Sewing/Crafts
The Austin Lee Coverall & Romper is Ready!
The Austin Lee Coverall & Romper Pattern goes on sale at noon today!
I’ll be back tonight with pictures from Charlie’s first birthday party this afternoon, and tomorrow I start my series on sewing with knit fabrics. I’m really excited about sharing my knowledge, and they’ll be a fun prize at the end of the week . . . and a discount coupon code that will be good on any of my patterns all week.
The Winner of Stitch Giveaway #2
All the entries–printed, cut apart and folded–ready to be chosen.
And, the winner is . . .
. . . Laura B of Lil Bean Baby! Congratulations, Laura! Laura is an amazing seamstress and her knitting is just incredible. You have to take a minute to go check out her blog. And, I happen to know that Laura is expecting a new little bean that the Comfy Sleep Set will be perfect for! Hmmm . . . I wonder if she’ll pick the Dino Dudes or the Mod Blooms interlock.
Oh, and you might have noticed that my helper for the drawing is wearing a Comfy Sleep Set in a bigger size. I have had quite a few moms ask if I could draft up sizes 18 months to 4T so that big brothers and sisters can have Comfy Sleep Sets, too. I checked in with Stitch, and they said they’d be happy for me to add the bigger sizes! I’m sure it’ll take me several weeks to get it done, but they’re coming. (This draft actually needs a little work–the neckline is bigger than I’d like it, and there are a few other little adjustments to be made. Jamie’s totally happy with it, though. He loves having Dino Dude pjs to match little brother, Charlie!)
Snow Day!
It’s coooooold outside, and six inches or so of snow fell overnight here in Dallas. We’re feeling a little cooped up inside since sleet and ice-covered roads from earlier in the week have kept us from being out and about. We’re doing our best to make the best of it, though.
Since schools and businesses are closed, Ray gets to spend his birthday home with the family. Jamie and I made chocolate chip banana muffins this morning while everyone else slept in a little.
I do have a few projects on my cutting table, though. Celebrate the Boy starts at Made-by-Rae on February 15th, and I’m so excited that Rae has invited me to share a free pattern/tutorial on March 11 to go with my recently release Undercover Bottoms Boxer Briefs pattern. It’ll be something that I think you’ll love. It’s a perfect clothing item for layering in the winter and keeping cool and comfy during the summer.
I also have plans for an All-About-Knits Week starting on February 14th. Be sure to drop in and read while I share some of my knowledge of knit fabrics and tips for working with them.
My testers are just about finished with the coverall and romper pattern. I just have to do a few final tweaks, and I have to decide on a name. It should be ready to sale by the end of next week.
Lastly, in case you missed it, my New Year’s resolutions were published on the last page of the Spring Stitch magazine:
I’m really excited about sewing a whole season’s wardrobe for Charlie and Jamie. I’m thinking of shooting for a summer wardrobe. (Planning now while there’s six inches of snow on the ground seems a little odd, but summer will be here in no time!) I was also thinking that it might be fun to have you join me. Maybe a One Wardrobe for One Season Challenge? Anyone interested?
Oh, and before I forget to remind you, Stitch Giveaway #2 ends on Tuesday night, so there’s still time to enter!
My Baby Girl is a Teenager!
Do you ever wish you could slow down time? Samantha, child number three in our family and our youngest girl, turned 13 yesterday! It’s so hard to believe that this young lady was once such a teeny baby, arriving five weeks before her due date. Today she’s a beautiful girl with a smile to share with everyone.
We celebrated her birthday with dinner out on Monday night since we’d heard that bad weather was coming in. We spent her actual birthday huddled up in our house enjoying a “snow/ice day”. Even Dad and big brother, Sean, got the day off to spend with us. Plenty of chocolate cake and mint chocolate chip ice cream was enjoyed by all.
Quite some time ago, Samantha asked me to make her some pajamas from some Little Miss Sunshine fabric that I found online. Since one of my resolutions this year is to teach her some sewing skills, I thought it would be fun to spend the afternoon of her birthday together sewing birthday PJs.
She did most of the cutting, and I did most of the sewing while she watched and we chatted.
The finished pajamas turned out so cute! The top is one that I drafted for Spring Top Week two years ago, and the pants are trace-a-pair-of-ready-to-wear-to-make-a-pattern pants.
We even did a simple applique on the bodice. (Knits are awesome for appliqueing since you don’t have worry about fraying!)
I think she likes them!
Happy 13th Birthday, Samantha! I pray that this year brings many happy memories as you grow in wisdom, faith and love.
Sleeping Comfy with Dino Dudes – Stitch Giveaway #2
Woo-hoo! The Comfy Sleep Set download is all fixed and back up on the Stitch website! If you downloaded it before, please try this one out instead. I think you’ll really like it. At least, I hope you’ll really like it!
Remember this post: Carnival Bloom Skirt? I was so excited about Michael Miller and Moda and their cotton interlocks. I actually mentioned how much I’d love to see some Michael Miller boy prints on interlock, and MM fulfilled my wish with this amazing Dino Dudes interlock! Do you think the folks at MM read my blog? (I want more! Little boys need a selection of adorable designer cotton knits.)
Moving on . . . there’s a giveaway here, I promise! Here’s the latest Comfy Sleep Set that I sewed up for my little guy:
I used my Serger Detailing tutorial to give some extra color to the neck binding in this one:
This cotton/spandex waistband is really awesome. (As a side note, the waistband is cut quite a bit shorter than the opening in the pants where it attaches. You really have to give it a good stretch while you’re sewing it on. The spandex in it will make it bounce right back.) Here are a few pictures of the fit over a cloth diaper. (This is an AI2 that I wouldn’t call super trim or bulky.)
And, here a few pictures of the fit over a disposable diaper:
Ah, the giveaway–that’s what you came here for, right? This week, I’m giving away everything you need to make your own Dino Dudes Comfy Sleep Set: 3/4 yard of Dino Dudes cotton interlock, 1/4 yard of cotton/spandex ribbing and a copy of the Spring 2011 Stitch magazine.
I didn’t forget you moms of little girls, though. If you win and you’d prefer something more feminine than dinosaurs, I’ll let you choose this Mod Blooms cotton interlock, instead.
How to enter:
Entry option #1: Leave a comment here telling me if you were a fabric designer, what would you put on cotton interlock? What subjects, colors, etc. You can link to a favorite fabric, if you’d like, but it’ll take a bit for your comment to post because I’ll have to approve it.
Entry option #2: Like Fishsticks Designs on Facebook: Fishsticks Designs Facebook Fan Page. Yes, I finally put up a FD Fan page. There’s not much there yet. Well, there’s really nothing there yet, but I’m planning to use it for announcements, contests, special discounts, etc.
Entry Option #3: Post something that you’ve made with a Fishsticks Designs pattern on the FD fan page. I can’t wait to see what you have to share!
Giveaway entries will be closed at 10 p.m. central on Tuesday, February 8, 2011.
The Winner of Stitch Giveaway #1
I know you want to know who the winner is. There were 96 comments and 13 blog posts & Facebook links making 109 total entries. Random.org chose entry number 91. Entry number 91 is Sheila! Sheila is an online friend of mine and the owner of the incredibly innovative cloth diaper: Hiney Lineys.
Congratulations, Sheila! I can’t wait to see what you sew up with the Stitch magazine and the bacon and eggs cotton interlock.
Stitch Magazine Giveaway #2 is coming tomorrow morning, and if all goes well, the Comfy Sleep Set pattern download will be back up by then, too!
The Undercover Bottoms Boxer Briefs
The Undercover Bottoms Boxer Briefs pattern is all finished and stocked in my store! I hope you and your little ones like it as much as we do! Undercover Bottoms Boxer Briefs
The Comfy Sleep Set on a Newbie
A few corrections needed to be made to the Comfy Sleep Set pattern download, so it’s unavailable for a little bit. I’ll let you know as soon as it’s back up. In the meantime, there are still a few days to enter my drawing for a copy of the Spring 2011 Stitch Magazine and all the fabric you need to make your own Comfy Sleep Set: Bacon & Eggs Comfy Sleep Set Giveaway.
Today, I thought I’d share a newborn set that I sewed up with the pattern. It’s a great set for a baby shower gift! In fact, this one was a gift for my friend, Jenna, for her new baby boy. Jenna let me steal him away for a few pictures so you can see the fit on a new baby.
This “little” guy weighed in at about 9 pounds, and he’s got plenty of growing room in this outfit. The combination of the stretchy knit fabric and the fold-up cuffs make this a set that you’ll get a long life out of!
Jamie is Four!
My sweet Jamie is four years old! We had a great time celebrating his birthday with family and few of his friends on Saturday. We started the decorations with the birthday banner that I finally sewed up.
This was one of those projects that was on my to-sew list for . . . um . . . years. It really is such an easy project, though, and I love that it’s one we can use over and over again. Why did I wait so long to make it?
I used the tutorial at Pickup Some Creativity. I did modify the size of the triangles so that the whole thing would fit on a standard three-yard piece of double fold bias tape which fits perfectly across our huge kitchen window. I also used my handy-dandy pinking rotary cutter to trim off the edges. Have I mentioned before how much I love that thing?
Back to the party . . . I love this picture of Jamie peeking over the gifts in anticipation. He picked out the ninja fabric for his birthday Charlie Tee Hoodie. I made him a Charlie Tee last summer with a similar fabric, and he wore it everyday that it was clean. I’m guessing this one is going to be worn just as much since I did laundry yesterday, and it was his chosen top this morning!
From the Lego-covered cake and the Lego-themed games to the Lego goodies that his friends took home, it was a crazy Lego filled day! We held Legos by our noses and tried to drop them into Mason jars. (The little ones had a clear advantage in this game.)
And, we tried to guess how many Legos were in the jar. Can you guess how many?
Happy Birthday my big boy! I pray that the year ahead is full of joy and wonder and grand four-year-old achievements!
Bacon & Eggs for Comfy Sleeping – Stitch Giveaway #1
Here’s the first of the collection of Comfy Sleep Sets that I have to show off. This cotton interlock is perfect for pajamas . . . even if the little guy wearing them is a bit away from eating eggs and bacon for breakfast!
The top in this set is so easy to pull on because of the criss-crossed top pieces, and the elastic-free waistband on the pants is great for comfortable snoozing.
This is the size 12 months on Charlie who wears between a 12 and 18 months in ready-to-wear clothes. You’ll have to excuse his poor little red nose. It seems that he’s been fighting a cold since winter settled in here.
Charlie’s wearing the pants over a medium AI2 cloth diaper in this picture, and the rise has enough room to cover the diaper well. (It does peek out a little when he squats down, but not enough that it would bother me at all.) The pattern fits perfectly over a disposable diaper, too.
On to my first Stitch Giveaway . . . everything you need to make your own Bacon & Eggs Comfy Sleep Set: one copy of the Spring 2011 Stitch Magazine with the pattern (and whole lot of other great projects), 3/4 yard of bacon & eggs cotton interlock and 1/4 yard of chocolate brown cotton/spandex rib knit for the trim pieces. To enter, just leave a comment here sharing your favorite thing about baby clothes. You can earn extra entries by posting on your blog or your facebook page about the giveaway, too. Just click on the Contact Me button right above my picture and send me the link to your post. This giveaway will end on Friday, 1/28/2011 at 10 p. m. central. The winner will be chosen by random drawing. Enjoy!
