Daisy Janie

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

giveaway winners!

Thanks to all who entered Giveaway Day, and a double helping of thanks to those who left sweet, gracious and/or effusive comments about Daisy Janie's organic fabrics!

Geo Grand Charm Squares -
#188 - Hilary, who said: "The Geo Grand is just my style - beautiful pattern! Congrats on all 3 lines."

Shades of Grey FQ Bundle -
#584 - Binks, who said: "I would love to win the Shades of Grey bundle. I'm pretty sure I would whip up a simple more manlier quilt with them or some pillows. But either way, something to showcase the gorgeous-ness."

Tilly FQ Bundle -
#52 - Faye, who said: "Well, I would love to win absolutely any of these - all great giveaway items! But I think I like the shades of grey best. Thank you for the chance!"

Since the last 2 winners both opted for Shades of Grey, I randomly picked 1 for the Greys and 1 for Tilly ~ hope that's okay Faye!

There were a LOT who picked Tilly, so it's funny that none of the winners selected actually said Tilly. Me thinks another giveaway is in order after the 1st of the year - just for the Tillster!

press | Simple Quilts and Quilt Magazine.

Daisy Janie fabrics and projects were recently featured in Simple Quilts & Sewing magazine and Quilt magazine. It's incredibly gratifying to receive press like this - flipping through the comp copies to see the final layout is like waking-up as a little kid on Christmas morning!

Both magazines feature a ginormous amount of sewing projects! Always inspiring to see what others can do with fabric.

Above:
Simple Quilts & Sewing magazine shared my fabric produce bag tutorial. On newstands until January 16th.

Below:
Quilt magazine featured my shirred pillow in Tilly (Trellis Dawn) in a round-up of ruffly, gathered items. On newstands until February 6th.

a few pillow fails.

The pillows below were intended to be part of my Quilt Market booth, but they all got the ax. For one reason or another, they did not come together or look like what I envisioned ~ and I didn't have the time or mental wherewithall to improvise, adapt and overcome (like a good Marine). I gave them each too much of my attention as it were, and, for my effort, I have nothing but a revitalized trucker mouth, some half-sewn projects mocking me and a few lessons learned. Not the worst!

The Chevron.

Looks decent enough from far away. But get up close, and you'll see it's a whole 'nother beast entirely! (See the stitching below.) This was at the beginnning of my old Kenmore crapping out, and I wanted to topstitch a few select seams. No go. It would not feed properly, and I couldn't get over the chunky block junctions.

I trimmed, I tried other settings and other feet. Finally, I thought I could outwit the issues by using a zig-zag stitch. Nay. Inconsistent and dropped stitches. I ripped out one section about 4 times. I tried adding a backing fabric. Better, but not great. I forged on to finish it, but it looks like a very juvenile attempt. Didn't make the booth cut!

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The Posies.

I fell in LOVE with this felt petal pillow by Allison at Cluck, Cluck, Sew. It reminded me of the Mumsy prints in the Tilly collection! Every night for about a week, I traced circles, cut circles, sewed circles, notched circles (or clipped, whatever it is), turned circles and pressed circles. I wasn't following Allison's tutorial exactly, so I kinda guessed on the sizes and number of circles needed to make this work. I was extremely excited to see how they'd turn out!

Well, the same sewing machine had now gotten much worse, and I could no longer get the machine to move forward to start stitching without coaxing the handwheel while pressing on the pedal. When you're sewing tiny, straight edges into the form of a circle, you kinda need 2 hands. The backing fabric started to buckle, and the petals are only hanging on by threads (literally!). I was willing to go with it, but a mock layout after the first layer was sewn revealed that I didn't have enough petals to fill them in completely anyway! Sing it with me: "She was looking kind of dumb with her finger and her thumb. In the shape of an "L" on her forehead."

I will find a way to finish these b/c I think they'd look really pretty - might just have to start with bigger petals next time! And if anyone out there would like to make these, I'd be happy to send  you the materials!!! Just say the word!

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The Wonky Log Cabin.

Nothing much to say about these other than it was taking entirely too long to make real progress on these. On projects I'm not married to in the first place, I need some early 'gimme' to fuel my fire. With each additional strip cut, sewn, trimmed and pressed, I just kept watching the clock. I finally decided the time-benefit analysis was not favorable and set these aside for another day.

A new machine awaits me, and I'll have a little more time after the first of the year (no pressure like the prep for Market). I will revisit these...

Hope your weekend is filled to the gills with triumphs and happy dances!
xo
Jan

Daisy Janie retail shop is open!

I'm very excited to announce that the Daisy Janie ecommerce site is open for business! I have been quietly working behind the scenes to fill it with all sorts of fabric goodies, from my regular collections* to an assortment of destash! There are even pretty organic ribbons! You can also order swatch sets & patterns! Please click over and take a look around!

To celebrate, I'm offering a special discount coupon for 10% off your order until 12/31/11. Enter open4biz at checkout, and the discount will be automatically deducted.
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The DJ ecommerce site accepts Visa/MC for payment. All secure & encrypted! If you have any issues, please, please let me know!

*As a courtesy to Daisy Janie's wholesale accounts, new collections will not be listed on Daisy Janie's ecommerce site until 4 months after the initial collection release date for said collection. For example, Tilly is due to arrive any day, but I will not list Tilly for retail sale until April of 2012. To find a retailer stocking Tilly, please visit Daisy Janie's where to buy page.

things are piling up!

Sometimes the behind-the-scenes shots of a photo shoot are much more interesting than the perfectly set-up shots. I am totally digging this one b/c you can see the wall art in the background that partly inspired the Tilly collection. See the Vinery print in Dusk on the 3rd pillow from the bottom? Then see the art prints? Same same. (You can also see the Vinery print in Dawn on part of the quilt closest to you.) I used my original doodle to make the wall art (seen in 2009 post), and it's always been a fave of mine. It was a natural to pull into the Tilly group! In fact, why don't I share that sketchbook page with you?! Some of the other motifs are there, too. Put it on the docket for January, 2012!

So. All kinds of crazy piled up around here, as I'm sure it is for you, too. How are you handling all your crazy right now? Cool-n-calm, placid-n-peachy? At this point, my facade says one thing while my innards say another. You know how that goes. Practicing deep breathing and more deep breathing to reset myself when I get too carried away with worry. Man, I never used to be like this! Times change when you're old and carrying a world of risk on your shoulders!

One of the crazies in my pile includes Tilly! The Tilly organic fabric collection will be hitting my doorstep, figuratively, any day now. They were just rec'd in port today and were pulled for a customs exam. As soon as they're released, we'll have ourselves some fabric to ship! That's a pile of crazy I will welcome with open arms! Better get my ipod ready with some new packing-n-shipping tunes!!!!

Giveaway Day | Daisy Janie organic fabrics up for grabs!

Hi there! Welcome to Daisy Janie! Thanks for stopping by on your travels in the Sew, Mama, Sew! Giveaway Day. Daisy Janie features 100% GOTS-certified organic fabrics for hobby & home. Please visit the Daisy Janie website to see our collections. If you just can't wait to see if you've won these fabrics, pop over to our "where to buy" page to see where you can shop now.

Daisy Janie is offering 3 packs of fabric for 3 separate winners.
- 1 fat quarter bundle of Tilly - DJ's latest organic collection! ($29.00 value)
- 1 fat quarter bundle of Shades of Grey ($24.75 value)
- 1 charm pack of Geo Grand ($14.50 value)

Total value: $68.25
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To enter -
Leave a comment on this post as to which fabric pack you'd most like to win AND what you would make with it. Easy peasy!

• Giveway ends on Friday, 12/16 at 8pm EST.
• 3 winners will be chosen by a random number generator (1 for each item)
• 1 entry per person. Dupes will be deleted.
• Open to US & International entries.
• Fabric not to be resold!
• Winners will be announced on Saturday, 12/17.

THANK YOU FOR ENTERING! 

Tilly dresden plate pillow.

I think I'll start all of my posts with the word "Tilly" from now on. Sort of how some bloggers start each post w/ the actual post number. Tilly: blah blah blah.... Tilly: yadda yadda yadda.... Tilly: peasandcarrots peasandcarrots peasandcarrots...

How very uni-dimensional of me! Which is not too far from the truth these days, as I drum my fingers madly for Tilly's arrival into port on Dec. 13th! Oh yes! And I'll be shipping to shops before 2011 comes to a close. Might be like fitting a square peg in a round hole to get it done, but 'twill be done!

Click to Daisy Janie's where to buy page to find a retailer carrying it. If you don't see your favorite retailer, send them a note!! They love to hear what their shoppers want! For real.

(Speaking of posts, this is my 800th!!)

The pretty, oversized Dresden plate pillow was made by Maureen (Maureen Cracknell Handmade). Other images here.

The handsome bench cushion (in Trellis dusk with Essence piping) was made by Mary (Mary on Lake Pulaski). Other images here.

Both such talented and generous women! So very glad to know them both. You can see both of these samples in my booth post.