From the monthly archives: May 2009
This came in the mail last week. My fabric stash is experiencing exponential growth before my very eyes. So I decided I needed to made some rules:
Rule 1: May only cut into one new project once another WIP has been finished
Rule 2: May only buy fabric when equal amount of fabric has been used up (scraps don’t count)
Rule 3: If cannot follow rules 1 or 2, find new bigger house for fabric stash.
So far I’ve been pretty good about only sewing my WIPs but it’s not great blogging as it’s mostly the boring stuff or stuff I got stuck on for some problem or another. But I am resolved!!! And very motivated, since I haven’t…
I’m really sorry about the name. I just couldn’t resist. And I’m probably the last person on the planet to hear about “octomom” or whatever, having gotten my first pedicure in eons last week. I know I can’t be the only person who only gets their celebrity news by reading ten issues of Us and People on the rare occasion that they visit a salon. And lest you think I’m some sort of Gentlewoman of Leisure, getting manis and pedis on a whim while an au pair pushes my toddler around the park, I’d just like to say that my getting a pedicure is more an act of community service than anything else since I can no longer comfortably reach my toes. Strangers were starting…
I’m spending way too much time staring at this delicious fabric that arrived via post last week. I can’t help it. It’s just so beautiful. And the plans in my head: green for a shirt/PJ’s/baby-pris for Elliot, Navy for a Mr Rae dress shirt, yellow floral for a purse/bag for me (I’m pretty sure I need more of those), red for a swing top, natural floral for another McCalls 5388 for me (Presser Foot had such great versions I think I need to try another one)…and on, and on…
: : Do you think Anna Maria Horner called it “Good Folks” to distract us from the fact that it is PURE EVIL? :…
[Unrelated but necessary: I just have to say a big thank you to everyone for all of your kind comments and for supporting my shop by purchasing the Buttercup Bag Pattern -- I have been really overwhelmed by the reaction - WOW!!! Thank you so much!]
I’ve been working on tweaking the pattern for the sunhat Elliot wore last summer. He’s too big for the old one and as we’ve started playing outside more the need for a new one has become pretty urgent, as this item of clothing represents the one piece of his wardrobe he will most likely wear every single day this summer.
The pattern is as usual my own design, based (I’m sure) on some kid’s…
So last post I hinted that I have decided to sell a license for others to sell Buttercup Bags. As a result, the Buttercup Bag Sewing Pattern will now be available as a PDF for instant download for $10. Most of you are aware that the original version has been free on my blog but is intended for personal use only. The idea there has always been that if you’re getting the pattern for free, you can use it to sew for yourself or gifts for others…a gift for gifts if you will…but not to make money.
It never really seemed fair to me for someone to profit from selling the bags when I had made a conscious decision…
The votes have been checked and tallied and the results are in! Congratulations to Astrid from Denmark who won the most votes for her beautiful striped top! Yaaaay!
Astrid made this lovely top from an Ingelise (so sad for me that it’s in Danish!) pattern with lightweight striped cotton and white linen for the yoke and covered buttons. You can see her excellent craftsmanship in some of her pictures (photos from: Astrid’s Flickr):
I love the button detail and the top is just perfect for spring with its airy sleeves and subtle colors. This was one of my favorites so it was fun to see it move into the final ten and then win! And how about that adorable…
This week I’ve been messing around with the Buttercup Bag pattern for Mother’s Day presents. As many others have mentioned, I feel the original version is a bit on the small side (while I think it’s nice that it works from a fat quarter and is fab if you usually carry a small purse, it’s a wee bit small when your normal purse contents include a cloth diaper, a sippy cup, and a change of 2T clothing). So I tried out a couple different enlargements for Mom H (above) and Mom O (below) for Mother’s Day…I’m pretty pleased with how they turned out.
: : I like the shape here; I might try this again with a longer strap worn by
…
From 9 am-12:15 pm Thursday morning my voting software accepted names but no votes. Unfortunately this means that if you cast your vote during this time it was not counted. Please vote again if you fall into this category!
Voting is working again now and I have been assured by my VP of Programming that it is working correctly. I am so, so sorry for the inconvenience.
If you are unsure if you voted before or after 9 am, feel free to email me and I will let you know!!!
Here are the winning tops from each of the ten groups in the Spring Top Week vote held earlier this week:
Row 1, left to right:Layla, Kate, Brittney, Kate, Carrie
Row 2, left to right:
Sinje, Kelli, Cheryl, Meg, Astrid
Congratulations to those who won the first round! And even if you’re seething with jealousy, be sure to check out their blogs and leave them nice congratulatory messages.
So before I post the link for the final round of voting, let me clarify a few things:
I’m asking for a name and email address for each vote cast in the final round so that I can verify…
UPDATE: VOTING IS NOW CLOSED. THANKYOU FOR YOUR INPUT!
So it’s time for you to vote on the tops from last week to choose this spring’s BEST TOP from our showcases! Here they are again if you’d like to look back: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. They are also pictured on the voting page.
ROUND ONE DEADLINE: Tuesday, 11 pm (Eastern time)
There were 100 tops entered in Spring Top Week last week (I know, how weird is that?), so for the first round of voting you will be able to pick one top each from ten…
For you to sew!
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I offer licenses for handmade sellers who would like to sell items made with my patterns on a small scale. To see all of the available licenses, visit the 
