Today’s goal was to finish the pattern for “Stitching, Please Wait” and release it on Etsy. DONE!
Now to spend time with my girls!
Today, or more accurately, yesterday I had my first customer. When I checked my inbox this morning there was an email telling me one of my patterns had been sold. Happy dance!
After I delivered the pattern I spent most of the morning playing around with the content of this blog. Particularly with the sidebars trying to make it easier to find the content. I am now almost happy with the layout.
I also took the time to finally create a twitter account for Chanda Belle.
Now its time to get back to designing and stitching on any of the following designs:
I may well have too many pieces on the drawing board… Time to finish and release a few of them!
Posted in Day to Day, History
I’ve managed to transfer all my data from a backup to my “play” laptop. It will do nicely until we fix my main computer. In the process of transferring all the data to the laptop I’ve also started re-organizing my files. A bit of work to do there, but the new structure will give me easier access to my most used files, as well as making sure that important stuff isn’t lost. So this crash of my main computer may actually be a blessing in disguise.
Fortunately my file that lists all my design ideas and my inspirations folder were both recovered. I am extremely happy about that… Now I can get back to creating new designs.
Am I the only one that feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day? I have all these ideas and not enough time to make them reality! The process of creating a new design for me involves:
1. The idea
2. Research on the topic if needed
3. Draft sketches
4. Create a pattern
5. If specialty stitches are needed, find the right ones and learn how to stitch them
6. Stitch the piece.
7. Finish the piece and take photos
Then, if its a pattern that I want to add to my store I have 3 additional steps:
8. Correct the pattern and adjust the legend symbols to make it more readable
9. Create a chart with the pattern, legend, instructions and model picture
10. Add to store
Its all very simple… except that I need more time! I often get as far as create a pattern, and there the whole project gets put on hold until I find the time to test stitch it.
I have many patterns waiting to be stitched up and even more waiting to be charted. Its tough selecting which one to work on next… but I shouldn’t complain. Better that than to have a complete block of creativity.
Posted in Day to Day, History
Major online time suck this weekend! I spent a fair amount of time changing the theme template on this journal, I wanted to have 3 columns so I can share lots of pictures and links. Then I figured out how to add a page for Chanda Belle to Facebook and to link it to this journal so that post updates show up.
In between family activities I also managed to select the colours for my current creation:
And I made a start on it… Here is a teaser of “Stitching”:
Comments Off
Posted in Day to Day, History, Previews
It was with very little fanfare that I opened my Etsy store on the 27 of August! It happened so quickly and unexpectedly that I didn’t even realise I had reached one of my goals until just now.
Late in the evening of the 27th I thought I would go into Etsy to see what I would need to do to open a store. Next thing I know I had done it. It isn’t exactly polished and there are only 2 patterns available. Over the next few weeks I’ll try to add more to it. I have a few little designs underway.
Comments Off
Posted in History
It’s been a long time since I posted or spent anytime on my “Chanda Belle” activities. I had a few good reasons… but the most important one was that I was busy adding a new member to our little family.
Things are settling down now and I feel inspired to create a few beautiful things. Here is a sneak preview of my latest creation… under the working title “3 sisters”.
I’ll be back with more soon!
It’s been quiet here for the past couple of months. I expect there will soon be a little more activity.
2010 should be a big year for Chanda Belle. I have 2 commissions to work on. Well, I call them commissions because it sounds important… I volunteered to do a couple of designs for some good friends. One is for a wedding and the other for a blackwork class. I also hope to finish designing and stitching models of a couple more patterns. If I find the time I also plan to try my hand at sketching simple line drawings and learn how to embroider. Then there is a design I promised for another friend and I vaguely remember owing 2 pay it forward things, possibly 3 for other friends.
On a more practical side, I’ve been doing some research about how to make my patterns available online. So far I’ve found nothing I am happy with. This is no big concern, since I don’t have many patterns to share yet. My researching will continue throughout 2010.
Comments Off
Posted in History
Not many people know that I’ve taken up designing as a new hobby. I was just discussing this with a friend when she said something I do not want to forget… Such conversations are rare but they are needed now and then. Somehow they clear my mind.
After visiting the online Needle Show I was feeling a little discouraged. There are so many beautiful designs out there that it almost feels like there is no room for any more. Who am I to be adding to the wonderful range of designs that are already in existence?
Thats when Bek said “The world is such a big place, filled with so much interesting and beautiful, even though there’s so many designers there’s always something left to be designed.”
Thank you Bek for your words. This is something we should all remember!
Comments Off
Posted in History
Tomorrow is the start of NaNoWriMo 2009. I won’t actually be writing a novel in the normal sense of the word. I intend to use the motivation to post about my past projects.
Writing a summary of my finished projects has been a regular item on my to-do list. I intend to cross this item off my list by the end of November. Over the next 30 days I shall post about most of my finished projects, maybe even all of them. Assuming I can remember them all. LOL
If I find the time and inspiration I may even have a go at writing a short story about cross-stitching.
Ready, set, go…
Comments Off
Posted in History
It was a quick stitch… I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to finish it on time. In the end I was done on Saturday night. Quite happy with it. As it turned out the gold was not too yellow. I ended up adding brown to the pattern to stitch the worlds in, this made them stand out more.
After that I quickly updated the charts and added them to the patterns. Now I just wait and see if the ladies doing the class at Territory Craft enjoy stitching them. I hope they do!
Full time working mum, wife, daughter, sister and friend. When I find a spare minute I either go out for a run or take a few moments to stitch.
