One more week

So I was unable to put everything together in my pattern line and get my website up and running by the first so I am giving myself one more week to get my website up. I guess I need to prioritize my to do list better, instead of trying to get everything done perfectly. Unfortunately I have always been a perfectionist and that tends to slow me down a lot of the time.

2 days to go

Wow I having been working around the clock this last month. Its two days until I said I would have my site up and there is still so much to do. I am very excited but very busy. I spent the day drawing up and simplifying my size chart( since my sizes are going to be different than commercial patterns and based on body type and curve level. But there are so many different combinations of possibly measurements that it took a while to type that up and simplify my sizes charts so that they would be easily readable.
I also need to finish and test four patterns. I want to be adding about 3 patterns weekly to my pattern line. That way I can always have something new for my beginner seamstresses.
Starting a business is a lot of work and I haven't been getting much sleep. I have been going to bed at 1:00 in the morning and waking up at 4:00 to get everything done. I usually don't drink coffee but at the moment it is my best friend. I would give advice to anyone who wants to start a business of any kind, even if it is another niche than sewing, It is very fun and if you go for something you enjoy. You will have a sense of accomplishment that gets stronger every day even before you have completely put everything together. It feels amazing but  if you are looking for something where you don't have to work and sleep until noon this is not for you. My husband is jealous and lonely and upset because I don't have any time. You will alienate your loved ones and become a hermit most of the time trying to get things done that need to be done.
If you want a sense of reward and still think that starting a business is for you than great you will be immensely rewarded and as I said before it feels amazing. I can already feel my life changing. But time manage and stick to a schedule or you will feel overwhelmed.   but I know that it is going to change my life and I am excited. I am also excited that I found a way to help others learn to sew as well as follow my design passion and that is exciting. Two more days till the website.Yay!!!!.
 Any thoughts or questions please post.

Sharpening old needles

It is usually recommended that you replace a sewing machine needle after 6-8 hours of use but sometimes that isn't practical.
Have you ever been this situation? its the morning before a night out and you have just cut out that cute dress pattern and you are eager to sew it all together.  You want to wear and show off your figure in that sexy dress on a third date (or whatever) the same evening. However you are out of needles and all you have left are old dull ones.
Well guess what... You can actually sharpen an old needle using a metal emery board. Just rub the side of the point of the needle against the emery board until the end is nice and sharp. Wallah, its like new.

Doing this is time saving. You don't have to go out and buy a new pack of needles. It saves you money.Its green because you are reusing. Because you don't have to make a trip to the fabric store you will be able to finish that dress in time for that hot date.

I'm back

I've been offline for a while and I apologize. I have been very busy in the last few months. I started a new job. Also something tragic happened to my business and I lost all my data and all the patterns I had drafted to put on my website so I was unable to start my online store when I wanted to. I lost a years worth of work and that was a huge set back.  

 Fortunately the company I now work for is a temp agency and they haven't had any assignments for me in the last 3 weeks so I have been able to play catch up and am almost where I was when I lost my data. (I now have extra backup).

It takes a while to finish one pattern because I am drafting every pattern in different curve levels. The loss of my data however turned out to be a blessing though because it forced me to reevaluate my system and make it quicker. I am drafting my patterns on Photo Shop and I was doing one at a time but I found by having more than one draft open and adding a detail at a time it drastically cut the time that it took to draft my patterns. 

I was going to come up with a new pattern once every 2 weeks but now I should be able to do 2 a week.

I am excited because I am back on track after a few months of trying to catch up.

Any way that is what I have been up to.

I hope everyone is having a great 2012 and good wishes to all.

Does anyone out there have any suggestions on what they would like to see in a pattern line?