January update including quilt progress pictures

Hello!

My interview show, Makers in Business is taking a break for January 2014, and will return in February with a brand new episode I know you are going to really love :)

In the mean time please check out previous episodes of my TV show on my Vimeo page or listen to an audio-only podcast online here or in iTunes.

BTW: This is what I'm working on lately: hand sewn quilts! These are for my personal enjoyment. I need to take time to play after an intense holiday sales season.

I am thoroughly inspired by this vintage hand sewn log cabin quilt made with old clothing. I bought it as a pick me up after a dentist appointment a few years ago. Its unmatched seams and hand stitching got deep into my heart. I decided to make one of my own.

First I got a large, warm cat to press my fabric

 

Cutting old shirts into 1 1/2 inch strips was a bit tedious!

14 vintage and new shirts cut into strips and a stack of 2 1/2 inch red squares cut only from fabrics I had on hand, the reds don't all match, which I love.

The first log cabin square! Turned out more mod than vintage looking. More preppy than I had imagined. Looks good to me! Now calling this my Cape Cod quilt.

Hand sewing all the pieces together. I hand sew only because I love it. Very relaxing and I'm in no hurry. I'm not creating any overall pattern. I'll eventually tie it in white.

This is part of another quilt top I'm working on at the same time. It's a patchwork from vintage and modern yardage in blues and whites, stripes, checks and solids, including some fabrics from my mom's stash. This one is going very fast!

Bought this bundle at a thrift shop on Cape Cod in the summer. New-old stock. Yardage purchased years ago at B. Altman & Co in New York and never used, tags still attached.

All the fabrics for the patchwork cut and counted so I could make a pattern on my computer which I printed out on 4 sheets of paper.. 

 

I'm sewing squares into rows, then sewing rows together. I've divided it into quadrants. This is the top left, or what I'm telling Dell is "his section". I'm calling this my Martha's Vineyard quilt. I'll eventually tie it in red.

Now I've never made a quilt before so I will have a lot to learn when it comes time to add batting, backing, and binding. Luckily there is ALL THE INFORMATION available in books, online, and in at least a dozen people I know in real life and hundreds online.

Cheers!
Liz

Makers in Business with Liz Smith Ep 208 Question and Answer

Hello!

For this month's episode of Makers in Business I did something new, I requested questions from folks on the internet and answered them! I wasn't sure how it would go, I was nervous like it was my very first episode. I thought ahead about what I wanted to say but when I got in front of the camera I ad-libbed the answers. I hope you find this episode interesting and helpful. And if you asked a question I answered, I want to send extra thanks! Please share my show with your friends and fellow makers.We are all part of a great community that helps and encourages each other and that is my favorite thing, basically ever.

xo
Liz

Link to the video on Vimeo:
Makers in Business with Liz Smith Episode 208

Find the audio only version of this episode here:
Audio only Episode 208

Or subscribe on iTunes

My show airs locally in Lowell on LTC Comcast Channel 8 on Tuesdays at 6:30 PM and Thursdays at 8:30. New shows monthly. For more information about Lowell Local Access TV, visit http://LTC.org

LTC Producer of the Year!

Me with my award

I could not be more honored and excited! LTC recently held their annual potluck dinner where awards were handed out. I was so fortunate to be chosen Producer of the Year for Makers in Business! I am overjoyed and over the moon. I could not have done it without my director/editor, Catherine Zaker. She is an awesome person and the other half of this two person TV show team. 

Catherine, me, and Jessica at the beginning of Makers in Business

Jessica Wilson, the executive director of the TV station, is the whole reason I have a show at all! She is the best cheerleader, hand holder, and general force for awesomness!

And of course I wouldn't have a show without all my amazing guests! Thanks to everyone who has been on my show, and also to everyone who watches, listens to, and spreads the word about Makers in Business!

Makers in Business with Liz Smith Ep 207 Maxine Farkas

I had fun sitting down with Maxine Farkas, the manager at Western Avenue Studios in Lowell, MA where I have my studio. I found out how she got started in her textile and mixed media arts and we talked about the significance for artists of having a studio space.

Link to the video on Vimeo:

http://vimeo.com/madeinlowell/maxinefarkas

Find the audio only version of this interview here:

Audio only Episode 207

Or subscribe on iTunes

Find Maxine Farkas online here:
http://maxinefarkas.com

Western Avenue Studios in Lowell, MA:
http://westernavenuestudios.com

Western Avenue Lofts:
http://liveatwas.com/

My show airs locally in Lowell on LTC Comcast Channel 8 on Tuesdays at 6:30 PM and Thursdays at 8:30. New shows monthly. For more information about Lowell Local Access TV, visit http://LTC.org

A corner of Maxine's Studio

An early art quilt

A group quilt from Lowell

Textile art

Lowell art quilt

Quilt show catalog

Mixed media assemblage

Mixed media assemblage

Mixed media assemblage

An apartment in the Western Avenue Lofts

A studio at Western Avenue Lofts

Thanks for your questions!

In my last post I solicited questions that I might answer on the December episode of Makers in Business. Thank you to everyone who asked a question!

I chose 8 questions from those left here on the blog and posted on Twitter. As promised, I used a random number generator to choose a winner for a Makers in Business mug. And the winner is...

Lucky number 8! That's the number I assigned to Brian Hogue's question, @BHogueSun on Twitter. Congratulations Brian! The mugs are being made locally here at Western Avenue Studios by Wren and Rose Studio and I'll contact you about how to get your prize to you when I have them in hand.

I still haven't seen the footage of my questions show, we're editing tomorrow, I may have trainwrecked it, if not, it will be available in December!

Ask me a question!

Hello,

I hope you are well. As you know I am deep in the throes of holiday inventory production. But I am also still creating new episodes of my TV interview show, Makers in Business. In each episode I talk with people who make things and sell them for a living. For December I'd like to do something fun and different. I'd like to post an episode where I answer any questions you'd like to ask me on the topic of making things and selling them!

Your question can be to me specifically or just a general question you think I might have some information/insight about. To make it more universal I won't be mentioning who asked each question so you don't have to worry about it if you'd rather be anonymous!

Whenever I participate in Open Studios or do a show, I often engage with other makers at different stages of their businesses. Everyone has questions about the next steps they should take. What do other people do about this and that? Everyone is unique in their situation, but I think all the discussions, like on my show, have universal themes and practical information that could be helpful to anyone on this creative business path.

So please post your question in the comments or on Twitter and let folks on social media know that I'm putting this out there as well. To make this even more fun I'm offering a free Makers in Business mug #swag to a random participant!

IMPORTANT: Questions must be in by Monday, October 14 at 5 PM to be eligible for the TV show and the giveaway.

Thanks,
Liz

Makers in Business with Liz Smith Ep 206 Swirly Designs by Lianne & Paul Stoddard

Meet Paul and Lianne Stoddard, the married couple behind Swirly Designs by Lianne and Paul! I had so much fun interviewing them both about how they run their business, what they did to accommodate a creative business while raising a family, and which kinds of advertising and promotion turned out to work for them. I think there's so much to learn in this episode plus Paul and Lianne are just good company. Take a look or listen!

Link to the video on Vimeo:

http://vimeo.com/madeinlowell/swirlydesigns

Find the audio only version of this interview here:

Audio only Episode 206

Or subscribe on iTunes

Find Swirly Designs online here:
http://swirlydesigns.com/

My show airs locally in Lowell on LTC Comcast Channel 8 on Tuesdays at 6:30 PM and Thursdays at 8:30. New shows monthly. For more information about Lowell Local Access TV, visit http://LTC.org

Paul and Lianne

Steps in the process

Halloween

Easter

Valentine's Day

Swirly Designs at a craft show

Putting together a Halloween collection

Paul and Lianne at work in their home studio

From concept to creation

A holiday collection

Christmas

Beautiful handmade holiday ornaments