Embroidery Machine Blues

Dear Friends,
I'm sitting here in our extended stay hotel with not much more than my computer and I'm having some serious sewing and embroidery withdrawal.  I really am!

Everything with the move is seemingly flowing smoothly.  The bank loan has come through and we are set to close in a couple of weeks.  We're set to take possession of the house October 11th and our furniture is scheduled to arrive that day and that means my sewing/embroidery machine will be there too!

As you can imagine though, it will take some time to unpack and get settled.  I can't wait!!!

Here is a little sneak peek of the future headquarters of Embroidery It.  These pics were taken while house hunting so it's not my furniture you see here.  It is a small guest room in the basement with a closet and the room includes a nice pretty window.  Those blank walls will be filled with shelves and cabinets and I'll place my desk with sewing machine in front of the window so I can look out.

Now back to hotel living.  Unless I just really need a vehicle, Tim drives himself to school and Mike drives to work which means most days I'm car-less.  While here, in order to pass the time, I have been doing lots of reading.  Also, Michael's craft store is a 5 minute walk and JoAnn's Fabrics is a 10 minute walk from the hotel.  I go to one or the other several times a week just to get out and about.  One day I even went to JoAnn's twice in one day.  I bet I can find things and know those two stores better than some of the employees. :-)  Yes, it is potentially dangerous for me to live so close to craft stores!

I have bought various crafting magazines as well as I bought a small amount of felt, fabric, beads and embroidery thread and I'm trying to make some Christmas ornaments by hand.  (It just makes me miss my sewing machine even more)

The other thing is that I've been giving a lot of consideration is to where I want to take Embroidery It.  I've been writing down goals and thoughts and if you are not too bored already, here is a bit of what I have been dreaming of.  Basically come 2014, I am ready to move it just beyond the hobby stage yet still have plenty of time for my family.

Fall 2013 - October, November and December
   1.  Get moved and settled into our new home.
   2.  Become familiar with the local art/craft shows and venues.
   3.  Prepare our own home and activities for the fall and winter holidays.

Winter 2014 - January, February and March
   1.  Start embroidery production to prepare for craft shows.
   2.  Open Etsy Shop and begin selling here on this site.
   3.  Focus on learning my Generations digitizing software

Spring 2014 - April, May and June
   1.  Continue with embroidery production, Etsy shop and digitizing.
   2.  Have digitizing for sale.  I've got to figure out how that whole instant download thing works.
   3.  Do one or two spring craft shows.  This will enable me to get my booth figured out before fall as well as packaging and taking orders down pat.  It will help me get all the kinks out before the fall craft season begins.

Summer 2014 - July, August and September
   1.  Focus of family summer fun.
   2.  Continue embroidery production and Etsy shop.
   3.  Continue digitizing.

Fall 2014 - October, November and December
   1.  Continue embroidery production and Etsy shop.
   2.  Focus on craft shows and boutiques.
   3.  Focus on family activities during fall and winter holidays.

The one thing about the Midwest is that there certainly a lot of craft fairs and events which means plenty of venues to sell finished work.  I'm not sure if I want to focus more on completed projects or do custom orders.  I'll figure that out during the first year.  I'm also wondering if I will want to do more sewing or embroidery or a combination of the two.  I'm guessing things may go in waves where some times I feel more like sewing and other times more like embroidering.  Now I'm just rambling so I'm going to bring this to a close.

Sending each of you Love and Embroidery Blessings,
Nancy