last minute excitement and a guest post

this just in: brita of beeps' peeps and i will be showing our stuff at the sublime, and astoundingly huge, Crafty Bastards show in dc next week. if you're anywhere near the district on october 1, stop by to see some of the nation's most talented craftspeople, and us, of course. we'll be at booth 101.

in other news, i had a guest post on the baltimore etsy street team's blog last week that i missed because we were in chattanooga celebrating my little one's second birthday. it's all about the podcasts i listen to while sewing, though since i wrote it, i've stumbled on so many more that i need to do a companion piece over here. anyway, check it out at http://baltimore-etsy.blogspot.com/2011/09/in-studio-with-beatrice-bird.html. (something is going on with BEST's blog coding, so it looks a little wonky, with apologies.)

BEST for Breasts

i recently joined the baltimore etsy street team, aka BEST, and am already learning a lot about the business of crafting, both on etsy and locally. this month, BEST launched a new shop to benefit breast cancer patients. BEST for Breasts: A Titillating Fundraiser features pasties made by BEST members from a host of interesting materials, including ceramics, metals, and of course fabric.

err, what's a pasty, you say? nope, we're not talking edible treats here - some of the photos in the shop are NSFW. i had way too much fun making my contribution, even without trying them on. i used some of my favorite remnant fabric, stiff fusible interfacing, and tassels i made from embroidery floss:

all proceeds collected from the sale will be donated to the Red Devils, a maryland organization that funds services to improve the quality of life for breast cancer patients and their families. the BEST for Breasts shop is still being stocked, so check back often!

what's the opposite of type a?

type z? whatever it's called, i'm it. of the very many personal flaws i have, my disorganization and procrastination are the most discouraging - and of course, counter-productive. i never met a deadline i didn't want to shirk, a schedule i didn't want to get behind on, a drawer i didn't want to stuff ephemera in before going back to read, surf the web, watch craptastic cable, eat peanut butter straight from the jar.

i'm feeling like i need to publicly acknowledge this because it's held me back most of my life, and i'm so ready to move on, but i don't really know how. anything i've accomplished has certainly been in spite of my work ethic, not because of it. it's a marvel that i have a master's degree. as it is, i graduated with less-than-highest honors from my undergraduate writing program simply because i couldn't get my act together enough to show up to workshops with any material to workshop. i'm certain i'll never be an etsy super-seller or a blogging star for the same reason - i can't motivate myself to put in the very hard work needed to accomplish these things (talent and product are other matters entirely). the next fenton street market date for {beatrice + the bird} is twenty days away and i have almost no inventory, per usual. i'll have a lot for the show, but not without the undue anxiety that waiting so long to get started necessitates. i HAVE been dabbling with a kicky, tiered half-apron out of my old standbys, thrift-store sheeting and alexander henry's farmdale fabrics. here's the first pass:

lately i've been listening to the simple mom podcasts, and i've been struck by a recurring theme among the moms interviewed on these smart and thought-provoking podcasts: all say "getting it all done" takes a huge amount of work, that they are passionate about the work, and they make compromises in order to get it done. i think a lot of my procrastination results from a perverse perfectionism: i'd rather not do something than do it and have it not meet my standards - or, heaven forbid, anyone else's. if it had been up to me, i certainly wouldn't have started making and selling stuff on etsy; a partner had to convince me the work was good enough to sell. there are many, many days when i'm still not sure about that. one of the things i struggle with when blogging about my work and my life is my lack of blithe confidence in the material - other bloggers maintain such an overwhelmingly positive outlook about what their posting: "i made this! it's great! i found this on the internet! it's fabulous!" i'm not saying that's misplaced hubris; it just shows an assertive spirit that i don't inherently have. and the sense that i really do have to do it all, without compromise, is absolutely paralyzing.

i am trying to take small steps. for lent, i gave up what i called "mean-spirited reality tv," which i can only define along the same lines as the supreme court's definition of obscenity - you know it when you see it. first to be axed: anything 'real housewives.' i've kept up with it since easter, and the effect has been revelatory. not only do i feel like a more decent, less imbecilic person without those programs in my life, it means that sometimes i turn on the tv and there's literally nothing i'm "allowed" to watch, which means i HAVE TO TURN OFF THE TELEVISION AND DO SOMETHING BETTER WITH MY TIME. like read with my little one. or floss. i also cancelled most of my magazine subscriptions so i wouldn't be tempted to sit down and read martha stewart living when i should be doing my own living. i definitely have less recycling to deal with as a result, and fewer "someday" projects and recipes in my mental and physical files. i need more of these techniques, though - easy, relatively painless ways to channel my time in a more positive and productive way. anyone have any ideas?

r + d

my crafting friends and i spend a lot of time discussing the joys of the research and development phase of things, versus the enervation caused by being in pure production mode. in other words, it's loads more fun to experiment with new designs than it is to make a bunch of things from a pattern you've already perfected.

before last month's date with the fenton street market, i noodled around with a design for a sash-waist wrap skirt. my noodling around yielded interesting results, but not much in the way of sellable items. the first, at top left, featured two asymmetrical pockets and would only fit the tiniest of women. for the second, top right and on etsy, i abandoned the pockets (i'll return to them when i have more time - nothing beats a hidden pocket, does it?). it was also size tiny but getting closer to what i wanted in terms of fit and function. the last one, below, hit all the style points i was looking for - and i decided to trade it with my sister in law for one of her lovely mei tai baby carriers.

so the good folks at fenton street didn't have much in the way of skirts to consider from me this time around, but i've just loaded up on gorgeous skirt fabrics and come august 27th, look out, silver spring! total skirtapalooza.

mama's day

having the best kind of mother's day weekend: a date-night dinner at dogwood (though we've previously had mixed results on ordering there, last night's was peerless); farmer's market, cooking, and gardening today; another dinner out tonight (this one en famille); and the delicious expectation of breakfast in bed tomorrow. hope everyone else is enjoying a similarly perfect-for-them weekend.

i don't expect much in the way of mother's day gifts, but i do like to give them. for my darling mama, i made a quick sash out of vintage madras and silver silk. it turned out so beautifully that i decided to offer it in the shop. thinking it will be terrific over a plain white t-shirt, or a simple cocktail shift.

for my mother-in-law, who is a true gift to all of us in her family, i made a funky little apron that was inspired by one she'd seen and loved of my sister-in-law's. this was a combined easter and mother's day present, hence the spring theme. now that i have a serger, i might actually think about making this again - hemming all those ruffles, while fun, was a bit on the time-intensive side.

happy mama's day!

taking this act on the road

Beeps Peeps, a little party, and i will all be heading to silver spring, md, this summer for fenton street market, an increasingly exciting artisan market held every saturday into november. look for us there on june 25 and august 27, and be sure to check out the other vendors each week by clicking on the "vendors" link at www.fentonstreetmarket.com.

had i but world enough, and time

i fear i jumped the gun. i launched {beatrice + the bird} this week with a respectable, if not voluminous, six items. three dresses; three aprons. obviously, i needed more inventory, but i was just so excited. and i have so many plans. and so much fabric (see left for some of the yummy stuff i'm looking forward to using). my shop would be to full capacity in no time.

right. apparently i forgot about how often life interferes with sewing. and about sales. those tend to deplete one's inventory, happily. so the shop is looking a bit sparse, but i'm frantically sewing to catch up. a sewing date with a little party yielded the little number below, which is almost complete. the photo doesn't do it justice - that fabric, Robert Kauffman's Carolina Evening chambray, is the most spectacular marine blue. it's so pretty, i'm thinking i might have to offer this dress with a bonus removable fabric corsage, and it will be the perfect dress to wear to a summer evening wedding.

next on the list: a long-overdue order for my dear godmother, and then i'm going to play around with a couple of accessory ideas and see what sticks. yep, the shop is gonna be full in no time. i just need to stop sleeping.

introducing...

if there's been radio silence around last night's leftovers lately, it's because i've been sewing my fingers off to launch a new collection on etsy, {beatrice + the bird}. i'm excited and daunted to be going off on my own after coralilie folded. the collection focuses on a wraps-style tea dress in midweight cotton and upcycled jersey (read: ebay t-shirts), plus funky aprons with an obi-inspired sash. i might also make simple sashes for sale at craft shows - if i ever get my act together and apply for some of the juried shows around town. here's a sneak peak...