This week in my haven I have been thinking a lot about what I want the summer to look like for Haven Handmade. I've been getting a few markets on my calendar, and have been planning what I want to make for those. I also spent a little time deciding what my goals are for Haven Handmade for the next season. I'm going to share them here to help hold myself accountable and also because I know you all will have my back. Ok, so here are my four goals for the summer, in no particular order.

This week in my haven I am not sure what to write about. Usually, it is pretty easy to decide what to write about based on the events of the week. However, this week I'm just feeling a little mentally depleted. Instead of sitting here staring at my screen until I think of an idea, which could take a very long time, I'm just going to accept that this is the natural rhythm of things. Some days even the routine tasks that normally come easy, feel hard. That's life. Even though I don’t have much to write about, I do have some good stuff to share in my journal. Keep reading to see what’s new in the Haven Handmade shop, as well as what I'm cooking, reading, and being inspired by!

This week in my haven I got to hang out and spend time with other sewing enthusiasts at the “Pattern-palooza” event with Chicago Sews Meetup. It has been such a blessing to get involved with this group. Meeting other people who are interested in sewing and yet have wide ranging interests, skills and backgrounds has been just wonderful. My “station” for most of the event was the beginner’s table, where I went over the basics of using a commercial sewing pattern. I really felt like I was in my element as I was teaching about something that was taught to me many years ago. Learning how to read and follow a sewing pattern as a kid may not seem like a very big deal, but without that childhood experience I wouldn't be where I am today. Teaching can be both frustrating and rewarding in this way. The student may not realize until many years down the road what a gift they are receiving by having the chance to learn something. Anyway, our event was phenomenal and I sewed up a special item for it. Keep reading to see what it was!

This week in my haven I have been keeping my sewing momentum up with new orders and projects to complete. I have quite a few different projects in progress right now. They include a custom sign that says “Be kind", plans for an upcoming workshop at Einnim candle bar in Oak Park, and some knitting needle cases for My Two Ladies. The Chicago Sews Meetup group that I started helping with also has an event on Saturday, so I have been getting some things ready for that too. It feels so good to have lots of interesting and exciting projects going on in my sewing room! It is such a contrast to how I feel during the slower weeks and months. It can be incredibly discouraging to go a few weeks without many orders. Even though I've been through this cycle of ups and downs many times in the past two and a half years, I'm not sure I will ever get used to it. I guess I just need to enjoy the highs as much as I can, and practice patience during the lows. Easier said than done!

This week in my haven I have been the busiest I've been since the start of the year. Remember how I was talking about getting my momentum back a few weeks ago? Well, I think it's coming back! I've had so much sewing to do that I barely have time to put much time into my newsletter this week, so I'm just going to keep this introduction short. Keep reading if you want to see what I've been making this week!

This week in my haven I was inspired to make a wall banner for my own house, and the inspiration came from a nearly fifty year old appliqué book that I found in our local used book store. I have noticed over my years of sewing and nurturing my creative side that inspiration can come at the most unexpected times and from the most unexpected sources. An old sewing book doesn't seem like such a strange source of inspiration, but you might understand if you saw the whole book that the style of the projects in it aren't consistent at all with my style. That didn't matter though. Once I saw this project, I knew I needed to try my hand at making something similar as soon as I possibly could. Inspiration had grabbed me and I knew it wasn't going to let go until I made this project. Be sure to keep reading to see the piece I made and to learn more about how I designed it.

This week in my haven I've been working on creating and getting the word out about sample sets for small business owners. I love having my products in local shops and want you to be able to find Haven Handmade goods in your neighborhood too. My sample sets include a keychain, a bookmark, and a welcome banner. Are there any shops in your area that you think should carry Haven Handmade products? Please let me know! You don't have to be a shop owner to get these goodies though. All three designs are now available in my online shop too. (Read the full newsletter to see them and see how to get free shipping!)

This week in my haven I've been thinking a lot about how to get my momentum back. I know it's natural for business to ebb and flow throughout the year, but I also want to be sure I'm doing all I can to keep Haven Handmade growing. I have lots of ideas for how to kick start a more productive season, but the difficulty is deciding which to pursue. It can be so hard to know which opportunities will pan out. Anyway, I do know that word of mouth is always a sure way to learn about great products and services. If you know of someone who needs a special gift or who you just think would just love the style of my free motion appliquéd designs, please do share my info with them! (And keep reading to see how you can get a discount as a sign of my appreciation.)

This week in my haven I finished organizing my newly reconstructed and decorated sewing room and I'm so excited to show it to you! It really feels like my own personal haven for sewing and creating beautiful items. My sewing pace really slowed down throughout the whole repair process, but now I'm more than ready to get back to sewing without constraints. I feel like I have a backlog of ideas that I'm itching to get stitched up, and I also can't wait to see what orders you all send my way. Having my sewing room organized and decorated makes me feel like I can fully focus on sewing again and it is so energizing. Please keep reading to see what the space looks like!

This week in my haven I've been thinking a lot about gifts and gift giving. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, Joanna’s birthday is coming up in a month and we've been planning for that. And second, I've been working hard at reorganizing my sewing room now that reconstruction has wrapped up and I've gotten some new closet organizers. This doesn't seem like it would spark thoughts of gift giving, except that reorganizing my sewing room was supposed to be my birthday present this year. At least that was the plan before the frozen pipe burst and made my sewing room completely unusable for several weeks and the task of reorganizing it much bigger. Even though I'm very much looking forward to having my sewing room back in working order, the reorganization process doesn't feel much like a gift any more because the circumstances and the scale of the project are completely different from what we originally planned. Anyway, this whole situation has made me reflect on what makes something a gift in the first place. Is it the occasion? Is it the thoughtfulness and intentions of the gift giver? Is it the thing itself? Or is it something else?

This week in my haven I didn't sew a thing. But reconstruction wrapped up and I started setting up my sewing room again! I wish I could wave a magic wand and have everything perfectly organized so I can just get in there and sew, but since I know that's not going to happen, I'm trying to be patient and enjoy the process. I want to take the time necessary to get everything organized and set up nicely. Since I'm getting close to having my sewing room back, I've spent quite a bit of time thinking about what's going to be on Haven Handmade’s calendar for spring and summer. I've applied to be the maker-in-residence for Chicago Public Libraries and to be a vendor at Renegade Craft Fair. Both of these are opportunities that feel like they would be a big step forward, and I've got all my fingers and toes crossed. I've also been getting more involved with Chicago Sews Meetup, a local group for sewing enthusiasts, and I'm excited to share some appliqué techniques with them later this month. As you can probably tell, even when I can't sew, I still think a lot about sewing!

This week in my haven repairs and reconstruction finally began! It’s still going to be about two more weeks before the whole process is complete, but my sewing room is going to be so cute when it’s done. I picked out a cheerful, yet calm, shade of blue for the walls and a floral rug for the floor. I can't wait for it to be all set up again so that I can show you, and so that I can get back to my normal sewing routine! My temporary workspace has allowed me to keep sewing, but it is far from ideal. Speaking of sewing, this week I worked on sewing additional inventory for Midwest Nice in Geneva, Illinois. They are getting the first products with some new designs. Have you seen what my newest appliqué is yet? If not, keep reading to find out!

This week in my haven I've been hustling to sew as much as I can before our reconstruction begins because I'll have to take a break from sewing again while some of the work is being done. All the items I've been sewing are going to head to Midwest Nice once they're finished. Even though I am not looking forward to life being topsy-turvy while the rebuilding takes place, I am so excited to have my sewing room back soon. I have started to plan and dream how I want it to look once it's finished and newly organized. It's very re-energizing after what's been a long and draining process up until this point. I'll be sure to share plenty of photos of what it looks like once it's done. In addition to having a new sewing room to tell you about soon, I have a few new designs in the works that I'm looking forward to sharing too. Keep reading for a preview of the first one!

This week in my haven I’ve struggled a little to figure out how I should be spending my time and energy. Should I be restocking inventory that I lost because of our burst pipe? Should I be re-organizing my supplies? Should I be designing new appliqué patterns? Getting back to normal has not been straightforward and I'm still not there yet, but I'm getting closer. One thing I worked on is something that I've been wanting to do for awhile, which was to write a full tutorial to go with my two new Huggable patterns. My long term vision for Haven Handmade is be a place where you can purchase unique handmade gifts as well as a place where you can learn to make them yourself. I love the feeling of making something special for a loved one, and I want to be able to share that with others. Having a section on my website where you can find tutorials for the items I make is another step towards making that vision a reality.

This week in my haven I've been working on a pattern redesign that I've had in mind for awhile—Huggables! In case you're not familiar, Huggables are little doll-shaped pillows that are appliquéd to look like an adorable kid. I hadn't made one for quite awhile until I had an order before Christmas, which really inspired me to work on this design again. My hope is to expand the number of Huggable kid designs that I have available and make them easier to order, while still offering customized options. I also think other sewing enthusiasts will enjoy making these as much as I do, so I'm making the patterns available too. Go head and click over to the shop or read the rest of this post to see what these two new Huggable kids look like!

This week in my haven I worked on getting a temporary sewing space set up and I sewed for the first time in almost a month. It was so very good to do a little sewing after such an extended and unplanned break! I still have a long ways to go before I am fully set up again, but I have enough supplies and space to reopen the Haven Handmade shop. It is possible that I will once again need to close the shop temporarily at some point in the next month as the rest of the repair work gets done. So if you want to order anything for upcoming occasions like a birthday, housewarming, baby shower or Valentine's Day, it would be best to order right away. Nothing would make me happier than having a few new orders to work on sewing!

This week in my haven has not been the week I was expecting to have. The second week of winter break is supposed to be full of lazy days wearing pajamas until practically lunch time, trying out Christmas presents, and resting up for the new year ahead. Unfortunately, we had a frozen pipe burst in our home while we were away visiting family for Christmas and have been dealing with the aftermath of that instead. My sewing room is located right below the burst pipe and is in need of serious repair work (along with two thirds of our basement and most of our kitchen). As you can probably guess, having our home, which is normally such a safe and happy haven for us, dismantled by this has been devastating and extremely stressful. However, we are also grateful that the only things damaged are just things. We will eventually be able to repair or replace anything that the water ruined.

This week in my haven we wrapped up the last few days of school before winter break and are hunkering down as a winter storm passes through Chicago. It's time for sleeping in, staying in our jammies for half the day, eating too many sweets, and making new memories. But before we are knee deep in cozy blankets and wrapping paper, I wanted to take a moment to wish you and yours a very happy holiday. I am so grateful for all the ways that you support my small business, whether that is by following Haven Handmade on social media, sharing about Haven Handmade through word of mouth, or making an order from the Haven Handmade shop. Every little bit matters and helps me keep this business going and growing. So it is with deep gratitude that I say, “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! May your haven be filled with light, love and joy this holiday season!”

This week in my haven I feel like I am coming to the end of the holiday orders rollercoaster. The last six weeks have been exciting and wonderful, but I am ready to slow down a bit. After I finish these last couple orders, I have some personal sewing projects to finish up for the holidays. Once those are done I plan to spend time reflecting on the past year and getting ready for the next. From now through the beginning of January, things might be a little quiet both here and on my social media as I wind down and prepare for the new year. Just know that I will be at work behind the scenes making sure 2023 is a great year for Haven Handmade.

This week in my haven we returned from our Thanksgiving travels and got back to school and work. It was so nice to get away from home for a little bit and spend time with family. (Our travels were the reason why there was no “In My Haven” post last week. I hope you were too occupied with relaxing to notice that I didn't send out a bazillion Black Friday/Small Business Saturday/Cyber Monday emails.) I did return to quite a long to-sew list though! I am so thankful that this holiday season has been so full of fun and special orders to sew. I really feel like I have found my niche when I have previous customers return to make another order because they were so pleased with the first or when I have new customers reach out about creating unique, custom designs for them.