No pictures yet, (the saddles are still in my car) but yesterday I went up to Leslie's farm and borrowed her two sidesaddles for my Feast School Day presentation. Oh, my, what treasures! As soon as I get them into the house, I will take some pics and share them here. You're in for a treat!
Leslie and I make a good team with our skill sets complementing the other's so we are helping each other a lot as we both prepare our booths for the Feast. Sewing buttonholes on older machines, Janome or not, was tricky for both of us in the past.
Using sleeve buttons doubles the number of buttonholes that must be put into a trade shirt, but my new Janome makes them easily and beautifully.
So, I offered to do the buttonholes on the trade shirts she is making to sell at her booth.
I put in different sets of sleeve buttons for her to choose from.
That enabled me to see how they looked across several different block print fabrics.
I had been thinking the brass and metal sleeve buttons would be best, but now I think the fancier ones will work well, too.
The only clothing that I currently make that would use sleeve buttons are trade shirts (worn by men as well as some women who hunted and trapped in the wilderness)
and chemises (also called shifts.) EVERY woman wore a chemise, so that is the bigger market for the sleeve buttons I am making.
I have found three different smaller and more delicate buttons that are working really well for the chemises.
Because they have both been involved at the Feast for decades (they actually met there) Leslie and Rick are very well known.
People flock to their tent when it is open and they rarely get a moment to sit down and catch their breath.
Me, I have a very loyal core group of customers and get lots of drop ins, but I am not nearly as well known as they are.
So, when Leslie asked if she could take some of my sleeve buttons to display and sell in her booth, I jumped at the chance. It will be good exposure for me and my guess is that she will sell more of them than I do in my own tent.
Like I said, we make a good team!
