Monday, June 24, 2013

Family room "sweat shop"...


The first wave of folding, organizing, and stuffing is finally coming to an end...there is light at the end of the sweat shop tunnel!  


Thanks to my cat's Ziploc baggie addiction, once the patterns are stuffed they have to be locked away from his razor sharp little teeth.

He likes to "staple" Ziploc bags and sheet pocket protectors...he repeatedly bites and punctures the plastic.  I guess you would call that the Weasley seal-of-approval.


Some of my quilt cave stash has been temporarily relocated to laundry baskets so that I could use my containers with lids to discourage the little beast.



Seventeen patterns are finished and ready to go, the 18th will be ready in about an hour, and the last one is at the printer...again.  I had to have it reprinted.  

As I started to stuff the French horn patterns I realized that I didn't use the FINAL draft of the block.  (I am one, tough, quality control cookie.)  I should have caught it when I used the pattern to trace my background for the crayoned and embroidered version.  Here's the embroidered one in progress...



...and here is the appliqued one.  Can you see the differences?







It is subtle, but it would have been frustrating for the user to find that the pattern did not exactly match the color reference picture.  (I would have been disappointed, and I am my best customer, ha-ha!)  


I am almost through drafting the last thing that needs to be done and printed before starting to sell the patterns.  This will be the finishing directions for making the large 16-block quilt like mine.  I will include it for free for people buying 16 blocks.

At some point I will design and adapt settings and borders for quilts made from 1, 4, 6, 9 and 12 of the blocks.  I have dreams in my head and just have to make them come true in fabric (I wish I didn't have to waste time sleeping, LOL!).

So, for those of you who are so patiently waiting for me to get my act together and start selling patterns on my related web site, here is the scoop:
  • As soon as we are ready, there will be an announcement post, a give-away, and a link on this blog to our web site to purchase patterns.
  • The "Baltimore Rhapsody" patterns will be available individually, or in 4-, 9-, 12-, or 16-block bundles (with a little price break per pattern for the bundles).  You will be able to choose the blocks you want in your bundle.
  • So far, there are patterns for 19 blocks.  The sixteen blocks in my current quilt are the symphonic blocks.  More instruments will be added soon - instruments from church, folk, country, and jazz music, plus a few surprises.
  • I am trying to learn about foreign shipping rules and rates...so far I am a little freaked out.  Every country has different rules concerning customs, packaging, etc.  I may have to "quarter" the large format pattern and sell the patterns as electronic downloads (the user would have to tape 4 pages together to get the full size pattern).  Our web site is set up for this possibility, either for this pattern or future offerings. 
  • If you are from somewhere other than USA and think you are    interested in purchasing patterns, let me know so I can start figuring your country's rules out first!
  • Visa and Mastercard will be securely accepted on the site.

In addition to all the excitement about this launch, family is visiting and my daughter and husband are having birthdays...Riley - sweet 16, Steve - 59 and holding!


And...I will get a quilt show "mini break" in Shipshewana, Indiana this weekend as I had two quilts accepted to that show.  Yahoo!  My hands and eyes need a break from all the folding and stuffing! 

Maybe I will see you there!

In stitches,
Teresa   :o)


10 comments:

  1. Oh, heart palpetations!! Way to hang in there - and congrats on the two quilts in Shipshewana show.

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  2. It has been so fun to watch your journey with your quilt. Thanks for sharing your steps.
    Congratulations on the quilts in Shipshewana. You have so much excitement going on. :)
    Happy Birthday to the family.

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  3. uhhh can't wait to the final reveal!! looks awesome....
    shipping to europe is a bit nuts but it's worse shipping it here!
    my mom sent my family a BIT late Christmas box, they paid 150$ in postage and we got some candy, a few outfits, a tea kettle and linen, I told my mom NOT to do that again, it's about the same price as the content. Now customs going there is odd too, they tax everything that came from a store, so I have a friend who I re-package stuff for, I actually gift wrap everything and write happy birthday etc on it, in case customs gets a hold of it, they can't tax them on it as a GIFT item. so it's cheaper for them to pay for shipping to ME then shipping again to them, than take the chance and get taxed!

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  4. Happy birthday to the worker bees 's! congrats on the quilts in the show and YEAH your really making progress on your business.....I am so happy for you.
    Kathie

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  5. My cat does the same thing! All my projects that are in bags have little teeth holes in the part where the ziploc zips! What the heck??

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  6. This is totally awesome - such a major accomplishment! Looking forward to "opening day"! You are so blessed to have such talent and such a supportive family. Ditto on happy birthday to the worker bees

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  7. My kitty, too! Especially the little bags filled with air that come in shipping!
    Bravo to you...

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  8. Teresa, you have done an amazing job of getting this all together, even though it may seem ages to you. I applaud your energy. Wish I were closer to Shipshewana because I'd love to see that show. Good luck on the rest of your endeavor. You have beautiful patterns.

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  9. That is an amazing accomplishment! I would never attempt such a complex quilt, but I know people who would and will share all the info with them as soon as you are ready!

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  10. I think, living in Belgium, it would be a great idea to send the patterns electronically, because I've decided not to buy anything from the US again since shipping and always added customs make everything really expensive to get here.
    Congrats on your achievements!

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