazy blue areas. You can see one a little to the left and below the words in this picture. If I was preggo and it'd fit me I'd be keeping it!



I've been getting uber tired of the brown maker shirts, so I decided to switch it up a bit. I'm having fun with color and some OOAK creations!

Also, tonight I'll be listing some more kiddo clothing. I need to get my new favorite set up. :) Ki's had it for a bit and it is one of Mike's favorite outfits of his.

New duds

a few of which have been hanging in my closet since...summer...

I listed a few new things over on Etsy. I SO don't like my new pictures. They're kind of back to the way my old, boring pictures were. I like my clothes with people in them. But alas, I do not have a daughter or a baby. And I'd be dead meat if our sweet son was caught wearing girl clothes. {Not to mention he has a very boyish figure.} So I need to snag some pics from friends I've given clothes to. {Beware! I'm coming after you, my friends!} Also, if you've bought from me and want to send me your pictures, I'd love to use them!

*Click on the image to check it out in my shop.*






And one of my favorite new things...a crib sheet! It's so cute! I wish I'd made them when Ki was in a crib. But he's a big boy now. Hmm...I should print on his sheets...

Tonight right after I get home from work I am going to run around {hoping Ki will chill and color} and finish a few shirts and pop them in the mail before 6. I want them out! And I need to work on my backtack project. I'm so pumped for it! I'm excited to send stuff out to my partner.

Hope you all have a swell weekend! I may be blogging more often. I spent most of the afternoon reading old posts and I have blogging fever now. :) hehe.

Oh my, oh my!

I have a new favorite. I was printing a sweet little onesie, much like one in my shop, but with a name on it for our friends' new niece. I decided to make a little set. I've dyed socks to match before, and I think it gives it a nice finishing touch. However, this time I tried something new.

I added in a burp cloth {cloth diaper} when I dyed, then printed the same image on it. {I though about flopping the colors on it, but didn't have time to dye 2 loads. Plus Beatrix will have other clothing to break up the outfit.} I am in love!

I love every detail about this little thing. The detail in the fabric is so sweet and dainty...and yet so handy. And washable. And positively showing up in my shop sometime soon.

And now I am off to put my sweet little man back in bed. He woke up crying as I began this post. I ran in {yep, seriously ran} and scooped him up. Then I laid him back in his bed and he said with in a very stern voice, "Lay down, Momma!" So I did and he gave me a huge goofy cheesy grin. Then followed me out here a few minutes later. So off to bed we go.

{Steph, I'll iron these before work and drop them by on my way. ;) }

bathroom duty

Mike and Ki are off at Nana and Grandpa's. I'm stuck in the bathroom all evening. Well, hopefully not too long. And not the way you think! I have to burn and wash out a screen. Here's hoping it's perfect like my last one. That would be swell. {This is my absolute least favorite part of screen printing. The screen's kind of important, though.}

P.S. This is post #100 over here! Wahoo!

tonight...

is a work my butt of night. My maternity shirt supplier will be gone for 3 weeks. I need maternity shirts before they get back. Lots. So I need to sell sell sell! This means I most definitely need more designs, right? So I have to spend all night in the bathroom. And while my screen is drying all 3 -4 times it needs to be dry in the process I can hug my baby, eat, hang with the hubby and design my next line (which I'm WAY excited about!). Also, I have 2 shirts to print. Maybe a 3rd if the person gets it purchased by tonight.

So. I told Mike he has to make me work tonight. His response? "Ok. I'll just stand behind you and give you wet willies until you do." Oh so loving.

yesterday

A not so cool day. Well. In some ways. I did get to sleep in. Hehe. Mike got up with Ki and they came in and woke me up at 10:10. Church starts @ 11. So I stayed in bed and the boys went. I know, I'm a heathen eh? Just kidding. Anyhoo I had a nice time chalking and listening to bahbabye-babye baby with the little man. He's cute.

The not so cool part came later. I burned a screen and left it under the light a couple minutes longer than usual because there were thicker parts of emulsion. Well, after 2 very long sessions in the bathroom trying to spray it out...I realised I over exposed it. The thicker parts were perfect. Washed out beautifully! The thinner (normal) emulsioned spots wouldn't work. My guess is the longer time with light went through the transparency and was just too much. So I have a lot of burnt time (ha! so funny) and now need to re-do the screen. I'm kind of over the bathroom.

So my whole new line that would have been out in the next few days is now pushed back a bit. But at least now you know I'm going to be starting lines, or series. I'm uber excited! Neat-o.

I need some coffee.

I was getting kind of sad that nobody had purchased new shirts yet. But then yesterday I sold 2 t's. That was happy. AND my buddy Mandi had like 4 sales in 1 day! Wahoo! Pretty nice. And Lori is selling like gangbusters. Seriously. They're cool.

night time

Last night I felt like I got a lot done. Really, I did. Mandi and I went to a meeting for a family day we'll be selling at. It's a first for both of us and we're really excited. (I'm also nervous...unsure on which products, what sizes, how many...) So we got coffee and headed over there. (I ordered her drink because she always likes mine better. hehe. Was it good, deary??) We're pretty much the only people selling which is nice, but odd. Oh well!

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I got home and got some snuggles from my little man. Finally got emulsion on my screen! The poor thing's been sitting there almost a week because I kept having other things come up. Tonight I will be burning it and washing it out. Then hopefully printing some more new designs!

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I also got a couple orders done. Dyed shirts, printed shirts... I was going to print another order, but it still wasn't dry at 12:30 so I decided to call it a night. Mandi hung out and sewed up some monkeys & dolls while I worked. It's always nice to have company...and...odd movies... (I've picked a couple random ones of Netflix instant watching and they've been different.) I'll have to show you a sweet little design I drew super fast to fill space on a transparency. I love it!

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Tonight I need to complete orders and get everything out! So if you have an order in it will be shipping tomorrow! Wahoo!
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Also, if you're wanting a Preggo shirt I have a medium I listed last night with a little discount. The ink bled through to the back so there's a slight shadow. I'd wear it. Plus you can easily cover it with a sweater.

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Catch ya later! I'm off to sneak in a little reading between phone calls. :)

little seamstress action...and some printing

I finally made the purse I bought fabric for months ago! It's my first purse ever, plus I made up the pattern. It wasn't too hard. I kind of made it up as I went. It took me about 5 hours from cutting fabric to finish. I love it! I think next time I'll put interfacing on the inside and make the strap shorter. For more pictures, check out my flickr.



Also on my flickr are more printing how-to pictures! I snapped a few while I was printing a big order. Check out the comments for instructions.



I bought a pattern from Bit of Whimsy when she was having a sale a couple days ago. I actually found it months ago. Thought it would be a good, simple pattern to sew with my daughter someday. I don't have a daughter. So this would be at least 8 years down the road. Yeah, pathetic, right? I think I'll print that off tonight and work on it. I also need to package up a couple orders and list a couple customs. :) Fun stuff! I think I'm finding sewing is relaxing to me. Nice to get a little break from printing. With sewing, there's a seam ripper. With printing, there's no undo button. No going back if you screw it up!

Sweet Success

Yesterday the little man and I finally ventured out to buy new wood glue (which means the original will soon turn up). We got home, dried off from the storms & I put a screen together. It was SO quick and easy! Just the frame part thus far, but it rocks. A little wood glue and staple gun totally did the trick. I'll have to take a picture of it later. Tonight I am going to add the mesh. Then it will really be a screen!

My love and addiction

I love screen printing. I honestly think that if I quit my day job and worked on Carmel Turtle full time I could make as much or more than I do now at work. And obviously have much more enjoyment! I would be able to make more designs (a part that has been lacking lately) and get products out the door faster. Oh it would be so marvelous. But for now I have to think about silly little things like health insurance. Such is life, eh? Someday. Someday my wonderful husband will have something with insurance and I can stay home with my munchkin and work on sweet awesome designs. Until them, I am content working on my little addiction in my "spare" time. Ki (my 15-month-old) loves helping my dye my clothes. I enjoy him reading books while sitting on my feet as I print, and my hubby working across the room. It's blissful.