Simple Kantha Coasters for Two

Today is quite a busy day. Besides the usual home chores, I have several orders to send out in the afternoon, so I spent the first half of the day packing and printing labels. I am using DHL e-com and FedEx to shipping out my Etsy orders. 

Sometimes, we're scared to start something new because we're so comfortable in our current situation. This is what's been happening to me in the past year or so. As much as I enjoy making wallets and small bags, I truly miss the joy of "just create" something! Experimenting with my crafts and sharing joy with others. And if you're an Etsy seller, sometimes the pressure is more. You feel like everybody is doing much better than you, especially if you spend more time on social media (Instagram or Facebook). This year, it will be about me enjoying making my craft. I will not take too many custom orders so that I will have more time to learn new things, experiment, and sharing a few tutorials or sewing tips with you all. 

Ok, so this is what I've been working on after the Heartbeat Kantha Coasters! I have this beautiful block print fabric and want to make something with it. I guess, when you start your first step, the inspiration will just flow into your brain. I know I wanted to do more kantha but not sure what design. I wanted something simple and one day after dinner, I thought, why not using the design from the fabric, and this simple linen Kantha coaster is born. The design is about 3" in diameter and the inner circle is about 1" in diameter (I used my machine's bobbin to draw the circle). I used tricot interfacing for these coasters. I'll write more about it in my next post, Insha Allah. And if you want to try the design, be my guest! I'm trying to draft the template, hopefully, I'll have more time this week to complete it. 

Kantha and Block Print Coasters

I sent out 2 sets of Kantha coasters today and I'm so happy and grateful for the response I received on my small quilt shop! I really love making these small quilted coasters and practicing my hand quilting while I binge-watching my C-Drama on Viki after dinner. 

    

A customer wanted a round and rectangular coaster set. The round coaster was a bit of a challenge to do in a kawandi style of quilting, but it was a great experience. Maybe I will make a few more round coasters. Hmm, another idea to try! 

It's been quite cold in the past few days but today is better. After dealing with couriers almost the whole afternoon, I decided to make muffins but didn't turn out so good, because I found out afterward that the oven was set on upper heat only. This is why you should not multitask or arguing with your son while baking LOL. But the boys enjoyed it, anyway. I need to lookup more muffin recipes! 

That's all for today. Thank you for stopping by! 

Take care & stay safe!

Elvira

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Learn to Time Blocking

 

Time Blocking Tips

I learned about time blocking recently as I always struggle to manage my "working time". Running a small business from home means everything is mixed up. Sometimes I barely have time to do my work, or most of the time, I left my work half done. 

What is time blocking?

Time blocking is a time management method that asks you to divide your day into blocks of time. Each block is dedicated to accomplishing a specific task, or group of tasks, and only those specific tasks. Instead of keeping an open-ended to-do list of things you’ll get to as you’re able, you’ll start each day with a concrete schedule that lays out what you’ll work on and when. (Todoist.com)

For someone who cannot stick to a plan like me, this time blocking method helps me to focus on a single task. 

How to start time blocking?

1. First, find out the time when usually your mind is free to do your craft. As for me, I prefer to sew in the evening when everybody relaxes. This is when my mind is also free from other chores that I need to do. 

2. Set this time to do Admin Work like editing the listing, taking photos, packing, and sending orders. Oh yes, running an online business is a LOT of work! And set time to do  "batching work". I like to do admin work before noon. Find the time when you usually have a little free time after lunch to do craft-related work, like cutting fabrics, fusing the interfacing, etc.  I also set a siesta time for an hour! 

Packing Fabrics

Mobile Sling Bag

3. Set a theme day. This is where you work on specific tasks. As a creative person, mood plays an important role. There are days when I don't feel like sewing. By setting a theme day, you can break down the boredom from doing the same thing every day. I set twice a week to work on my fabric shop. like making new bundles. Cutting and folding fabrics always bring my sewing mojo back! Or I set time to clean my sewing room once a week! You know, putting the fabric away, sorting out scraps, etc. 

Indian fabric bundle

4. Limit social media time. I mean the time when you mindlessly look at memes and funny reels. Well, I do love doing that too! So, I'm trying to do a "social media diet" now.  I block 2 times for social media but insert a little time here and there. Like when I wait for the food to get cooked, I use the time to catch up with my social media posting, like creating reel videos or stories.  I'm so grateful for these easy-to-use apps like Canva and InShot, creating a beautiful post is so much easier with them. The 2 blocked times for social media, I use to schedule posting in Pinterest and Twitter, either using Buffer or Tailwindapp.

5. Don't be too rigid and most importantly, enjoy what you're doing. Go out meet friends or have a good day at Spa. Well, we also need to pamper ourselves, right? Like last Monday, I went out with my SIL to the mall. The girls at MakersHub were having a craft exhibition in City Centre Mall.  I think the last time I went to the mall was around the end of December 2019! So it's been almost 2 years. It was good to be able to go out and about, feels like a pre-covid era but with a face mask. Nowadays most malls, shops, and offices still make masks mandatory. 

Speaking about face masks, I made a few snug-fit facemask orders. You can download the template for free HERE and watch the tutorial on YOUTUBE.

Fitted Face Mask

What Apps to use for time blocking? 

I'm using Google Calendar app on my phone. You can use other apps whichever you're comfortable with. Why google calendar? Because I found it simple to use and I can get reminders on my phone or desktop without installing other apps and also you can personalize it by adding color to a specific task, like in this video. I am still using my daily journal to write down a list of works I have to get done in a day for my reference. 

my Journal 

With time blocking,  I can multi-task but in a more organized way. Even if I only have  15-30 minutes of the time I blocked for a certain task, at least I am making a little progress because I only focus on one particular task. It is better than no progress at all. I started this method recently and I surprised myself with how much work I can get done without stressing over it. 

 I have projects which are ready to sew which sitting on my cutting table for some time now. Since I started time blocking, I am able to finish two wallets, a couple of patchwork placemats, and also make progress with my Kawandi QAL. 

Double Zip Wristlet

Floral Wallet

Kawandi 

Scrappy Placemats

As a mompreneur, it is not easy to divide the time. Family and home always come first, but with this time blocking method I hope I can work better and smarter. How about you? How do you manage your time between your small business and family?

Thank you for stopping by today,

Happy Sewing,

Elvira

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A few WIP hand quilted projects

Quilt in Progress

 

Hello, 

Time flies when you have fun. For the past 2 weeks, I have been busy with a few quilt projects and wallet making for my Etsy Shop. And I also working on my Kawandi QAL which sadly I have not been able to work on it so much. I really enjoy doing this hand quilting and want to start quilting on bigger quilts when I have enough confidence. Right now I have a few smaller projects going on, I'll do it one at a time as time permits. Now both my sons are going to have board exam for grade 10 and 12 and that really make me nervous, though they seem to relax, this hand quilting projects help me to calm down a bit. My DH keeps telling me not to get anxious and he keeps sending me to my sewing room hahaha. 

hand quilted table topper 14 x 14 inches

QIP using Handloom /Shotcotton fabrics

On the (small) business side, yesterday I finally got the dust bags for my wallets from Canvas2Craft. I ordered the bags a couple of weeks ago and Poonam is very helpful and lovely to work with. She updates me about the progress and makes sure everything was per my requirements. 

Dust Bag and Family Passport Holder

I always wanted to make dust bags as an added bonus for my customers, so that they can reuse the bag. Instead of wrapping them in paper, this reusable bag will be more useful and eco-friendly too. So here is the first order that goes in the bag. Yes, the small quilt above. I think I will order another size. 

Another happiness last week comes from Saira my secret swap partner in Desi Quilters Love and Healing Swap. When she posted her pouch in the group, I secretly wish for it et voila! My wish come true. The bag is so spacious and I use it to keep my hand quilting projects. She also sent me the pin and magnetic pins. If you're a hijabi, like me, you know these magnetic pins are a game-changer. Thank you so much, Saira!

I also completed a few wallet orders from my Etsy Shop. These two wallets are popular. I only have enough fabric to make a few more wallets. And now that many states are going to restart offline school, I made a couple of triple and double zipper pouches too. They are very versatile as you can keep extra face masks for them. I guess, we all have to accept the fact that wearing a face mask is necessary even when the pandemic is over. At least, that will be our first guard against any virus, IMHO. 

My fave wallets

Multi Zipper Bag

Triple Zipper Bag


Thats' all update for today. I hope you enjoy reading my blog. 
Take care and stay safe!

Elvira

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Wallets, Quilts and Bias Binding Tutorial

In the past few days, I've been busy making a few wallet and placemats orders. I got a couple of passport wallet orders in the past two months. I think now that travel around the globe is eased, many people started to travel again.

This time, the zip around small passport holder seems quite popular and as usual, whenever I make for an order, I cut one extra to add to my shop. Because I am working solo and nowadays hardly have time to sew, this way I can add a couple of new designs in a month. Also, I will always have projects that are ready to sew. Although sometimes it takes days to finish and sometimes I can finish 2 wallets in a day. Well, as long as I can sew, I am a happy girl! 

Ah, I also recorded the video tutorial for this small passport wallet - which hopefully I can finish editing and put up on YouTube this week. 

I often got questions regarding bias binding. For beginners or someone who never makes or use bias binding, it can be a daunting task. There are a few ways to make a bias binding but this traditional method is my fave because the binding always turns out perfect. 

In this video, I made DIY bias binding using FAT 8 fabric (9" x 22"). The rule of thumb is, you must make sure the fabric grains (warp and weft) are straight. That way you will get nice and crisp bias tape. 

Please check the video below. I hope the video is clear enough. If you have any questions, you can contact me or leave a comment below. 

Here are more fabric wallets recently done and a couple of them are on their way to the new home. I love making this classic bifold wallet.  My first wallet was this bifold wallet and even after washing it several times, it is still in a good shape. The interfacing and padding did make the wallet sturdy and did not lose its shape. 

GET THE PATTERN HERE

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And here's the medium scrappy placemats I recently finish and sent out. I hope they will be received well. As a maker and seller, nothing more rewarding than a happy customer! 

I kind of love these medium-size placemats and I have a couple more to finish hand sewing the binding before I put them up in the shop. 

I also experimented with different quilting lines on my Industrial machine. I tried doing FMQ after watching a couple of  YouTube videos where people do freehand machine embroidery using a similar machine as mine. Well, guess what? I worked! I will try in my next project and hopefully can share a few tips with you all. Stay tuned! 

Scrappy Placemats

FMQ Trial 

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On the 16th, my SIL and I went to a wedding in a village nearby. It was great fun for both of us. And of course, I love watching how the folks are having a great time at the party. In the village, a wedding party can last a couple of days (2-3 days) from morning to midnight. People from all around the village and nearby village will keep streaming in, sitting and chatting. I love to see the young girls dressing up to the latest Bollywood trend. 

And of course, I enjoyed the ride through different small towns and villages. Since the harvest season is just over, most of the fields are dry now. But it was a  lovely day! 

The bride and the bridesmaids 

Henna -  a must in every wedding! 

We also went to the market last week. We went saree shopping for one of our helper's daughter's wedding next month. Of course, I wore a double mask even a lot of people are not wearing masks now since the state government announced that all pandemics restrictions are lifted off. 

I really enjoyed looking at those colorful sarees. Even though I don't wear colorful clothes myself, looking at those bright colors, makes me happy! And no, I did not buy for myself, I only went to my regular fabric shop to get denim material. I suppose to go look for Mekhla (Assamese dress) border for my kawandi project but it was getting late, so maybe next time! 

 

That's all for today. I hope you enjoy reading my blog. Thank you for stopping by and please leave a comment or two.

Until next time,

Elvira

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