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This is Nightengale Needles! To navigate, use the links above the banner photo and in the sidebar. Announcements, news, and posts of new stock will show up in the stream of posts below this sticky. Keep up with my updates through your RSS feed reader, by signing up for my mailing list, or by following my Twitter or my Facebook. You can also follow me on FurAffinity as Nightengale Needles, and on deviantArt as in-girl!

To view old news, click the News tag. All upcoming conventions, shows, and shop promotions will be listed on the Events page. Browse and buy things in my Shop and reach me through the options on my Contact page. Thank you so much for visiting! I hope you enjoy your stay.

Absol-utely Thrilled to Be Here!

Hi everybody!  I know it’s been a Mawile since I posted here, and I’m sorry! I’m such a Slowpoke when it comes to posting when I’d rather be sewing, and oh gosh have I been sewing! 

Those of you following my Commission Queue Tracker have seen a lot of green lighting up the status list in the last week! In one week I’ve completed 20+ Pokemon hats.  These projects will be mailed out as soon as they’re photographed; you should be seeing pics of them popping up around Thursday, if the weather holds for nice photos.

It’s not been all fleece fuzz and thread around NN HQ, owever! I’m the Artists Alley head for an awesome DC-area convention you may have heard of called Katsucon, held in February.  So I’m excited to say that this coming weekend, Katsu’s Artist Alley will open up for applications. All interested parties should check the convention’s forums for further information and specifications!

Aside from these two exciting bits of progress, I’m actually here to tell you about something completely different!  I’m writing you from a MegaBus headed to Akron, OH, for a VERY special event.

If possible, I’d love to invite you to share it with me.

My friends Bun & Noir, in the spirit of true geekery, have chosen to answer the severe lack of local suppliers of their favorite tabletop gaming items with the most obvious answer for two people as motivated & awesome as they are: They started their own darn game shop!  The Braviary of this act is worthy of recognition; therefore, I ride to their aid!  I shall care for their wee geeklings while their parents are involved in the awesomeness of their Grand Galloping Gala — ah, I mean, their grand opening.

If you find yourself in the neighborhood of Kent, Ohio, this Labor Day or anytime in the future, please do yourself a kindness and stop by Gaming Grounds, the area’s newest and awesomest source for all your unplugged gaming: tabletop, RPG, CCG, miniatures, and more.  The shopkeeper you’re most likely to encounter, Noir, is no Flutterguy; he knows his geekery and can help guide any kind of gamer, from beginners to those who fondly(?) remember 1st Ed, to find something just to their taste.

Me, I’ll spare you any more horrible Pokemon-related puns (though, I gotta say, the Mawile pun was nothing to Sneasle at) and leave you to contemplate the wilds of the internet uninterrupted.  The Pokemon (and ponies) punned at in this post will make appearances in photos later this week, as I upload my latest work, and my Etsy shop will be getting small updates as well: look for Bacon and Nyan items coming back into stock.  For the next two days, though, I’ll be off the grid, caring for my nieces and perhaps sitting in on a box-build game of MTG for old times’ sake.

I wish you all an excellent Labor Day, full of the kinds of labor which refresh the soul.  I’ll see you in a while, and hopefully by then I’ll have thought up a good pun for Chandelure…..

Fleece fuzz & love,
Emily

Pass the Ricola!

Caught the Otakon Crud.  Am pretty miserably sick. Expect all NN-related communique to gain a 3 day delay in response time.

Sorry about this!

Yay, Otakon!

Hi everyone! I’ve safely arrived home after an amazing Ota! I hope those of you who could attend the con enjoyed it as well. I had a ton of fun, sold lots of fluffy things, saw lots of awesome costumes, and met lots of very sweet new customers/friends.

I’ll be posting full updates on many of my sites very soon, including post-con photoblogging all the pics I wanted to tweet at-con but couldn’t because the AA was a giant cement box.  Look for lots from me on Twitter, Facebook, Deviantart, and Etsy, very soon! 

But wait there’s more! As if that wasn’t enough, you can see me at my awesomesauce corner booth in the Dealers’ Den at Rocky Mountain Fur Con, in Denver CO, in 2 short weeks! I’ll have TONS of ponies, Nyan, and soooo much more! OMG!

But for now…..I sleep! <3

Love, luck, and fleece fuzz,

Emily

Poll Progress – Mischief Managed!

The poll ( http://poll.fm/33xm9 ) I posted on the 10th has brought a ton of traffic to the site, and I’m super excited by it! I hope I can meet even 1/5 of the voters at Otakon at the end of the month.

The poll as I’m writing this has 232 votes. That’s excellent! As things stand now, here’s the forerunners:

Toothless (How To Train Your Dragon) 17%
Gir (Invader Zim) 13%
Umbreon & Shiny Umbreon (Pokemon) 11%
Chain Chomp (Super Mario) 10%
Charizard (Pokemon) 9%
Ryo-Ohki (Tenchi Muyo) 7%
Pinkie Pie (My Little Pony: FiM) 7%
Rainbow Dash (My Little Pony: FiM) 7%

As things stand, Charizard and everyone below him won’t get sewn unless they get some support! I’ll make the top 5 hats – the higher a hat is ranked, the more of them I’ll make.

I’m going to keep the poll open until 350 votes or Friday, whichever comes first.

If you can, please keep promoting it to all your friends! I know everyone’s got a lot to think about tonight, but tomorrow while you’re recovering from tonight’s midnight showing…you know the one I mean…then pass my link around and vote up your favorites in the finish!

Thank you so much~

Oh, and? Mischief Managed. It’s not “over” unless we let it be. <3 <3 <3

Emily

On the topic of Otakon and Hats…

…I’ve got a quick poll for you!

This poll will DIRECTLY influence what I make and bring to Otakon! Let me know what you want, and pass this around like the shiniest, fleeciest internet meme you’ve ever met.

Thanks, everyone!

Quickie update~ <3

Hi all! Just wanted to drop a quick note to everyone so patiently waiting on my commission list. The Commission Tracker has been updated — a BIIIIG shipment went out today, including all the marked “shipped” packages as well as a bulk order for Cyber Scribe Squids. You can look for a bundle of cute squiddy fleece hats (with squeakers!) at Cyber Scribe’s booth at Connecticon, this coming weekend.

And you can check on the status of your order with me, as always, right here: http://bit.ly/j6z7KV

Along with the big shipment today, I’ve gotten the nuts and bolts of 5 of the L4D HP’s ironed out. Several of them have due dates coming up quickly, so they’ll be my highest priority tomorrow, and I hope to have them ready to mail by Saturday. Meanwhile, some remainders from Anthrocon will be available for straight sale online — I’ll likely host the sales here on my site and link to them on deviantART, FA, and Facebook — and the end of the Anime & Gaming Ohio order batch (marked on the commission queue at line 14, right under Tommy V’s order) is quickly approaching!

I want to thank everyone again for their patience – the support — and demand!! — has been overwhelming in these last few months and it’s really helped me get through yet another big life change (moving house), as well as several others going on in the background. I feel lucky to sit down at my desk to work every day knowing how much support I have. =D

The next convention coming up for me is OTAKON! So I’ll see as many of you as possible in Baltimore at the end of the month. Anyone who wishes to can come say hi at my booth~ I don’t know my table # or placement yet, but I’ll announce it once I do. And if you bring me the code word “Derp Kitty,” I’ll know you’re an online reader and give you a discount! *heart*

Okay, back to sewing for me.

Love, luck, and fleece fuzz,

Emily

nightengale.org
facebook.com/NightengaleNeedles
twitter.com/nightengale13
in-girl.deviantart.com

Friends, Seamstresses: free fabric for you!

It’s time for a belated Spring cleaning here at Nightengale Needles! I have oodles and oodles of fabric and I can’t possibly use it all. So, I’ve sorted through it all and have a big old pile o fabric, reclaimed clothing fabric, scraps, and quite a few full yardages as well, at around two or three yards each.

There’s fabrics of all sorts, wools and silks and cottons and synthetics, metallics and sheers and mattes and solids. I don’t have room for all the fabric I’ve accumulated over the years now that my third and final roommate, E is joining K & me to round out the household. I’ve been storing the fabric in her room but now it’s got to go!

If you are dedicated to the Sewers’ Code – “The one who dies with the most fabric wins” – then here’s how to level up! You have three options.

1. You pay for a Priority Shipping Flat Rate box, Large size. (This is around $15.) I fill it and mail it to you. You have no control over what fabric I put in it, just that it will be full.

2. You pay $10, plus the cost of a Priority Shipping Flat Rate box, Large size. (This is around $15.) You tell me a list of six fabric qualities – color, fiber type, weight, etc – and I fill as many of those requests as I can while handpicking awesomeness to put in your box.

3. For local people: You pay $0 and visit my apartment, handpick as much fabric as you want, and bounce with glee.

The fabric will be available from today until either:

a) it is gone,
or
b) the morning of the 15th, at which point I will chuck it all into a bag and send it off to Goodwill or the VVA or whatever’ll have it.

Cause on the 15th, E comes to town and the space is needed, the room is needed, and I’m SOOOO over keeping stuff around just for the sake of keeping it!

Aside from cleaning house, sewing proceeds apace. The progress list keeps notching forward, and Anthrocon is looming near on the horizon, so I’ll be preparing for that too!

Stay tuned,

Emily

Updates & Chatter <3

Hiya, everyone <3 It's been about a month since my last post, and so it’s time for another state-of-the-Nightengale update!

I’ve mentioned in passing the troubles I’ve been having with my workspace in the new apartment, and I just wanted to let you all know that I’m still struggling to have them resolved. Meanwhile, I’ve got a temporary sewing area set up in Roommate #2′s bedroom and am working studiously to make-do while the real workroom plods toward resolution.

I’ve recently returned from a vacation over Memorial Day weekend — I spent a week in Arizona visiting friends, and dragged my #1 Minion/Roommate #1 along with me too! Anyone who’s been to Arizona – or the American Southwest – knows that the area has a beauty and an austerity all to its own.

But, now I’m back east and back at the machine. Obviously, the impact of moving house hasn’t completely gone yet, but hopefully I’ll be the only one to feel it from now on.

Over the last two days, I have completed seven hats and am about half done with an eighth; the details of each can be seen on the status list, which, finally, has updated! As I said in my last post, the status list updates as soon as each item is completed.

I have a long list of commissions left to do, and Anthrocon (Pittsburgh, June 23rd) is coming up fast, so there’s no time to let up or relax. I’ll keep you all updated with my progress on a steady basis – Twitter and Facebook will be frequently updating as I check each item off the list! Pictures of the finished commissions will probably have to wait til after the con, as processing and posting the photos takes time away from sewing.

As a reminder, my status list is right here: http://bit.ly/ez0SXG

Requests for mailing addresses for completed orders will be sent once the newest work is photographed. If you see your item in the “Waiting for address” status and would like to email me your info, that’d be super!

As always, questions comments and concerns can be left in the comments of this post.

Love, luck, and fleece fuzz,

Emily

Commission Update & Con Cancellation

I would like to briefly address some problems that have been occurring in recent weeks regarding my commission queue.

I have announced in as bold and clear a way as I know how that Real Life, specifically moving house, was expected to take up my time completely this past few weeks, and that the posted commission tracker is as always the best way to check on your order’s status, and that I have been away from my work while I have moved house & unpacked my life into the new apartment. I have also made clear, at every convention at which I take commission orders, that my estimated time of completion is fluid and can be delayed due to unforeseen circumstances. Further, I work on my commission queue in chronological order, which means that if you were, for example, the last person to order an item at Tekkoshocon, your item will not even be started until all the commissions from Anime & Gaming Ohio, and the first two days of Tekkoshocon, are completed beforehand.

In light of my current Real Life struggles – namely, that moving house iz hard and much more problematic than I had hoped it to be – and the growing impatience of my commission queue in general, I have decided to cancel my upcoming appearance at Anime NEXT in New Jersey. I will instead remain in Pittsburgh and work on my commission queue.

When my current commission queue is complete, I will NOT open my general commission queue.

Instead, I will return to my planned schedule and open preorders for Anthrocon. This will be open ONLY to people picking up their commissions at the convention, it will be opened at an announced time and available on a first-come first-served basis, and it will be a sharply limited list. I will also take commissions at the convention for mail delivery after it. I will NOT take overnight orders as I did last year.

Also because of these changes, I will not be reopening my Etsy shop, nor my general commission queue, for at least the next month, perhaps longer. I will NOT offer commission quotes or special orders of any kind.

I would like to remind all my customers that by beginning a transaction with me, you are agreeing to the policies and procedures clearly outlined on my Commissions and Customs page on this website, and that it is your responsibility to read these policies and understand them before beginning a commission with me.

Lastly, I want to also remind ALL my customers or prospective customers that there are very good reasons behind my exhortations that you sign up for my website, DA, FA, Twitter, Facebook, and so forth. These are the places in which you will see progress & updates & photos about my commission queue in general and, when it’s your turn, your commission in specific. With over 100 current customers to keep track of and communicate with, it allows me MUCH more time to do my actual work when my customers can check up on their status on their own, by looking at my sites, rather than emailing me.

As a reminder, my commission queue update list is here:
*** http://bit.ly/ez0SXG ***
It is ALWAYS current, up to the hour.
EDIT: I have updated my tracker to add a third column of information and have reorganized it a little. My apologies for including the old link. I have fixed it now.

However, if you have a specific concern or worry, please don’t hesitate to email me. Important concerns & questions are always best asked directly.

As always, I am intensely grateful for and warmed by my unwavering support from all my customers and fans. I love you all and I am filled with unspeakable gratitude for your encouragement and well-wishes and sweetness. I do this job for myself but only have the courage to do so because of the strength my supporters give me. <3

Love, luck, and fleece fuzz,

Emily

Anime Boston and Moving House!

Black Mages for Anime Boston

Hello, all! I hope your mornings are going well. Things have been very busy over here in the last few weeks, and I’ve barely had time to catch my breath! Now a break in sewing work is coming up, but it’ll be replaced by other work, so I guess I’ll have to catch my breath on the move! =D

Today I leave for Anime Boston. This Easter-weekend convention is always a fun one for me and I’m really excited about it. I’ll be teaming up with Starrcrunch, Juri-H Illustration, The Five Wits, OTP LLC, and more! Come by my table and I’ll show you where to find all the other awesome people at Boston, too.

I’ll have Conventional Combat cards to give out at my table as well; they’re my Angry Tomatoes from 2010 and pretty adorable. I’ll also NOT be taking commissions.

Again: I will NOT be taking commissions at Anime Boston. My current commission queue is so long that it’d be truly unfair to take on more – to my current or prospective commissioners. To make it up to you, I have brand new product lines which will be debuting at AB. After that, I’ll put them in my Etsy shop for everyone who can’t come to AB.

One of the new products is a Japan Relief charity item. Another set are Hetalia fan-inspired. And the remainder are pride products in four types.

Two days after I get back from Anime Boston, I’ll be moving house! Nightengale Needles will still be in Pittsburgh – just across town at a new, really awesome place. And Strawberry Victoire, run by my friend Eden, will be joining me in a shared workspace of awesome.

After we move, on May’s first Monday, I’ll be getting my faithful sewing machine Grey serviced so that she can run better. She’s started glitching – which is understandable considering how many miles I’ve put on her since her last “oil change”. =D

Because of this, all commission construction work will be halted from today through the 3rd of May. That’s how long I’ll be “gone” – first at AB, then all packed into moving trucks, then with my sewing machine at the repair shop – and so NO commissions will be progressed during that time.

As soon as I’ve got my fabric unpacked and my machine refreshed, I’ll dive straight back into my commission queue. There won’t be any change to your order or the quality of your item because of this delay. If you have any questions about the delay (from me moving house), please don’t hesitate to email me!

As a reminder, my commission queue can always be checked on here: http://bit.ly/hE0f0G It will always show how many people are ahead of you in the queue, and what your project’s status is once your project enters my active queue section. It also shows which packages I’ve recently mailed.

I’ll be in touch once I’m home from Boston. If you have questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to leave them on the comments of this post, by direct email to me, or on my Facebook. <3 If it's urgent, send me an email to nightengale[at]nightengale.org and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

I'll see you at AB!

Love, luck, and fleece fuzz,
Emily

The State of the Nightengale: Commission Queue & Further Info

Hello, all! <3 I hope this finds you well. It's been a while since I did a blast posting, and there's a lot going on over here at Nightengale Needles, so sit tight, I've got a lot to tell you! =D

Contents:

• Recent Conventions
• New Product Lines
• Nightengale does Wholesale Work!
• Commission Queue & Your Place In Line
• Upcoming Conventions
• Future Queue Plans
• Website Dreams
• Nightengale's on Staff??
• Keeping up with the Gale

||||||||
• Recent Conventions •

So far in 2011, Nightengale Needles has had a presence at Setsucon (State College, PA); Katsucon (DC); Anime & Gaming Ohio (Cincinatti, OH); and Tekkoshocon (Pittsburgh, PA). Four cons in four months isn't bad, but I'll be adding Anime Boston to the list before this month is out.

All four of my 2011 conventions have treated me exceptionally well, and I've met absolutely awesome people at all of them, sellers and customers alike. Some especial shout-outs go to Metal-Otaku, Cyber Scribe Screens, Stuffed Sushi, Case of Random, Kopes Kreations, On Dragon's Wings, Poisoned Apple Studios, and many, many more. You'll be seeing some exceptionally unique work from me in the current months, as I complete the awesome and sometimes crazy commissions everyone's brought to me in the last four months!

||||||||
• New Product Lines •

Since January, I've been able to premier several new product lines which have gone over quite well! I'll be posting photos of them in my DeviantArt and FurAffinity galleries in the coming days. These new lines include:

Scarves! In two variations:
- Lightsaber Scarves in collaboration with SoraKirei
- Bacon Scarves with optional squeaker attachment

A new addition to my line of giant plushies which started with the Portal Companion Cube:
- A giant blanket-plush version of the 3.5' square Dance Dance Revolution play mat, featuring all the symbols and squeaky arrows.

A departure from fabric for a good laugh:
- Paperclay "Navi" fairies (Legend of Zelda), all of whom have met an unfortunate end in creative ways due to talking too much

Clothing for BJD (ball-jointed dolls):
- Kigurumi (cutely oversized animal pajama costumes) for BJD (currently available for MSD. Patterning for Yo-SD and SD-13 slated for early May.)
- A refreshed version of doll-size cat and bunny hats, with extra-extra long ears
- Doll socks in a variety of colors, hand knit and (soon) available in large quantities!

- Left 4 Dead Health Pack-styled working backpacks & purses
- Cat-ear headbands, with the option of matching tails

||||||||
• Nightengale does Wholesale Work! •

In addition to stock for my own table, I've been working on several collaborative projects with other Artist Alley regulars & my friends! Now you can get Nightengale Needles-crafted goods designed by several other awesomely creative people.

- Squeaky Squid Hats are available through Cyber Scribe Screens in a multitude of awesome neon colors. Link: http://cyber-scribe-screens.deviantart.com/#/d3co6oh

- Doll-size cat and bunny hats for SD are available from Moon Bunny Imports! (More sizes coming soon.) Link: http://moonbunnyimports.com/

- Adorable hamster-critter plush dolls are available from webcomic Chisuji, depicting the character Momo-chan from the comic! Link: http://avpressstaff.dot5hosting.com/goods.html#toys

Stay tuned – there may be more collaborations coming down the pike very soon!

||||||||
• Commission Queue & Your Place In Line • 

Most important (or interesting) for nearly everyone reading this post is going to be this little bit, about my commission queue. I've got commissions outstanding from three conventions now, and am working my way through them as well as a slew of online orders. It's frustrating to be waiting for weeks on end with no news from your seamstress, as I well know myself, so I've put together a list to make things easier for you all.

Here's the complete list of my current custom work queue.
*** http://bit.ly/i7ZOmk ***

On that list, you can find yourself by first name, last initial, and your ordered item. I have a separate list with all the identifying information so that I can get ahold of you all. The commissions on that list are arranged in order of date paid – I don't start work until the final installment of payment comes in, so with the exception of one item with a deadline who paid for quick processing, everyone else is in first-come first-served order.

Down at the bottom, there's two separate groups; arranged in order of request, this is where you'll be if you've ordered but not yet paid. (So, that's about eight of you.) Once you pay, you'll be moved into the contiguous main list in order of payment.

I'll keep my Twitter updated as to the status of this list; if I say, "Finishing #24 now," then you'll know exactly how many people are still ahead of you. =D As even paid commissions are subject to change status, this list may shift slightly in one direction or another; there will be no significant alterations to it, but don't be alarmed if things slide around a little bit.

As always, you can email me with any questions you have. However, since I've been getting a lot of panicked emails recently, hopefully this list will help to soothe a lot of those worries before they hit my already-straining inbox. =D

||||||||
• Upcoming Conventions & Future Queue Plans • 

Directly upcoming for Nightengale Needles is Anime Boston, in Boston (yup!), toward the end of this month. After that, NN and I will be moving house to a larger apartment, along with Eden of Strawberry Victoire ( http://www.etsy.com/shop/strawberryvictoire ) and my current housemate and Unofficial Official Minion #1, K. That'll keep us busy for a while, so I have opted not to attend any of the May conventions in favor of getting myself well-settled and completing my commission queue in preparation for the summer.

June 11th will see me in New Jersey for Anime NEXT; two weeks later, I'll be back in Pittsburgh for Anthrocon. July will hold Pittsburgh's Sangawa Project (probably) and Baltimore's Otakon (definitely). August I'll be in Denver for Rocky Mountain Fur Con.

Since the summer will be so packed, the only way for you to get a Nightengale Needles commission slot is going to be at-convention. At any of my cons, I'll have a commission sheet available to take orders. Each con will have a limited number of slots – no less than twenty – relative to the size of the convention. At-event, I'll keep my Twitter feed updated with my commission list status and let you all know what time I open and close the window to take requests each day.

I'm going to do my best to make this process as friendly and easy for everyone as possible; if you've got any suggestions or concerns about my commission queue process, please let me know!

||||||||
• Nightengale's on Staff?? • 

While it isn't exactly part of my work as Nightengale Needles, I'm still excited to announce to you guys a development that's been in the works for quite some time now. As of February 2011, I am now the Artist Alley director for Katsucon! Katsucon is held in Washington, DC, every February, and in 2012, I'll be the one pushing tables and handing out instructions.

I've been extremely warmly welcomed by all my fellow artists and the Katsu staff is really doing its best to get me up to speed in a rapid manner. It's my first convention staff position, and I truly hope I do it well. I'll depend on feedback to do so – so please, keep talking to me!

I'm continually working on developments for next year's AA, and while nothing can be announced yet, let me just hint this: I am *super* excited, and I think you guys will be too. If all goes as planned, then everyone involved in the Alley – Artists, attendees, and cosplayers – will have something to squee about.

||||||||
• Website Dreams • 

There's a lot about my current website that dissatisfies me, and so I've begun searching for methods to expand my abilities within my site. Getting a site of my own instead of a WordPress-hosted installation will be the first step; with the addition of my own space, integrating my presences on all my sites into a one-stop Nightengale shop will be my ultimate goal. This'll include an integrated shop, news, Twitter & Facebook feeds, a blog, and of course on-site galleries of my work.

One of my big hopes for my new site – which is going to take a while to put together, I warn you, because I'm so very strapped for time at the moment! – is to have a big customer action shot gallery. I love collecting pictures of my customers with their one-of-a-kind items, and a gallery where visitors can directly submit their own action shots is one of my dreams.

If anyone out there knows of or is a web designer with spare time on their hands, send an email my way! I'm always looking to keep it "in the family" so to speak, where 'family' equals 'all us geeks. <3'

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• Keeping up with the Gale • 

As always, the best place to keep up with me is on my Facebook, where status updates, photos, and tags help you keep a pulse on everything I'm up to. I've also been using my Twitter more of late, mostly since I now remember it's there! That's over at http://twitter.com/#!/nightengale13 , and real-time announcements will go up there simultaneous to Facebook, or sometimes instead of on Facebook to keep the spam level down.

Due to persistent computer problems, I haven't been able to hold my weekly Livestream sessions for about a month now. I will be resuming these as soon as I can resolve my computer's health issues, which unfortunately may not be for a while longer. But I'll let you all know as soon as I can, since I miss Livestreaming with you all and I know you miss me too! =D

As always, if you've got any questions, concerns, or thoughts, please send me a line! nightengale [at] nightengale.org is always taking messages and I get back to everyone as quickly as I can. <3

Love, luck, and fleece fuzz,

Emily

L4D HP 4 JPN – Fundraiser for Japanese Recovery Efforts!

I had already been planning to sell my L4D HP packs at A&G Ohio, coming up this weekend, in Cincinatti, Ohio, and I still plan to do so. But in light of the tragedy in Japan, I wanted to try to do something to help them. I’m challenged for resources myself, because it’s difficult to run a business and pay for moving house twice in one year, but the one thing I can always do, no matter how broke I am, is sew. And the HP packs seem really appropriate, given the pain the whole country of Japan is suffering right now.

So! I normally sell my HP packs at $60 + shipping, which usually makes the full cost come out to about $63 or $64 USD. This covers materials (more expensive than you’d think – it’s the large amount of hardware on them), my time & effort, and gives me a bit of profit. In thinking about what I could offer to help with the recovery efforts, I came up with this plan:

For $70, you’ll get the same HP you’d normally get, but shipping’s on me AND $20 of the sale goes to Japan. I wish I could do a 100% charity sale fundraiser or something, but I can’t put myself on the street to help Japan. This, though, I think we can do. You guys pay $70 and get the same thing you’d normally get for $63, plus $20 of your money is headed straight past me toward Japan to help them. I won’t LOSE money on this, but I won’t make as much either; but we both get to help Japan a little.

I feel very small and shallow offering this, when so many people are offering so much more and greater things, but we all do what we can, you know?

If you’re interested in an HP, please email me at nightengale[AT]nightengale.org with the subject line HP4JPN.

With love, luck, and fleece fuzz,

Emily

Clearing up a bit of Confusion…

Hiya everyone! I realize that having failed to post here, on my main site, since January has caused a bit of confusion among my watchers. I apologize for that! I just wanted to drop you a quick line to let you all know what I’m up to.

Plushfleece Cheshire Cat set from Kuroshitsuji - Wonderland OVA

• Setsucon went well, as did Katsucon. My next convention coming up is A&G Ohio, in Cincinatti, on March 18th. As always, check my Events page for details & future plans.

• I’m not actually open for commissions right now! I’ve accepted orders which resulted from discussions at my conventions, since I’d already discussed terms with those clients. And I’ve accepted a handful of orders off of dA because of some sudden exposure my L4D work got over there. So you’ve definitely been hearing me talking about commissions quite a bit recently, and that may have been confusing.

While I love to take new orders, and I will often accept an order even if I know I already have enough lined up just because it sounds so coooool…. I have to cut things off somewhere. My current work queue is quite daunting, and I also have to consider my preparations for my upcoming conventions in my planning. I don’t feel comfortable taking on any more orders until I have worked through the current queue, to ensure that they all get done in a timely manner.

For that reason, I’ve updated my Commissions page. From March 1 onward, if you send in a commission inquiry, I will respond and tell you whether the project is possible. I won’t be able to contract for the work (exchange money, promise to make your item) at this time, because I’m full up!

• For the curious: My current commission queue contains approximately thirty-five to forty projects.

• For those of you who watch my Facebook, you had a unique opportunity this past week! I debuted a new product on Livestream, then advertised it on Facebook the following day. That’s my Bacon Scarves! I opened up for a small preorder of them, and all 10 slots are filled.

But don’t despair – the scarves will make their way to my Etsy shop as a standard item very soon! Here’s a picture to whet your appetite:

Mmm, bacon.

Lastly, I’ll test out WordPress’s poll function and leave you with a brief inquiry which will help me make my queues better for you and better for me in the future. I am not going to change the way I do my commission queues based solely on this poll, but I do want to consider your opinions too!

Love, luck, and fleece fuzz,

Emily
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Emily Smith
Seamstress, Nightengale Needles

nightengale.org
nightengale13.etsy.com
facebook.com/NightengaleNeedles
twitter.com/nightengale13
in-girl.deviantart.com

Sales and Commissions:
nightengale@nightengale.org
703-282-9304