Feedback

I've been selling my creations to people over the Internet for quite a few years now. Even given that length of time and the general lack of negative comments, I still get anxious about how pieces, particularly custom ones, will be received. Since feedback on etsy is optional I often get none and am often left wondering whether they disliked it, but not enough to leave bad feedback. I am forced in these instances to fall back on the old adage that no news is good news. The reason I bring this up is the sweet relief I felt when I received this feedback yesterday for the stick mask I just sent off:

"My Mask arrived today. It is breathtaking. I can not tell you how happy I am with your fast service, your prompt response (even while on vacation!) to emails and the speed of shipping my order to me. Thank you. My wedding day will be that much better with your work on my face and I am so grateful!"

That, my friends is the sweetest relief.  I was very nearly terrified to send that piece off. Sure, I thought it looked good and I had tested the stability of the the design, but when a customer buys something sight unseen you can never know how it will be received until it is. So a big thank you to this customer and all customers that leave feedback to ease my anxious mind.

I did get tons of work done on the commissioned mask yesterday and while I was making it I saw the potential for another new mask design. Each time I make one of these large masks, I work them up in a slightly different way. Usual it's to find the most effective way to make it, this time it was to try to replicate the shape of the first mask without all the split rings I used then. See how the center sticks up and then there is a slight point on each side. It will need some refining and I will likely bring those side point up a bit higher to define them, but this mask is definitely coming in the future.

Rather than get distracted by the potential new creation, I managed to stay on task and got the piece all the way to the embellishment stage.  I had started the mask the night before so this all got done on day two of construction. The center side bits are different than the mask I'm trying to replicate, but the shape is the same. The differences at this point won't matter though since those areas will be covered in sequins. I made the tatting denser to hopefully make sewing those on easier. There were many free floating ones in the first mask and that was a bloody pain in the neck to do. Even with the improvements to the design, sequins are a long and tedious process, so there will still be a few more days on this mask, but barring any unforeseen circumstances it should be done well before the 'up to two weeks' quoted to the customer. Now, I just need to stop stabbing my fingers with the sewing needle and we're gold.