Hooray for me! Thank You Bee Square Fabrics

Lucky, lucky me. I entered & won a giveaway on Bee Square Fabrics Blog...I just received my fabric prize- a yard of Alexander Henry's bright & fun Juicy Stripe- it's a little bolder than I'd probably ever buy, which is why I like it so much. It's kind of like a pair of red high heels or chunky bracelets.... I love 'em, but never buy them. I'm imagining this piece o' fabric turning into some sort of wristlet maybe with a fabric flower or ruffle...or maybe cut up in a patchwork. We''ll see.
But let me say this about the Bee Square website...I happened upon this shop last year & loved it ever since. I've purchased fabric here (like the Alexander Henry Starling which landed me a place in the gift guide with my baby set) and the blog is chock full of giveaways, contests & info. The icing? The website is one of the easiest & most beautiful I've ever seen. Thank you Bee Square!

p.s. the fabric is shown here with my little Malaysian kitty my husband brought back for me from his business trip last year. Meow.

Just a Few Things I've Whipped Up...New Baby Goodness

Sometimes I look at my shop & my items & think, did I really make all this? Really? It's a mixture of pride & shock. Mostly shock. When I look at my schedule I realize that we've really got some organized chaos here...it's kind of a finely tuned crazy machine that allows me to work from home. But it's all worth it to me. In fact I feel really lucky- I'm able to share some of my creativity, profit from my interest, & best of all- wacth Jack grow. I'm around to hear him say 'tractor'- over & over (broadly applied to anything with wheels) or watch him hold our new rescued kitty with unbridled amazement, or see him smoosh up a piece of tofu so craftily & intently... and then offer it to me with pure sincerity & love.

Sometimes running Quiltish means early mornings. Or it means fewer relaxing evenings. It often means stitching during televised basketball games. It can mean missing out on a few things here & there. But one thing's for sure, it doesn't mean missing out on Jack.

So here are some summery sweet baby items I've stitched up with the new fabric prints- available in my shop, on their way, or destined for their new home at Grasshopper! stitch, stitch, stitch.....

I'm In Love, New Fabric for Quiltish

My new prints arrived today & it was just the thing to brighten up this gray Pacific Northwest day. I am itchin' to start working with these prints & while I have a lot of projects & orders lined up for them, my mind is reeling with some new items...like a block quilt. Anyway, here they are, fresh from Michael Miller & featuring the designs by Sandi Henderson & Paul Prass.

Update on Stolen Quiltish Photos

I appreciate those of you who showed support for my recent experience with another Etsy member committing copyright infringement by stealing my photos (read here). I'm glad to report that as of Friday afternoon AbbeyLane had taken down all but one of my photos-this was after much persistence, emailing & promises of further action.

Desperately, AbbeyLane tried suggesting that she was able to, miraculously, recreate each of the mentioned photos with her fancy shmancy camera...the cut of the fabric, her 'studio,' the shadows, the position, everything....silly of me to not understand this. Seriously.

The one photo she had neglected to take down? One of my earlier (read: not-so-great) photographs of a baby lovie blanket. The kicker- the photo included a small, but very noticeable, piece of fuzz....the very same piece of fuzz could be seen on the very same dot on the very same blanket edge of each listing....When I pointed this out to her she immediately removed the photo.

So what's missing now? Acknowledgment. Sincerity. An apology.

This is the part that has really gotten under my skin. The fact that a fellow mother/small business owner/Etsyian/human being would so brazenly steal my photographs, deny & respond with arrogance & fluff, and then offer no sort of apology- even when confronted with mounds of evidence. I'd like to think we're all in this together- but clearly, we're not.

Since she has finally, reluctantly taken down the listings it is not possible to see her thievery. However, thanks to my husband's brilliant screen shots, her crimes are archived in history. I've included a few screenshots of her using my photos in her shop along with the link to the actual item in my store.
Actual Quiltish Baby Gift Set (before label is edited away)



Actual Quiltish Washies Set



Actual Quiltish Baby Bib




Actual Quiltish Baby Lovie Blanket

Drumroll Please.....she had actually listed me as one of her favorite shops! In fact looks like I'm first on her list. Others...watch your photos.

A Thief Among Us - Someone Steals Quiltish Photos

Oh for the shame! I came upon an Etsy shop tonight who has stolen my photos. Now, as many of you know- my photographs have become a sense of pride for me- the product of much trial & error, a little sweat & even some tears. Apparently, another "mamapreneur" has opted to forgo this necessary rite of passage of small businessdom (creating your own style, look, design) by simply copying & pasting my images into her shop. Oh, but it doesn't stop there- not only has she stolen my photos but she has spent some time (minutes she could've spent learning to use her own camera) to photo-shop out my garment labels. It's obvious, you can see for yourself.

Tricky dicky though, these images are copyrighted.

So, while I generally let a lot of things roll off my back & am a pretty forgiving person, here's where I draw the line. Don't mess with my hard work!

Shame on you AbbeyLane.

{{Update with screen shot proof }}

Quiltish Mother's Day Gifts

For the New Mama: Quiltish Baby Gift Sets
Celebrate the bun in the oven or the freshly arrived stork package with one of these darling gifts- show that new mama she's appreciated!