Cajun Corner – Vol. 6, No. 19 – August 2, 2014

 

 

 

Cajun Corner – Vol. 6, No. 19 – August 2, 2014

Bon Jour!  Welcome to Cajun Stitchery’s weekly email and welcome to our family.

 

ΘΘΘΘΘ

Don’t forget to visit us at www.cajunstitchery.com, www.flickr.com/photos/cajunstitchery, and, www.cajunstitchery.etsy.com often.   We are also on Twitter and Facebook. 

Visit our on-line catalogs at:

http://www.my-catalogs.com/cajunstitchery

and www.companycasuals.com/cajunstitchery.

Does size really matter?  Sometimes in embroidery it does matter.  With that said, I want to inform you it is my understanding Cajun Stitchery now owns the biggest hoop in the embroidery industry.  It is not so much the size of the outside of the hoop as it is the footprint of the hoop and machine.  Any machine has its limits.  On embroidery machines you can go just so far side-to-side and up and down.  That is known as the X and Y axis.  Flashback to algebra, huh?  Our new hoop has a stitching footprint of 16” wide and 14.75” tall.  That is very big.  Of course, if you turn the design sideways it can be 14.75 x 16.  Just to test the new hoop, I enlarged a fleur de lis to these dimension and stitched it out.  Of course, I don’t have any designs that large now but we can now make them that large.  You aren’t going to buy designs that size, either, unless they are custom designed.  That’s not to say that other machines and other hoops cannot complete a design that size.  They can but not in one hooping.

It is now August.  George and I will be celebrating our 44^th wedding anniversary on August 14^th.  George did a little research and found that the traditional wedding gift for a 44^th anniversary is groceries.  Yep, you read that right.  George said he’s going grocery shopping for our anniversary.  I’m still thinking about what to give him.  He’s not a big fan of sweets.  Maybe I’ll just take him out to dinner but that is just so blasé.  Any ideas?

We have added a new category to our Etsy store for Wedding Miscellaneous.  There are little and big corset bags, Just Married luggage tags, Mr. and Mrs. Luggage tags, and a few other items.  Hopefully, more items will be included as time goes by. 

The new category is because so many people want to purchase unique gifts for wedding and baby showers, as well as birthdays but unique items are either too expensive or not special enough.  I’m going to try to do some items to help out.  I know there are years when it is one wedding after another; then there are years with a multitude of baby showers (usually the year after the weddings).  The pocketbook tends to start shrinking after a few of these showers.  Practically speaking, I would think you can never go wrong with diapers for baby showers, but so many of the young people these days are going with the holistic and environmental thing and you don’t know what kind of diapers to get.  Monograms are always in vogue and appreciated.  They aren’t very expensive, either.  If I can hoop it; I can monogram it.  Yes, even diapers.  And, I have monogrammed disposable diapers.

A friend of mine suggested that I include the following, from a conversation we were having, in this week’s Cajun Corner:

Texture question:  Yes, different textures are digitized differently, not to mention there are different techniques in embroidering different textures.  For example:  if we are embroidering on light linen or cotton, like a sheet, heavy embroidery would be too much and look funky.  You want something light on a light fabric.  Heavy embroidery could tear a light fabric.  However, if you are working on a heavier fabric like the primitive linen, you would want a heavier design so that the embroidery would not look washed away.  Heavier fabric requires an underlay most of the time. 

 

Remember the pillowcases that I made?  Remember the embroidery on the edge compared to the embroidery as you had me change it.  It was the same design but adding the underlay made the embroidery stands out, have texture, and look more elegant.

 

If you are using toweling, velvet, corduroy, anything with a pile, you need to digitize to help the design stand above the pile and/or keep the pile down.  A lot of that is also in the embroidery technique used.

 

Leather, plastics, netting and card stock need the embroidery with longer spaces between the stitches so the fabric is not ripped.

 

So, in a lot of respects the fabric determines how a design is digitized.

 

Price-wise, more stitches = more cost.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK

If you are not a subscriber and would like to receive Cajun Corner weekly, please email cajunstitchery@yahoo.com and let me know to put you on our email list. 

No time to read Cajun Corner?  Visit our blog at www.cajunstitchery.blogspot.com and click the Odiogo button to hear the computer read the blog.

Cajun Stitchery

(850) 261-2462

cajunstitchery@yahoo.com

P.S.  You are always welcome to stop by and look at all of the catalogs and pass some time with me, cher.

Cajun Corner – Vol. 6, No. 13 – May 17, 2014

Cajun Corner – Vol. 6, No. 13 – May 17, 2014

 

Bon Jour!  Welcome to Cajun Stitchery’s weekly email and welcome to our family.

 

ΘΘΘΘΘ

Don’t forget to visit us at www.cajunstitchery.com, www.flickr.com/photos/cajunstitchery, and, www.cajunstitchery.etsy.com often.   We are also on Twitter and Facebook. 

Visit our on-line catalogs at:

http://www.imprintit.biz/cgi-bin/cobrand/site.w?location=olc/catalog-home.w&top=catalog&frasmes=no&target=main&sponsor=000699

and www.companycasuals.com/cajunstitchery.

Spring has brought beautiful weather to our area, along with all of the plants and flowers; but this year we have encountered some surprises, too.  Early this Spring George bought a half whiskey barrel to put in the front yard.  He was going to plant a papyrus plant in the barrel, which he did.  Since he also took apart our raised garden and rebuilt it, he used some of the soil from the garden in the barrel.  The papyrus began growing happily as did several other plants that we thought were weeds.  Many of them were weeds except we recognized some Johnny Jump Ups.  So, we left those alone.  Then we recognized a tomato plant. We let that plant grow, as well.  Then a familiar looking plant began growing.  It was an eggplant plant.  I guess there were lots of seeds still in the garden soil that decided to grow.  The papyrus is very happy and getting tall.  The Johnny Jump Ups are a beautiful purple, green and gold.  The eggplant is growing but hasn’t had a flower yet.  The tomato has flowers and now is sporting some small fruit.  How about that for simply planting a papyrus in a half barrel?

Of course, the new garden has shallots, lettuce, carrots, radishes, and lots of plants.  The shallots are almost ready to harvest but the rest are still growing.   He planted pots of all kinds of peppers and more tomatoes.

The gladiolas seem to travel and we have a few gladiola patches here and there in the yard.  The gladiolas that have bloomed are a shade between red and orange, more like a deep coral.  They are beautiful. 

The roses are blooming, as are the gardenias, bottle brush and jasmine.  The yard has a wonderful fragrance.  The hydrangeas are turning a beautiful blue and the bushes are covered in these flowers.

We are enjoying sitting outside with the fragrances and colors.  It is so soothing.

It turns out that the blackberries are not blackberries at all.  They are dewberries.  They look and taste exactly like blackberries but have less seeds.  They are also bountiful this year.  The blueberries are not ripe yet but we will have a nice harvest when they do ripen.

Everyday is a joy to sit outside, especially in the mornings, with a hot cup of coffee and enjoying nature.

Sometimes I will list items on Etsy that I really never expect to sell.  Sometimes it is something funny; sometimes beautiful; and sometimes very expensive.  When it comes to really fine embroidery with lots of stitches and very time consuming, the price tends to get high.  Sometimes it is just difficult to price items.  Nevertheless, I had a beautiful white handkerchief listed.  It has a hefty lace border and is very elegant.  I listed it several months ago for $60.  I knew it would never sell but I wanted to show what we can do, as well as get people to visit the store to see what kind of hanky would cost $60.  As it turned out, a few weeks ago a gentleman made an appointment to come over and look at ladies handkerchiefs for a special occasion for his daughter.  He bought the lace handkerchief for $45.  I gave him a discount because he really liked the hanky and he was a nice guy.  Rather than take the handkerchief off of Etsy, I made another one.  It sold last week for $60.  I was pleasantly surprised, again.  Maybe there is hope for the $90 hanky that is listed on Etsy. 

Lately I’ve been working on my continuous embroidery skills.  Continuous embroidery is where you hoop a design and stitch it.  The design is too large for the hoop, so, after the first hooping, you re-hoop to stitch the continuation of the design.  I’m working on some beautiful edges.

It started when I purchased the European pillows from my friend, Pandora de Balthazar.  They needed pillowcases and I didn’t have any that fit.  So, I made a set.  Pillowcases are easy to make.  The edges of the pillowcases needed to be finished and such special pillows deserved some special pillowcases.  I used some heirloom designs and a bit of creativity and voila we had pillowcases.  They were so beautiful that I took photos and posted them on FaceBook.  Almost immediately we got an order.

Another project with the continuous embroidery is a scarf that I finished this past week.  It is just a poly blend kind of fabric but the embroidered edges and ends are gorgeous.  Again, it is done in white on white.  I figured out the cost and listed it in our Etsy Store today for $150.00.

Lots of embroidery has been created lately.  Beautiful baby bibs, pillows, and patches, but I’ll save that for another issue.  In the meantime  . . .

HAVE A GREAT MEMORIAL DAY

If you are not a subscriber and would like to receive Cajun Corner weekly, please email cajunstitchery@yahoo.com and let me know to put you on our email list. 

No time to read Cajun Corner?  Visit our blog at www.cajunstitchery.blogspot.com and click the Odiogo button to hear the computer read the blog.

 

Cajun Stitchery

(850) 261-2462

cajunstitchery@yahoo.com

P.S.  You are always welcome to stop by and look at all of the catalogs and pass some time with me, cher.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another Year of Birthdays

Each year I pick an item to be embroidered for each of the girls in my Mardi Gras Krewe.  For instance, in 2009, everyone got embroidered napkins for their birthdays.  In 2010, everyone received embroidered pillowcases for their birthdays.  This year, 2011, they are receiving bath towels. 

The first birthday of the year in the Krewe is always Courtney.  She loves being the first but says that as the year progresses my creative juices start flowing on the item and by the end of the year, the girls are getting some really unique and creative embroidery, while her's is kind of plain Jane.  I really wanted Courtney to get something special this year, but you never know where the designing will end up by the end of the year.  To start off, it's difficult to put a lot of creative juices into a gift right after the holiday season and the time of year where we are the busiest.  I pondered Courtney's gift for a very long time.  Last year I found a design for a beautiful diva that I knew I wanted to use.  So, while I was pondering Courtney's design, the diva came to mind.  She was only about 2 or 3 inches tall but I redigitized her to 9 inches tall and digitized so her dress would be Mylar.  She turned out beautiful but alone she was lacking something.  She needed some pizzazz.  For a long time I've wanted to work with applique.  I touch on applique every once in awhile but not the in depth stuff that I'd like to do.  Courtney's birthday came and went but the girls had decided to celebrate her birthday this past Wednesday, yesterday.  This week had been so busy that I wasn't able to do much on her design, not to mention that I had orders to fill.  The beauty, for me, of designing is that I can be anyplace, doing anything, and get an idea and work it out in my head.  By the time I get to the design program on the computer, I pretty much have already worked the project out mentally.  Before I knew it, it was Wednesday morning and I needed that towel embroidered and wrapped to give her that evening.  The thought occurred to me to put a large clam shell behind the diva and done in applique.  I could not find a clam shell design that I liked but I did see a star applique that intrigued me.  I pulled the star design into the program and began the process of enlarging.  By the time I got the star to 9 inches, the stitches were all askew.  That just wouldn't work.  I decided to take the 9 inch design into the digitizing program and redigitize the star.  I had never used the applique function in the digitizing program before.  It seemed simple enough.  A star shape is not difficult.  The first time I did it, part of the stitches looked fine but most were not coming through.  I finally decided that I must have the satin stitches too wide.  Indeed, that was the case.  I redigitized and the star appeared fine on the computer.

The star behind the diva looked great on the computer but you never really know until you actually stitch it out.  I used one of the cheap towels that I purchased last year for the stitch out.  Then I had to find and determine what fabric to use in the applique.  I happened on a silky, woven, black fabric that I was going to use, just for the stitch out.  OMG!  After that design stitched out, and it stitched out perfectly, I immediately placed that towel in my bathroom.  It was beautiful.  I used one of the nice, new white towels for Courtney's and added her name inside the black star. 

My plan is to use the stitch out towel repeatedly, washing and drying, to make sure everything is sturdy and doesn't fall apart easily.  Then I think I'm going to use the same design for each of the girls this year but change the colors and applique fabric so each is individual.

When my friend, Turtle, was here earlier this week, she was telling me that she uses Fray Check a lot.  I have a bottle of Fray Check but had just never used it.  I did run a bead of Fray Check partially around Courtneny's star where I felt it was the weakest.  That should hold it nice and tight.  I can see that I will probably start investing in a lot of Fray Check, especially if I'm going to be doing a lot of applique.

Also, while Turtle was here, we stitched out an in the hoop card holder.  It holds business cards, as well as gift cards.  The paisley design is so en vogue and fun.  Another friend of mine told me sometime ago that I should always carry give-aways with my cards, so people can see my work.  This card holder would be an ideal give-away.  Just put my card inside and hand the holder to whoever I was giving the card.  Maybe I'll change the design to say Cajun Stitchery. 

I'll Never Go Through That Again

Another wonderfully busy week.  The satin jackets are selling like hotcakes.  Of course, my Junkanoo friends came through for me.  They all seem to want the black satin jacket and asked me to embroider their logo on the back.  I've never used this particular wholesaler before but they have been in business for a long time.  Our first order was placed yesterday and this morning they called me to answer any questions that I might have.  I had tried to include a late order but it was too late.  Nevertheless, the first order of satin jackets are scheduled for delivery tomorrow.  So far, this wholesaler is getting an A+ on pricing, shipping and customer service.  It turns out that the shipping is going to cost each custoer $1.  Not bad.  When the jackets get here tomorrow, I will be able to look at them and determine the quality and sizing.  If I like them, I will place my second order on Friday.  This wholesaler has several colors and offers light linings, as well as quilted linings with size from youth to adult 3XL.

The other day the weather forecast was going as low as 39 degrees.  We harvested all of our peppers.  The weather didn't seem to affect the plants because they are still producing peppers.  Now we have a bag full of peppers and are eating them like crazy -- even after giving a bunch of them away.

Our calendar is filling up with Christmas parties, parades and other holiday events.  That, on top of the much appreciated busy work schedule, is keeping us busy.

The AC guy quoted us about half of what we expected.  Woohoo!  They began work installing the heat pump today and should be finished tomorrow or Friday. 

Also, Monday I finally got my drivers license.  It's been a month and a half since I first tried to renew my drivers license.  Glad that's over and the lady said that I will never have to go through that again.

My Aunt Philo's friend emailed me that Aunt Philo needs some wash cloths with her name and room number embroidered.  Aunt Philo is 92 years old and resides in a nursing home in Lafayette, LA.  She likes to have her own wash cloths but the nursing home tends to lose them.  I embroidered 6 wash cloths with her name and room number and 2 towels.  Hopefully, we'll mail those tomorrow.  If anyone has a relative or friend in a nursing home and you don't know what to get them, send personalize towels and wash cloths.  It's a great gift.

Next on our list are some t-shirts and I've been trying to pay more attention to the Etsy store.  There is a beautiful pair of his and her pillowcases, as well as the little corset pouch that is just adorable.
Sunday is the SOB brunch.  Last year I made patches for the Sisters of the Beach.  Can you tell what's different with this year's patches...RHINESTONES.  Yes, 3 little rhinestones for each of the little stick girl's heads.