Pip n Milly Creations » random rambling

Knitting bag and other things

admin — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 14:09:59 +0000

My recent fixation with learning to knit has rather diverted my focus from adding items to the shop, writing blog posts and even posting pictures of some of the one of a kind bags I have made. I have been trying to keep my knitting exploits separate from business posts, but after much consideration, I have almost come to the conclusion that that makes for a dull Pip ‘n’ Milly blog. When I am interested in a maker of handmade products, I confess that I am also curious about their life, what part of the world they live in, what other creative pursuits that they explore. It makes for a more interesting story behind the brand and gives a sneak peek into the life of the artist/maker/designer. Seriously, who really wants to just see products? Not me. Being bombarded with purely business related posts, tweets, status updates etc is a real turn-off, even when they are sporadic, like mine! I’m really not the type to spice things up, but in order to add a little interest and dimensionality (is that even a word?!!) to Pip ‘n’ Milly, I’ll be adding in some posts and photos about my knitting projects, gardening and maybe even the progress of our chicken coop!

So, to start things off gently, below are some photos of a beautiful knitting bag I designed earlier this year. Couldn’t believe I hadn’t posted it before!

One of a kind knitting bag

This stunning bag using a Michael Miller fabric and coordinating lining fabrics, features heavily reinforced exterior panels to make the bag stand up well and support the weight of the bamboo handles without sagging. It also suede corner protectors, a clear vinyl pocket on the front for holding your pattern while you knit, a large front pocket, 2 magnetic snaps, a zippered pocket on the rear of the bag, multiple clear pockets inside, a dedicated scissor pocket and plenty of room for several projects.

Rear of bag

Here are another couple of versions which were custom made, so have a slightly different set of features.

Custom order knitting bag

Birdy knitting bag

These measure approximately 16″ x 6.5″ x 11″.

New love

admin — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 12:30:01 +0000

In addition to my recent enthusiasm for knitting, I have been spending an inordinate amount of time on my very favourite new thing – Pinterest. What a work of genius! Perhaps it isn’t a novel concept, but it is the first time I’ve come across it and it struck me as a perfectly brilliant idea, done very well. It is essentially a virtual pinboard. Many, if not all creative types keep some kind of inspiration board with fabrics, colours, designs, ideas they like. Many people also bookmark pages they come across on the internet, in order to record project ideas, images, concepts that appeal. I for one have hundreds of bookmarked pages and have them in good order, but rarely do I go back to look through them. I forget what I have and if I need, say, a tutorial for inserting a zipper, I just google it again, rather than hunting for the tutorial I bookmarked. This is where Pinterest comes into its own for me. It always me to virtually ‘pin’ anything I come across onto any number of ‘Boards’, so the image is recorded on the Board and clicking on the image links back to the original site. Cool, huh?! Now I can pin craft project ideas for the children and actually find those great ideas when it comes to spring break holiday! I can also collect ‘Dream Home Inspiration’ images for that elusive day when we build our own house on an acreage somewhere.

Another exciting aspect of Pinterest is that you can follow the pins of other people. Not only that, but you can ‘Like’ what they have pinned, even if you don’t want to ‘Re-pin’ it to your own board.

If you fancy having a look, these are my Boards. I haven’t quite settled into a system yet, but am loving the process! There are so many amazing things out there and now I can pin them to my board and go back anytime I like to see them all in one place. Well done to the Pinterest team!

Hurrah for hats!

admin — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 00:40:34 +0000

I’ve been working away on the knitting project bag and also on a needle roll and will post about my progress soon. I’m planning to put a clear fronted pocket in the interior of the bag and decided to hold off on sewing up the prototype until my new teflon foot arrives. The call came today and I’m really looking forward to finding out whether it will make sewing with leather and vinyl as easy as I hope. I have also been doing some knitting and the project list is no doubt expanding faster than my skill rate! If you are interested in what is on my needles and in my basket, pop over to The Winking Frog. I’m also in the planning stages for a series on sewing tips, which I hope will inspire a few people to lose the fear.

My most recent and exciting acquisition is a fantastic hat rack from Eddie’s. You are probably aware by now that I have a certain fondness for hats and the top of the loom can no longer hold all of my personal collection, not to mention the hats belonging to the rest of the family! In addition to the need to storage at home, we needed a display mechanism for upcoming shows, so I bit the bullet and ordered this little beauty:

Hat Rack

Snow is in the forecast, so I’ll not be starting on the sunhats just yet, but I have my eye open for some great summery fabrics. In the meantime, I’m off to continue my knitting!

Words to live by

admin — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 15:57:51 +0000

I have just been reading a post on a lovely blog, Make Under My Life, and it inspired me to post something I have been thinking about for some time. It is a great passage that my parents have had framed and displayed at home and work for many years. I have to go make breakfast now, but I’ll try to come back and finish this post later!

Desiderata
by Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly, and listen to others,
even to the dull and ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be
greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career
however humble;
it is a real possession in the
changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you
to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit
to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore, be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham,
drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Update

admin — Sat, 09 May 2009 15:16:00 +0000

It seems likely that I have a herniated disk. The good news is that I don’t have to rest too much, just have to be sensible about what I do. If it hurts, don’t do it! The other good news is that it should get better on its own.

As promised, here is a picture of the needlework frame I found at the Community Market, which raises funds for local causes and sells all manner of things. Pip wanted to try it out, so I bought some muslin for her to practice on. She did really well and it was a few minutes before she decided to move on to something else!

needlework frame

My new baby

A very kind and generous neighbour has given me the most amazing gift. We share a love of Harrowsmith Country Life magazine and we were chatting over the fence about a recent article on spinning, when she suddenly asked if I wanted a loom! We thought about, discussed where it could go and decided that we would find a space for it.

loom

Itn’t she beautiful?! Turns out it is a 4 harness floor loom called Nilus and it was made in Canada by Leclerc. I have been reading the books and magazines that came with it and now at least know the names of some of the parts, but I think I am going to have to find someone to teach me how to use it. All in good time! The weaving that is on it is not mine, but will stay there until I figure out how the whole thing works. I will have a flock of sheep and a spinning wheel before you know it!

Still here….

admin — Thu, 07 May 2009 04:32:59 +0000

I am still here, but I have injured my back and am supposed to be “resting” and not spending all evening at the sewing machine or computer. No gardening, no running and no lifting. Feeling very miserable about it all. It is spring and the garden needs me! I can’t run, so my goal of getting out and doing a 5km race is having to go on the backburner. I am gutted about that, as I was so close to getting it done. May 24th is the hospital fundraiser run here, but it is not to be. I had been doing my physiotherapy exercises, running regularly, then wham! pain across my lower back and radiating down my right leg. Not fun at all. After 2 weeksm I couldn’t cope with the pain anymore and have been to see the doctor, so at least now I have some relief, but am very frustrated by the enforced inactivity.

On a happy note, DH and I went to the local community market at the weekend and made a very fortuitous discovery. Dumped in a corner, ignored by those who had no idea what it was, I found a floor-standing needlework frame. It was a steal at $5, especially as it is in perfect condition. Very excited about this – even more excited that Pip wants to use it! We had a brief session today and she learned quickly. I will post a pic soon.

Save Handmade

admin — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 17:33:03 +0000

Please read and act! Help spread the word.

This refers to legislation in the US, but it will have a huge impact here in Canada too. I presume if you are reading this blog at all you will have some interest in handmade goods, which is where my primary interest lays, but this will affect all manner of items made for children, not just handmade items. We will no longer have the same choice in what we buy for our children. Please read on to find out more and please, spread the word.

As of February 10, Olabelhe and thousands of others in the children’s industry will be deeply affected financially and / or will be out of business.

Remember the outcry last holiday season over lead in imported toys? In order to combat such safety issues, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has passed legislation called the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). The law sets stringent guidelines for children’s products containing lead and phthalates (a chemical used in some vinyl products).

It is supposed to go into effect February 10th, 2009, and after that date any product intended for children ages 12 and under must meet these guidelines, and have a certificate of compliance from a CPSC-accredited laboratory. This includes not just toys, but clothing, jewelry, blankets, sheets, books, bibs, strollers, carriers, and anything else that a child under 12 might come in contact with. Sounds great, right?

In theory, maybe. But in actuality the law is so far reaching that it may succeed in turning the economy upside down. For starters, the CPSIA requires end unit testing on every product intended for use by children under 12. It is the responsibility of the manufacturer to do this testing, regardless of how small the business. That means that manufacturers (like myself ) will have to pay to get every different product they offer tested. These tests have to be done at a CSPC accredited lab, and cost tens of thousands of dollars. For example if you offer 3 different types of dresses. Each dress contains 2 different fabrics, as well as buttons, and thread, so that’s potentially $600 to test one dress. But if you have 3 or more styles, that’s $1800. And when you get a new bolt of fabric, you need to start all over again.

At present, there are no exemptions for small businesses and “micro” manufacturers and most handcraft artisans. There is no exception for quantities made, where the garments/products are made or anything else. Nor is there an exception for unadorned fabric components, unfinished wood components, materials which, by their nature, are free of lead and phthalates.

Also, the Act takes a “guilty until proven innocent” approach, which would treat a handmade, unfinished wooden toy that doesn’t meet the certification deadline of 2/10/09 as a “banned hazardous substance” which would be illegal to distribute in this country. Each infraction carries a $100,000 felony charge. This legislation is also retroactive for any pre-existing inventory as of February 10th, 2009. This means that everything on the shelves in those big (or small) stores will also be “banned, hazardous substances” – contraband.

Larger corporations that can afford testing will incur thousands, maybe millions of dollars in fees, and this expense will be handed down to the consumer, probably making the prices for children’s products go through the roof.

This also means that after that date, even selling your kids old things on eBay or Craigslist will be illegal. Charities will not be able to accept donations without a certificate of compliance either. February 10, 2009 is being dubbed “National Bankruptcy Day” by many people in the apparel and toy industry. If this legislation is not amended, it will affect everyone from port workers to parents looking for legal products. Billions of dollars worth of children’s products will have to be destroyed because they can’t be legally sold, and this will cause major environmental problems.

While I am all for higher safety standards and keeping our kids safe, this law is so overreaching as to put thousands on manufacturers of children’s products out of business -hurting our economy and causing even more loan defaults. Though this legislation was well-intentioned, it cannot be allowed to stand as is.Please help us defend the American dream and our entrepreneurial spirit! This law affects every stay at home mom trying to help put food on the table and every grandmother knitting blankets for the local craft fair. It makes the thousands of us who have found a niche in the burgeoning children’s market have to make a tough decision – continue to produce items illegally and possible incur a $100,000 fine, pay the enormous fees and raise costs of goods sold, or close up shop!

Please help us!Contact your Congressperson using this link: http://capwiz.com/americanapparel/issues/alert/?alertid=12274476

It only takes 30 seconds!If you have an extra minute send a hard copy of the letter as well!To sign the online petition: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/economicimpactsofCPSIA/index.html

Read more about it here: http://nationalbankruptcyday.com/

Please copy and paste this on your blogs, we need all the help we can get!

I copied this article from Olabelhe, who copied it from Knuckleheads Clothing.