Daisy Janie

quote | van gogh said it best.

image (c) Jan DiCintio. Texture is an original handpainted striae.

True for me.
True for you.
True for all we do.

snoozer.

Hello Friends! This blog turned into a snoozer this week b/c I was too busy watching this little dormouse snore it up. Of the 1.2 million views on youtube*, maybe 1 million are mine. <-- that's a hyperbole. I did watch a few times, however, with a big grin! Partly b/c it is just flat-out cute and partly b/c I'm hoping some of its peaceful, oblivious-to-the-world slumber will rub off on me. Couldn't we all use some seriously sound sleep like this? Honk, shoe, honk, shoe, honk shoe...

Do you think dormouse's friends are back at the brambly hedge, making chestnut stew and keeping his blackberry tea warm for him?

*To read more about why and how this video was captured, read the info on youtube.

really? a brand new sewing machine broken?

You've heard all my kvetching about the old Kenmore dying - blah, blah, blah. I bought this basic Janome back in early December to replace it, and I've used it once for about a 6" stitch just to try it out.

• At 2:40 today, I had all my pieces cut to make a quilt for a free downloadable project that I was aiming to post on Monday.
• At 2:41, I was sitting down to the machine positively brimming with anticipation to sew my first item! A quilt! With Tilly fabrics to boot!
• At 2:42, I was looking at p. 12 in the manual on how to change the presser foot.
• At 2:43, that little piece broke off in my hand. (I pulled when I shoulda pushed. Yeah, I didn't read - I looked at the pictures. And I didn't look at the direction of the arrow.)
• At 2:44, I was googling the sewing shop.
• At 2:45, I was reading their hours on their website: 
  Saturdays, 10am-3pm; Sundays, closed.
• Guess how long it takes to get there? Guess who will be leaving her house at 9:45am on Monday to be there when they open at 10am?

I dug my old, old Kenmore out of the basement. Not the one from the 70s that just broke. The one before that. That was from the 90s. That my mom gave to me for my 25th birthday. That I broke many times b/c I insisted on sewing things that were too thick.

I truly think I'm the one that's too thick sometimes.

announcement | Tilly Trunk Show News & Schedule.

Tilly is hittin' the road for a TRUNK SHOW! One minute, you're nurturing your sweet baby. The next minute, she's all grown up and venturing out on her own to see the world!

I packed up a box of goodies from Daisy Janie's Quilt Market booth and sent them on a coast-to-coast tour at some beautiful quilt shops. They'll be arriving at their first destination today! I included the ruffly pillows and Salad bar quilts from above, along with the Liverpool tunic in this video - and some other items!

The shops will create in-store displays to share the possibilities of sewing with Tilly and to give their customers an opportunity to see & feel the fabrics in action! Maybe you're one of their customers - please stop in if you're nearby!

The Tilly Trunk Show will include 6 brick & mortar shops along the tour. I will have a special *free* downloadable quilt project on Monday to kick-off the Trunk Show.

The locations & dates are as follows:

Jan. 23 - Jan. 30	The Quilting Loft 2601 NW Market St. Seattle, WA 98107	206 706 0445
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Feb 6 - Feb 13	Lola Pink Fabrics 121 Arnould Blvd. Lafayette, LA 70506	225 938 0304
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Feb 20 - Feb 27	Sewn Studio 3212B Madison Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45209	513 321 0600
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Mar 5 - Mar 12	Gather Here 370 Broadway Cambridge, MA 02139	781 775 9504
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Mar 19 - Mar 26	Feather Your Nest 36 W Columbus St. Pickerington, OH 43147	614 834 3392
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Apr 2 - Apr 9	Serendipity Quilt Shop 31821 Cannon St. Dagsboro, DE 19939	302 732 6304

pretty Tilly pillows (say that 10 times fast).

image (c) Kel's Cozy Corner

Because Daisy Janie's fabrics are sold wholesale to shops, it's not often that I see what the end consumer is making and creating with my fabrics. Today, I did a quick "daisy janie" search on etsy and found these pretty Tilly pillows in Kel's Cozy Corner shop. I was elated! Her pics are so nice, and I love that dreamy band of chocolate fabric between Flourish and Trellis Dusk.

Even tho I live & breathe my fabrics 24/7, I was awestruck by these fabrics on her pillows for some reason. Like, "Wow! That is nice fabric!" - as if I was seeing it for the first time. I haven't experienced that feeling so powerfully with anything in a long time! You know how you make something or write something, and you try to sneak up on it by walking out and back into a room; or you re-read your words pretending you're someone else? And you get all perturbed b/c it's impossible to make something really familiar seem novel so you can re-judge it? That kind of fresh perspective eludes me with my fabrics, which is all the more reason I was glad to experience that glistening-morning-dew moment this afternoon with these pillows! Aaaaah.

Feeling refreshed...

image (c) Kel's Cozy Corner

Okay. Did you try to say "pretty Tilly pillows" 10 times fast? I just tried it very loudly and very declaratively - in the jumble of words, another word for b**b came through! I laughed out loud b/c it was like hearing my evil twin yell profanity out at me!!

video | sewing a Liverpool tunic w/ Daisy Janie organic fabric.

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How quickly can you sew a Liverpool tunic?
Turns out, about 9 minutes in ultra-uber-hyper high gear with some technotronic dance music playing!

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About the video

This past October, I wanted to create a garment to wear or show at my booth at Quilt Market - featuring one of the fabrics from Daisy Janie's newest organic collection, Tilly.

I selected Amy Butler's Liverpool tunic pattern. I loved the line & length of the tunic, and it suited the retro-y, flowery fabric I had in mind, Mumsy Dusk. On a whim, I videotaped the sewing portions of making this garment. The video is shown 8x the normal speed. I kinda wish all sewing went this quickly! More than 2 hours of sewing condensed into 9 mesmerizing mins!

The finished tunic is shown at the end of the video. Enjoy! I hope it inspires you!

Very special thank you to Amy Butler, who granted permission for me to use her Liverpool pattern in this video. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Amy inspires me immensely! Not only in terms of her talent and creativity, but also regarding her role in transforming the quilting fabric industry. I know that I am able to do what I do with Daisy Janie in part b/c of what she has done & continues to do! For more info, visit www.amybutlerdesign.com

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Keeping it real

Videotaping this project was a last minute idea. My husband's old Sony Cybershot camera was nearby, and the notion hit me. I don't know a thing about adjusting settings on this camera. I just set it up and pressed stop & go. Lighting and tint get a little wonky in spots. Each segment is taped exactly as it happened. You'll catch me taking a quick look at a seam or two to see if they pass muster.

The sewing machine I used is a refurbished 1970s Kenmore that just bit the dust. *sniff sniff* I've always believed "it's not the arrow, it's the Indian." However, as the machine no longer fed the fabric unless the handwheel was turned, I finally had to admit this machine was no longer sharp enough to hit its target. In the video, you'll see my right hand reach for the handwheel to get the fabric moving about a thousand-million-billion times. (Think how much time I could shave, Coach!) I also don't have button-making capability on this machine, so I added snaps instead. Improvise!

Prior to sewing this tunic, I have never successfully sewn an entire piece of clothing for myself. Rigged-up Statue of Liberty costumes don't count! Elephant costumes for my son don't count! I tried making a maternity dress for myself 15 years ago, and it turned out so terribly that, after I got over my laughing fit, I swore myself off curves and darts for.ev.er! But I've been soooo inspired by all the clothing sewing I see day-in and day-out that I had to try! I was prepared for the worst and ended up pleasantly surprised! Goes to show you that, if I can do it, most anyone can do it.

I don't have the best lighting, the best set-up, the best sewing machine or the best sewing skills. I have desire & determination. Sometimes that will be enough to get you where you want to go! Try. That's all you can do!

"Your belief determines your action and your action determines your results, but first you have to believe." - Mark Victor Hansen

quote | a reminder for me, you & our kids.

stacks of potential.

As a hobby, M teaches fitness classes at our gym, Corps Fitness. He also writes and documents (in images and videos) a lot of what we do there. It's an extraordinarily inspiring place to spend any amount of time, and I wish I could bottle it up and send some of it to you! I think you'll be able to relate on some level b/c I think that same thing about the community I've come to know in the fabric, quilting & sewing industry. There's a very strong, supportive undertone that embraces all of us and our creative ideas; it creates a deep sense of belongingness and understanding; and it allows us to keep challenging ourselves to grow and become better at anything we can dream up!

Our theme at the gym this year is "No Risk, No Reward." Even though some of the references are clearly fitness related, M's write-up (copied below) to introduce the idea struck me at how much I could see it through the eyes of our sewing community:

"Improvement will slow, gains will dwindle, we’ll start not to see any growth in the absence of risk….no rewards reaped. Consider why folks wouldn’t change? Is it too hard? Does it take too much work? Does it slow them down? Is it something they just don’t want to think about? Does it require too much thinking? Would it require doing “work” at home? In other words, it’s too big a risk! Yes, that’s all. Done. To change or modify a movement or exercise is a Risk. And people have to embrace Risk to make any gains.

Now consider CF. The gym, the people, the entire concept. It’s built around supporting risk-taking. The entire concept screams, “What are you afraid of?” That’s the question. When you aren’t pushing the 400m to the absolute point of sprinting exhaustion, what are you afraid of? When you pick a wicked light weight to pull or push, what are you afraid of? When you don’t rapid-fire burpees, when you don’t practice kips? Why not take the risk? It’s calling you to do it!

Because, it may be, that CF is the only place where everyone would understand. To risk it all, to let it all out, to push the limits…we all understand, and truly, we all expect it…if you would step out with hands on hips, if you would stop and walk, if you would get sick, if…yes, if…you would fail…we would all understand. The format at CF erases any self-consciousness, or fear of being judged and evaluated. That’s why it’s the perfect context for risk-taking. We all understand. We’ve all been there, and worse.

So risk it. Why are you holding back, what do you fear? Be done with it. Go faster, heavier. Fail on kips. Miss a lift. Catch your toe on Double Unders everytime for 2 weeks. There’s no better way to develop confidence to hold your head high, than to risk something. What’s it gonna be in 2012?"

So, do you see what I mean? We all try (or want to try) new things; sometimes they work, sometimes they don't (like my pillow fails). It's the support we receive from one another directly or indirectly that allows us to keep trying, keep taking chances! I know what my goal is for the gym, but I'm not sure what it will be for my sewing self. I'd really like to try free-motion stitching; I think about it obsessively, yet I find it very, very intimidating... which is why I've never even tried it! Maybe that will be my sewing goal.

What's your sewing goal for 2012? Any fears holding you back? Someone will always be there to give you a toehold, and you already have heaps and stacks of potential in your sewing stash and in your heart - so go for it this year!

A CraftyPod Podcast with Sister Diane and *me*!

If you can't tell by the picture, I'm very excited to share with you the podcast I recorded last month with Sister Diane of CraftyPod. She and I were formally introduced to one another by Rachel (Craft and Average Jane Crafter) at the Quilt Market Fabric 2.0 gathering this past Fall. As soon as we all got chatting, Diane and I were in disbelief that our paths hadn't crossed previously. I had been reading CraftyPod for some time, but never commented to say hello - bad blog manners!!

Diane does a spectacularly professional job producing relevant and inspiring podcasts with equally relevant and inspiring guests. I always find myself nodding along in a "Yep, that makes complete sense" kind of way. In my humble opinion, they're worth much more than 99 cents apiece! I was more than flattered to be invited to participate.

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The podcast we recorded is entitled "A Pioneering Craft Business, with Jan DiCintio." As the name suggests, Diane's questions are geared toward how I run a business where there are few, if any, roadmaps; where there is virtutally no direct support network; where there is a heavy burden of financial risk; and where there are potentially steep learning curves all over the place.

My responses relate to ANY business owner, particularly those who are taking unique ideas into unchartered territory and who will be spending a lot of money to do it. It's not a how-to guide for fabric design or fabric production - we talked more generally so that artists or crafters who are considering taking their businesses to the next level will have some additional things to think about. I think it provides valuable food for thought, and it has a very motivational feel to it!

At this stage in my artsy business story, I have a lot of experiences and knowledge worth sharing. But, I'm not an open book where the specifics are concerned b/c everything I have in Daisy Janie is hard-fought and hard-won. In this podcast, I definitely let listeners into my world a bit more.... how I got here, how I find my passion everyday, what takes up the most time, the biggest challenge I faced, what I would suggest for someone considering a similar path - good stuff!!

You can order the podcast here via iamplify.

Preview below - click thru to the post if you can't see the preview pane.

taking that Happy New Year back.

Don't worry - I'm not taking my Happy New Year wishes back for *you*. Just myself. I need a re-start already.

Between my kiddo's surgery prior to Christmas and Tilly's arrival on the 27th, I didn't get all my ducks in a row before 2011 came to a close. I planned to give myself a pass to catch up this first week of January, and a curve ball arrived in the form of a sinus infection. Wah, wah, I know...... everyone's busy, everyone's sick. I'm taking this weekend to get my arse in gear with a warp-speed organizing session, and then I'll be starting 2012 on Monday. I'll be sharing my CraftyPod podcast here on Monday, too!

From the sounds of it, many of my twitter friends are having duck troubles, too:

• from @katespaindesign: "these ducks are roaming all over the place and my quack calls are a little rusty:)"
• from @wolfienthesneak: "my 2011 ducks haven't even hatched yet."
• from @ImAGingerMonkey: "I think a couple of my ducks flew south for the winter. Or got roasted for Xmas."
• from @RosiesWhimsey: "I'm too hoarse from quacking and no one is listening ~ need a new approach :-)"
• from @gather_here: "I've decided that I'm observing the lunar calendar this year - Jan 23rd is the beg of 2012... Needed a 2012 delay to stay sane!"

Have a ducky weekend! (you knew that was coming, didn't you?!)

xo
Jan

update | Tilly is in stock!

Daisy Janie's latest organic fabric collection, Tilly, has arrived! Retailers who pre-ordered are juuuust starting to receive their stock. It was a very busy, heavy-lifting kind of holiday break here at Daisy Janie headquarters!

If you've been anxiously awaiting these pretty organic fabrics, wait no more! Hop over to the Daisy Janie WHERE TO BUY page to find a retailer stocking Tilly.

If you don't see your favorite retailer on the list, by all means, send me an email and I'll get in touch with them. Even better, get in touch with them yourself and let them know you'd like to see this collection in their shop! Shop owners don't know what their customers want unless you speak up! :)

Tilly is 100% GOTS-certified organic cotton fabric, from planted seed to packaged bolt! 

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Retailers:
If you'd like to stock Tilly, please fill out a wholesale application. Once approved, you'll be provided a link to our wholesale order form. Your goods will ship within 48 hours.
Tilly Collection
Wholesale Application

Happy New Year!

Not going to get sappy or re-hash all of 2011. I think we've all got far too much to get busy on for 2012 for me to take up your time with that. At least I know I do!

I often find myself wanting to wish and hope things things for you. Mostly b/c I'm wishing & hoping them for myself, and I figure you can relate on some level as well.

So here it is. My wishes for all of us for 2012:

• May our work be golden. You decide what 'golden' means to you!
• May the reflections of what has passed illuminate our paths moving forward.
• May we all stop to see - really, really, really see - and appreciate what is right in front of us.

Little things. Little wishes & hopes.

Happy 2012!

xo
Jan

Happy Holidays!

A Happy, Merry Birthday Christmas!

Well friends, it's that time of year - my birthday has come around once again. (haha - you thought I was going to say Christmas, dintcha? There's that, too!) Happy, Merry Birthday to all of us b/c you had one, too, somewhere along the way in 2011!

Today, I am 42 years old. I'm taking stock of 2011 for obvious reasons and also just looking back at what this year has represented. Much like my reflections after Quilt Market, 2011 was kinda like this for a woman of my age who is the sole proprietor of a small business which manufactures premium, eco-friendly items of an artsy nature for a multi-billion dollar industry...

1. I have been grateful everyday. It's like installing a fresh battery.
2. I have been thrown for many loops. And they all make me dizzy.
3. I have learned new things about people and places and things. Some are good. Some are terrible. That's par for the course.
4. I have invested and re-invested myself emotionally & financially. There's always more to give.
5. I have worked my butt off, my fingers to the bone and my brain to a mushy pulp.
6. I have made rich connections. With my customers and my customers' customers. These are like installing a fresh battery, too.
7. I have felt fortunate enough to know good fortune when it comes my way.
8. I have been murderously livid at things beyond my control.
9. I have met many goals, which resulted in dances and jigs and hi-fives with the dogs.
10. I have been moved and helped and amazed by the generosity of others.
11. I have edited myself. Yes, really.
12. I have been awol. Usually b/c of #5 or #8.
13. I have seen beauty and creativity that has left me speechless. You are all incredible out there!
14. I have figured out when not to make a mountain out of molehill, when to let things roll like water off a duck's back and when to fight the good fight.
15. I have practiced deep breathing when implementing #14.
16. I have co-celebrated and I have commiserated. The net of friendship can never be too big or too overvalued.
17. I have used simple forms of communication: Yes. No. They work wonders. I also love "unacceptable."
18. I have assessed, calculated and determined next courses of action. It's a good way to move out of stagnation. Do something, but don't do nothing.
19. I have found the need to smile and wave at times.
20. I have always done the right thing even when nobody was looking. There's no other way.

Does this look a lot like your list, too? We're all so unique, yet we are all so similar. The crazy, profound connectedness we all feel in this biz is no joke. It's real. It's important. It's overpowering. I'm so happy to have shared some of my 41st year with you!!

What else is on your list?

the last of the magnetic messages for 2011.

Thought I better sneak the rest of these magnetic messages into one big heap to make sure I make it before 2011 comes to a close. Most of the phrases were added to the calendar within the first month, and reading each new one elicited a good laugh from all of us.

There's a lot of good sense in the seemingly non-sensical! I'm trying to convince myself of that today in a big way as my kiddo goes under the knife today for surgery. I was thinking last night how crazy it is that a fall 13 years ago off of a garden scooter ultimately came to this. It's all very round-about and multi-layered, but that's what it boils down to. Wish him luck - wish us luck! I won't be around much the next few days so have a spectacular week!! xo