Fall & Holiday sched + past & future to-do

I think I'm going to make it. Um, maybe. A lot has happened since my last post and many preparations are underway for future events. Here's a summary:
behind me:
1. Got a Virtuous Baby Quilt with instructions and photos off to Crafty Planet for their upcoming book: Crafty Planet Goes Green.
2. Send the remainder of my fringe belts to a sweet little shop of "handmade, eco, misc" in Brisbane, Australia called nook. Hope to get some edged belts to them before too long.
4. Experimented with making skirts with drawstring backsides for those who might be tentative about wrap skirts. Anyone want to weigh in on this issue?
4. Adapted (somewhat), with the help of sewing machines borrowed from my dear friends Birdi and Rowan, after my Bernina broke down last Tuesday. It's fixed now and I'm picking it up tomorrow.
5. Acquired a great pair of display racks at Mainly Vintage in
White River Junction "it's not so bad!", VT.
6. Sold aprons, skirts, key fobs and belts at the Fashion and Accessories Extravaganza in the SEABA tent as part of Burlington's South End Art Hop. The STRUT fashion show followed in the same tent: A wonderful diverse group of very creative VT designers, including Gyllian Svenson of The Bobbin, Ava Bishop, and the very adorable and serious furry black-strapless dress clad fifth-grader, Rebecca Berlind of reBecca reWear and her brilliant leg bands. So fun to see all the fashion collections on the beautiful and expressive models. Can't wait for STRUT 5!
7. Got artist statement and bio plus images for poster, etc. off to Art on Main in Bristol for my upcoming show there (October 1 - November 13) with none other than the inimitable genius painter of Wolcott, Vermont, Jess Graham.


8. on the Langdell-Green homestead big harvests of squash, carrots, onions, corn, and beets are underway. If you want to see more pics you can friend me on facebook (Sarah O. Green) and view my growing "harvest 2009" photo album and be subject to other foibles of my personal life (snore).

ahead of me:
1. finish designing and ordering new business cards
2. sand, paint and hinge display units and print & assemble portfolio for Art on Main show.
3. figure out Mail Chimp and put out first e-newsletter.
4. Pick up Bernina from Buzz and sew, sew, sew! I feel so behind on production. belts, key fobs, skirts, and aprons all desperate for restocking. That's what I get for taking on a vending event every weekend.
5. Undergo a product development session experimenting new reconstructed tops for ladies. Plenty of long back (and front) ties, mixed up fabrics and who-knows-what are swirling in my head. I really do wonder what will come out of this.
6. Case out a few shows to possibly do next year.

My fall and holiday vending schedule will be more reasonably paced. Though now that I look at it, if seems almost thin. Here's what I have lined up so far:

Sept 26 Norwich Farmers Market, Norwich, VT
Oct 2 Reception at Art on Main, Bristol, VT
Oct 17 Norwich Farmers Market, Norwich, VT
Nov 21 Wellspring School Holiday Faire, Chelsea VT
Nov 28-20 Women's Festival of Crafts, Burlington, VT
Dec 5-6 Burklyn Arts Council Holiday Market, Lyndonville, VT
Dec 12 ?? Norwich Holiday Market ?? If someone cancels, maybe I'll get a spot. You never know.

Keeping my head above water.

Mid-Fair Update: Mad River Valley

I'm half way thorough a glorious weekend outside at the Mad River Valley Craft Fair in Waitsfield and it is a sweet happening. I am happy to report that I remembered to take pictures of some of my customers while they tried on the goods that they bought.

Here's my first customer, Terry, and her friend, Mary, wearing the two aprons she bought. You might recognize these aprons from the Sweet Batch of late May. Sometimes I make things that I particularly dig and it take a while for the right customer to come along and dig them along with me and claim them as their own. The items in this post are like that. It's a wonderful moment when I finally meet these kindred spirits to these particular parts of my aesthetic soul.

Another woman came along and loved my strawberry skirt as much as I do. It is darling on her! She was clearly psyched, which is so gratifying for me, as the creator, to witness. Her boyfriend was psyched. And I was psyched. I love it with the boots. And we all got to enjoy seeing her wearing it during her entire prolonged stroll around the fair.


There was lot's of talk at the show among customers and vendors about the wonderful weather, how much we deserve it, and how long it's going to last. Yay! More vitamin D for us all. I'm already planning another few days of mini mid-day sunbathing breaks while the kids are back at school next week.

Time to rest up for tomorrow. Hours of the fair will be 10 - 4. Off to call in those credit card sales, read some Harry Potter to Edie, and get vertical for several hours.

Good night, folks.

MAD goes over to the Dark Side

Sometime I get requests from my customers for aprons made from dark fabrics. You know, to hide the inevitable stains. I'm glad these people are thinking about spaghetti and chocolate sauce and splattering hot oil meat fondue in this way because, My gosh! What could those yummies we love to cook and eat do to our clothes?? Who has time in this day and age to Stain Stick everything before the next load of laundry? Much less change clothes just to make dinner after a long day at work??

Well, now you don't have to Spray'n'Wash your pink gingham apron, you can get a dark one from Mountain Ash Design and the tell tale signs of meals that came before will just, you know, blend in like the beaten egg whites into your angle food cake batter. It will just be an improvement in substance.

Many of the aprons pictured here were made primarily from button-down shirts. See them live this Saturday at the Art Market, along side the Farmers Market in Burlington City Hall Park.

Other vending events coming up soon for Mountain Ash Design:

August 29 Burlington Artist Market

Sept 5-6 Mad River Valley Craft Fair, Waitsfield, VT

Sept 19 Art Hop Fashion & Accessories Extravaganza, Pine Street, Burlington, VT

Sept 26 Norwich Farmers Market, Norwich VT

Oct 17 Norwich Farmers Market, Norwich VT

Art Hoppin' to the Fashion Extravaganza

This just in -

Mountain Ash Design will have a stall at the Fashion & Accessories Extravaganza on Pine Street in Burlington, VT as part of the annual South End Art Hop on September 19th.

This is a great opportunity for me. While on my recent vacation I had some inspired visions of fashion tops I can make by repurposing button-down shirts and choice vintage pieces. It's been somewhat of a psychological (and psychosocial, as my spell check suggested?) obstacle for me to get over these past years - moving into actual fashion design. But it's actually what I've always wanted to do. Three years ago when I decided to start this business with just the HotHolders on deck I was very curious to see how the creative aspect would unfold for me and what I would end up making over time. I've gotten a very enthusiastic and encouraging response from the skirts I've been making this summer (seen here on Colee. I had the pleasure of seeing her in this skirt often during our joint vacation).

I'm excited to gauge feedback from a fashion-centric audience at this event, and to network with the other Vermont designers there. Vending hours at the Art Hop Fashion and Accessories Extravaganza in the SEABA tent will b from 9:30 - 3:30 on Sept 19th, followed by fashions shows in the same tent at 5:30 and 7:00. Hope to see you there!

a working vacation

...but not too much.

I've been away on vacation and spending a few strenuous days putting up the huge string bean harvest that demanded our attention when we got home.

I had a warm, relaxing time in the sun with many of my favorite people on my recent family vacation in Maine. The warmth and sun are significant to me as a Vermonter. We hadn't had two days of warm sunny weather strung together before the second week of August (or so it seemed). It was as if Summer finally arrived once we were on our trip and it didn't let up the entire time. Thank you, Sun Gods!! I promise you many more sun salutations in the future!

While on my annual trip to mid-coastal Maine I spend an afternoon or so on a quest for vintage and thrifted fabrics I can use in my creations. Here are some interesting pieces I scored.


The two on the bottom and left could possibly be for belts, clothespin bags. The two on the top and right for new fashion tops I am dreaming up.

Maybe for aprons, linings for apron bibs...


This is only a portion of the bean harvest, maybe about half or less even.

Basic supplies for dilly beans. (I didn't cook them on the wood stove.) We also froze several quarts (not dillied).

Some finished jars. Well, they aren't really finished until they've had a couple weeks to pickle. Can't wait to taste them then. A few jars in this batch were mixed veggies the kids put together.

VBQ on Aedriel Original

My Custom Virtuous Baby Quilts are featured on Aedriel Original.


Cool! Thanks, Aedriel! I love her plates. Have a look here.

Dearest Dad

I'm off this weekend to the biggest show of my sewing career to date, Art In The Park, produced by the Chaffee Art Center in Rutland, Vermont. The forecast is...not horrible. I always enjoy getting to spend all day outside at a vending event, interacting with the public, getting direct feedback about my goods, getting to know other artists. On Monday, I'm headed to Maine for a much anticipated extended family vacation for 10 days. Ahhh...


No pics to illustrate this craft fair (yet) but here's my adorable father in my kitchen on a recent visit from my parents. I put him on strawberry-rhubarb crisp duty. When he asked for an apron the natural choice was this rock&roll/vintage-y number custom made for me by my Etsy mentor, Joan Strohl of momomadeit.

Competent, cheery men in the kitchen - a beautiful scene we should all see every day. If only I could get Richard to wear a girly apron...
That's a bucket of raw honey on the floor behind Richard, from Honey Gardens Apiaries. We LOVE all of their products.

Etsy spreading more MAD love

Etsy, there you go again spreading the MAD love. This time of the organic cotton batted Virtuous Baby Quilt variety. Thank you.





This quilt of mine was featured in yesterday's daily Etsy shopping guide with a "Light and Sweet" theme that also includes stuffies, shnazzy men's and women's apparel (and lace-trimmed panties), a baby sling fit for a dad, and so much more unique handmade-in-the-USA goodness.



And that's not all. My billfold was included in this sweet Farmers Market themed treasury by Etsy seller MissMooseDesign. It's made from a repurposed gingham shirt and one of my favorite vintage fabrics ever: a smashing 70s print of fruits and veggies in somewhat odd colors with wonderful thin black lines. So glad others appreciate it too. And the farmers market is a great theme!

minor celebrity dons MAD apron for the camera

Okay, Etsy certainly has it's drawbacks, like the fact that it is so swamped with sellers that one must relist constantly to get noticed during customer searches. But the cool thing is that lots of interesting folks do search around Etsy and I've been "discovered" by store buyers, creative xmas card creators, book writers (stay tuned for upcoming post about this) and even Minor Celebrities!

Yes, Tracy Metro (ever heard of her? Nope, I hadn't either, but what a great name, huh?) asked if she could wear one of my aprons during filming of her new cooking show and here are some pics she just sent me. She's pretty adorable. And she's a green fashionista and eco-crafter in her own right.

Nice cabinets, too.

Outdoor Lovers Apron

Items from my etsy shop have appeared in a couple of recent treasuries, including this one full of beautiful warm-toned handmade items:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=68934

skirts!

This is a whole new market for me. And an opportunity to employ a somewhat different aesthetic to my fabric combinations. Different combos seem to occur to me for actual apparel than for aprons. This a a wrap skirt style I am trying out. LONG ties to wrap around a couple times and meet in the back to make a big apron-inspired bow.

To be honest, all the skirt styles I am trying are directly influenced by my concept about aprons. Big surprise there, huh?

Here's a two-piece style. One back panel that discretely ties in the front with light twill tape. The front panel is very apron-like and ties in the back with a big bow.

The two panel overlap at the sides.

I made this one just for me, with an attached apron made from part of a vintage tablecloth.

Skirts ready to bring to market. I sold several of these yesterday in Lyndonville. The bird ones are especially going fast! I may have to buy another bolt.

Enjoy looking! Next stop: My first trunk sale on July 11 in Burlington. I'll be set up on the sidewalk on Cherry Street near Penny Cluse, warmly hosted by Heather Beal and The Clothing Line. Please come by and say hello!