Fashion on the Frontier

Well, Mom traveled 50 miles to help me with the sewing machine -- to no avail. But despite the seemingly negative outcome, I feel relieved. At least I know it's not my incompetence that has kept the machine out of working order. Mom is anything but incompetent. And since we don't exactly have a Singer repair shop here in Laredo (welcome to the frontier), she and Daddy took the machine back to my little hometown to see if the local upholsterer that Mom works with is able to fix it. My fingers are crossed. But this doesn't mean I no longer plan on buying that shiny new Brother I've mentioned. It's just that I really need to sell a few pieces before I have the cash to make that investment. The conundrum.

Since I haven't been able to sew, I've been working on cute little hair clips to sell in the shop. It's fun. But so much work for such little things! I don't see how anyone can actually profit from making such time-consuming, low-selling-price items. If I'm going to work on something for more than an hour, I want more than a handful of material to show for it. I could never be a jewelery maker. But I do love jewelery and pretty little hair clips! It takes all kinds. I just happen to be the cut-it-up, sew-it-up, and wear-it-to-tonight's-party kind.

Happy New Year's Eve, everyone!

Pieces of the Future

I fiddled with the sewing machine for a few more hours today, tried a handful of different needles, and still no luck. I'm so anxious to get my Etsy shop up and running that today I listed my unfinished scarf. I'm calling it Red Twilight. I posted pictures of some of the reclaimed fabrics that I'm using for the project.

Creating new fashion with bits and pieces of the past is so much fun! I honestly don't know why anyone uses new fabric. Well, okay, that's not entirely true. Convenience is a definite upside of using all new materials. But the challenge of piecing together disparate patterns, colors, and weaves makes for such interesting final results! I learned that truism from my mother, who enjoyed remodeling strange older houses. The weird nooks and crannies that most would never incorporate into new floor plans can make for the most wonderful unique architectural elements in a remodeled home.

Notes:

-I got my first comment today, thanks to Mandy!

-Baby still has diarrhea, but I'm getting used to changing diapers 20 times a day.

The Digital Future

I spent hours changing needles and making adjustments, and the problem's only gotten worse. There are more dashes than dots in the Morse code now, and my frustration level is in the red zone. I think it's time to quit messing around with antiques and buy one of those newfangled electronic machines. I need to get with the times. And if I'm going to make this into a career, I'll have to keep up with the technology. Oddly, I adore computers and digital cameras, but find the idea of a computerized sewing machine absurd. I think it must be because Momma taught me to sew and is of the firm belief that plastic and electronics turn sewing machines into gremlins. But I should know better. Electronic pianos may not be as beautiful, or sound quite the same as a genuine grand, but they are a hell of a lot more portable and they never need tuned! I was won over by such digital versions years ago. Now to bite the bullet and dish out that ever-so-hard-to-come-by cash for a Brother CS-6000i. I have read numerous reviews stating this model is the best basic electronic machine. And I was surprised to find it costs under $200. But still, that's $200 spent instead of going toward reduction of debt. I realize, however, one must invest money in order to get a return. This is for the business. This is for eco fashion. This is for the future!

I should have been a politician.

Christmas Day, Not So Hot

Yesterday, I was sure my project was off to a good start. I organized my sewing corner, repaired the sewing machine pedal, and sewed a hat for the hubby's grandmother.

But today, I'm not so sure. Baby is still sick. We spent much of his first Christmas day in the emergency room. The old Singer is skipping stitches left and right. My seams look like Morse code. I have my first piece for my Etsy shop all cut out and ready to sew, but no machine to do it with.

But I shall prevail. I'll sew by hand if I have to. I will get my Etsy shop up and running. Because my debt must be gone by thirty, right?

This is Cate, signing out.

The Beginning of the End

This blog will document my journey from drowning in debt to debt-free by the time I am thirty (in little more than two years). I will accomplish this feat by opening and successfully marketing an Etsy shop through which I will sell fashion and art by yours truly created with reclaimed materials.

Honestly, both the idea of running an Etsy shop while being a full-time mom, and the notion of being out of debt by thirty seem totally impossible at this moment in time. Even the task of writing a daily blog with a five-month-old baby on my lap seems ridiculous, but the way I figure it, thinking big can certainly do no harm, and will quite possibly be the foothold I need to pull myself out of this seemingly bottomless pit in which I find myself.

Mostly, I'll be writing about my creative ventures, I think, since they'll make for more interesting prose than numbers and figures. But I will keep you updated on my progress in the financial realm as well. And inevitably, my baby boy, Leo, will be featured in nearly every entry. As every mom knows, children invade a mother's every thought, and so this is simply unavoidable.

I welcome any comments, suggestions, constructive criticism, and/or questions.

Today's Goals:
-have unrecognized charge removed from credit card
-set up Etsy shop

Notes:
-baby has diarrhea and is extra fussy