Discover "Mystic Silks"

One of my favorite artists on Etsy.com is also a teammate on Design Style Guide. Her shop is "Mystic Silks," and I'm featuring it on my DSG Blog post this month. It will be published tomorrow, so be sure to check it out. I promise you will LOVE her work --- see samples below!



On another note, for those who may be wondering, my recovery from back surgery is going veeeery slowly. I still can't spend an entire day at the machines without pain, and I tire much too easily. I'm done with physical therapy now, and I rarely take pain meds. The surgeon says I'm healing "as expected for your age," (which, unfortunately, is old as dirt!) Hopefully I will be able to get up to speed eventually.

Supporting The Home Team!

The Detroit Red Wings are well on their way to another Stanley Cup. We could sure use some good news in this city. Besides, we are Hockey Town!

GO WINGS!!!

Speaking of red, check out my post tomorrow ( 5/21/09) on the Design Style Guide's blog. DSG is a team of artisans who produce handmade home decor items. We've joined together to support and promote each other as we build a catalog of home goods. Eventually the catalog will be targeted mainly to Interior Designers. But you don't have to be a designer to visit us and/or make a purchase! New items and artists are added daily, so visit often. And while you're there, check out my portfolio.

Baby Hero's Quilt

It's always fun for me to see the little owners of my baby quilts, so I want to thank new mom Susan for sending this photo of her beautiful daughter, Hero. She could make any quilt look great. I hope this one will become her beloved "blankie," and that one day she will sneak a worn-out corner of it into her college luggage. Welcome to the world, pretty girl!

Surgery Sells!!!

I had back surgery on February 19, and I'm feeling almost like myself again. But that might not be such a good thing, because I sold three quilts while I was drugged mindless! The drugs were legal and all, and there is still plenty of pain and indignity involved when those wicked surgeons put their masks on. But still: THREE QUILTS!!! I'm pretty attached to most of my organs, but there must be something rattling around in there I wouldn't miss....

Big Appendectomy Sale
Prices SLASHED!

Therapy In Session

Self-Portrait
(In case you've ever wondered what I look like.)

I have to close the shop next week because I'm having back surgery. I've been putting it off for years, but now the time has come. For some reason this has inspired a need to get my "affairs" in order. For most people this probably involves paperwork, but to me it felt absolutely imperative that I sort and label my fabric stash. (It might take another quilter to appreciate that thinking!) I decided to empty a dresser and chest left behind when my grown kids moved out. You'd think they might have missed the clothes they left here, but it's been years and they haven't yet. Too late now! The Purple Heart will be well stocked in the very near future.

I then emptied the overfilled-and-breaking-apart drawers on the old fabric storage unit. Out to the curb it went. I dragged the other empty chest and dresser into the quilt studio and started sorting fabric by color and/or theme. I put it all away, complete with drawer labels. I gave the room a thorough cleaning, and even hung some wall art --- including the self-portrait above. I feel so much better now! Well, except for the back pain...but hopefully that will soon become a thing of the past.

There's still a lot of house cleaning I need to get done before Thursday, especially since they tell me it will be six months before I'll be allowed to vacuum again. (Boo-hoo, huh?) On the plus side, the surgeon said I can start quilting again in two weeks, gradually working up to a full day by six to eight weeks post-op. Quilting really is therapy, for every quilter I know, so the sooner the better. In the meantime, I can fantasize about quilting in my completely organized studio!!!

Treasures From The DSG Team

Those of us who sell our creations online have found that networking with other artists is a good way to promote and market our work. Many of us link to each others' blogs and web sites, feature each other in our blogs, and often join ranks to advertise sales and specials. The paintings in the "Treasury" above are an example of one way we highlight our fellow artists. In this case, all of the artists are members of The Design Style Guide Team. There you will find more of their work, as well as that of many other artists. In addition to paintings, the DSG offers all manner of handmade home decor items. (Even, can you believe it, QUILTS!)

FINAL Logo!

I should be quilting, but I've been hooked on updating my web presence for a week now. Yesterday I finished uploading my new logo to all the sites I use. But this morning I discovered a way to tweak the lettering, which led to the new logo becoming an old logo. The one shown here is now the newest, the best, and the final logo. Honestly.
That means I have to update all of the sites, so another quilting day will be lost. But, hey, there's more than "manufacturing" involved in running a web-based business, and designing logos and business cards and web sites is a part of that.

New Logo and New Legislation

I spent today on the computer, updating my various sites and memberships. Mainly I needed to get my new logo posted everywhere I maintain a presence. You can find links to these sites in the column on the right, if you want to visit.

So, that's the good news. The bad news is that I may have to stop selling baby quilts. In mid-February new standards go into effect for testing lead levels in all baby products. The law is meant to protect consumers from the lax testing standards in some of the countries the U.S. imports from. I'm all in favor of that! But the way the law is written, every part in every product must be tested for lead, or it cannot be sold in the U.S.

Independent small businesses, including makers of handmade articles, will almost certainly be unable to afford the required testing. I've joined other quilters in researching the new requirements. If you have ever tried to read a legal document you will understand when I say: "Huh?" But we will do what we can. My understanding is that U.S. fabric manufacturers have not used lead dyes for years now, so I'm hoping that as long as we use U.S. fabric we will be exempt from testing. I'll let you know what we find out.