Working Weekend!

It happens around here a lot...especially 3 weeks before Needlework Market!

We're bringing 3 NEW KITS to market ( in addition to all of the other stuff!), so we're super busy getting them ready. The models are all sewn and photographed...now it's cutting/folding fabric, sacking embellishments, cutting rick rack, printing/folding instructions, designing/printing covers, making more embellishment packs, bagging pom pom trim and more busywork...times many hundreds!!!

It's kinda like Santa's workshop around here...minus the elves...just Alan, Carmen, Henry (granddog) and I. Carmen helps us a couple mornings a week and the rest is up to us. Yes, our daughters and son-in-law are in Europe and we have the granddog - interesting trade off! Alan swears he's not that keen on Henry, so naturally Henry adores him. I suspect the feeling is mutual, since he's sharing Alan's glasses.

But back to official L*K business....here's our new Dear Rudolph kit!

And here's some of the background involved in bringing this kit to life!

After I designed and stitched the Dear Rudolph model, I mail him to my finisher elf, Mona. She's not only a finishing whiz, she's the cutest, sweetest gal around. Just wish she lived closer so we could hang out more! After a flurry of emails and text message photos, we decided to finish Dear Rudolph with this darling snowflake fabric.

Mona finished the cute pillow, added some rickrack and more beads, and set out on a mission to purchase fabric all over the Tulsa metro area. I did the same in Wichita and we rounded up enough snowflakes to blanket the world in snowflake-y Dear Rudolph kits!

I began cutting the fabric into kit-sized pieces. Notice my Klutz glove (safety glove)! The Klutz glove is my new cutting companion after my accident this winter with the rotary cutter and subsequent ER visit.

Here I am having a Donna Reed moment at the ironing board in my "shirtwaist" dress (where's my pearl necklace?)! If you don't know who Donna Reed is, you're younger than me, and you should Google her. I'm folding/ironing fabric before church...in the family room...currently assembly room.

I visited my photographer pal, Steve, to have the kit professionally photographed. Steve takes much better shots than I do, and everything seems to look better in the long run if I start with a high-quality photo. You can see the "big picture" of our shot, before we cropped it down for the cover. Steve is totally used to me bringing in Halloween/Christmas things in the middle of the summer...business as normal!

Meanwhile, more busy work at L*K headquarters. Cutting and folding the linen...

assembling some rather detailed embellishment packs (2 colors of beads, tiny red buttons, and 3 colors of special order hand-dyed buttons)...

and cutting rick rack from some bulk rolls.

I spent an evening on my computer designing this dandy cover. I emailed the file to the printer and told him it was a rush job. He's the best and brought out a proof later that day. Unfortunately, the red looked orangy, and I rejected the first proof. Even when you're in a hurry, it's always best to hold out for the best quality, so I waited for a new, improved proof. It arrived yesterday and was blissfully (and appropriately) Christmas red. By closing time yesterday, our awesome printer delivered a big pile of beautiful Dear Rudolph covers!

I've got plenty of other office work today, so looking forward to a little Tuesday night at the movies (Netflix) and some serious Dear Rudolph kit assembly!

BTW - if you think Dear Rudolph needs to visit your home, contact your favorite needlework shop to pre-order before market. Rudolph is a welcome holiday visitor!