patterns

Monday's rainy day activity: "Basketball" for Isaiah and knitting for mommy



Today: Baseball for Isaiah, and knitting for mommy (again).

See a pattern??

I love this time of year and I'm so happy for it to be nice out again. This is the blooming dogwood in our front yard. Isn't it gorgeous? I hope you're all enjoying a beautiful day too.

making room for "friends"

I haven't really been sewing much lately, due to the organized state of my sewing room and my recent obsession with knitting. But yesterday during Isaiah's nap, I got the urge, and I made all the adjustments for the dress and finished sewing the muslin. I tried taking pictures of it on, and believe me when I say this was the least scary one of the bunch. Doing a full bust adjustment has really changed my life. A couple of lovely ladies came to my rescue the other day and sent me some fabulous links on how to do so. I never really knew about making adjustments to patterns, but I can say for sure, that now that I know how to do it, I'll probably be making some more clothes for myself.

I had originally intended to do view B because I loved this dress so much. After making the muslin though, I've realized the neckline is not going to work for me. Aside from that, the dress is really flattering. So I'll be going with view A and make the proper adjustments so that I don't pull a Janet on the dance floor. I wouldn't want to upstage the bride :)

Oh, and go check out Beki's post on Sew, Mama, Sew! today. She has done a really great job showing how to do a FBA. And, stop by her blog and wish her Happy Birthday too!

rainy days and knitting

I have to admit, I'm a little obsessed with knitting right now. After I finished knitting the Juliet, I had to start another project. Never mind the fact that I'm in the middle of trying to sew a dress for a wedding in a month. Last week Isaiah and I ran over to the local yarn store and I picked up the yarn for the Rusted Root sweater. I've been knitting every chance I get, and it's so exciting to see how the lace pattern is coming out. I did mess up a few times in the beginning, but luckily I figured it out, and things are going smoothly.

Thanks for all the helpful comments the other day. I'm glad I'm not the only one with boob issues. I'm happy to say, that it seems (being the operative word), like it may work out. I haven't gotten to the band part yet, and I think that may be the true test of how it's going to turn out.

Our computer decided to quit on us for a few days, so I'm behind in my e-mails. I'll be catching up with you guys soon, I hope. It's been raining for about 24 hours straight and we're under a flood watch. We do live near a river, but luckily they've built a large levy that will contain it. My only issue is, I'm going stir crazy. Isaiah and I are stuck without a car today, and I need some ideas to entertain a 2 year old inside. Poor thing, all he wants to do is go outside and play baseball. Help please!?!! I know you mama's out there have some creative things to do on rainy days!

here goes nothing...

Keep your fingers crossed. Hopefully with a few minor adjustments, this pattern will be able to accommodate some large friends of mine. I don't want to put on a show at John's cousin's wedding. Anyone have any experience adjusted for a larger bust? I am trying it out on an old sheet first.

Done!

Howdy! I didn't mean to disappear like that last week, I just didn't have much to show. I was trying to catch up on my Dear Baby Jane blocks (I'm almost there) and working hard to finish up my Juliet. I'm proud to say that it is finally finished and it feels so good to have it done! This pattern was a pretty easy knit for a beginner like me.

what's with the look on my face??

Although, I did have to frog back one part, before realizing that I had only missed a yarn over. Grr. It came out well, even though I think that it's probably not all that flattering for my body type. If I did it over again, and I was a more experienced knitter, I'd probably start the lace repeats a little lower, and maybe (somehow) make it a little more form fitting in the back.

I think it's too flow-y, but John says that I'm being too critical of myself. I keep wanting to sing "Baby Got Back" everytime I look at this picture.

Here are the details:

Pattern: Juliet by Zephyr Style
Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece, 6 skeins, held doubly (with some leftover)
Color: Raging Purple (which I think is a funny name)
Needles: Size 10.5 32" circular
Size: Medium

Notes:
I decided to knit a medium based on other reviews that I read, stating that this pattern ran big. This ended up being the perfect size, and normally I wear size XL in shirts. The yarn that I used is also very stretchy and I think that this is probably a big factor in the sizing, although I do think the pattern probably just runs big in general.

I also got to hang out with my friend Stephanie yesterday. I hope she shows you her Juliet soon. It's mighty pretty! We went to the local yarn shop yesterday and I managed to walk out of there with nothing. Now that I'm finished with the Juliet though, I'm itching to start something else. Anyone have a good, easy summer shirt to knit up? I was thinking this, although I'm not sure. What do you think?

Slowly but Surely

I had a lovely birthday weekend. My mom made a surprise visit from NY on Friday, just in time for a wonderful birthday BBQ. I received a couple of gift cards for iTunes, which I have been desperately wanting so that I can download some more David Cook. We spent all day Saturday in the garden and I have a sunburn to prove it. Saturday night John and I went out on a date (a real date!) and saw Baby Mama. We both loved that movie and it provided some really great laughs.

I finally picked up the Juliet after several weeks of not touching it all. I suddenly felt motivated to finish it and I have been working on it non-stop for the past two days. Perfect timing too since we've had some pretty heavy rain yesterday and today. There's nothing like snuggling up on the couch and knitting. I'm glad that I learned such a portable craft. Anyway, I'll be really excited when I finish this project. I'm nervous about how it's going to fit though. I read a lot of reviews about how the pattern ran really big, so I'm knitting a medium. I'm using Brown Sheep cotton fleece and it's really stretchy. I think that's probably part of the reason that it runs big. The yarn is nice and soft, but it does stretch a lot and I'm hoping that it doesn't change the shape of the Juliet too much. I probably have to do at least 3 more lace repeats to finish and at the rate I'm going, that could be months! Well hopefully not. I'm going to knit into the night and perhaps I'll have something finished to show you tomorrow.

Answers and a winner

The answers first:

1. What time of the day was I born?
12:23 pm

2. How much did I weigh?
7 lbs 7 oz and although I wasn't large, I ended up being a c-section baby because I wouldn't turn the right way

3. We took frequent trips to what city as children? Hint: This picture was taken at a popular place in this city.
Washington, D.C. This was at the Air & Space Museum. Still one of my favorites!

4. One of my favorite birthday parties was at the place in this picture. It was one of the "hotspots" in our small town. What is the place? Double bonus points if you can guess the actual name of the place.
At the Roller Rink and it was (is still) called Roller Magic

5. I have one sister. This is one of my favorite pictures of us as kids. Can you guess how much younger than me she is? She's the one on the right.
She is 30 months younger than me

6. How did John and I meet and under what circumstances?
John and I met freshman year of college. He was dating my roommate's best friend and would often stop by our room with her. We started dating soon after they broke up, 2nd semester of that same year.

7. What is my favorite type of cake for my birthday?
Ice Cream Cake!! Yum yum, and I was lucky to have some last night. Thanks John :)


Since there was 3 of you with the right number of answers, I entered it into the Random number generator, and the person who wins is......

Joy!

Please send me an e-mail at katiebhandbags@gmail.com with your address and I'll let you know which wristlets I still have.

my apologies....

I thought that I'd have enough time to figure out the winner of my little giveaway today, but I've lost track of all time. We spent a few hours buying things for the garden and enjoying a nice birthday lunch. I'll pick the winner tomorrow (I promise). So if you haven't entered yet, give a shot at it. I'll allow entries until tomorrow morning. Happy weekend to you all!

RME

So I might be a little behind the times, but I just signed up for Revolution Money Exchange. I had seen a couple of people posting about it on etsy, asking for shops that accepted it. It's like paypal, except without the fees. I don't think you can use credit cards. I'm interested to see how it works out. They give you $25 free for signing up, and each person that refers you gets an additional $10. If you'd like, click on the button below to get your own account started.



On a side note, today is John's 3 month check up. It feels weird to have to go back to the hospital and have all the tests run again. I got so used to it not being part of our lives again, it's a rude reminder that it will always be a part of our lives. I am extremely appreciative of all your prayers and comments during those rough times. I really am thankful to be part of such a supportive community!


Don't forget about the birthday giveaway contest!

I heart David Cook

Nothing much has been happening around here lately. Except that I've been listening to this song nonstop since I downloaded this song on iTunes last week. I pretty much has a monstrous crush on David Cook now. And John can even vouch for it :)



And don't forget to enter the giveaway below. I'm having fun reading your answers!

A Birthday Giveaway

Since my birthday is on Friday, I thought it would be fun to have a little giveaway. But I'm going to make you work for it, because who wouldn't like to learn a little trivia about me. Right? So, I'll be giving away one of my wristlets. The winner will get to choose one of these.

For the contest, the person will the most correct answers to the following questions will win. You'll have until Friday afternoon to submit you guesses.

So here we go:

1. What time of the day was I born?

2. How much did I weigh?

3. We took frequent trips to what city as children? Hint: This picture was taken at a popular place in this city.

4. One of my favorite birthday parties was at the place in this picture. It was one of the "hotspots" in our small town. What is the place? Double bonus points if you can guess the actual name of the place.

5. I have one sister. This is one of my favorite pictures of us as kids. Can you guess how much younger than me she is? She's the one on the right.

6. How did John and I meet and under what circumstances?

7. What is my favorite type of cake for my birthday?


Good Luck! I can't wait to read all your answers!

Wallet Tutorial from Leather Skirt

This tutorial is for the Sew, Mama, Sew contest. They've already had some really great entries, so I hope that it is clear and easy for you to use. If it's not, ask questions in the comments and I'll try to answer them there. More pictures can be found on my flickr site and I think they actually look better there too. I have put most of them in a mosaic because otherwise it would have been too many pictures. Please do not use to make items to sell, unless you contact me directly. I gave these to the men in my family for Christmas and they were a big hit. They'd be good for Father's Day too!

A couple of tips before starting:

• Go slowly. Do no pull through machine.
• Use a leather needle, as it is sharper and is made to go through thicker materials
• Use binder clips instead of pins. That way you will not have pin marks through the leather
• Use a small amount of Rubber cement, so that it does not gum up your machine. I use this because it prevents the leather from shifting and dries quickly.
• Increase the tension on your machine when going through more than 2 layers
• Use a longer stitch. I set mine to a 3 or 3.5 for this project

Supply List:

Leather Skirt
Scrap piece of clear vinyl
Rubber Cement
Rotary cutter, mat, and ruler
Tracing pencil
Leather sewing machine needle
Coordinating thread

O.k. Now we’re ready to start:

1. Deconstruct the leather skirt by cutting along the seam lines. I find that I like the longer, stiffer skirts for this project. Also, look for a skirt with less seam lines, as you’ll get more mileage out of it.
2. Cut the following pieces out of the skirt: (2) 9”w x 3.5” for exterior & inside base of wallet (1) 9” x 3.25” for paper money holder (1) 4" x 3.25” for back of credit card slots (3) 4” x 2” for credit card slots (1) 5” x 5” (this one does not have to be exact)

3. Take one 4” x 2” piece and apply a small amount of cement to one long edge. This will be the bottom part. Place the top edge (non-glued edge) of this piece 3/8” down from the top of the 4” x 3.25” piece, right sides up. Press down and allow to dr y for a few minutes. (you may skip to the next step while this is drying, just come back to finish this). Stitch along the bottom, using about 1/8” seam allowance.

3. 

Repeat for the next 2” piece, placing the top 3/8” from the top of the last stitched piece.

Repeat same process for the last 2” piece, except start stitching along bottom right, turning the cornering and stitching up the left side of the entire credit card piece.

* If leather is distorted at all during stitching, trim entire piece to 4” x 3.25”.

4. On the wrong side of the 5” x 5” piece, trace a cc or your license, using a white pencil (or another marking pen), that you can clearly see. Place the scrap vinyl overtop of your tracing mark. Take to the sewing machine, and stitch along your marking line, backstitching at the beginning and end. Trim excess vinyl, close to the stitching mark. Flip the piece over and lightly pull the vinyl away from the leather inside the stitching. Using sharp scissors, remove the inside rectangle, leaving about 1/8” from the stitching. Trim this piece to be 4”w x 3.25”h, centering the vinyl rectangle. Meaning, you will have .5” on top and bottom, and 3/8” on each side, from the stitching line.

4. 

5. Take the vinyl/leather piece and apply cement to wrong side of the top, bottom & right side. On the credit card piece, apply to top, bottom, and left side. ** Remember this is on the wrong sides, so that when you flip the pieces over, the cement will be on the outer edges of the wallet.

6. Take the 9 x 3.25” piece, and place the vinyl/leather piece on the left side, matching sides and corners. Place the credit card piece on the right side, matching sides and corners. Press down, apply binder clips, and allow to dry for a few minutes. Stitch along top, securing both pieces.

   
   

7. Apply a small amount of rubber cement to the side and bottom edges on the wrong side of the completed 9” x 3.25” piece. Stack this piece on the right side of one 9” x 3.5” piece, aligning side and bottom. In other words, both will be right sides up, and you will be forming the money pocket. Secure with binding clips and allow to dry for a few minutes. Starting on one side (I like to start on the left), stitch, turn corner, stitch bottom, turn again, and then stitch remaining side. It may be tricky to sew through all the layers on the credit card side. If it is, go slowly, increase tension and stitch length. Or, walk away, have a (few) glas
   

8. Flip piece over, and rather quickly, apply cement thinly and evenly over the entire back, except for ~1/4” around the edges. Apply the remaining 9” x 3.5” piece, wrong sides together, pressing and smoothing together. Secure with binding clips and allow to dry for 15 minutes. After it dries, stitch around entire piece, making sure not to catch the inside pocket.
9. 

Alternatively, if you would rather have a fabric on the outside of the wallet, you can use this tutorial until the last step. For the outside, cut your fabric 9.5” x 4”, and then press the ¼” seam allowance in on each edge. Cut a piece of fusible webbing a bit smaller than the piece, and fuse the fabric to the back side of the leather piece. Then stitch around the entire piece.

Pheww... how was that?

What a week...

Good Friday everyone! This week really got away from me. I guess I didn't realize how stressed out I was over the whole craft fair thing, because this week has been amazingly relaxing. Aside from the whole cough syrup incident, that is. We've had really beautiful weather and Isaiah and I have been outside everyday. John had off from work on Wednesday (for Emancipation Day, which D.C. celebrates), and we broke in our new bikes with a trip on the bike path in front of our house. We discovered a beautiful lake a few miles away with a lot of birds. Today, we rode the opposite way to a marina on the Anacostia River. We have really been enjoying these family days, and I am looking forward to getting back in shape. Maybe this "baby" belly will finally disappear after 2 years :)

I'm working on a shop update right now. There will be plenty of wristlets (including the one above) and Dopp Kits in there by the end of the weekend. Perfect Mother's Day and Father's Day gifts, if I do say so myself.

Next week I'll be posting a tutorial for the Sew, Mama, Sew! contest, so check back. I think it's a good one :) I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Well Thank Goodness That's ALL over

Wow, I had quite the last few days. Yesterday we spend most of the day in the ER with Isaiah. I'll spare you all the details, but basically he got a hold of some adult cold medicine and drank it (although I wasn't sure how much). We spent 2 hrs waiting to be seen, then had to wait another 2 to have his blood drawn. As it turns out, the level of Tylenol in his bloodstream was probably equivalent to a lick off the top of the bottle. So it wasn't as bad as I had originally thought, but enough for me to still feel guilty that he even got to it and had to go through the whole hospital ordeal. Anyway, I am beyond relieved everything is o.k. and today I'm spending the day moving anything he could get his hands onto.

I also spent the whole weekend at the craft fair with 6 other talented ladies. I wish I could say it was more successful, but I think that our booth didn't really fit in with the other vendors. It was more of a "country" craft fair and a lot of the things were not handmade. They even had fake coach and gucci purses (which people were going crazy over, by the way). In the end, I made a little money, so I'm glad I didn't lose anything. And I got to hang out with some cool gals from EtsyCrest.I even got to meet two cool bloggers, who also happen to be sisters. It is always great fun to meet the people you "know" through your blog. I've had nothing but good experiences with it, and I can say the same about Rebecca and Mandi. You can read more at Rebecca's blog. She had some nice things to say about our Etsy booth (and me, of course). It was really nice meeting you gals!

I'll be updating my shop soon to, as I have a lot of stuff leftover from the craft fair. That is, if I can find my camera charger. It must have disappeared in the piles of everything that had been ignored while I was getting ready for the show. Maybe I'll start cleaning up the house too ;)

Craft Fair

Hi Everyone! Sorry for my absence this week. I've been getting ready for my craft fair this weekend, and needless to say, there's been little "me" time. Isaiah always conveniently decided not to take naps severals days this week, so I was feeling extra rushed for time. Anyway, enough of that. I wanted to say thank you for all the compliments and inputs on my last bag. I decided to make the flowers pins, as several of you had suggested. I really did like that idea!

If anyone's in the Baltimore area tomorrow or Sunday, I'll be at the Timonium Fairgrounds with some ladies from the EtsyCREST team. I know I might be meeting some of my fellow bloggers this weekend ;)

Have a good one.

Tax help needed please!!!

Alright, so this is terribly last minute and I'm struggling to finish up our taxes. I actually started them a few weeks ago, but still haven't completed them. I'm having a problem with how I should file my profits from the craft fair I did in november and things I sold on etsy. I was hoping someone could offer me some advice! (and quickly). I'm technically not a business, as I have never started anything legal to become one. I did one craft fair in November and the profit was just under $400. Do I just file this as extra income under a hobby? Any insight?? Thanks!!

oui or non?

My mother in law came down yesterday and watched Isaiah for a few hours. It was a much needed break for me and I was able to make a lot of progress for the craft fair (that is next weekend, yikes!). Of course, I did get a little sidetracked and had to make a bag that I had wanted to make for a long time. This always happens to me when I'm trying to sew in large quantities. I get bored, yet somehow inspired, and have to start a new project when it's fresh in my mind. Does that happen to any of you? I bet I'm not the only one. Luckily this bag sewed up quickly and I subsequently got started on four others. I thought the front looked a little boring, so I added a flower. I'm not sure though. Do you like it with or without the flower? It's just pinned on right now, but if the majority like it, I'll sew it on.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Our April Fool's

Yesterday was John's birthday. If you know John in the least, you'd know that April Fool's is a very fitting birthday for him. It just makes me laugh to think that it's his birthday. He is such a fool (in a good way, of course).

Anyway, it was a gorgeous day, and I know John enjoyed his birthday. We headed into D.C. to eat at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants. We were able to sit outside and drink margaritas, something I've been waiting to do all winter! After dinner, we walked to a cute park down the street and let Isaiah run wild.

Then a quick trip to see the Cherry Blossoms. I really love this time of year here, but there are just waaaay too many people. I'm sure that it was a lot worse during the day. Anyway, I tried to take some pictures, but apparently the flash on my camera no longer works. It was disappointing, but it may just mean I'll have to take another trip during the day to see them. I was able to snap this picture of the Jefferson Memorial. It's by far my favorite memorial in D.C.

Above is the picture of Isaiah "helping" me make John's favorite dessert. He loves trifles. This one had yellow cake, chocolate pudding, whipped cream, and crushed butterfingers. Not my first choice for a birthday cake (I love ice cream cake!), but he loved it, and it's all gone now.

It's back to work now. There's a lot of sewing to be done. Hopefully I can get something achieved while ignoring the piles of laundry that need to be folded!

Dear Baby Jane

John went back to work today after having a week off. I wish I could say I had been more productive when I had the extra set of hands, but instead I lazed around. Oddly enough, this morning I was up early, made a to-go breakfast for John, cleaned up the living room and got a start on our piles of laundry. I guess it has something to do with everyday routine.

I did have a little panic attack when I realized that my upcoming craft show is less than two weeks away. I really wanted to get a lot of things done while John was home, but it just didn't happen. Now it will be crunch time and I'm hoping to have enough for the show. The last one I did was only one day, but this one is two days! Yikes.

Meanwhile, I did finish my blocks for the Dear Baby Jane project. Some of them are a little wonky, but I am liking how they are coming out. Hopefully I can keep up with making these! I'm wondering how long it's going to take to put together though ;)

Log Cabin Goodness

Oh, you have no idea how good it was to read all the comments from fellow crafting slobs (as Kirsten put it). I am glad I'm not the only one with piles of fabrics and scraps. You never know when you might need such things!

I was able to push through the creative block and sew a little yesterday. As for the piles of fabric, they are still there. And I don't think they're going anywhere anytime soon. They may very well be there until the craft fair too.


I did finish the outside of this bag. I had the idea to make this bag for probably a year. For some reason or another, I never got around to sewing it. I was thoroughly inspired by this bag by Pink Lemonade Boutique. I love love that bag!


I am very happy with the way it came out. I just have to hand sew the lining in tonight while John's at work. You know, because I can't sew in my room when he's home because I'm a scaredy cat. Hand sewing is perfect for those times.


I am most proud of my very straight quilting on the back. Actually, I'm really impressed with myself, if you don't mind me saying. It's amazing how easy sewing straight lines is if you draw them on first! I hope the back isn't too boring compared to the front. What do you think? It does take a while to do the log cabins, so I was pretty much doing just the front to save time. I had originally intended to do the quilted panel for the bottom, but ended up doing a print. That was just suggestion and I rather like it. I see many more of these bags in my future!

Today we have wonderful, gorgeous warm weather. So, I'm going to enjoy that and some sewing this weekend. I hope you all have a good one!

Messiness

I'm finally getting back in the swing of things. We had a nice extended trip to Rochester to visit my sister and other family. And boy was it cold! I think my sister wanted to kill me for all the complaints of the weather. Although I felt especially validated in my complaints after coming home to 60 degree weather from the 30's we had felt when we left!

John has off from work this week and I'm trying to catch up on some much needed sewing. I have a craft fair in less than a month that I am totally unprepared for! It always seems that my brain goes into overdrive when I need to sew, making it more difficult to actually sew. Does that make sense?
I also need to tackle this mess in my sewing room. I can probably attribute my lack of productiveness to this. But, this is how I work best. I need to see all my fabrics out, be inspired by them, and then put them all away at once. And of course, repeat that cycle again. Anyone else do the same? I hope I'm not the only one ;)

Alright, I'm off to take advantage of having daddy home during the day. Hopefully I can get some things accomplished!

Another Project

Ah, you guys are amazing! Thank you for all the suggestions and well wishes for my dryer. (And for Isaiah). As it turns out, the bleach and towel trick did not work exactly. I ended up spraying Clorox Clean up in the dryer and then running it a few times with some towels. Most of the pen came off, but more than likely the rest will permanently look like a smurf took a nap in there. Which is fine, as long as it doesn't come off on the clothes.

Isaiah is feeling fine now. I'm not sure what was going on with him, but a few tylenol and a couple of swigs of Mucinex and he was " all better" (to quote him). He is back to making messes for me to clean up, which is just wonderful considering the amount of laundry I needed to catch up on. But, I'm sure I'm not the only one with a laundry problem.
After all this happened, I needed a distraction. Which of course meant a new project. As if I needed another project. So I started the Juliet. My friend Stephanie has been working hard on hers and I've been envious ever since she started it. After the dryer episode the other day, I bought all the supplies and have been working on it ever since. I really like the color of this yarn. It's more purple than this picture shows. It's Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece. The only problem is that this yarn is very stretchy. I'm having a hard time deciding what size to make because I have a feeling that it'll only stretch more with wear. So, I'll probably try the medium. We'll see if it can fit a nice busty girl. I'll be taking this on our car trip tomorrow. And maybe I'll take Isaiah's sweater with me. Yet another project I haven't finished. I haven't quite yet figured out how to do the sleeves. That may require another trip to the yarn shop ;)

A good start to the day....

I could have entitled this "10 Reasons I shouldn't kill my husband" or "Why I hate doing laundry". But, the anger is subsiding. Sort of. Can you see all those spots in my dryer? Yes, that would be a pen that exploded in the dryer. By the way, our dryer is only about 3 months old. So this all pen. And I didn't get a picture of the little spots all over the laundry. John apparently did not take a pen out of his pocket before putting the pants in the dirty pile. I suppose part of it is my fault for not checking the pockets. But when you're tired and not wanting to do laundry anyway, who has time to check the pockets? Right. Am I right??

Anyway, I've tried magic eraser, and it's taking way too much elbow grease to get even the smallest stain out. I've googled and found some good answers. It seems like the best thing to do is soak some white cloths in water and bleach and dry it. Although I don't think I have any bleach.

And it looks like I have a sick kid on my hands. He's laying in my bed as we speak, with no signs of getting up. Very usual for a child that is usually up by 7:30am. I'm hoping he's just reeling from the long weekend we had. Fingers crossed.

Where has the week gone?

Phew, that was a little unintended blog break. I've spent the last two days dealing with a sinus headache that never seemed to disappear. One day, I even had to take night time Tylenol Sinus because that's all I could find. Luckily, Isaiah took a four hour nap and I was able to rest. Today is feeling like a good day. It's supposed to be a high of 63, which is just perfect for me. I'm happy it's Friday and I'm looking forward to a weekend of sewing.

I did finish 7 clutches this week. Can you tell I'm really loving this pattern? I've had several people ask if I'm going to be selling this pattern. The answer is yes, but it is taking me a while to get the pattern pieces drawn up and directions figured out. I'm in cahoots with Stephanie to get her pattern out there too! Does anyone have any advice for us? We'd both like to know a good printing company that won't cost us an arm and a leg, or require us to order a minimum of 1000 pieces.

I'm also working on my first knit garment for Isaiah. It's going to be a hooded cardigan, hopefully. I've finished the back, and almost finished one sleeve. I do need some help, experience knitters. On the sleeve, I'm having a gap problem where the DPNs meet. It's not huge, but any suggestions on how to prevent this from happening?? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Shop Update

Good Monday everyone. I am thoroughly enjoying this extra hour of sunlight and the promise of spring upon us. Now only if it would warm up a little!

I've spend a good time updating my shop and sewing today. So, if you'd like to take a look here are a few things that I've uploaded today. Perhaps you could help lighten my load a little. I'm trying to destash and sift through all my thrift finds. I know I have a whole bin in the attic that I keep meaning to take down. Anyway, here's what you can find over there (including the teacups above):

And I'll even throw in free shipping if you mention you read my blog in the message to seller.