Help me name BR's future edition to the family!

Maybe you thought by the heading I was pregnant?!?


Well truth be known, I have been baking something - but the non screaming and burping type! >.<


Many of you know I have been working on my own pattern over the last 8 months, and to them who do not... Well, you know now!


It's been a slow going process between motherhood, and being in the studio, and the sheer fact it takes ages to draft your own pattern! Nonetheless I have made steady progress though these many months. Every few weeks I find myself opening a nice bottle of red, having a glass, and hitting the studio: drafting and cutting, wasting a little more minki, oops! And a little more! ( My pile of "duds" is getting quite impressive!)


This making a pattern business is tricky! I have mocked up, frocked up and sewn up half a dozen patterns - all not quite fitting... but... the last one I think I finally cracked it!


 And that was just the large ones! Oh dear! Now I need to start on the mediums, and then the smalls! I could fairly say it might take me a whole year to get a full range of sizes!


ANYWAY!


It's 1:00am and I cannot sleep - I am a late owl!
 My brain is busy as a little madhatter, bumble bee!
So I figure it's a good time to blog.


I am very close to finishing up on the custom orders for the year, and thinking about the holidays: what am I thinking about doing during my holidays? Spending a good chuck of time getting this pattern fit for 2012!


This is where I would love your input... come into the picture and help be apart of BR!


I need a name for my nappy pattern!


I figure I want to draw inspiration from the Thylacine tiger. This is what inspired the Bare Rumps logo: A stylised image design inspired by the real tiger's paw print.

So! 
Simply add your ideas to "name" my pattern. 
Name up to 6 names per person (preferably in one comment) separated by commas.


In order to post your comment you need to select an option from the drop-down box to "sign" your comment.


 Choose an appropriate option and then proceed to complete the word verification to allow the comment to post. If you do not have any of the accounts that come up under the options listed, choose the option "Name/URL" and enter your full name in that.



Comments are moderated, so please allow a bit of time for me to approve them. If you are signing in as anon, please leave your name in the comment after your ideas so if you win I can do a shout out.


NOW... 


To the exciting part!


I will draw on one name I like the most as the winner, and that name will become the name of my pattern, and as a token of my appreciation will be giving out the exclusive password to my website so that when I am activating items under lock and key before stocking time, you will have 20 odd minutes of leisurely time of carting 2 nappies from my first 2012 stocking!


I am back to work on the 2nd of Feb. in the studio, and working towards a good size stocking for March. 


So ladies... Fire away! Throw me with some ideas to name my pattern, inspired by the Tassie Tiger. 


I will announce a winner mid Feb 2012. 




- Jerry Red 

Well it's a wrap for BR for the year!

Most of you know from my FB post that it's now officially a wrap to the end of the year for me. I posted my last auction custom spot over the weekend. I am still making nappies 'til the end of the year privately for my co-op, there will still be photos uploaded to my fan page if you feel like seeing my latest creations. But from now on after this blog it may echo on my FB wall! I will still be replying just every few days from now on.

Really looking forward to finishing it up and having a well deserved break! This year has been consumed with sewing, ordering, posting orders, late nights scrapbooking images, stocking anxiety, (no seriously - the first few stockings were windows open and a frozen bag of peas on my forehead!), learning new ways of improving my nappies, laughing, and crying, could not leave that part out. I am sure once or twice my machines have been in such a state I have had a few wet cheeks! Oh... I forgot to mention all while looking after a 1 to 2 year old baby girl full-time being a sole parent! Who said women are simple creatures...?

I wanted to blog a few images to end the year with the nappies I really enjoyed making in the last few weeks. I am finding now that I am much more confident in my work now that I have mastered a few techniques through trial and error, so at late I have been finding myself give room for my nappies to be quite creative.

This is one I have been working on over the weekend: Surf's up!

                                                    Detail of the Extreme custom

                                

See you all around Feb 2nd 2012 - I have some exciting stuff in the works that the nappy world has not seen before, a few projects I am very excited about... all will be known in due time!

Have a lovely festive time over the up and coming months... YOU ladies rock my world, the world is a better place with cloth in it.

Much care,  Jerry Red x

Extreme custom slot information

Hi ladies.

I usually do not do this, but I really just need to voice myself. It regards the extreme custom, it is not surprisingly up for discussion in private group/s on FB. I have seen the thread/s. I would like to let you know a few facts.

The panel took me 7 hours to complete, then the sewing all the layers of the nappy / snapping combine into another hour, the hand dyed bamboo velour inner took me quite a while to prepare and dye, then the time completing the booster. My boosters are constructed in such a way that is much more time consuming than a normal tri-fold booster. There are around 11 hours work in a extreme custom slot, and out of it in the end it equates to less than a normal wage. No, it is not the same as my 7 hour work nappies, one only has to look at the detail on the sand. The patches are much smaller and finer detail than any other of my nappies (the photos do not do the justice on the shades of yellow). To you it might look the same as far as "wow" factor as my other work, but I can assure you this nappy took a lot more work.

What continues to baffle me is why this is even up for discussion? I am a WAHM working for under a normal wage, I have many job opportunities to work out of home in the arts criteria and get paid a normal to higher wage, but I decide to work from home and offer my creations so that I can spend these younger years with my daughter. So please for a moment have a think of my position before you have a opinion that my work is soooo expensive and possibly on par as my $85 customs. I do this because I love doing what I do, I do this because I bring joy to peoples lives in the form of something unique and one of a kind, and I am willing to sacrifice by receiving a under paid wage for it.

It's important to me to offer these slots, as I get to create and put in a lot of work, and I get out of it a huge sense of achievement and satisfaction that they are rare and special, and in turn you receive some thing that to very meaningful to you and your child(ren).

The nappy world is very small, I see / hear everything, and usually I am very good at letting this pass my by, as water of a duck back - but this time I just wanted a few of you to hear the truth of the work, and what I get out a nappy like this. It IS discouraging hearing of these threads, it makes me think how much easier it would be to just send some of my designs to China and get them made at a fraction of the price, there would be no threads up for discussion on the price, I would be making a normal wage, ouila! Problem solved..! Well NO... not really... because that's not what I am about, thats not really what would make me happy. I am about handmade quality items with a lot of heart.

Again I love what I do and I will continue to offer something that is more unique as this is where my passion lies, making art, and spending a crazy amount of time on one nappy. These slots do not come up very often as they are a lot of work and only offered when I am feeling extremely creative.

Just a bit of food for thought -
Thanks for listening,

- Jerry Red.

Tie Dye!

You might have caught wind of the exciting update yesterday of my new exclusive contract with a tie dye artist, I flashed around a few photos last night on my fan page, and today I am quite cooped up inside dealing a tummy bug, so I decided to muster up the strength to take some photos of my parcel that arrived yesterday and put a blog together! One is never too sick to blog, right!?!


I am so over the moon to have secured this exclusive contract. It means this will stay unique to Bare Rumps and only be offered to my creations in the whole of Australia! In a world of fashionable bottom covers I think its very important to regain your very own sense of style, and sometimes that means getting a contract! *Slaps hand on the table!* 


This bamboo velour is straight out of the washing machine and has not been through the tumble dryer, hence the lines are a little rough looking, also a few tips below to keep your velour looking in tip top condition on your nappies:


1 - Wash it no higher than 40 degrees C - this will retain the life spand of your velour for looking fluffy, by all means give them a good 60 degree C wash every 3 weeks as well, to keep your nappies in a top anti fungal/ bacterial state.


2 - The key to fluffy bamboo velour is to hang your nappies to dry like normal, then when they are nearly dry, finish them off in the dryer on the lowest heat setting!! This will bring them back a fluffy yummy state and you will not have hard velour. 


So... Here is a little show of photos of Bare Rumps exclusive velour. This will be available for inners for your customs, and it does have a higher surcharge than my normal dye work that myself and a lady in WA helps me do, as the artist in question's fees for this new velour are quite high, which in turn reflects on the current pricing for this bamboo.


Isn't it nice though to be able to have a choice of what bamboo velour you are after? This is the first time this artist has worked with Bamboo velour, and assures me that the next batch will be even better, with every new canvas medium it takes a few goes to perfect it, to alignment with their current work. EEEK!! EXCITING! 

I cannot wait to get my hands on the next batch!!! 


On the nappy front, I am getting back to the end of my co-op I am working on at the moment - yes there is around 40 people on the list (18 nappies to go ) and yes they are all asking for some pretty detailed customs, so it's been slow going, but very enjoyable. It's been lovely making nappies for the people I care about, and the co-op will be finished by the end of the year. 


I am also working on an extreme custom, which I am itching to get started on!! Might get in the studio this arvo if I am feeling better, as I can see this custom as clear as daylight and am going to have a blast doing so. I have been asked for a sea theme! WOOT! WOOT! MY FAVE!!! 


Sadly due to the sickness that both Paige and I are currently experiencing I have not been able to get to start working on the Auction item as yet. I think this bug will pass very soon and some majick created some time over the weekend, maybe even tonight. 


Next year is really when the action will start. After Feb 1st. I will be listing customs quite often and will continue to through the year 2012, that's if the world does not end right!?! :P


Until then it's catching up on prior engagements. Oh I might squeeze out one more small stocking  by the end of the year also if my single motherhood super powers presents themselves right! :) 


- Jerry Red x 

Remembering

Children are so precious right...? They are only small for such a small time... Treat every day like there is no tomorrow... Me and my baby girl yesterday morning... I love you so much Paige Red! " Dancing through life..."

This photo is going in my studio to remind me of the why I work from home, and why I made cloth nappies:  my number one inspiration. 

- Jerry Red x 

Is there a Jess Bell in the house tonight?

Seriously - how could I pick one winner out of that wonderful selection of photos?!?

So I decided to Random.org it!

Out of the 11 entries the number that was generated was Jess Bell!!!

Her entries were just fantastic - a real life view of a Bare Rumps nappy at home, surrounded by family..... pure Joy! What a beautiful family you have, Jess!

I will be in contact with you ASAP Jess - to welcome you to my co-op.


A massive thank you to all the entries - the effort was outstanding!


- Jerry Red x

Photo comp entries!

Wow they are all so beautiful! What beautiful babies out there besides my own! Thanks to everyone that entered, they are all so beautiful! I will blog a winner in the next few days.

 Also you may have noticed I just made 12 nappies go live to cart that were on preview. To every one that did not get a email this morning via my newsletter because you are not signed up to keep informed on stocking times, here is a update:

 My machine has been having some problems for the last week, and it is going in for another repair, (after just being repaired) so I could not get through the other 20 I have here waiting to be sewn up. I was going for a big stocking but realistically it would have been another 3 weeks to get them all done once my machine is repaired (I am looking at another week out of action) sooo I am not so keen on stock sitting on preview for that long, so I made them live tonight! Oh the positive, there will be one more stocking coming out before the end of the year! 

Any way enough of me rambling, and onto the exciting stuff!! How great are these entries, right? 

...Yvonne Douglass.... 1

                                                               ....Desiree Bridger....2

...Jess Bell...  3

.....Mel Baldwin.....  4

 .....Shay....5

                                                                          .....Aimee....6

                                                               .......Candice Kretschmer......

                                                     .....Monique Dawson....7

                                                     .......Kimberly McArthur....8

.....Kass Cornish.....9

.....Sarah Baker.....10

.....Naomi Fair....11

Again thank you to all the entires! 

A big kiss to you ! 

Silly right?!? LOL Too many emails tonight, I have caught the "funnies" mood! ;) 

- Jerry Red x 

A few little snippets of "lovely"

Busy making some soft breast pads today in the studio. It's a beautiful sunny day down here in Hobart town, the windows are open and my ears are jam packed to the sound track of "Flash dance". There is the spot of warm-up stretches in the small breaks between my overlocker running smooth and fast.

It's the last day to get your entires in for the photo comp. There are some fantastic entries so far - I will load them all to view via my blog in a few days time.

Also I have a new page where you are welcome to "befriend" me on Facebook. I update often on where I am at with the studio, Paige, and general chit chat about love and life. This is also a great page to keep in touch with a more personal side and early stocking updates.

Hope you are all having a lovely day today!

Off for a spot of late lunch, then finishing up on this sewing, then calling it a day and heading to the park with a cold corona and lime, and run after my little lightning-bolt moonshine, Paige Red.

- Jerry Red x

More tasters of what the BR studio has been up to.

Well it sure is a rainy dull day down here in Hobart town! Lucky I like this kinda weather, perfect for being indoors and getting crafty! Perfect time to pull out the camera as well and show you all what I have been working on. Busy snapping nappies at lunch time, and giving my hair a well needed treatment. Well thats it for the panels, they are all finished, I fair say there may even be around 35 nappies! Majority are large, there are quite a few medium, maybe 5 small and around 4 newborn. 

- Jerry Red x