Lina and Vi: February 2017

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

AeroPress Bags, Valentine's Day, and a Walking Foot

Burlap Aeropress cases for RoosRoast by Lina and Vi Michigan

Hello again from the world of burlap zipper cases! I've been busy these past two weeks finishing up the first and second batches of custom made AeroPress burlap cases for our pals over at RoosRoast, Ann Arbor.  They are turning out great, and I'm happy to report that there are five more to sew up! What a month it has been. I feel very lucky to be working with such a fun, local coffee shop that supports the handmade community. Their business has expanded since we started working together this time last year, and I hope that they continue to see this same success in the years to come. We need to support our small, family-owned businesses!

We celebrated Valentine's day last week and keeping with the coffee theme, I purchased some Lobster Butter Love coffee roasted by RoosRoast themselves. My husband is a coffee lover, so I paired the coffee with a new thermal travel mug since our other travel mugs are old and leaky. He planned a weekend afternoon for us to visit the DIA in Detroit and a dinner to try out a new restaurant downtown named Grey Ghost, which was delicious. Their menu is curated, but we like that as it tends to mean that a restaurant focuses on a few really, really good items. Our choices did not disappoint, and I'm sure we will back again in the future, at least so I can try one of their cocktails!

I learned to install and use the walking foot on my sewing machine last week, and it made sewing the exterior faux leather so much easier. I plan to write up a whole post dedicated to the walking foot in case there are others, who like me, need a little extra convincing to try it out when working with faux leather or vinyl. My stubbornness got the best of me on this one, and I was sewing the hard way until I caved and gave it a try. I'll share more in a future post of how the whole process went for me.

I'm starting up the third batch of AeroPress burlap travel cases this week, so it's back to the cutting table tonight. I hope you are having a great week, and as always, thank you for stopping by to read my updates.

Erica

Monday, February 6, 2017

February AeroPress Bags and Updates

I have been slightly out of touch this past week as I have been heads down working on a new wholesale order - our largest ever! We are back at it making burlap travel AeroPress cases for our friends over at RoosRoast, Ann Arbor.  I am so happy they continue to reach out to have me sew up some fun and funky burlap zipper bags for their coffee-loving customers. Plus, since they roast their own beans in house, they have supplied some pretty awesome burlap coffee sacks that are going to look amazing. Some of these bags are incredibly unique so I am excited to be able to repurpose them into something that is practical and that highlights their beauty.

Of course, with the good comes the bad, and I was battling a winter sinus infection last week. Pregnancy and colds are not fun, but there is light at the end of the tunnel and I'm feeling better and back at the sewing machine this week!

Those are the updates I have to share today, and I'll be busy in burlap AeroPress case bonanza these next few weeks. I have some new ideas circulating my brain right now, and I'm looking forward to being able to focus on a few new items in early March for the spring and warmer temps that will soon be on their way. Speaking of spring, please take a look at the upcoming craft show schedules in your area this year and remember to shop handmade when you can. As a handmade seller, I can't tell you how fulfilling it is to know someone else appreciates your handmade items.

Have a great week!
Erica