Changes for Janay

I know I have been really quiet for the last few months! I promise I haven't completely given up on applique nor my blog. Lots of factors have contributed to my seemingly inactivity... some of my projects are gifts that haven't been received, or designs I've tested that haven't been released by the digitizer. But the bulk of my excuse is that I've been busy doing some behind the scenes things, and my role in the embroidery community is changing! Exciting times!

I've already shared at length how awesome my experience at Applique Getaway was. I included a little throw away line, "There was a lot of hustle and bustle at the very end of the day, the vendors had to pack up and get out pretty quickly. I chatted with Cristy a bit more as I helped take down..." but have kept that particular conversation a secret for quite a while. Wanna know what we talked about?!

Cristy asked about hiring me to help answer emails for The Itch 2 Stitch. !!! I was blown away by the idea and frankly speechless (can you even imagine such a thing?) Once I got home and recovered from my trip, we talked over all the details and I realized this is EXACTLY the type of job I would love to do from home! I agreed to begin when my kids started school. We are about four weeks in, it is going well, and we officially announced the news this week.

So what does this mean for you?
Well, if you are a personal friend or family member that I have sewn for in the past, not much is changing. I'm still available for limited custom orders as time allows. I will not accept orders from the public, I just simply do not have the time, but can refer you on to someone else. Even though my little guy is in preschool five mornings a week, that's not quite as much "free time" as you would think. :) So really this is no change from last school year.

If you are a fellow embroiderer who follows along on my adventures, I hope to continue sharing all of my projects with you as I always have! Even though I am technically a part of The Itch 2 Stitch team, this is still *my* blog. You will see a lot more I2S design and fonts being showcased here in the future, but it's not because I'm required to use them, just that they are adorable and available to me :) or I may do a quick project in an effort to troubleshoot with a customer.
For example... Someone was experiencing an issue on a onesie with this Child of God design. Based on the pictures submitted to us I was pretty sure it was a machine issue (tension), but I personally had not used this design yet. I ran a quick test of it myself to be sure all was in working order. It was! :)

 

I plan to continue to test for Lynnie Pinnie, Embroidery Boutique and 8 Claws and a Paw...
OH and I just got the "I Want it All" CDs from Designs by JuJu... so for sure you will still see projects from our old-time favorites.
I recently tested a design for a brand new digitizer who hasn't even launched a website yet (it's so cute I can't wait to show you!) so I hope to still have time to point you to newbies as well!

Whew, that was long winded. But I felt like I should share my exciting news with you, and give a "full-disclosure" sort of statement. This blogging thing and being active in groups/forums is actually paying off! ;)  Yippy!! Thanks for being a friend of Stitched by Janay. Without my fellow embroiderers I wouldn't have this opportunity!