Sunshine and flowers

This week I decided to start sewing up bags with my Sunshine Fun Flowers fabric (shown at right). The forecasters were predicting a mini-heatwave for Seattle, much desired after a particularly long and dreary winter and spring. I thought this was the perfect fabric to welcome the sunshine.

And sure enough, out came the sun, up went the temperatures and the Sunshine Fun Flowers bags have been flying off my table at Pike Place Market. So quickly in fact that I haven't had a chance to photograph one of the bags for the blog!

I love it when people react so positively to any fabric and this one is a real winner. Not surprising really, as it's darned attractive with the brown canvas and the charming yellow lining I'm using inside the bags.

Fortunately I have more of this fabric to sew up. If you're in the Market this week come and check them out.

The best vacation bags

I'm just back from two weeks of vacation, but it was hardly two weeks away from Red Delicious. When you have your own business and are passionate about your products, you find yourself talking about it a lot, even when on holiday.

Of course I was carrying Red Delicious bags everywhere, and my traveling companion sister was carrying her own medium messenger the entire trip. So it was lovely that many people asked about our bags, commented favorably, and asked for the website address which, of course, I was happy to provide.

We were on a road trip in California, with some big-city time and rural time. I found the best bag for exploring San Francisco was my large messenger. It had already made a great carry-on bag for my flight, and with the sunny but breezy weather it easily held an extra sweater and hat, in addition to my fat guide book, sunglasses, water bottle and lots of other bits and pieces. These included a delicious bottle of olive oil I picked up at the amazing Saturday morning farmer's market at the ferry building.

During the road trip the medium messenger was perfect for our explorations of quaint small towns, light hikes through gorgeous scenery, touring the wineries of Napa valley, and even for a session of panning for gold (no I didn't make my fortune!).

In the evenings my new clutch performed with excellence. I found the front pockets were perfect for securely stashing my id and hotel room key-card.

Now I'm back to "real" life, but have already had a fun day at Pike Place Market to get me back in the swing. And I hope to hear from some of our new acquaintances from the California trip very soon.

A very special baby bag

My dear friend J recently had her first baby and of course I wanted to make her a Red Delicious baby bag. Enter the Large Messenger, which was originally designed at the urging of another friend who had her first baby just over a year ago and wanted a classy bag for his things.

J picked out her own fabrics for the bag, but as she wanted an outside fabric with a large-scale print I had to modify my usual pattern to make the most of it. I decided to cover the entire front pocket with the print - there is usually an inch between the top of the print fabric and the top of the pocket.

Fortunately it worked very well and I think the result is stunning.

She also chose a striking lining fabric to go with the gorgeous floral print (both are from Free Spirit) and so I turned the bag inside out to show you how it looks.

As usual I did the inside pockets in the same fabric as the outside and again tried to make the most of the print.

And for a little a bonus, I used some of the left-over fabric to make a matching zippered pouch for baby whatnots.

Tax time

So it's great being a small business owner for 364 days of the year. The exception? April 15th of course, aka Tax Day in the USA.

Every year I intend to file my taxes for the previous year before the end of January. After all, the business has been done and the books are closed. Yet every year I end up staring down the deadline and wishing I'd kept on top of my record keeping and number crunching a bit more.

This year is no exception. I spent today preparing my taxes which turned out to be not half as complex as I'd built them up in my mind: thank goodness for the modern miracle that is software-based filing.

Fortunately it was a wet and stormy day in Seattle (complete with thunderclaps!) so I wasn't too sad to be missing out on the Market or a day off having fun. And winding down this evening I found an excellent article on Salon.com that perfectly, and funnily, describes how the self-employed like me should operate year-round.

So I have vowed to follow this sage advice, and to stay on top of all things number crunching this year. No really. I'll start next week...

Seattle tops for arts businesses

I learn from the Seattle Times that Seattle "ranks first in the nation in the number of arts-related businesses per capita". And it's encouraging to think that Red Delicious is part of this wonderful statistic.

Creativity breeds creativity. And creativity is also lucrative for the hearts, minds and economies of communities in the US and around the world. Having just enjoyed the First Thursday art walk I'm inspired to create better work. And being able to earn a living with my art is a gift beyond description.

The creative industries study makes fascinating reading and makes it clear that arts-related businesses are not merely fluff but an important part of the economy.

Snow joke

I had intended to set up the booth at the Market today. But after hearing the weather report decided it would be a better sewing day instead. And given what's going on outside right now, I'm glad of my choice!



And it's still coming down hard. Didn't the weather gods get the memo about it being Spring last week?

Renovating the Market

Pike Place Market is the main location for Red Delicious, and a huge asset for Seattle. It attracts 10 million people a year from near and far, and offers artists, farmers and entrepreneurs a place to locate and grow their businesses. For local people it provides a wealth of items - produce and beyond - unavailable anywhere else in the city.

This unique place, loved by so many, was saved from the wrecker's ball in the 1970s by a huge community effort. And it has been quietly decaying again ever since.

Now the Mayor, Greg Nickels, has proposed a property tax levy to carry out $75 million in much needed basic renovations, including upgrades to the plumbing, wiring and access. The nearby Victor Steinbrueck Park would also get an overhaul.

As a regular user of all these I know how essential those upgrades are. The loos overflow with dismaying regularity, the power can be rather temperamental, and the access can be challenging even to the able-bodied. The park appears from a distance to be a pretty place to see the view and eat lunch, but up close is littered with addicts and their detritus. Obviously that needs to be changed.

I really hope Seattle steps up and supports this levy. It appears that it actually represents a lower tax than the levy currently being paid for parks. And the Market is such an asset to Seattle and a massive benefit to the economy it should be upgraded before we reach crisis point.