Letting Go

When I make gifts for people or items for my shop I tend to be rather hard on myself if there are any flaws in the item.   I have really noticed this since I opened my shop and people began buying things.  Anytime I mailed something out I was nervous or had feelings of dread, hoping and praying that the recipient would like what they purchased.  It was awful and I had a terrible weight hanging on my shoulders.  The funny thing is that even when people responded positively to what they received I still had feelings of dread the next time.

Last week I read part of an interview on an Etsy blog and it freed me from being so hard on myself.

What does handmade mean to you?
Handmade means fun, creative, imperfect and created with love. There’s beauty in the imperfections. None of our cards are exactly the same. It’s so cheap, easy and fast to print digitally these days that we’re seeing a real resurgence in the artisan art community and an appreciation for the handmade process. The end product is often more tactile and personal. We think people respond to that, and there’s a connection made between the crafter and the recipient.

It made me realize that the people who were buying my things wanted something handmade.  If they didn't want a handmade item they would go to the nearest store and buy something with perfect stitches that a machine made.  That weight lifted off of my shoulders after reading that excerpt.

I am not saying that I have now freed myself to sloppily make things.  I still work hard to make things look nice.  That article allowed me to quit being so hard on myself, which is what I truly needed.  Sometimes no matter how hard I try or how many stitches I rip out and re-sew what I have made will never look perfect and that is okay.

Here is a peek at some of the things I have worked on in the past few weeks:

Valentine's themed diaper covers for a photo shoot.

This was a sample pillow case to see how it was made.

Pillow case #1 for a daycare.

Pillow case #2 for a daycare.

ID Holder without the wrist strap.

Pillow.  It is not quite finished, I ran out of stuffing.

My stock.  My sweet husband added shelves to a downstairs closet near my work area.  That way I can keep my merchandise protected while it is waiting to go to a new home.

This is usually what my work area looks like when I'm mid project.