Interview Series: Week 9 – Heavenly Princess

Greetings everyone! I write this as I suffer through some Mystery Illness or Black Plague of sorts.  Or rather as I suffer the whining "Why isn't it Over?!" stage of said illness, where there is nothing left but some general tired and some irritating aches and fading other symptoms.
Enough about me.  Bottom line: I apologize for a lack of a post last Wednesday, I was busy swearing at nature and at general sickness and its irritations.

This week I bring you someone else who has their hands in more than just one thing, and someone who shares a little of the spotlight in their shop with a sibling.  This week I bring you the beautiful dresses, cards and headbands of Heavenly Princess on Zibbet.

Name:
Jordan Elizabeth
Craft:
Sewing and drawing
Favorite material (or medium, whatever you want to call it!):
I love wool fabric! It's so lovely to work with.
Most Popular Seller (whether it be online or at shows):
Probably my hand drawn cards. I'm not sure which style is most popular, since it's a newer product for me.

Floral notecards set of 3, Fuchsia Pink and Light Green
Beautiful hand-drawings, and inspirations to boot!

What got you into your craft?

 

I first began learning to sew when I was about 7 years old. My great aunt (grandma's sister) taught me the basics before her own granddaughters were old enough. She got me addicted to the best sewing machine on the market (Bernina)!
As for drawing, I have done that ever since I can remember. I taught myself my own form of cursive, and came up with "better" ways to form the letters when I was about 8.

How did you learn your craft?

 

After I felt like I had learned enough of the basics, I stopped taking sewing lessons from my aunt and struck out on my own. My parents are very supportive! My mom, who does not sew at all, found me an outrageous deal on a Bernina, and my dad lets me use part of his home office for my sewing space. I collect books and try to learn new and old techniques from them (one of my favorites is a dressmaking manual from the 40s).
Ever since that first "creative cursive alphabet", I have enjoyed designing my own fonts. My mom once thought that I had let my friends write in my journal because every page had different handwriting on it. I pore over books and websites about calligraphy and creative lettering too.

Empire dress with puffed sleeves (size 10)
Somehow I don't think this photo can do the dress itself justice! Where was this when I was young?

What about YOU? Who is the artist behind those wonderful items?




I am a Heavenly Princess, first of all. A daughter of the King AKA a Christian. My purpose in life is to glorify God. I am the oldest of 5 siblings, and we all were/are home schooled. The two youngest are adopted, but look exactly like my sisters. I am the odd one out - a redhead among blondes :)

 Cream and Dark Red Ribbon Tie Jumper or Sundress (size 1)
Another that a photo can't do justice to! This is absolutely adorable!

What is a typical "working" day for you? How does it usually start and end? How many hours do you spend crafting? How many hours do you spend on other things? What about distractions? I know we all have them! Do you usually accomplish all you wanted to?



Typical? No day is typical in a family like mine! The biggest distractions for me are typically the Internet and my little brothers. Often I will grab my iPad and supervise them instead of working on things for my shop. Sometimes I'm able to pop into my work area for a half hour at a time, but I prefer to be left alone for hours so that I can get in the creative zone and get a lot done. Goals and deadline help me get things accomplished.

What happens when you Oops? Everyone gets one sometime or another! Do you get frustrated and destroy/start over, or do you go with the flow and see what comes out in the end?



One giant oops with a zipper when I was 10 years old almost made me never sew again! I've always struggled with dealing with Oopses constructively. I'm a perfectionist, so the temptation is always to doom messed up projects to the "fail" box, but I'm learning to revisit those supposed failures to remake them. This is why I keep the "fail" box - it keeps me from throwing something away that could be fixed when I'm in a better mood.

 Corduroy & Lace Headband
Made by Jordan's younger sister – I couldn't not include one, all of the headbands are cute as a button, like this one!

What is your design process like? How many tries does it take to be happy with the final product?




I like to plan my projects to death, so usually I don't have many trials before producing the final project. This goes back to my perfectionism. Unfortunately, some designs literally are planned to death, and stay in my idea books. I don't like to jump into a design until I know how every step will go and have a guarantee in my mind that it will go well. On the other hand, some of my best designs have come from no planning at all! For example, my prize-winning scarf (http://heavenlyprincessblog.wordpress.com/2011/11/23/another-picture-from-the-make-it-with-wool-competition/) was created by draping an odd shaped bit of wool around my dressform's neck, then the embroidery was done flower by flower without a design sketch to go by. Sure, a scarf is simple, but it's a start!

 
Language of Flowers notecards set of 3
I learned something new reading the description of these, and these would be the perfect way to send a message to someone!

What is your greatest roadblock, be it government regulation or that little frustrating thing that just likes to sneak up and stop you in your tracks? Broken needle? Jump ring jumping out of your pliers? Thread knots? Cats? Dogs? The family hedgehog rolled about in your yarn basket?



A lack of focus tends to be my roadblock, whether it be working on a project in spite of distractions or deciding which pattern to draft next!

All important pricing... Do you have a formula? Do you wing it? Do you feel your work justifies your prices?




*sigh* pricing. I begin with an hourly rate, but also factor in other expenses. I consider supply and demand based on what else is available online. Mostly I try to be simple - no .95 added to the end of any of my prices ;) Round numbers are easier to work with.

 
"Little Women"
Meg March
Jo March
Beth March
Amy March
I had to save this one for last, simply because I love the book, love the movies, and I absolutely adore these dresses!

And of course, is there anything else you'd like to say to our "viewers at home"?




Please stop by my blog http://heavenlyprincessblog.wordpress.com! I love comments :)

 

 

Thank you, Jordan, for sharing your story, your beautiful work, and your inspirations with us all!

Make sure to visit Jordan (and her sister) at her Zibbet shop, Heavenly Princess.