Settling In

Ive been in my new space for almost 15 days now and for some reason I thought this move would go smoother than it actually did. It wasn't a horrible move, I just moved a lot of stuff - a whole lifetime of stuff all at once. Denial is a wonderful brain tool sometimes because if I had actually remembered previous moves in the past, I rarely did it all at once. If I had actually remembered how very stressful it is, I might have reconsidered waiting it out a while longer. No - what am I saying! I HAD to jump on this place when I saw it!!!!!!!  The days of loading everything I own in one car are loooooonnnnnnnnnnggggggg gone. It was hiring a big truck and movers and enlisting the help of friends. In fact, I still have some stuff back at the Albion house that I need to go get pretty soon. I still have more stuff!  Geese.........but the worst is over.

So Ive slowly been getting set up again and putting things where I want them to be - at least temporarily. I would like to paint this place, but white will have to do for now. Its more important to be up and running and getting my work done - getting a flow happening again.

I am very aware that I have back orders to fill and that my workload gets the best of me sometimes - almost there though.  It is the nature of this custom beast and the dance of the dressmaker/designer/costumer. Some orders take much too long. Some are easy to fill. If I rush, I make mistakes. And thats why things go wrong in production - everyone has to sew as fast as humanly possible. Mistakes happen.

Its been a very rocky year. Yeah, like THAT is news to anyone! When the economy shut down, it forced me into an awkward position of trying to do way too much all on my own and keep an income coming in.  If the economy had been able to remain in a somewhat steady place, my business would be running at top speed and orders would get filled quickly, new merch would be put up on Etsy more quickly, and I would have my patterns  out on the market. It has been very hand to mouth in KathleenLand - as it has been for most businesses these days. I have had to do things that I don't want to do - like raise my custom prices for certain items, not hire help, and search for new sources of materials because much of what I used just disappeared overnight it seemed.  It doesn't seem right - and its not. But that's the way the world works right now and I'm very grateful that I have a business that is still supporting me and a community that supports me as well!

It really worked well when I had my last little sale. I just shut it down when I felt I had taken in a few new sales and commissions - because this time I knew better than to keep it going for a whole month! So keep your eyes peeled for a sale now and then. I know it helps to save a few bucks these days!

I am still in shock about how much room I have to walk around in all day. I'm bruised from moving, but not from bumping into things that I shouldn't be bumping into. I go to sleep and sleep most of the night. I'm not woken up by bagel makers in the shop next door at 4 in the morning, or people fighting , or the girl upstairs stomping around at 3am, or people waking me up when they wake up.  I don't have street people bothering me on my doorstep or people peeing in my driveway. I have a lot of good memories of living on Albion Street. It was a lot of fun quite often there. We had many  people over and I liked living with Kristine and Spike and having Jessie pop in all the time, but now I clearly see how impossible it has been for me to focus and get things done in a timely way. I don't know how I did it at all. It was kind of madness in a way. You just cant work when sleep deprived and squished into too small of an environment. I know it made me very depressed, which I fought...........but this stuff affects everything.

So now, here I am with crickets and train whistles and good friends who share the same interests. I'm feeling organized. I think I know where everything is again. And I hope the universe forgives me for the last screwed up year and helps me to make my business prosper. Thank you everyone who has supported me in this endeavor to make nice garments that don't fall apart and that serve you well.

I found a bunch of aprons that I was trying to sell years back and I think I'll be putting them up on Etsy again to see how they do. They would really make great Christmas presents - and aprons are so NOW!
I have a big bag of Pasties that my friend Suzanne and I were making a long time ago - those should go up too. And of course, now that I found another source of lace and pretty knits, I'll get new things up on Etsy soon. But Ive got to tackle those back orders at the moment and get them sent off. Just trying to be honest here - its a one woman show these days. And sometimes Ive had to bite off more than I could chew - not on purpose!

I kind of put a bit of a halt on vending at events for a while (except for the three I did in August), but as I'm now feeling more inspired, I think I would like to do more of this on my own as soon as I get wheels - and with Salome's Suitcase, of course! We have Shadowdance lined up for the fall with a fashion show.........and Halloween is coming! I can feel it in the air! So much to look forward to!

One more cup of coffee and its back to work for me today. I'll be cutting out some new sampants with lace I think, Maybe a couple skirts. And if I can manage two Fluffie orders a day, I should be caught up in no time. I think I can.......I think I can........I think I can...........

Kc.costumecouture@gmail.com