Wednesday, December 5, 2007

MANCHESTER UNION LEADER NEWSPAPER ARTICLE ALERT


RED ALERT, RED ALERT. THE MANCHESTER UNION LEADER, MANCHESTER, NH, HAS MADE CONTACT WITH SOME NH ETSIANS STATING THAT THEY ARE INTERESTED IN WRITING AN ARTICLE ABOUT ETSY! I WAS CONTACTED VIA AN ETSY CONVO AND TOLD THAT THEY WOULD LOVE TO FEATURE MY FLEECE PRODUCTS IN THEIR ARTICLE. IF YOU'VE STROLLED ACROSS MY BLOG ANONYMOUSLY, PLEASE VISIT MY SHOP AT DEEDALOOS.COM FOR SOME SUPERIOR HATS AND/OR MITTENS MADE WITH MALDEN MILLS FLEECE! LET ME TRY TO TEMPT YOU WITH A COUPLE OF PICTURES! LET'S BE WARM THIS WINTER!

Sunday, October 28, 2007

DEEDALOOS DOES DALLAS!


O.K., SO I LIED . . . I DIDN'T DO DALLAS AND I DIDN'T EVEN DO TEXAS, BUT I DID DO A CRAFT FAIR IN PENACOOK, NH THIS WEEKEND AND IT WAS PAINFULLY SLOW. WHY? IT WAS A PERFECT RAINY DAY BUT I DO THINK THAT ADVERTISING MAYBE COULD HAVE BEEN A LITTLE BIT BETTER AS THERE WERE OTHER CHURCH FAIRS AND SUCH GOING ON. MAYBE EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS THOUGH, WE'LL SEE . . .
AS YOU CAN SEE, JUST BECAUSE I'M NOT BLOGGING DOESN'T MEAN I'M NOT SEWING! ALSO, DUE TO THE VOLUME OF HATS I HAVE AND THE FACT THAT I HAVE TWO SPACES AT MY UPCOMING FAIR, I NEED TO GET MORE HAT RACKS MADE SO TIME TO ORDER MORE WOOD. I ALSO PLAN ON REPAINTING THE RACKS THAT I DO HAVE AND HAVING MY HUSBAND CHANGE THE BASES SO THEY'RE A LITTLE LESS TIPPY.
IN CLOSING I'LL JUST SAY . . . VISIT ME AT http://www.deedaloos.com/ and GO RED SOX!!



Thursday, October 18, 2007

Why buy Deedaloos? Why Malden Mills?


First, Deedaloos has a commitment to quality and your satisfaction. I do my best to choose fabrics that are both appealing and durable, standing up to multiple washings. Many of these I have used to make things for my own children and I know that they will last. I choose quality threads and manufacture my items using the best technique for the item at hand, so if it can be serged without bulk, I do so using four threads. I frequently use wooly nylon in my pj production as it's very soft against your skin.


When it comes to fleece, I primarly use fleece from Malden Mills. I do not advertise it as polarfleece or polartec as there are trademark issues with use of such, although that may well be what I'm using, just like other high end manufacturers such as LL Bean or Lands End. Sometimes I may use a less expensive fleece from Joann Fabrics, but it's been chosen due to the popularity of the print. I have had great experience specifically with their microfleeces that are quite pricey, but are very soft and yes, VERY durable.


Malden Mills fleece comes in a variety of weights and finishes. I mostly will use 100 and 200 weights or a combination of both in my hat and mitten productions. The higher the number, the warmer it is, but sometimes using a 300 weight is simply too bulky and doesn't make a nice hat for a child. Different finishes means that some of them may look different on the right side than the wrong side and some look exactly the same, as they have a double-velour finish. You may find some with a chunkier or berber finish and others may be treated to deflect water. There's also a curly fleece which is lots of fun when you really want to turn your sewing room into a big mess! In my experience, the way they are manufactured does seem to impact the stretch that they have, so I look for that as I shop. Malden Mills fleece washes and wears so very nicely and even better . . . it's made in the USA!


Now . . . direct from horses mouth is as follows:
Q. What's the difference between Polartec fleeces and copycat fleeces?
A. Be careful of the imitations! Other manufacturers are producing fleeces that may appear to be similar to Polartec fleeces, but they aren't. They will cut costs by:
- producing a thinner fleece (less oz per linear yard)
- producing a fleece that pills. Polyester is a strong fiber that doesn't break away from itself when it meets abrasion. The longer thread of other fleeces will pull into itself and pill.
- producing a fleece that matts. It is the ability of the fibers to stand upright that provides Polartec fleeces with it's thermal qualities.
producing prints whose colors and lines are fuzzy instead of vivid and clear

You should still use certain care when washing your fleece items. Recommend care is as follows: machine wash warm, tumble dry low or line dry. It's always best to wash with like fabrics, but I tend to just wash darks with darks and lights with lights. Do not use bleach or fabric softeners as this can remove some of the finishes on your fleece. Last, do not dry clean which is glorious because who wants to pay for that anyways!





Thanks for visiting and I look forward to your special requests for hats and mittens!

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

YES, EVEN I STILL MAKE SILLY MISTAKES!


I CAN HEAR MY MOTHER NOW . . . "DON'T SEW WHEN YOUR TIRED OR YOU WILL MAKE MISTAKES" WELL, IT'S TRUE AND HERE'S A PRIME EXAMPLE OF ONE OF THEM. I'VE ALWAYS DETESTED DIRECTIONAL FABRICS! MAYBE I COULD JUST SAY THAT THE PENGUINS WERE SWIMMING DOWNSTREAM? HMMMM . . . IF ANYTHING, MAYBE IT WILL GIVE SOMEONE SOMETHING TO LAUGH ABOUT AND THEN I GUESS IT'S ALL WORTH THE POST! NOW'S THE TIME TO SPECIAL ORDER THOSE WINTER HATS AND MITTENS! OH YA, I PROMISE THAT IT WON'T TURN OUT LIKE THIS! :O)






Friday, October 5, 2007

NEW GUEST ETSY APPEARANCE


BEGINING IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS I WILL HAVE A NEW GUEST IN MY ETSY SHOP. SHE CROCHETS THE MOST LOVELY PONCHO'S AND I'M LISTING ABOUT 5 OF THEM! CHECK IT OUT AT DEEDALOOS.COM

SPECIAL ORDER COMPLETE!








Wednesday, September 26, 2007

SPECIAL ORDERS AVAILABLE

Maybe it's a winter hat your in need of or maybe it's a special project like this altered clothing (still a work in progress and not yet complete)? Either way, I do take a limited amount of special orders. Maybe you like the hat you see but want it in a different color or don't want the mittens? It doesn't hurt to ask! With the hats, it helps to have a head measurement, but if not, I'll wing it based on age. I use primarly fleece from Malden Mills which is the same quality that is being used by high end retailers such as LL Bean and Lands End. I also make toddler pj's in both knit and fleece fabrics. Occasionally, I might use something other than Malden Mills polar fleece, so if you're wondering about a particular item, just ask. I purchased some large quantities of microfleece from Joann's last year and made some pj's for both of my kids and they washed and wore GREAT and the microfleece was very soft and cozy. They outgrew them before they wore out. This isn't Walmart so you're not going to get them for $5, but my prices are reasonable for the quality you're getting. I also use quality threads and in my pj's I tend to serge them with wooly nylon in the loopers which is very soft against the skin. I have some repeat customers, like the woman who ordered these altered clothing halloween outfits. She picked the fabric and mailed the stuff to me! Her girls will match in the pumpkin patch, but they won't match everyone else's store-bought outfits. As always, thanks for visiting and peer in at Deedaloos.com when you've got some free time!

Monday, September 24, 2007

********** GIRLY-GIRL STUFF **********


MORE STUFF IS READY TO ROLL. NOW IF ONLY I COULD AFFORD TO HIRE SOMEONE TO TAKE ALL OF MY PICTURES AND POST THEM. BETTER YET, MAYBE I COULD SOMEHOW GET MY COMPUTER TO MOVE ALONG A BIT FASTER AS I HAVE A NEED FOR SPEED! ENJOY YOUR DEEDALOOS PREVIEW! THERE'S TALK OF A POSSIBLE OPEN HOUSE THE FIRST SATURDAY IN DECEMBER, BUT I'LL LET YOU KNOW! I SEE NOW THAT A COUPLE OF MY PICS AREN'T CLEAR - SORRY!!

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

DEEDALOOS DOES DINOSAURS



Hunter green or navy blue with a sharp contrast of taxi yellow! These are great hats for your little dinosaur. My son LOVED the one his grammy made him! These hats are just fun but they'll definitely keep the heads warm too. You can have different two differnt colors for the ridge or keep it as one. I'm thinking of doing some girly ones too just to see if they'll sell. You can purchase just the hat or have them as a set. I haven't yet decided on the price but for a set I'm thinking $16 and if you want to leave your thoughts on my price point via a comment, I'm certainly open for suggestions! Thanks for visiting and I can't wait to put up my periwinkle hat, mitten scarf set, but that probably won't be until next week as there is some handwork involved in that! For those that know me, you know how much I love that handwork! (ha, ha) Oh yes, I forgot to mention that I just had these incredible clay buttons made for me to use on my hats. They were made by Polpette Clay and you should check her out at Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5150803&order=&section_id=&page=1 Her work is great, her spirit incredible and please tell her that I sent you! I only hope that my work will do her buttons justice! I will post those pics in the next couple of weeks as I haven't received the buttons yet.

Friday, September 14, 2007

SCHOOL ROCKS!




I had to add a quick little something about my kids. My little muffin Kristen will be 4 on November 30th and she started a 2 day preschool class this year. She loves it and do does mom! Matthew is 7 and he started 2nd grade. He's doing o.k. after rough start w/ a cold that blocked up his ears and he couldn't hear and threw off his balance so he bonked himself on a soccer goal post. Of course, even w/out the blocked ears he managed to get kicked in the eye from a girl on the swings who he claims lost her shoe and he was helping her recover it??? 2nd grade chivalry?? 2 calls from the nurse already???? yikes!

Thursday, September 13, 2007

will it every REALLY look like SOMETHING?





so hard to believe it's been almost two weeks since my last post. where has the time gone? well, my sewing room is just a big old mess and the fleece dust is just horrible, but i'm working . . . it's a LONG slow process, but i really am working. i had a boatload of fleece pulled out last night, matching colors, cutting this and that, tracing and modifying some new patterns. i figured i should caputure some of my work in progress. almost doesn't seem possible that anything will every become of it. as always, sew much to do and sew little time!

Friday, August 31, 2007

DEEDALOOS DOES BLING!







WHO NEEDS CAMO
WHEN YOU'VE GOT A LITTLE BLING? ACTUALLY, I DID GET SEVERAL CAMO HATS DONE, BUT COULDN'T FIND ANY VELCRO AND DIDN'T PICTURE THEM YET. THIS NEW GEM IS EMBELLISHED WITH A PRETTY LITTLE SWAROVSKI CRYSTAL FOR SOME LITTLE PRINCESS! SWEEEET! MORE OF SUCH CREATIONS TO COME! (OR SO I SAY?!)

Friday, August 24, 2007

FLEECE ALERT!

Yes, it's true, yet another blog entry AND I've got some fleece out AND I'm actually cutting out some hats AND they're boy prints/hats too. It's a miracle to be doing this in the heat, but it's simply way to hot now that the sun has actually surfaced and i've got chores to get done and the kids simply need some down time today so it's a good opportunity for me to just jump into winter projects! Before we know it, we'll be shopping for our winter gear so I must be ready. Oh happy day!

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

2 POSTS IN 1 WEEK?! THAT'S NUTS!


YES, I'M BACK AGAIN SO SOON. O.K., IT'S NOT LIKE I HAVEN'T BEEN DOING ANYTHING. I CLEANED MY SEWING ROOM AND I'M READY TO ROLL IN FLEECE. WE WENT CAMPING FOR A COUPLE OF NIGHTS, MY PURSES DIDN'T SELL ON EBAY AND I'M STRUGGLING W/ ETSY LIFE SINCE IT SEEMS THERE'S A FEW BUGS THAT CROP UP MORE THAN I LIKE. TRIED TO LIST THEM ON ETSY BUT AFTER MULTIPLE TRIES, MY PICS WEREN'T LOADING. TURNS OUT I WASN'T THE ONLY ONE W/ THIS PROBLEM. HIKED A SMALL MOUNTAIN TODAY W/ SOME FRIENDS AND VISITED MY MY NUTTY NANA WHO TELLS ME HER DOG CHEWED UP HER TEETH - UGH!

Friday, August 17, 2007

MATHCHING WALLETS NOW PICTURED


THESE ARE LISTED ON EBAY W/ THE PURSES PICTURED BELOW. NOT SO SURE THEY'LL SELL AND MIGHT JUST LIST THEM ON ETSY AS WELL JUST BECAUSE . . . I'VE CERTAINLY GOT PLENTY OF FABRIC TO REPRODUCE THESE! SWIM LESSONS ENDED TODAY - OH HAPPY DAY AND CAMPING ON SUNDAY/MONDAY. IT'LL BE A BIT COOLER THAN I'D LIKE, BUT NO RAIN MAKES ME A HAPPY CAMPER!

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

CRAFTING IN THE SUMMER?? NOT EXACTLY . . .



I've been sooooo busy trying to enjoy this time with my children and my husband that I've been totally delinquent in my duties, but read a few great booksamong other things. Before I know it, another year of school will begin and my youngest will start preschool so I'm excited for them but also a little sad. We've been camping, done the polar caves, story land, ocean trips, lake trips, swim lessons, ocean kayaking and more. I will post some


pictures and I promise that they won't include my shorts that I duct taped when I ripped them camping (it was kinda funny, but the pic wasn't mine and I'm certain it wasn't pretty, but i suspect that you can find that somewhere at www.happyhousequilts.blogspot.com)! I've eased my way into crafting with a shirt for Kristen also a sweater I've begun for her in single crochet (ugh, what an idiot, it'll take FOREVER!). Finished the two purses I cut out weeks ago and may list them on ebay today since they're having a listing fee special. Might pull a few etsy items that are stale and see if they'll sell there. Also donated a few things to Loudon Old Home Day PTA silent auction where 100% of the proceeds when to PTA so I hope they did well! I did make a very lame boat when I was camping for our first annual handmade boat race down the stream. I competed against 3, 5 & 7 yo's and I LOST in a very big way! As always, thanks so much for checking out my babble and have a happy day! Now, if only I could figure out this tagging thingy?? . . .

Friday, June 29, 2007

6/29/07

How exciting - an etsy sale to a Loudon local! I (finally) made a signature block that contained my website and blogspot address and I'd sent a note out to a PTA email list as a follow-up on a fundraiser I was heading up and used my signature block and apparently this person checked out my etsy site and bought the two cute purse/wallet sets pictured below. So I guess this goes to show you that you never know who might want to look! I'm also told by my local buyer that they found a great ipod case too so hopefully their other transaction went just a smooth. For me, I hand-delivered my two things rather than pack them and mail locally and I stuck a couple of bucks in each kids wallet as a means of partial reimbursement for shipping (they wanted NOTHING back on shipping but it just didn't feel right). As always, thanks for visiting my blog!

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

WHAT'S HAPPENING AT DEEDALOOS & MORE

Well, after having several weeks of dealing with a head cold and then shortly thereafter moving onto a virus that hit all four of us, I'M BACK! I've finished a couple of purses that are up on my etsy site at http://www.etsy.com/your_shop.php. I've listed a fun pair of bug pj's for a toddler boy and I completed an outfit for myself which is like a Christmas miracle in and of itself. After completion I decided that it will make a great pair of pj's - lol! I've got some knitting needle & crochet hook cases that I'll be listing at my Etsy site for another talented artist friend. He's just too shy to open his own site (ha, ha). They're truly incredible though and totally worth checking out. His blog totally rocks too with knitting projects galore! Check it out at http://brileyknits.blogspot.com:80/ It's almost that time to switch gears to winter though, so I need to pack up some of these fun projects and move on to the real deal - FLEECE!!!