and i promise i won’t go away for this long again.

Whenever I go a long time without writing, I forget how to do it.  There is so much to share and tell that it is hard to begin.  I think I won’t go back over the past few months, and just start fresh and new.  Except to say, I hate moving, I hate it I hate it I hate it, and I hope we don’t have to move for a long time.  And also to say that having your computer break right after you unexpectantly have to move makes maintaining an etsy shop and online life very difficult – hence my absence.

but anyway. I am just starting making things in my new space.  I have been so engrossed in making kits and things for other people that I haven’t focused on personal projects at all.   I realized the other day that I hadn’t drawn in my sketchbook since last summer. That is insane. I used to carry it with me everywhere I went and would draw in it whenever I had a free moment.  I have been out of practice with my drawing and it is making everything in my life more difficult. So my sketchbook is in my bag again, and I made a little page of silly drawings in it the other day:

i think i need more silly drawings.

While I will still be working on making new and exciting things for you all to stitch, I am also going to take time this summer to work on a new body of paintings/embroideries/who knows that will hopefully turn into an art show next year.  To make that time I am not doing any of the big craft shows this summer.  Its a bummer, but I gotta make sacrifices y’all.  you’ll hopefully see Tako at the winter shows, ok!

Oh, and fyi, my Etsy shop is back up if you would like a kit.  I spent last Saturday screenprinting (my studio is much smaller in my new apartment, and Ben and I share the space now, so I have to plan my screenprinting time and do it elsewhere – conveniently at work!) and I’ll be spending some evenings this week getting foxes and owls and jeweled birds back in the shop. But I have buttons and whales and banners – and even a few citrus birds if you are inspired to embroider something!

i suppose it looks like i have dissappeared! i have not. but ben and i are in the process of moving again. We are sad to leave our super awesome house but unfortunately circumstances have changed and we have to find a new place to live. we are staying in Portland, and already have our sights on a few places… we just need to make a decision! so i’ll be back soon, i promise!

ok, it’s the new year! that means TIME TO ORGANIZE! I really need to get my crafty studio space up and running and gorgeous. Right now it is a mess of boxes, kits, pieces of kits, receipts, screens, paints, and yarn! I’ve been pinning a few things to my Inspiring Spaces pinterest board, but I really have no idea where to begin this project.

The photo above is the best thing I have done for my studio so far – I FINALLY got myself an Expedit from IKEA! I am not sure if my crewel yarn will live there forever – if not I am sure I can find another use for it.  I really need to find great yarn storage. I need to be able to group my crewel yarn by color AND by what kit it goes in, so I want to be able to have it all out and to see it all the time.

I know I need a space to screenprint, a computer area, a filing cabinet, yarn storage, a painting area, and a small bookshelf. I want all of my supplies to be easily accessible so that I can make something on a whim and not need to go looking for things.  I want the space to be inspiring to work in for me and for friends. Any ideas? i am so lost! I haven’t even started this project and I’m already frustrated with it. I am definitely NOT an interior designer.

Oh! Hello there! Long time no see. I am bad at the computer. Every night when I get home from work I have been eating, present wrapping, cooking, and sleeping.  I just made my first cheese log tonight.  I am a big fan of cheese log, so I am very much looking forward to christmas dinner now.  My family is headed down from Seattle to spend the holiday with us.  We have a tiny little blue foil tree (pictured above) on a tiny table in the corner. It is pretty great.

In other news, my craft shows this year went EXTREMELY well! Urban Craft Uprising was a blast as usual, and it was great to see so many familiar faces.  Crafty Wonderland was spectacular, and I made lots of new friends there – even some future collaborations in the works! Exciting! Yay! The big winners of the weekend were the Party Fox, the new Owl kit, and these little last minute mini kits that I made especially for the show – they sold out immediately! I am thinking of adding them to my kit line for all the time.  I also treated myself to some lovely things — including  a gorgeous crystalyn kae bag and a beautiful bella sisters jacket.  i love supporting local handmakers!

This holiday weekend and week is going to be absolutely wonderful, i’m sure of it.  I work for the very best place in the entire world, and our christmas bonus is a whole week off of work.  I haven’t had that much time off in YEARS. I am so excited about relaxing, heading up to Seattle without a million things on the agenda, knitting, making artwork… its going to be glorious.

So, the Tako Fibers Etsy shop is closed until my week off is over. I hope you understand. If you desperately need something from me, you can always send me an email, which I will surely reply to even though i will be vacationing!

Crafty Wonderland and Urban Craft Uprising were both SUPER FUN! It was really great to meet so many people, introduce many to the wonderful world of embroidery, and to also buy lots of awesome handmade things from other vendors. Maybe I did that last bit a little too much! It was exciting to hear from a few of you that a) you even read these tidbits that I write and b) that you would like it if I wrote more! Well, ok! I will! But right now… I need to tend to some much needed housework that has been seriously neglected over the past month or so.

xoxo, thanks for being so incredibly supportive of my little crafty enterprise!

This weekend! Urban Craft Uprising! Yes! You should go, Seattle!

Not only can you see my new kits in person, but I also always have show specials, and I have a few secret stocking stuffer kits available too.  This show is bigger than its ever been, with a huge amount of new vendors.

You can find Tako Fibers in the middle aisle (you can find a booth map on the UCU website!) and you can find Gritty Jewelry and ilfant press on the left wall when you come in!  Please stop by and say hello, and BUY HANDMADE this holiday season! xoxo

You probably know this by now, but a lot goes in to making a new kit.  I start with a sketch, then a drawing, then a sample piece, then trial and error in choosing which embroidery stitches go where, which colors to use, what fabric to embroider on.  And then there is the process of writing the instructions, having them read and edited by someone, having the piece test embroidered by someone, and then actually making and assembling the kits! WHEW! a lot of work! So, sometimes a long time goes between new kits.

I’m happy to say that all my hard work this year is finally paying off! Say hello to two new wall art kits!

First, we have Owl!

As you can probably tell, this was heavily influenced by vintage crewel kits.  I spent ages drawing different owls, and finally settled on this little make-believe one.  I think he is absolutely charming!  He is already posted and waiting for you in the etsy shop!

There are a few things different with this kit, and a few things you should know about when it comes to all future Tako Fibers kits as well! First, this kit is printed on a linen blend fabric, not a 100% cotton hopsack.  It is wonderful to embroider on, and also comes in a wide variety of colors.   I am really excited to be working with colored backgrounds on some of these new pieces – it really makes the stitches pop.

Also, with these new kits comes…. new packaging!

I am really, really happy about this brand new packaging.  It looks incredible in person, especially compared to the old packaging. It is an archival 8×8 photo box, and you can really see everything in the kit through it.  It is also much narrower than the other boxes I was using.  I am sad to leave the cake boxes behind, since they were so sweet looking… but glad to have something less bulky!

All Tako Fibers kits will be packaged in this new packaging.  Also, instead of the “Tiny Book of Crewel Embroidery” that was included in each kit, I have a smaller print out of all the basic embroidery stitches you will need.  I wish the Tiny Book didn’t have to retire, but they really took a long time to assemble… time that could have been spent working on new kits! But don’t worry… I am planning on having something a bit more filled out and book-like available soon! (I do work for a letterpress print shop, after all!)

Oh! I almost forgot! We have one more new kit… the whale!

The whale is another one that I have been working on for a long time.  This kit is for a more seasoned embroiderer.  It is filled entirely in chain stitch, and really takes a lot of patience.  Getting the curves right is a little tricky, so this isn’t a kit for an absolute beginner.  It is also larger than my other kits, fitting in an 11×14 frame (the finished whale measures just around 12×6).  This one is printed on a gorgeous deep turquoise linen blend fabric, and is really fun (and challenging!) to stitch.  He is available in the Tako Fibers Etsy shop right now!

I’ll be posting 2 more new pin kits later in the week! yay!

Anthology Magazine, one of the most beautiful magazines I have ever seen, has included my DIY button kit in their Winter gift guide! You can check it out on page 54, under Lauren’s picks for tweens. You can even see the lovely buttons that she embroidered! I remember meeting Lauren and her mom at Renegade this summer, and I’m so happy that she enjoyed her kit enough to recommend it to others! hooray!

In other news, tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Yay thanksgiving! We have some friends in town for the holiday, and are having a vegan thanksgiving celebration. Our menu is stuffing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts, field roast celebration loaf (SO GOOD), cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and tutti frutti ice cream! Also, i’m sure we will have quite a bit of wine and bourbon as well. What are your plans? What are you thankful for?