Welcome To My Studio --- Cave Creek Studio

 We have a new feature here on By Your Hands.   We will be showcasing the places where you create your handmades.

 Today's guest poster is Laura Obiso of Cave Creek Studio.   You can visit Laura's shop here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CaveCreekStudio

I LOVE my studio, and I give thanks every day that I'm able to have my own space in which to create.  For years and years I've worked on my computer desk or kitchen table, so having my own space is a real treat.  Remember to click on the photos for a larger view.

This is my studio building.  It's a 16 x 20 pre-built shed that was delivered here last March (much to the moans and groans of the driver who had to get it off the truck and up this little hill!)  I still have to work on the flower beds next spring - I'm thinking herbs and flowers for drying to use in the dolls, but it's a shady spot so I'll have to do some research on what will grow.

This is the view coming in the front door and looking at the main part of the work area.

This is actually neat, most of the time it looks more like this:

There are windows at each end and windows on either side of the front door, so it's well-lit.  I also have overhead lights and a ceiling fan, and lights on the back wall over the formica work space.  So, as you come in the front door, we'll go first to the right:

My sewing center is to the right of the front door.  I love my cabinet and my new Janome Threadbanger.

One of my best purchases when we outfitted the building were simple thread holders from Walmart.  I also bought a LOT of thread from one company, and I thought it was a pretty neat coincidence that the spools were red, matching the accents on my machine!

Continuing around the room to the left of the sewing center I have an old easy chair in the corner covered with an old quilt - this is where I sit and do handwork, and to the left of that and directly opposite the front door, is this baker's rack:

The baker's rack holds some finished pieces on the top shelf - my Cricut Expression  and other assorted stuff.  I use a lot of tins and baskets to hold small items. One of my better purchases was a set of studio lights and a light box for taking photos - but there's no place to really store them so I just sort of keep moving them around out of my way...so that's the big black light.  There's another on the other end..

OK, to the left of the baker's rack we're back to the main work space.  It's a formica counter attached to the wall and open underneath - great for storage but it does tend to get a little messy.

Try as I might, I have difficulty keeping this space clear.  My vintage buttons are in the antique bowls (and I have boxes and boxes of them under the work bench).  At the moment I have plastic containers, baskets and old tins holding assorted items under the bench, but I'm hoping to find some wooden apple crates for that space. Otherwise, I'll have to make me some fabric boxes.

Continuing around to the left, we come to the other end window where there's a small AC unit, and to the left of that in the corner, is my "office" where I keep a computer, printer, and postage scale.

The little white cabinet I bought for $15.  It had two cute glass doors covering that open shelf and one was broken, so I got a deal.  We took the doors off - someday we'll fix them and put them back on maybe. The cabinet holds my shipping stuff and the computer paper.  The wooden desk is a piece I brought home from my Mother's after she passed last year.  I was with her when she bought it and it's a little bit of Mom - who taught me to sew and be creative - that I keep near.


To the left of the office area, and in front of the other half of the front door (that I really don't use) is this sort of eyesore cabinet that holds all my fabric stash - lots of storage so I'm really not complaining. I keep my shipping boxes on the top of it.

It doesn't look bad when the doors are closed and it keeps the dust off the fabrics and covers up an ungodly mess.

A big thank you to Laura for letting us walk through her studio with her.   You can visit Laura's blog here,
http://cavecreekstudio.blogspot.com/

 If you would like to share where you do your creating,  send us an email through our contact form.   We would love to talk to you about it.

Handmade Spotlight - Aprons!

Check out all these gorgeous aprons we found on etsy. You can get a closer look at them by CLICKING HERE

Thanks for visiting!
Deena Davis
www.byyourhands.com

Rag Quilting Tutorial --- Part Three

Welcome to part three of my rag quilting tutorial. You should have all your individual blocks sewn now and be ready to sew them together into one large block.

Here is the center of the large block.    Your one dark block is in the middle with a light block on both sides.

 Pin the blocks together along the side.   Remember your seams will be on the outside so the back sides of the blocks will be together.    Sew the seams with a 3/4 inch seam allowance.

Next cut the clips from the sides and cut the seam for fringe like you did last week

This is what your row should look like.

The other two rows are made the same way.   The two triangle blocks are on the outside and the light color block is in the middle.    Pin the seams together just like you did the last row.  Stitch the seams and then cut the clips out of the end of the rows and cut the seam for fringe.

You now have three finished rows.   Lay them out like this.

Then you are going to pin the two long rows together.   Sew them with a 3/4 inch seam allowance.   This is where all that corner clipping comes in handy now because you will be sewing over  the seams now.    It is much easier to sew these rows together with all that bulk eliminated.

You will need to treat these two long seams the same way you did all the others.  Cut the clips out of the two ends of the rows and clip the seam for fringe.

And this is what the finished block will look like.

This will look a lot nicer once it has been washed and dried because the fringe will curl under.

Well,  that is the first block of the quilt.   You will need to make 12 of these large blocks to make a lap quilt.
Next week I will show you how to sew the blocks together and have the dimensions of the finished quilt for you.

Thanks for joining me again this week.
Bette
www.byyourhands.com

Do you have a special skill you would like to share with our readers?   If you would like to do a tutorial of your own on our blog,  please email me at byyourhandsblog@gmail.com    

Organizing Fabric with Missy of 'A Little Green Bean'

This week we have guest poster,  Missy from A Little Green Bean,  joining us to show us how she (and her husband) worked together on a very clever fabric storage idea.

A new addiction

See this pile, this is how I was storing my fabric. It was fine for a while, that is until the addiction really began. I am absolutely addicted to fabric! It used to be scrapbook paper, and now I am 100% addicted to sewing and fabric! Quit shops are my new favorite destination! So I had an idea, and since I have a brilliant husband, he was able to take the idea right out of my head and build it! We used an old bookcase that was out in the garage, so it was also free! 

So while he was busy building I was cutting foam core board and making my own mini bolts of fabric.

I took a piece of 20 x 30 foam core board, and cut it down to 10 x 7.5 You can get 8 from one sheet.

Next I wrapped the fabric around the bolts, the great thing about them being foam board is that you can use stick pins to secure the loose ends.

Now the shelf is done, and on the wall, ready to organize my delicious selections of fabric! 

Here it is up in my craft room! It is beyond perfect! 

Now it's time to sew, I am making some great bags and purses, more to come on that! 

You can read more on Missy's blog, A Little Green Bean. Or visit her etsy shop, www.thelittlegreenbean.etsy.com 

Thank you for joining us today!!

Selling Online --- Part One

Today we are starting a series of posts on places to sell online.

We had quite a few people answer our survey stating they did not sell online but would like to so maybe we will be able to help them get started.

I am starting with what I feel is one of the best places to sell online at a reasonable cost.   http://www.etsy.com

What is Etsy?   Etsy is a marketplace started in 2005 to give handcrafters a place to make a living selling their handmades and to connect the makers with the buyers.

Etsy sellers number in the hundreds of thousands today and the buyers and sellers come from more than 150 countries.

What can you sell on Etsy?   Pretty much anything that is handmade by you,  crafting supplies, and vintage items that are 20 years old or older.

It is free to open your shop on Etsy but you will pay a 20 cent listing fee for each item you list.   Your item lists for four months.
When you sell your listing you will pay a transaction fee to etsy that is 3.5% of the selling price of your item.

You will receive a bill each month on the 1st for your previous month's activity.

The first thing you will need to do is register on Etsy. This entitles you to be a buyer.
https://www.etsy.com/register.php

 Choose your name carefully because you won't be able to change it.

Once you are registered,  you will then  have to upgrade your account to seller.  You will find that option when you login to your account.

The majority of buyers pay with Paypal so if you don't already have an account with them,  you need to think about getting one.  http://www.paypal.com    You can accept money orders or checks but it is a slow way to do business and most buyers prefer paypal.

Click here for the help guide to setting up your shop.
http://help.etsy.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/246/

Once you have your shop setup you will want to start listing your items.  You will need a good description,  good pictures (you are allowed 5 of them),  price for the item,  shipping cost and decide what countries you will ship to,  and tags.

Tags help people find items they are searching for.   Learn all about how to use tags here. http://www.etsy.com/storque/how-to/seller-how-to-tag-o-rama-with-descriptive-keywords-5474/

So you have your shop all set up and your products listed so now what?   A lot of people think they are done and get upset when the sales don't start rolling in.  lol    Unfortunately,  that doesn't often happen.   It is like anything else in life,  you reap what you put into it.

Here are some ways to promote your shop:

Start a blog to:
Keep customers updated on new listings.
Share your skills by doing tutorials.
Have a giveaway of one of your handmade items.
Add one of the gadgets that is a portable version of your shop.  Customers can shop right from your blog.  http://www.craftcult.com/shop_widget.php
Go to the community forum on Etsy and post about your new listings.

Add your banner to relevant topsites.  They are free.

Look for low cost advertising on busy sites if you have advertising money.

Join an Etsy Team. There is nothing like being able to chat with other like-minded sellers. And it is a great way to learn from ones that have been on Etsy for a long time. http://team.etsy.com/teams.html

Here is a free pdf download, Secrets of Savvy Etsy Sellers,  that I just came across on the internet.   You can download it here:
http://onthedotcreations.typepad.com/onthedotcreations/secrets-of-savvy-etsy-sellers.html

And lastly,  there is a lot of help from Etsy here. 
http://help.etsy.com/app/home

Next week we will be talking about another marketplace,   Artfire.

Thanks for visiting today.
Bette
www.byyourhands.com 

Would you like to sponsor a giveaway?  Do you have a special skill you would like to share with our readers?  Would you like to share a trash to treasure makover?

Are you interested in promoting your store or blog at a very reasonable cost?   If so, just email us. 

We would be happy to send you the details. byyourhandsblog@gmail.com