Autumn Updates

What have I been up to???

I’ve been attempting to enjoy every bit of sunshine and summer-like warmth I can.

I’ve been pretending it is perfectly okay to keep wearing floral and flowy dresses despite the leaves turning.

I’ve been tumbling down a research rabbit hole.

I’ve also been working on a few special projects:

Unveiling Rural Milliners at GCVM’s Fall Fashion & Textile Symposium

I am very excited about my upcoming presentation at the Fall Fashion and Textile Symposium. Unveiling Rural Milliners focuses on my ongoing research into milliners around the Finger Lakes and Genesee Valley regions in an attempt to understand what their shops looked like and what made a successful rural millinery.

Mystery Boxes in the Making

My sewing time has been mostly spent making smaller items for a new series of Mystery Boxes. This set of Fanciful Utility themed Mystery Boxes will be filled with some of my favorite fancy work items from recent years. I plan to have these boxes ready November 1st. (I may also do one or two holiday ornament Mystery Boxes.)

Barrell Letters on Patreon

The Barrell Letters is the first of two series I currently have on Patreon. These letters between family members include casual sibling banter, descriptions of New England farm life from a non-farmer, and travel accounts. A letter posts each Saturday this fall.

Stereoviews on Patreon

The second series currently running on Patreon is an imaged based one. Each Monday, I share part of a rescued set of stereoviews. This stack of stereoviews was in very sad shape when I found it at a local shop. They were tattered, torn, and faded. I’ve tried to enhance the images to be more visible.

Pocket of the Month

I think my Pocket of the Month series on Patreon will come to an end at the end of the year. I have greatly enjoyed the design aspect of this series. But, I think I am running out of inspiration and ideas. At least for now. I may start a new design series pulling from original illustrations. Handkerchief corners?

Reworking & Rewiring

I am also doing some life reworking & rewiring. This needs to include my Etsy shop because sales have plummeted. Yes, I know this is because people don’t have disposable income to spend. But, I rely on my Etsy shop to fill the significant gap between my day job and my very basic budget. So, I have to do some reworking to pay rent, utilities, & buy groceries.