I'm a RAINN-Maker!

Well, y'all, I just wanted to let everyone know that after two weeks and a bunch of edits, I am officially a RAINN-Maker.

What exactly does that entail? It means that RAINN recognizes me and my little Etsy shop as official fund-raising sources. They even have a link to my little store from their website (well, they should by week's end). I can now officially and legally say that 100% of the RAINN-y Day line and 10% of everything else is donated to RAINN.

I'm so excited! It's publicity! It's officiality! It's a great cause! You can check out RAINN's link to me at their Shopping for RAINN site. And, of course, you can check out my store at http://kreations.etsy.com.

So help support the National Sexual Assault Hotline, both the phone and (beta) online versions AND support my crafting habit by picking up a few lovely items from my store. You'll look good and feel good, too!

"V-Day 2007" Line?

Tonight was the closing night of the Auraria Campus's V-Day 2007 production of the Vagina Monologues. It was me and my Dear Husband's 3d year working the technical aspect. It's become a sort of family affair. A bit of background: My junior year, I had just joined TrIota, the Women's Studies honor society, and I was wanting to become more involved in making women's issues more visible. I figured V-Day was a good place to start. After some asking around, I found out that I needed to talk to Zoe, the 2005 production organizer. It was simple, really. I asked if they needed help. She said yes, they needed a lighting and tech person. I knew nothing about that, but my Dear Husband... that's passion. He was just starting to get back into theatre, and jumped at the opportunity. Even though he knew nothing at all about the Vagina Monologues.

Fast forward to tonight. He now knows most of the monologues by heart, we've been honored as Vagina Warriors, and we have an extended family of sisters in the V-Day cast. This year's production was done on a shoestring budget. Scott lit it with four lights attached to dimmers (the other 6 lights were dead), a projector, my trusty MacBook Pro, and a PA system (for some reason, we couldn't use the installed sound system). We had no crew. It was just Scott. He had a month notice. That's it. And you know what, it still went off wonderfully. Another successful year calling attention to women's issues, causes, and gratuitous shouting of the word "cunt".

Anywhoo, as I was crocheting in the makeshift soundpit, I thought it'd be cool to launch a V-Day inspired line of something. Jewelry, most likely, but not necessarily crocheted with wire. I even contemplated silk scarves, since those turned out so nicely. Maybe different images of the letter "V", the vagina, and perhaps the word "vagina" and it's different nicknames (a la' the intro from the monologues). But who wears silk scarves? Then I thought fabric cuffs or garter belts, but I don't know if I feel that confident with elastic yet.

At this point, it's just an idea. I was thinking that I could donate them for auction during the actual V-Day events, and then run them in my Etsy store. So they'd have the regular 10% donated to RAINN (a great cause that definitely falls within the spirit of V-Day) and another 10% to whatever the local spotlight organization for the year is. If there are multiple (usually are), then give the purchaser the choice of which organization gets it.

Hopefully, I'll get this idea off the ground sometime this year. Stay tuned for more info!

New Additions to the RAINN-y Day Jewelry Line

Today, as I was killing time before my OB visit, I decided to use the last of my wire on earrings. I'd never made earrings before, but they seemed pretty straight forward. I made them the same way I did the bracelets. Well, sort of. Just one chain of seven beads on a french hook. But I think they turned out pretty nice.

The earrings hang about 1.5" total, and feature six seed beads and one focal bead. As with the rest of the line, they benefit RAINN. Need to know more about RAINN? Check out their site! http://www.RAINN.org.

I also created another anklet, a three-strander comprised entirely of seed beads that's about 10" long with toggle clasps. And a kid's bracelet, a two-strander comprised entirely of seed beads that's about 5" long with a lobster clasp.

So there you go! The new additions should be up on Etsy in the next few weeks.

The BBB (Blanket/Burpie/Bib) Nursery Layette

When I found I was pregnant, I immediately went into nesting mode. Never mind the fact that I was already in the second trimester and had law school finals to study for. I was determined to make things for my baby. I am, after all, a crafter before a law student.

I decided to go for blankets and burp cloths. After all, I knew that moms can never have too many of these, regardless of how we feel during the baby shower onslaught of receiving blankets. Janome suggested a pattern fashioned from a yard of cloth, but I didn't really like the size. The blanket seemed too big for strollers and car seats, and, although I like the longer, curved burp cloths, I find them less versatile than their smaller, cloth-diaper-sized counterparts. I also wanted bibs to match.

I raided my nephew's bib stash to measure and evaluate his bibs. The best were about the size of a letter-sized sheet of paper and had snaps instead of velcro or ties. Most were reversible, so you could (attempt) to hide the mess he made on the other side. I favored the rounded rectangle over the oblong-eggy shape, so I sketched out a bib based on all the features I liked.

Next came blankets. Receiving blankets range from 24" - 36", and some are square, some are rectangle. 24" seemed a bit small, and 34" seemed a little big. I liked the idea of having a mostly-rectangle so I could drape it over my stroller better. I settled on 27 x 30".

That left the burp cloth. I figured, if I did it right, I could cut the blanket and bib, and have the perfect sized scrap for a burpie. Sure enough, I had worked it out. 3/4 yd off a 45" bolt yields a blanket, a bib, and a burpie. I was thrilled.

Finally, I decided I liked top-stitching and reversibility, so all the pieces had to be double-layered and top-stitched. Easier said than done; this is a lot of turn-and-stitching, but well worth it. In the end, I had amassed an impressive stash of flannel in complimentary colors and fun colors of threads. I set to work, and the fruits of my labors are showcased below.

Each layette features: a double-thickness burp cloth that measures 14.5 " x 11.5" - a great size for an over-the-shoulder burpie or (for cloth diapering moms like me) a diaper doubler (just fold in lengthwise quarters and stuff); a double-thickness receiving blanket that measures 27" x 30" - a great size for car seat, stroller, last-minute changing pad, or swaddling. If you have an extra-spitty baby, you can even fold it in half and throw it over your shoulder for an extra-large burp cloth; and a reversible bib measures 8" x 11" - the perfect size for your little one to grow into! My niece wore one this size from newborn 'til 18 months, so you'll get a good amount of use from it. It has snap closures; no scratchy velcro to irritate baby's sensitive skin.

Lessons learned:
1) I love, no *LOVE*, cotton flannel.
2) I hate hand-stitching.
3) Flannel comes in more adorable patterns than I have time to sew them all into adorable layettes.
4) A rotary cutter makes blanket-making MUCH easier.
5) Snaps are a pain to sew.

All in all, a fun project. I still have some cute fabrics laying around, waiting to be transformed into blankets. Cows, lions, and elephants. I'm sure they'll be more BBB's up here in the near future!

Circus Animals - BBB Layette

Circus animals showing off their best antics! The reverse is pink, accented with turquoise thread. The appliques all come from the main pattern fabric.

Duckies - BBB Layette

Perhaps my favorite pattern because of its simplicity. Duckies. Just duckies. The reverse is light yellow, accented with turquoise thread. There are no appliques on this pattern.

Cows on the Farm - BBB Layette

Cows and friends on the F-A-R-M. The reverse is green, accented with pink thread. The appliques all come from the main pattern fabric.