Possibly Closing Karabu's Etsy Shop in the New Year

Due to the new regulations in the Consumer Protection Safety Improvement Act, there is the very high likelihood that I will be closing down my Etsy shop early next year.

I have two small children of my own, and was just as outraged as the rest of the country at the ridiculous number of toy recalls we've seen over the past year. I've had to throw away recalled Diego toys in the night to avoid tears. I'm very pro-safe toys.

The problem is that in terms of this new law, it seems that using lead free supplies isn't good enough. All toys must be tested after they are made. Testing costs $75 per component (I wrote to a certified lab to ask). One of my I-spy security blankets has 27 components (26 different fabrics plus thread). Total = $2,025.00 for testing. Plus the tested item is destroyed. That's fine when you have a run of thousands. I make runs of one.

Many small, and ever mid-sized children's product companies are going to be in trouble early next year. There are a lot of folks trying to get the details changed so that smaller manufactures have a hope of being able to comply, but the law is already passes, and this process is slow. I saw one person comment that maybe the handcrafters of the country should ask for a bailout to afford testing costs. I got the giggles from that.

I've read the 63 page law and it is very difficult to understand. My local Small Business Development Center couldn't answer my questions via e-mail but recommended my coming in for individual counseling with their fabric product specialist. I'm going to try to work that meeting into my schedule somehow just so I can at least fee more informed.

There is a lot of folks trying to get the word out and get people to write to their representatives about altering this law. If you want more information see this article on Etsy:
http://www.etsy.com/storque/craftivism/handmade-childrens-items-unintended-consequences-consumer-pr-3056/

Thanks all.

Making scrap quilts out of old baby clothes

I've been saving old baby clothes for years now, with the plan to turn them into a quilt someday. I decided to only save clothes that were torn or stained so I couldn't give them away for someone else to use, or if an item had a lot of sentimental value.

I now have a drawer full of clothes, so I think it's time to get serious about making that baby clothes quilt!

I've seen a lot of scrap quilts that I like the look of. The problem is that most that I like have small pieces that are all the same size. Small pieces are good for small baby clothes, but many of the clothes I saved have cute applique or other images on them that aren't all that small. I was looking for a quilt pattern that would let me use mostly small pieces, and some larger ones.

Today I found this website:
http://www.ufo-rphanage.com/scrap_quilts.shtml

So many quilt pattern sites have old, out-dated, non-functioning links that it can get very frustrating to search for quilt patterns. One or two on the UFO website were dead links, but the rest were a gold mine!

So far, this is the pattern I'm leaning toward:
http://www.ezquilt.com/patterns/oldfashioned/oldfashioned.htm

Although, I think I may make my blocks slightly bigger than this pattern calls for. I like that I can use a bigger piece (like the pictures I want to save) for the center of the blocks, and then use up all the tiny pieces from sleeves, etc. for the rest. You need to use a little imagination to picture a scrappy finished quilt in color, but the picture in my head looks cool.

If you have a favorite scrap quilt pattern, share it here! I can't seem to part with my scraps, so I'll always be looking for great scrap quilt patterns!

Irish Chain Doll Quilt

I've been doing some sewing for my kids to get ready for Christmas. I love how this doll quilt turned out so much I have to show it off to the cyber-world.

It's a basic Irish Chain pattern. The small squares are 1 inch each, and the full quilt is 21 inches by 27 inches. I used a layer of flannel for batting to keep it from becoming too bulky and keep a miniature quilt look to it. I think it turned out to be a good choice, and our little dollies will be so snugly under it.

It makes me wish I'd made a full sized version. Maybe someday I will. In the meanwhile, I'm considering making another one to put in my Etsy shop. I have that quilt section in my shop that has been empty for far too long. A doll quilt still counts!

National Novel Writing Month Starting this Saturday!

It's almost National Novel Writing Month again (or NaNoWriMo as it's affectionately known.) Despite being more overwhelmed in my personal life than ever before, I'm tempting fate (and major burnout) by participating again this year.

I don't actually care if I reach 50,000 words or not, so that may be part of the reason I'm going for it again this year despite a complete lack of time. I guess that's a bad attitude for NaNoWriMo, but it's the best I can do right now.

So if I don't care, why bother at all you may ask. Fair enough. Well, I've learned enough in the last two NaNos that I've participated in that there is lot I can learn, both about writing, and about myself, even if I don't hit that 50,000 word mark. It's good to push yourself in pursuit of something wonderful and creative that will very likely never amount to anything at all just to see if you can. Or rather if I can.

Again, my novel will be Sci-Fi. I had a dream last year during NaNoWriMo that I thought would make a great story. I wrote a summary of the dream in a notebook because it was complex and I didn't want to forget an important detail. Well, I lost that notebook. That notebook had a lot of writing in it that was important to me, and I still get upset about it's loss. So I may end up having to make up a lot of the story without my notes (although, I guess technically, I already made it up in my dream, so who cares, right?) It's a post apocalyptic, war, romance, time-travel kind of thing. Hope it turns out.

If you ever wanted to try to write a novel. Now's your chance!
Here's my profile at the official NaNoWriMo site, if you want to learn more about this whole crazy idea:
Karabu Writes a Novel

Benicia Knitting Circle

Just a little plug for this knitting store that I didn't know existed a few days ago.

Benicia Knitting Circle

I went there to look for a gift for my knitting sister (I don't knit, but I crochet a little and I love pretty yarn.) First I love that there is such a thing as a knitting store. I'm not sure what it is about small, highly specialized shops that I love, but I find them so fascinating. I guess maybe because they represent a deep passion on the part of the proprietor, and enough other people to keep the place in business.

I got a little glimpse of those folks while I was shopping. A group of knitters were all working on their projects and a knitting debate started up over a confusing line of instructions in a pattern. You can learn so much more, and see the depth of a craft from listening to the debates of serious practitioners that you just won't ever find browsing in a big general craft shop.

While I have no great desire to learn to knit, if I did, this shop could be a very addictive place for me. If you love knitting, or crochet, or yarn, or specialty craft shops, stop by. They have dogs hanging out there too, and there is always a special place in my heart for shops with cats or dogs in residence. Ya gotta love that.

Easy to Make Baby Shoes that are Cute too!

I wanted to write this blog a long time ago, but I never got around to taking pictures of the shoes I made. Now that my daughter has outgrown them, I can't find what I did with them. So still no pictures to share.

Ah well. I loved making them so much, and they were so nice to have, I'm going to blog about this free soft baby shoe pattern anyway.

The baby shoe pattern was created by Stardust Shoes, and they are both darling, and simple to sew. Even if you're a beginning sewer, you can make these shoes.

Now I didn't exactly follow the directions (I'm not normally a troublemaker, but I am lazy, and I don't do things that I can get away with not doing). Also, I was not trying to make shoes that would last. I knew my daughter wouldn't be wearing the shoes I made for very long, so I didn't worry about cutting corners a little. While the shoes I made turned out very nice, and actually held up very well, if you plan to put them to serious use, or want them to last awhile, I recommend following the pattern's directions more closely.

I didn't use the bonded fleece for the sole; I just used canvas for the whole outside of one pair, and vinyl for another pair. I lined both pairs of baby shoes with flannel, and didn't bother with any interfacing since both the fabrics I was using were fairly thick. I liked how the fleece made the insides soft and cozy. The vinyl pair of baby shoes was cute, but probably wouldn't have been a good choice for a baby that was beginning to walk, as I think they may have been a little slick on the bottoms.

Soft baby shoes were much easier to make than I thought they would be. If you've ever been tempted to try it, download the free baby shoe pattern and give it a try. If you like the look of these dhows, but don't want to make your own, I know several great EtsyKids sellers have some really adorable baby shoes in their Etsy Shops.

Tiny Turtle Crochet and Raverly

My sister recently introduced me to Raverly. It's a social networking site for knitters and crocheters. My sister knits, and I crochet. Well, I used to, but it's one of my hobbies that has been far on the back burners in the past few years.

Then I went to a amigurumi workshop and it was so much easier and more fun than I expected, I've been sneaking little bits of crochet into my life again. My first completed project is Ted the Turtle. It's a free crochet pattern I found on Raverly, by KristiKids.

I thought my kids would like the little turtle more than they did, but he was still fun to make. The baby likes him the most, but I only let her play with him while I'm watching because I don't think I put his eyes on very strong. I'll probably sew on yarn eyes on future projects.

I know I'll never list my crochet projects in my Etsy shop, but it's almost neater to keep this as just a hobby I do for me. No pressure to make anything at any special time. Not that I really pressure myself much for my Etsy shop either, as you can probably tell by how infrequently I list new stuff.

In that same line of thinking, I have a cool idea for a wall quilt I want to make for my daughter. If it turns out like the picture in my head, I'll try to make a pattern and post it here. I'll have to practice foundation paper piecing, something I haven't done much of, but that's another reason it'll be fun.

I think that's a big reason the crochet projects have been such hoot. It's learning something new, a little bit of a challenge, but not an overwhelming one. Plus I love amigurui. I see cute ones on Etsy all the time, and want to buy them, but then see that they're only patterns, not finished dolls. I passed them by because I didn't think I was a skilled enough crocheter to pull the patterns off. Now I'm a little more confident, and may give some a try.

If you like to knit or crochet though, you should definitely give Raverly a look. They have a ton of patterns listed, many, like the tiny crochet turtle, are even offered for free. Heck, even if you've just wanted to try knitting or crochet one day, go for it right now! Learning a new craft is always a good idea!

At Last - I'm Having a Sale!

So - I almost never have sales or discounts. My profit margin is low, and I never know what kind of offer would make sense, so I don't bother. But for the past several months I've wanted to do one. I have so many wonderful customers, and I want to do something. Plus I have a bunch of pretty new fabric, and I want to make new stuff, but I hate doing that when I still have so much already listed.

So I gave it some serious thought. I can't ever have a store wide sale because I list stuff for my mom too. I can't make her accept less money for what she makes, that isn't nice (plus, I don't think she charges enough to begin with for her wonderful work.) So what to do? What I want the most is to make some new books with new pictures. So that means clearing out some of the books that are listed now.

So here's the sale:

All Pre-made Soft Fabric Books Only $15.00 Until the End of August!

I'm off right now to change the price in all my soft fabric book listings from the regular $18.00 to $15.00 so there will be no need for anyone to go through the hassle of waiting for an updated invoice or anything confusing like that. Even if I get a few new books posted, they will still be included in the sale price.

Thanks everyone!
Here they are: Karabu's Soft Fabric Books for Babies and Toddlers
Yea for sales!