The Defense Calls Redd's Threads

I have a had some recent bad experiences with customers and feel the need to defend myself. My husband doesn't think that I have to, that I have done my best in my limited circumstances. I'm hoping that perhaps with this explanation, if it is read at all, that some people may have a better understanding. So, here goes...

Something to keep in mind about this shop in general is that I am a small business. And when I say small, I mean this doesn't even pay for my groceries. I do not get discounts on shipping, packing materials, item materials or anything else because I don't buy them in bulk. Not to mention that many people don't seem to understand that I don't whip out several items in a day, or a single item in several hours. Most items take a day or two – some more. I'm making no money on my time. Same thing with the shipping – the shipping cost doesn't just cover postage, but packing and mailing materials as well. Why am I doing this if I'm not doing much better than making pocket change? Part of it is because I love it. The other part... I really don't know. The point here is that 1) I am not Wal-Mart or Amazon. I can't afford to insure everything, upgrade shipping, or guarantee delivery. Places like that can do so because they get large bulk discounts. 2) Because I am neither of these places, I do not produce anything in bulk or at low, low made-in-china prices. Everything in my shop is one-of-a-kind, hand made, and time consuming. You are getting a deal at what I am charging.

One of the problems that I have been having is with the payment options. I have two that are offered: PayPal and “Other.” I hate it, but that's what it is. Etsy's options are PayPal, money order, check and other, with absolutely no way of marking the “other” option. I have the “other” option open for local pick-up/deliveries that pay in cash. I have stated on my the Policy page that Etsy gives me what the options are. And since the holiday rush has been an issue, I have also stated it in the announcement on the front page. I know that neither of these pages are convient to get to – a flaw in Etsy's design, but I'm working from Etsy's template and there's nothing that I can do to remedy that. I've tried to put this in as many places as possible shy of putting it in all of the 200+ listings in the shop. But the other problem is that no one seems to read them. Nor do people ask questions. I have had a couple of people choose this vague “other” option, but not ask what that means or even offer me a means of payment. They just check “other” and leave it at that.

Another problem that I have recently run into was an order getting lost in the mail. (I have only had this happen twice in over two years and both times were around the holidays.) My store policy clearly states that the type of shipping and that once it's in the hands of the USPS that I can no longer be held responsible. There is no tracking, no insurance, no guarantee. Why? Because it's not cost effective. Most of the items in my store are between $8 and $15. To add tracking alone would make shipping on most of these items more than half the cost of the item itself. Though, (and again, this is noted in the shop policy,) if you want to change anything about the shipping – carrier, type of shipping, tracking, I offer to do it at the buyer expense. I don't hide any of this information – it's all on the policy page.

I have tried my best to provide friendly customer service and rectify situations that are my fault. In the last month I have managed to get every holiday order out into the mail next day. But the customer isn't always right, nor will I drive myself into bankruptsy just because someone did not bother to read the shop policies, and is unhappy that things didn't go their way. I can't be held accountable for people's utter lack of understanding, or their inability to either read or ask questions. Nor is there much I can do about Etsy's layout. I do the best I can, but I'm working within a pre-determined template.

I realize that the people most in need of reading this will never see it, if it gets read at all. But I felt that perhaps if I brought to light a circumstance that had never crossed your mind before that you would have a better understanding of what any small business person goes through. And we could all use a little more understanding.

IMPORTANT (please read) - Upcoming Maternity Leave (Sort Of)

As most of you know we're going to have an addition to our family in about four and half months. (For those of you who didn't know - SURPRISE!)

I'd like to let you know what that is going to mean for my Etsy shop and for my Facebook page.

First, the Etsy shop. I have two more posting planned for Redd's Threads before the end of the year. On November 1st I'll be posting 20 new pop culture themed Christmas ornaments. And on December 22 I'll be posting the Winter Fairy - last in the Season Fairies series. As listings start to expire (on December 15,) I'm going to let them do so until the shop is empty. I have no plans for the shop after my little man is born. I really don't know what life is going to bring, so I'm going to play it by ear, though I do intend on coming back eventually, as I have too many new ideas rattling around in my brain. If during my down time you remember something that was in my shop that you now have an occasion to purchase, you can always contact me, and I'd be willing to repost the listings on a case-by-case basis until I'm back up and running. Though, if you do see something you like, I might suggest getting it soon, not only before the listing will expire, but you would be doing me a huge favor to clear more things out of my already tiny NYC apartment and make more room for the baby! (Hehe.)

The Facebook page is another story entirely. I have seven other friends who are expecting babies, due between November and May. Including all the gifts and the projects I intend to lavish on my own boy, I will continue to post new work. I also have a couple of groups I donate work to, and older projects that I'm still in the process of photographing, (or scanning old photographs.) So there will plenty to see on the Facebook page. Not to mention that it will probably be the best way to find out when the Etsy shop will be back up and running. So, please continue to be wonderful loving fans and checking in on the Facebook page.

Thank you all for taking a minute to read this. And, as always, thank you so much for all your support.

When in Doubt, Make your Own

Last week I mentioned that I had become obsessed with finding patterns for these neat little sack magnets created by NMI, a company which supposedly hasn't been around for over a decade. I continue to troll the internet, searching through endless cross stitch kit lots on eBay. I haven't had any luck lately. I may have exhausted most of my options. Or there simply may not be any more.

So, what to do next...?

Create my own!

I have already begun, actually. Below are pictures of a couple of sets that I've made the pattern for and completed. (In fact, they are for sale in my shop, in case you were wondering.) I tend to do them in series. And, at least these first few, incorporate some of my other interests.

Like beer. (I really miss beer.) I thought these would be a great autumn/Oktoberfest piece. It also seems an obvious omission from the original series. So here are your three main ingredients - barley, hops, and yeast.

I think I've made it very clear that I love baseball/softball. So this series includes the essentials for any great game - a green field (and none of that astroterf junk,) crisp white baselines, and of course, no game is complete without the peanuts!

My last one is a series of six that incorporate both fantasy and classic literature. These are six of the ingredients from the witches' brew in Shakespeare's Macbeth. (You have your Eye of Newt, Toe of Frog, Wool of Bat, Wolf Teeth, Hemlock - digg'd in the dark, and Yew Slips - silver'd in the moon's eclipse.)

I am having way too much fun with these. I have a ton more ideas, so look for more to come!

Old School Fun

Have I mentioned that I am obsessed with these sack magnets?

These were some of the first kits I made as a kid, so there's a bit of that nostalgia thing going for them. Some I made as gifts into the refrigerator magnets they were intended to be. Some were made to stock my doll house.

Somewhat recently, I got back int them. I only had a few of them as a kid, but in my renewed obsession, I've started combing the internet for patterns/kits I didn't have. I've had some good luck on eBay, usually unlisted and part of a large lot. Every once in awhile I can find some for sale on some more remote sites. I've managed to come across 39 of them, though I think I'm still missing some.

I can only really guess that some are missing. The kits are numbered and tend to go in series, but it's hard to know for sure as I can't seem to find a catalogue. See, these kits were made by Needlemagic Inc, (or NMI,) which seems to have gone out of business in the early '90's.

If anyones knows where I might find some more of these, please let me know!

In the mean time, you can check out more pics on my Facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.249905555046131.51706.103274069709281

Or you can find them for sale in my Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ReddsThreads?section_id=8030541

In the mean time, I guess I'll just have to amuse myself by creating some of my own. (I'll post those next week!)

Getting to Know You

You already know I love cross stitch. I have been doing it for over twenty years and have even begun to make my own patterns. I also greatly enjoy crafting of other sorts – sewing, jewelry, etc.

It's the thrill of seeing objects and weaving, (fixing, gluing, combining,) them into something that I've created. I bring up this list of other interests purely because you will it see it reflected in this work. This is certainly not to say that I'm opposed to other people's suggestions – I'm always up for a challenge. But left to my own devices, I go with what I love.

(Fairy Tales by Amy Brown - my favorite fantasy artist.)

Myth, folklore, fairy tales, legends – all of it. All cultures, the more original the source the better. I also enjoy well crafted retellings. Admittedly, I have a preference for Celtic tales (and Celtic design,) and am often engrossed with Arthurian legend.

This also goes to my already confessed love of Ren Faires. I have no illusions. I know the faires are fantastical and anachronistic. But every once in a while, I enjoy putting on fancy dresses and carrying a (blunted) sword. Oh, and did I mention my fascination with mythical creatures – in particular, unicorns and fairies.

Baseball – This makes some amount of sense if you think about it. Baseball carries with it its own myths and legends. Giants of the game that seem superhuman, and flat out lies likes its origins in Cooperstown. As evidenced from my work (and the tattoo on my ankle,) I am a diehard Boston Red Sox fan.

I grew up in the New England, as did most of my family, so it's a disease of both geography and genetics. I also have a love for the old women's league in the 1940's.

And I also play softball – rec league, slow pitch sort of stuff. And I'm not very good. But I love the game, playing on as many as four teams during the summer, as well as hitting up some pick-up games.

Reading – I'm sure that you can probably guess a large part of my reading material. I have selves of baseball books and everything from Malory to Grimm to Tolkien to Rowling. But I will read just about anything. Beverly Cleary's Ramona Quimby books got me going in grade school.

I enjoy the classics and children's literature. (Laugh, but Island of the Blue Dolphins is still one of my favorites.)

My husband often hands books to me that I would not have come to on my own. Among my favorites (outside of baseball and fantasy,) are Fast Food Nation, The Scarlet Letter, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Three Musketeers, and, my all time favorite, Gone With the Wind.

Cartoons – This one is largely my husband's fault. I scorned them, like a lot of people, as children's entertainment. Then he got me into The Simpsons and later, Futurama. My favorite is South Park, for which I can thank my best friend's influence. I also like the Powerpuff Girls, (another of my husband's influences,) and Animaniacs.

In fact, the top three shelves of our DVD collection are all animated – the above mentioned, some short lived series, a few classics, and some full length features including Japanese anime, Disney, and a complete set of Pixar.

Movies – My favorite flicks are kind of obvious. They are classics, flights of fancy and the totally geeky. In order: Gone with the Wind, Casablanca, The Princess Bride, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and The Wizard of Oz.

Music – I'm amenable to anything, but my favorite is the 80's hair bands. I will leave it at that. Ridicule as you will.

Other stuff that catches my fancy – I like country kitchen motifs. This interest kind of comes out of left field, especially since I live in a tiny apartment in NYC. I think that my fascination is a combination of the symbolism and nostalgia of it and the fact that no one (and I mean no one) in my family can cook. I am also no gamer, but I have eye for the old school video games, the 64-bit kind of stuff. Again, there is a sort of nostalgia to it. I also revel in the geeky, and the art work looks perfect in cross stitched form.

I also love the beach – either coast, any time of year. I find it largely peaceful and stunningly majestic.

Oh yeah, and theater – everything from Shakespeare to Book of Mormon, (which was hysterical, by the way.)

There you have it. That should explain a lot of it.

Not Your Granny's Cross Stitch

One of the women I work with made an off-handed remark to me while out for drinks a week ago. She mentioned that she had thought about asking me to make Christmas ornaments for every show she had been in. To me, it sounded more like a challenge.

I have never been exactly normal – ask my friends. I lean that way in my crafts as well. Now, I'll admit that Christmas ornaments are pretty standard. The country kitchen items fit well with the medium, but are, again pretty tame. There's nothing wrong with that. But I'm not exactly the teddy-bear-and-roses type. We've already seen some examples of my sense of humor...

And there's more of those to come this year.

This piece was inspired by/made for a comedian friend with a belching, beer-swilling, South Boston alter ego.

(This is his tag line/ catch phrase.)

I had plans to make some friends of mine, (one a heavy metal guitarist, both very punk,) a flaming heart-shaped skull wedding announcement. (Unfortunately it never panned out.)

There are the “his” and “her” hand towels.

I was even asked if I would make a New York Jets Super Bowl Champs towel. (As if! Go PATS!)

Even some of the Christmas ornaments weren't exactly standard. I made some logo ornaments for shows playing (and now closing) in NYC.

(Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson at the Jacobs Theater, closed January 2.)

(The 39 Steps at New World Stages, closing January 16.)

Or the series of Mario Brothers ornaments.

Much like Mario, the new Scott Pilgrim game has that great pixilated 90's look to it. I had plans on this, but someone has already beat me to it.

(Found at http://www.mrxstitch.com/2010/10/18/stitchgasm-scott-pilgrim-cross-stitch-by-eevilkat/.)

I'm also contemplating bawdy Shakespeare quotes on pillows.

“The bawdy hand of the dial is upon the prick of noon.” (Romeo and Juliette.)

While it may have it's place, it doesn't always have to be kittens and Amish samplers. Not exactly you're granny's cross stitch, which is just the way I like it.

Scarlett Interrupted

Favorite book, Gone with the Wind.

Favorite movie, Gone with the Wind.

At a loss for something to read in a high school a friend recommends Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind. She figured this 1,037 page tome would keep me engaged for awhile. I couldn't put it down. Once finished, she invited me over to watch her mom's VHS copy. For four hours I compared it to the book, likely making my friend regret that she had ever mentioned this book to me.

I started collecting the Hallmark Christmas ornaments, and trying to get my hands on anything about Margaret Mitchell, seeing as Gone With the Wind was the only novel she had written before her untimely death. My senior thesis was on Gone with the Wind as a picture of Jazz Age culture. Thanks to an equally obsessed friend who loaned me her costume, I even dressed as Scarlett one year for Halloween (hoop skirt and all.)

So imagine my delight when tooling about online, I find Gone With Wind cross stitch patterns!

There were several designs – portraits, stills from the movie, costume design drawings. I tried to get all of them.

I have a particular affinity for the green dress Scarlett wears to the Twelve Oaks barbecue at the beginning of the movie. (In the book, she is wearing this dress in the opening pages.)

So that's where I started – the costume sketch for the barbecue dress...

And this is as far as I've gotten. (See above.)

I started this so many years ago that I can no longer recall how long ago that was.

Work and slew of other projects have since taken precedent. It remains neglected in the corner, wrapped in a plastic bag, protected from the dust. Never enough time...

Looking a little sadly upon this half finished Scarlett, I've realized something. With the new year coming up I'm going to have to make some changes...