validation

i tell myself
that i create for myself.
that i just want to make beautiful things,
and it does not matter if people like them.

i tell myself this.
but it could not be further from the truth.

i want people to like what i make.
i want them to HAVE to have a lucends product.

i want them to be moved
by the fabric
the color
the design
or my story.

it is easy to put
my product online.
i don't see the reaction,
good or bad.
it is passive.

it is harder to apply to a show.
first, there is the process.
will they like it?
will they accept me?

then the actual show
will i stand there all day
and not make a single sale.
will people think my stuff i ugly?

today, ph and i spent
the day at artist row at the public market.
it was a perfect fall day.
sunny, crisp, perfect.
and i was validated.

the response to my work
was very positive.
i made some sales.
i gave away alot of business cards.
i met some great people.
i had some awesome conversations.
and i am inspired to keep creating.

thank you to all who support
my creative endeavors.

a new groove

we are in a new groove
here on newberry lane.
c started montessorri
this morning.

he goes 5 days a week
for 3 hours.
he did great!
no tears were shed
by c or his mama.

this means that i can
grocery shop by myself,
run errands,
go to scott miller,
and more importantly
sew, sew, sew.

i have two shows coming up.
one september 18th
and the other november 5th.
both are here in rochester.
i applied to one other show,
and should know if i was accepted
in a couple of weeks.

since i have a lot of
work to make,
i am going to create
a sewing schedule
to guide my creating process.

a definite new groove.

little projects

this weekend
i have sewn a number
of little projects.

things that have been
in my head
for some time.

i needed to clear
some head space
for new ideas.

some of these
may or may not
show up in the shop.

but if for some reason
you wan to purchase
these goodies
shoot me an email.

here we go
a hooded toddler towel
for chace.
i how small the
hooded ones you can buy are
and they are not soft.

a learn to count 

bean bag set for chace.

out of pirate fabric of course.

and last,
the yoga mat bag.
i love love love this bag.
i can not wait to purchase
my yoga mat and take it to class on thursday.
( this will show up in the shop)

it feels good to have these done!

change

i dont like change.
i guess most people don't.
but i know that change is good.

for the last two years
i have been comfortable
with my lucends sales on etsy.

they provided me
with fun money.
money for fabric, fabric and more fabric.
trips to scott miller
and they bought my iphone.

i sew because i love it
the creative process is
what feeds my soul.

lately, i have been thinking
alot about what i want out of lucends the brand.
i want lucends to be a brand
that people feel good about.

a brand that is made with love.
a brand that people are proud to show their friends.
i want lucends to be a brand
that is committed to handmade.

of course for this to happen
i have to make some changes.
changes that i have been reluctant to make.

i am applying to several
craft show in the fall.
some are local and some are not.
i have changed my store platform.
etsy is just too big.
and i joined facebook.

one thing that will not change is this blog.
so no worries there.

but i would love it
if you checked out
my new spaces.
became my friend.
liked my page.
and shared it with your friends.

and most of all i hope that
lucends will be a brand you
want to continue to support.

xoxoxo you all.
for real.
luc

stitching

i havent shared any of 

my creative endeavors lately.

but i have been working

like crazy.

i am applying to some 

shows that will happen this fall.

and am working on 

building the lucends brand.

i have also been stitching

some of my favorite quotes 

by hand.

below are some of the results.

i am pretty happy 

with the way they are turning out.

i will be adding them to etsy, soon.

enjoy.

a room of my own

finishing up

i am in a number of virtual quilting bees.
and for the most i really enjoy it.
each bee has different parameters
and guidelines.
they have all pushed the limits
of my creativity at some point.

but for some reason i wait
until the very last minute each month
to make my blocks.

take the above blocks.
they are for the 1st quarter of the 3x6 bee
for this bee, i have to make
6 identical blocks for 6 different people
following their designated color scheme.

if you participate in all 4 quarters
you will have 24 blocks to make  quilt.
good stuff.

here is the kicker.
i have 3 months to make
these blocks.
and i wait until the
day before they have to be mailed.

silly me.
at least they are not late!

athena's clutch

athena texted me one day

that she needed a clutch.

a clutch to hold her

phone, credit cards and stilla lipgloss.

then she started sending

me pictures of what she wanted.

i let it simmer in my brain.

she thought i was ignoring her.

after several attempts

this is what i settled on.

i sent her two, both in her fave fabrics.

one with interfacing

one without.

they were just

what she had been dreaming about.

they will be coming soon

to the etsy shop.

trade

remember this quilt?
the one i made for riley?
the one that his mama and i
traded our talents for?

well.....
she recently brought over
her side of the trade.
it is perfect!

sabre finally has
his very own portrait.
bailey has one.
sampson (who is no longer with us) has one.
even bella (my parent's dog) has one.

alicia does great work.
if you want a portrait for yourself
or a loved one.
check out her website.
and place an order.

caught up

i am finally caught up on all of my virtual quilting bees.

and this feels sooooo good.

now i can focus on finishing up

some of my projects

and work on some new ideas 

i have brewing in my head.

bits and pieces bee made two of these blocks

pins and needles bee

pins and needles bee

3x6 bee 4th quarter. made 6 of these in different colors

if.....

if you missed lucends at the RMSC Holiday Bazaar
or if you live out of town.
you are in luck.

i am loading the remaining
of my inventory onto the
lucends etsy shop.

better still, i am offering
you dear readers
a coupon code.
from now until dec.7th 2010
enter BLACK10
and you will earn 10% off
your entire order.

all the inventory will be in
the shop by black friday.

so i hope you will take a look
and
give the gift of handmade
this holiday season.

craft hangover

i did not think it was possible, but i have a craft hangover.
a serious one.
so serious that i can not think about sewing
much less actually sew today.

i hope this hangover
doesn't last long.
i have bee blocks to make
quilts to put together
and holiday gifts to make.

but i am hungover.

overall, the show went well.
i sold 53 items
or 47% of my inventory.
the response to my work
was positive.

so, all in all a good experience.

i am working on listing
the remainder of my inventory
on etsy.
and should have a holiday shopping
treat for you all soon.

thanks for sticking
with me during my
sewing frenzy.
i am looking forward
to returning to
my regular blog/sewing routine.

xoxo

handmade holiday (aka holiday bazaar)

obsession

i have an obsession.
ok.
i have several obsessions.

my most recent
fabric hexagons.
which turned into
hexagon garland.

they will be for sale
this weekend
at the RMSC Holiday Bazaar.
if you live in the rochester area.
i do hope you will
pay us a visit.
we are in booth #611.

loot

mom and i had a great time in nyc.

with the exception of the extra

40,000 people there to run the

NYC marathon.

we went to the new purl store.

it was heaven.

it was perfect.

it was inspiring

and it was crowded.

here is some of the loot

i could not live without.

handspun cashmere

echino oilcloth

chunky zippers

66

a glimpse of my work for the holiday bazaar in a few weeks. as of today i have 66 pieces of handmade goodness ready.

guest post: sam: "art and craft in the snyder family"

last but not least, my youngest brother, sam from headwaters.

A fondness for art and craft runs in our immediate family. Starting with our mother, whose pottery graces tables and appetites.  Our father is as skilled a writer as he is a doctor.  In an unconventional sense our brother is the ultimate artist. A strategist, schemer, one who sees the grand plan, pulls it together, and makes it happen.

We share a fondness for artisanal cuisine.  Growing, harvesting, and of course cooking.  This is one reason we love Greece, the food.  And a major reason I am jealous I am not there right now -  Feta, small fishes, flat bread, tzatziki, olives, and capers.

We prefer those arts with purpose.  We appreciate the painting on the wall, but would prefer a ceramic mug, made with love, filled with warm coffee or two fingers of bourbon.

You know, from this blog - Lucy touches fabric, and it defines functional art.  A quilt to keep you warm on a frosty winter night or a wooly hat to protect my ears from the wind off Alaska’s Chugach mountains.

I took painting lessons as a child; I always loved to draw. I play music with my friends, yet never sing a song. Growing food, while hard in Alaska, is a passion for sure, but the preparation is the best part, crafting meals for all to enjoy.

These days, my crafting is a different sort, yet functional all the same.  With a bit of deer hair, colored wool, rooster tail or chenille I make small “flies” – Fake bugs, tiny fish, or nothing in particular at all. Their function - to catch fish.  Big fish, small fish, elegant fish, and edible fish (such as salmon).

For each of us, despite our differences, we all find a bit of healing in artistic ways. Lucy found community through knitting and her blog, our mother finds strength in the spin of the pottery wheel. Art, indeed, can heal. It can also lead us to fight for things important to us: family, friends, or endangered spaces.

My passion for fish has led me into the middle of the biggest environmental fight in Alaskan history – protecting Bristol Bay, the world’s largest sockeye ecosystem from the ravages of a proposed open pit mine – North America’s largest. It is a greedy quest for gold versus the red gold of salmon.

Art or craft steadies our nerves, gives us a focus, and most importantly puts us into action – whether contemplative or engaged. To all you artists out there how has art led you toward healing, or drawn you to fight for your passions, things important to you? 

a quilt for riley

bean has a friend named riley.
they are 3 months apart.
riley's momma paints pet portraits.
we have two of them in our house.
but we don't have one of sabre.

she asked me if we could do a swap.
a quilt for a painting.
perfect!
she picked out the fabric.
and i did the rest.

since riley is a good southern baby,
it has a cowboy theme.
i sure hope he likes it.

thank you bean for letting me get this
finished last week.
feel free to return to your napping schedule
so i can work some more.


it is off to the quilter tomorrow.

branching out

here is my latest sewing/quilting venture. i had some of that darling scarlet fig fabric leftover and thought it would be perfect for a pillow. i decided to use my501 Rotary-Cut Quilt Blocks (That Patchwork Place)as inspiration. i found a block that showcased the whimsical nature of the fabric and went to work. to be honest, i was totally winging it, which was freeing and uncomfortable at the same time. i usually have a plan when i start cutting fabric, especially fabric that i love.  but this time i just let creativity be my guide. ok, i had a rough sketch in my head.

anyway, i decided to try quilting the front all by myself. i used my walking foot and everything. it wasn't so bad. but then again the front was only 16 x 16 inches. we are not talking a whole quilt here!
i put a zipper in the back, not perfectly, but it looks pretty good. zippers are tricky little suckers.

but overall i am quite pleased with the result. i think i just might make a few more. i have fabric that would be perfect!

inspired reading

while i was in santa fe my mom got me some new quilting books. they helped keep my creativity flowing while i was away. i thought i would share them with you. hopefully they will inspire your creativity as well.


from top to bottom: Little Birds: 26 Handmade Projects to Sew, Stitch, Quilt & Love (Design Collective),Pretty Little Mini Quilts (Pretty Little Series), Pretty Little Pillows (Pretty Little Series), The Gentle Art of Quiltmaking: 15 Projects Inspired by Everyday Beauty, and 501 Rotary-Cut Quilt Blocks (That Patchwork Place).