Changes at The Studio...

I've been a busy little bee for the past 3-4 months...
As of September 8, 2012, I am open for business at Carla's Victorian Heirlooms Online Boutique     
     YAY!!!

*Photo by SD Jackson, PixAppeal Photography

My boutique is located on the brand new selling site for handmade artisans ~  
Shop For HandMade Built and operated by Andrew McMaster, the website is based in the UK and hosts strictly handmade items created by talented artisans. Andrew took the time to find out what crafters wanted in a selling site and incorporated those features, and then some! (Thank you, Andrew, for this awesome creative community!) For more information on becoming a seller, if you are a supplier for handmade artisans, or if you are a curious buyer, click on the Shop For HandMade link above and message Andrew. He will happily answer any questions you may have...

In the meantime, stop by my new boutique and browse the catalog that features crocheted creations, counted cross-stitch treasures and home-sewn goodness... I use a secure PayPal payment system to accept credit cards, PayPal account transfers, and postal or bank money orders for your purchasing convenience...

I will be creating more unique handcrafted pieces over the coming months. You can follow my Facebook page or Twitter page to receive announcements of when new items are added to the catalog... I'm off to channel my creativity...

May your yarns be tangle-free <3

A Rainbow of Colors...

Pick a project, pick a stitch, pick a color...
machine embroidery and embellishment stitching...

 cotton quilting thread for a finishing touch...

silk ribbon for hand-stitched needlework...

Tea & Stitch Time

Some of the beautiful flowers outside The Studio window

Before she passed away, my grandmother bought each one of her 5 granddaughters a tea cup with the matching saucer. Her criteria:
No 2 could be the same
Each set could not cost more than $1
They were purchased at yard sales only
It had to be English fine bone china

The copy of Hoopla: The Unexpected Art of Embroidery (Leanne Prain) that I won last winter (Yay!!!) reading the Got Craft? blog... Thank you again Andrea @lotusevents for all your hard work put into getting that to me =)
If any fellow stitchers out there haven't seen this book yet, I recommend checking it out~you'll certainly start "thinking outside the hoop"

Keep your "eye on the needle" & happy stitching!

Photos courtesy SD Jackson Digital Studio

Feature Gallery: Cotton Bread Bags

First an update...

Good evening to all. It was a long day spent behind the desk to catch up on paper work again... finish one file and on to the next. Plans have changed for the weekend... no Vancouver trip to visit the Make It! show... no Parksville visit either. We are instead going to stick closer to home and visit a couple of the small local markets going right here on Gabriola Island... The Feedlot Studios is running a market Friday November 25 (5pm – 9pm) and Saturday November 26 (10am – 4pm)... As well, the 2nd Annual Gabriola Artisan Christmas Fair is taking place Saturday November 26 & Sunday November 27 at the Rollo Seniors’ Centre, 685 North Road.

That’s the news of the day from the studio... now on to our feature of today... 

cotton bread bags! 

Photo courtesy S. D. Jackson Photography

The bags are ...Reusable and environmentally friendly (no extra plastic in the landfills) ...Made right here in our studio, with 100% cotton fabric (toss them in with regular kitchen laundry instead of washing bulky plastic containers) ...Have a drawstring at the top for easy open and close (no more broken plastic clips or worn twist ties) ...Finished measurements are 8½” wide by 15½” long to fit a loaf of artisan bread nicely ...Add a unique touch to your kitchen decor ...Each bag is completed with a finishing "artisan's touch" of the hand-stitched embroidery “Bread” in a contrasting color to compliment the fabric ...Makes a great bag when you want to take that fresh bread to your next dinner invite!

Photo courtesy S. D. Jackson Photography

Up next in our Feature Gallery will be the small version of a gift bag with a built-in handle... until then...

stay safe, be happy.

Heirloom: a definition of

As defined in The Free Dictionary:

heir·loom n.

1. A valued possession passed down in a family through succeeding generations.

2. An article of personal property included in an inherited estate.

3. A cultivar of a vegetable or fruit that is open-pollinated and is not grown widely for commercial purposes. An heirloom often exhibits a distinctive characteristic such as superior flavor or unusual coloration.

Photo courtesy of S. D. Jackson Photography

Carla's Victorian Heirlooms creates household items and gift items and individually embellishes each one for a unique finishing touch. As a very young girl, Carla was taught to sew and embroider, working a threaded needle before she could print her full name. Some of the hand tools used in the creations at the studio are heirloom sewing and needlework tools passed down to the artisan from her great grandmother and her grandmother... the very same tools Carla used as a small girl.

Until next time... stay safe, be happy.

After some trials and tribulations...

After a couple weeks of waiting and some tribulations, as of late this afternoon, Carla's Victorian Heirlooms has a web page under construction. We have also obtained the domain for the .com address to make sure everyone can find us on the net. Plans are for the website to be up and running for late spring 2012, with a full-color online catalog of product and ordering information. We will keep you updated with the progress as it comes together... and we can always be found on Facebook

In the meantime, our talented photographer from S. D. Jackson Photography will be busy building a supply of product shots to fill the catalog with... including detail shots of the embroidery or beadwork or other hand-worked embellishment that make each and every item created in our studio unique.

Tomorrow is a production day in the studio to build inventory for the upcoming market in December... good thing we have a steady supply of green tea around here...

Until next time... stay safe, be happy.

Wonderful weekend...

Good evening to everyone...

Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. Did anyone have snow over the weekend? It sure felt like it was going to drop some big, fat, wet flakes on us yet all we got were cold raindrops overnight and a bitterly cold wind that is out of the norm for this area. Felt like I was back on the Prairies in winter...

The Nanaimo Professional Craft Fair was a delight to attend. Many talented artisans and crafters filled the room with everything from soup mixes to welded nuts on metal sculpture with several choices of sweet treats for dessert... including melt-in-your-mouth shortbread! It was well worth the hour & a half spent wandering the aisles. Christmas 2012 will be our turn to be behind the table instead of wandering.

Next fair on the list for us is the Parksville Kris Kringle Craft Market that runs November 24th to 27th. This one has almost twice the vendors so I'm thinking it will take about twice as long to wander... As soon as we are finished in Parksville, it's down to Departure Bay ferry to cruise over to the Lower Mainland for Saturday's (November 26) visit of the Make It! Vancouver market...

Photo courtesy of S. D. Jackson Photography

 Now for the best news of the weekend's ventures... Carla's Victorian Heirlooms has secured a table for our first ever Christmas market! Yay!!! Stop by the Gabriola Commons' Christmas Craft Fair on December 3 between 10am and 4 pm and check out our growing selection of reusable bags... 

These particular bags are suitable for a bottle of wine (or other smaller gifts) and another bag will hold a yummy loaf of artisan bread. The bag collection is only the beginning of our household linens selection that will be available over the coming months...

Photo courtesy of S. D. Jackson Photography

The best part about all the bags we will be making here in the studio is they are reusable, time and time again. This line of gift bags is made with poly/cotton fabrics... we have a range of jewel-toned colors with contrast prints to choose from available year-round... each one can be ordered with a hand-embroidered monogram for a more personal touch... and they cut down on waste in the landfill sites...

Until tomorrow... stay warm, stay safe, be happy.

Updates from the Studio...

The last couple of days here in the studio have been full of internet wanderings and discussions about the upcoming Christmas craft market season. Today, the itineraries were planned and the budgets set for 3 markets for us to visit in November. (which, of course, means a couple of road trips *gosh, darn*)

The markets are in Nanaimo, Parksville, and Vancouver... the links to the web pages are below if you wish to check out some more information. It will be hard not to shop but it will still be fun to look. We're going for business-related purposes instead of as shoppers. The preparations for market season 2012 are underway with plans to participate as vendors in our first show as early as spring... very exciting! More on that subject down the road... back to the current upcoming markets...

First stop is Nanaimo Professional Craft Fair tomorrow (Saturday November 5). The show runs from 10am to 5 pm at Beban Park. An early ferry sailing and a short bus ride will get us there and home. A Serious Coffee stop in between is definitely in order. As always, my handsome roustabout will be accompanying me on the expedition. (Must remember to check the weather forecast too...)

Some new photos of our product gallery are on their way as well... keep checking back to see those and to see some of the hand-embroidered artistry created in the studio. We are also on Facebook with regular updates on the studio events and musings... we’d love to hear from you so feel free to stop by there and say hello or reply to a post... 

Until next time... have a great weekend... be safe, be happy

I learned something new today...

It is said we should make an attempt to learn something every day that we did not know yesterday. In my internet travels today, I found some interesting information that was unknown to me yesterday... I located a local chapter of an embroidery guild here in Nanaimo... the Island Stitchery Guild. They meet once a month from September to June.

The Guild is part of the Embroiderers' Association of Canada Inc. whose aim is "to preserve traditional techniques and promote new challenges in the Art of Embroidery through education and networking". The Association came into official existence in Winnipeg, MB, in 1974, and to date has almost 2500 members in Canada and other countries throughout the world, making up 46 chapters and 17 youth groups. Through membership, correspondence classes are available for various stitching techniques at all levels of knowledge. Certification may also be obtained upon completion of individual courses, ranging in length from 12 months for the beginners and 18 months for the intermediate and advanced stitchers. There is even a 5 day seminar coming up in May of 2012, in Victoria, BC, (just down Vancouver Island from us...) for members of the EAC~all about embroidery and stitching!

I am most certainly going to contact the Island Guild to find out more details about the Nanaimo chapter. Great Grandma S. and Grandma S. would both be so proud to know that I am choosing to carry on with the disciplined stitching they taught me as a little girl before I could even print my full name.

Until next time... keep your needle threaded... be safe, be happy.

Happy Hallow's Eve

photo courtesy of S. D. Jackson Photography

Good morning to all,

Hope everyone had a great weekend with all the parties and festivities. As today marks the end of October, tomorrow marks the official grand opening of Carla's Victorian Heirlooms. Long hours and hard work to get to this point, and it won't be slowing down anytime soon. It certainly has not been without its challenges but that has just made it a bit more interesting. Challenges help us to see if we are actually up to the task. They can also guide us down a different path to the same result; I like to think of it as "taking the scenic route". It may take a bit longer to get to where we intended, but we get there eventually with a bonus of seeing different sights along the way. So even though it took us almost 25 years to get here, it was definitely worth the detour of twists and turns along the way.

The weekend had its challenges as well. A new project went smoothly up until a point. The bags were cut with casing lines and buttonholes marked in no time. However, the transfer pencil took its sweet time transferring to the fabric. It eventually showed up after about 5 minutes under the hot iron and the motif is ready to be hand stitched today before I stitch the seams. Another challenge is the fabric has a pattern that is somewhat hiding the lines of the transfer... easily dealt with under good light. The 'scenic route' again.

Stitching time yesterday was fun. I met some ladies that also have a passion for needle and threads. I also had a quick lesson in lace making. I have heard of it but had never seen it done so now my curiosity is satisfied. The results are absolutely gorgeous to behold... an heirloom art for sure. I am still undecided as to whether I will attempt to learn the technique. It would definitely fit with the repertoire of the studio...something I will ponder. I actually didn't get much stitching done on the little project I took with me as we were too busy chattering about threads and patterns and the different cloths we use for our art... next week's sit & stitch will see the finish of the first piece in a set of Victorian Christmas ornaments in the works for the craft market booth display. 

Today will be a stitching day as we have sunshine and a break in the rainy weather... A day of work and then over to Twin Beaches tonight for some cocoa by the bonfire and watch the Halloween fireworks. To all the ghouls and goblins out there... safe trick or treating and have a Spooktacular Halloween!

Exciting news in the studio...

The internet is full of amazing resources for anyone's mind wanderings. Hours worth of information is absorbed with time flying past and making you wonder what you did all day.

From our wanderings these past few days, we are very excited to have been accepted to a network strictly for embroidery stitchers. The Hand Embroidery Network (or HEN) is a site that showcases talented thread work from beginner to advanced level, from traditional to contemporary, from all over the world. It is both an honor and a privilege to be included in such a gifted group of skilled artisans.

Wander over to the site by clicking on the membership badge below... See for yourself some of the amazing creations and beauty that are the result of a few threads and a plethora of stitches... an art form dating back to ancient times...

Cheers! to our new friends on HEN and to our old friends that have known us for many years... be safe, be happy.

Some time ago...

Good evening,

We are running a little behind today with posting to the blog as we have been working on finalizing the financial forecasts for the upcoming year~a tedious task but necessary none the less~the behind-the-scenes part of the business that is only a fraction of daily operations here in the studio.

As I was sorting through a box of keepsakes the other day, I came across an embroidery project that I completed for my junior high home economics class. Ahh, the memories that one can find in the long-forgotten corners of the mind...  this mini sampler showing some of my stitching talents for the teacher has been tucked away for so many years I had even forgotten about its existence.  

Until tomorrow... be safe, be happy.

Gearing up...

Good morning,

Preparing for our first craft show... It has been a virtual tour of Vancouver Island and the Mainland craft circuit as we check out each show and talk over the pros and cons of each. Some are too localized, farmers markets and the like, where vendors are accepted only from a specific area. Some allow imported products and third person sales, too much like the mall. Juried or unjuried, swag bag or no swag bag. How many years in operation, number of vendors, last year’s attendance. Who is promoting the event and how. These are just some of the parameters to look at as we finalize next year’s show.

Counted Cross Stitch

 For us, our first show is about time and availability. Time~we are coming in too late for the juried shows and availability, many of the big shows are booked. That leaves us with waiting lists and regional shows. Perfect!  Just what we need to fine tune booth displays and product.

The product line is finalized and inventory purchased, check. Next is completing our booth presentation. Our education starts with touring the big Christmas shows on the Island like the NanaimoProfessional Craft Fair, Parksville’s Kris Kringle Craft Market, and James Bay’s Dickens Fair then over to the mainland and the Vancouver Make It! show in the spring. We will bring you pictures of the markets as we check out the other vendors, better understand traffic flow, and view booth presentations. Oh! And assemble and finish our stock, sew a dress and did I mention...I am taking business courses too, lol.

Sixteen weeks to show the demand of our product; a daunting task for a hardened business person, but a challenge we are up for. With assistance from my happy roustabout, we are going to show them we are a triple threat of artistic talent, business know how, and sales sense.

How can you help? Private message me to pre-order for this Christmas gift-giving season (watch this Blog for items as they become available), a “Like” of the Facebook page or a “Hello!” all contribute as you share our adventure.

Until next time be safe, be happy.

a Work In Progress...