Catching up!

Figured it was time for an update on the goings-on here at Caddie Jo Designs. Lots of stuff, but I'll give the short version...

Craftstravaganza! May 12 at the Fairgrounds. I made less money than last year but sold more items (thanks, purses, bibs and aprons!). I discovered, no surprise, that it's really fun to make a lot of sales. One woman I thought I recognized; then she said she'd bought her niece one of my raincoats at No Coast and she just loved it! That was just so nice to hear. Also, I sold four purses to boys, yes, to boys (dinosaur and monkey patterns, no flowers or polka dots!). I never would have thought of marketing them to boys (I guess call them something else?), but that's what's so fun about interacting with customers -- you learn things. Many thanks to Craftstravaganza proprietors Andy and Jenna who not only included me in the show but bought a raincoat and bib for their girls! And thanks to Laurie and Cotty, Caroline and Alan, and Ann and Wayne (who brought me a much-needed afternoon coffee) for stopping by my booth!

(Just have to interject here that sewing in my third-floor, non-air-conditioned "studio" this summer put me in mind of the turn-of-the-century sweatshops... my thermometer said 97 one day and the fan just didn't help much. At least I, unlike those poor women sewing shirtwaists, could wear as little as possible, drink copious fluids and quit when I wanted!)

Next up was the No Coast Summer Craft-o-Rama July 22, the first one held in the warm months. This was my first outdoor show, and it was so, so hot, even with the tent I borrowed from my crafty friend London.  (Caroline and Alan rescued me with an iced tea midafternoon.) But it was a lovely, family-oriented event at Silverwood Park in St. Anthony, with puppet shows, kid-friendly bands and food trucks. I sold quite a few small items and one raincoat. And I introduced a few of my newest items:

Dresses and skirts! I finally semi-mastered the serger I bought last fall (after a helpful class at the Textile Center called "Scared of Your Serger"), so I could start making professionally finished garments. I have had so much fun designing and making these... the dresses have pleats, or gores, of contrasting fabric, and the skirts are ruffled, all trimmed with bias tape handmade by me! (I scored a bias tape maker at a yard sale for $35 -- regular price over $100.) For fall/winter, I also made some dresses/jumpers out of corduroy and sweatshirt fleece, so cute! Pictured are just a sample of what I've got. If you want to see more, you'll have to come to my next shows...

...Which are: Minneapolis Craft'za (the debut of the fall/winter version of Craftstravaganza), 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Nov. 17 at the Soap Factory in Minneapolis, and No Coast Craft-o-Rama, 3-8 p.m. Dec. 7 and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Dec. 8 at the Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis. These will both be great shows with tons of cool stuff ... come see me, or just come to buy Christmas presents from one of the really talented vendors.

Lastly, there's a new future customer in the family: Our granddaughter Vera Fae Harper, born July 16. Here she is, thinking of all the things Grandma is going to make for her!