Plant a tree today!

First of all, Happy Labor day! If you have the day off, relax and enjoy. You deserve it. If you don't, well close your eyes and quiet your mind. Take a deep breath and go to a happy place, but don't take too long because you have to go back to work =).

This is a picture of the very first Lola apron I sold on Etsy. It will be 1 year on September 25th 2008. Amazing how time flys! Not only have aprons opened up a creative outlet for me, it has introduced me to new people, whom I both admire and have become friends with.


I started making The Lola apron (a name created by my little one regarding my dress form) before I started selling on etsy. My sister, who is a hair stylist, wanted a cute apron to wear in her salon. She wanted an apron that wasn't black and boring. From there the Lola apron came to be. Being as I already had a fabric shop, my mind became flooded with endless fabric combos for more aprons. I found it interesting that often times the fabric that was not selling so well in my shop was doing great as an apron. For me, designing aprons became my form of artistic expression.


As I look back on my apron journey, I am reminded of a Chinese proverb that I will paraphrase for you. It reminds us of the importance of completing action steps instead of action words. The proverb is "The best time to plant a tree is today." Personally, I would add to the proverb "and water the tree with prayer." Thankfully, my prayers were heard and the tree has grown. I'm excited for the future of it all and where this crafting journey will take me. As I look at the horizon, a new direction that I am beginning to go in is the area of pattern making. I am in the prelims of designing a pattern for my Lola apron that others can use as well. I will keep you all updated with the timeline of the pattern and I hope that more patterns will follow.


September is going to be a busy and exciting month for both Pretty Ditty and Phat Fabric. I hope to launch a web site this month. More to come on that. I am also planning on doing a couple of giveaways. Hooray! At least one apron, maybe two, and some fabric for the giveaways. So stay tuned.

Jamie