It’s been a bad week here.

Both kids came down with a fever virus which consumed our entire week.  Add to that, my parents were visiting all the way from Iowa so I had a small amount of guilt over the fact that all we did was sit around the house taking people’s temperatures.  (Thankfully, my mother-in-law came and rescued them for a few hours one day!)  And then, just to top it all off, every sewing project I touched, all week, fell to pieces, literally.

Needless to say, I developed a very close, personal relationship with this . . .

 

. . . my seam ripper.  Back when I bought it, I laughed to myself about its ergonomic design.  Now I say, BRAVO!  Considering I used it enough this week to qualify it as an extra finger.  (This coming week, we’re about to get even closer as I begin to rip out the 2+ yards of heirloom lace my machine sewed funky.)

My parents left the House of Pestilence and Disease on Friday morning, and after finishing up an order, I decided to make a little something just for me.  Surely, if I was sewing for me, my luck would turn and I would be back to my speedy sewing skills.

Not the case.

Instead, I spent a good couple of hours with my new best friend, ripping out most of the seams in this . . .

 

. . . my new sewing apron/tool belt.

I found this little idea while surfing on the bane of my existence Pinterest.  (You can find the tutorial by clicking here.)  How could something so simple, cause me so much trouble?  I don’t know, but it did.  I’m super happy with how it turned out though.  It even has a little button-on pin cushion that I forgot to make, but I’ll go back and do that.

 

It has a little pocket for all my favorite sewing tools.  ( I added extra!)  And look, there is my little green friend again!

Pockets for my rotary cutter and my favorite pair of Gingher scissors.  (They have my monogram on them!)

I added a cute little trim to help me feel happy.  Because, how can you not feel happy with you have a cute little ball trim hanging from your apron?  (Needless to say, I wasn’t too happy while I was ripping it out!)

It even has a little hook so that I won’t lose my thumb drive while running back and forth between the computer and my embroidery machine.  Hmmmmm, maybe I should move the computer closer to my machines?

So far, my apron is working.  I feel better when I wear it and I haven’t messed-up any of my sewing since I made it!  That might have a little something to do with the fact that I haven’t sewn anything, but I like to believe it has super powers!

In recent years, there has been a surge in popularity for handmade items.  Websites are springing up to help the craftsman and the consumer come together.  A case in point is Etsy.  Three years ago, how many of you had heard of Etsy?  How many of you have heard of it today?  You can find a handmade version of almost anything from art, to jewelry,  to clothing.  That’s were I come in.  I’ve had a successful Etsy shop for several years now and sometimes, can’t keep up with the demand.  You can check-out my Etsy shop here.

Something to remember when looking at a custom handmade item, you may pay a bit more than you would for a similar item at Target/Wal-mart, but our quality can’t be beat.  Speaking on behalf of myself and my other handmade artisan friends, we are our toughest critics!  We want every item that leaves our shop to be perfect.  Plus, if you start to build a relationship with the person making your custom clothes, you can keep coming back to them to add pieces to coordinate with the wardrobe you’ve already purchased.  You’ll see more on that below.

Now, the subject of this post is supposed to be about saving money, so let’s get to the point.

Today I have been working on Valentine’s Day t-shirts for my kids.  Here they are . . .

Notice that neither of the t-shirts actually say “Happy Valentine’s Day”.  That means that each of them will be able to continue to wear them long after Valentine’s Day has left us.  See, we’re already saving money!  Now, on to some of my favorite money-saving features of these shirts.  First up, William’s shirt.

To get the most money out of your custom clothes budget, it is important to think ahead.  I struggled with the decision to make his shirt short or long-sleeved.  Here in Alabama, the weather on Valentine’s Day can go either way.  The other question I faced was, what would he wear it with?

Well, I decided to go ahead and make his shirt long-sleeved since it would probably still be cold/cool for his Valentine’s Day party.  He doesn’t have any green gingham pants, so can just wear it with jeans.  But, wouldn’t it look cute with green gingham pants?  That was when my plan really started to come together!

Last summer, I made these for William . . .

They don’t really look like green gingham, but trust me, they are.  Now, when summer rolls around, he will have super cute green gingham shorts from last year to wear with his new robot t-shirt.  Except, that no one wants to wear a long sleeve t-shirt in the summer, especially here in Alabama.  No problem!  Once summer rolls around, I’ll just chop off the sleeves of his long sleeve t-shirt and re-hem them.  (Did you know we could do that?)  Now, a shirt that I made for Valentine’s Day, can actually be worn, as an outfit, for months!

Now, let’s talk about Hannah’s shirt . . .

Red and aqua are super hot colors right now.  In fact, back in the fall, I made this outfit for Hannah for her first day of 1st grade.

I loved the ruffles on the bottom of the Capri pants and the open back!  Now, these pants are more expensive than my regular pants because of the double ruffle and the ribbon, and she doesn’t get as much wear out of them because they only go with the shirt.  But, now that I designed her Valentine’s Day shirt with the same fabrics, we just doubled the life of her pants!  And if I want, we can always chop off her sleeves too for extra wear of the shirt.

We’ve all see those magazine articles where you are instructed to buy “these 10 foundation pieces” and you can mix and match them to make 200 different outfits.  (OK, so maybe not 200, but you get the idea.)  The same principles can apply to your kids wardrobes.  It’s a little easier to swallow a higher price tag on a pair of pants, if you know she can wear it with several shirts.

Another great thing about finding someone to custom make your clothes, is that you don’t have to just follow along with the color schemes you are presented with.  For example, if you have these pants . . .

. . . but you really want the robot shirt, why not ask for the robot to made out of the same orange gingham and then you have instantly doubled the use of a great pair of pants and turned a t-shirt into a coordinated outfit!  And it doesn’t have to stop there, why not ask for the same orange gingham to be used in something for your daughter and now, as my friend like to call it, you have a matched set!

Anyway, these are just some ideas to think about when ordering your kids’ clothes.  There are lots more I could come up with, so don’t be afraid to ask questions when you place your order.  The great thing about custom is we can do almost anything.

My husband’s dream came true.

No, it was not eleven years ago when he met me.  It was not nine years ago when we stood before God and our friends and family and committed our lives to each other.  It was not six years ago with the birth of our first child.  It was not even four years ago with the birth of our son.

My husband’s dream came true 10 days ago when he purchased this . . .

A bright and shiny, brand new iPad 2.  I am humbled to stand in its presence.  Don’t get me wrong, I am very happy for him.  It’s just that we currently own: (1) iPod Shuffle, (2) iPod Nano, (2) iPod Touch, (2) iPhone, and now (1) iPad 2.  I think that’s enough.  Technology is taking over.  There are not enough electrical outlets to plug-in all the devices we own.  Not to mention the fact that I think our router is about to throw in the towel and quit.

Do you want to know how many devices in our humble home now stream Netflix? Twelve!!  There are only four of us!!!!  In fact, Netflix has turned into a new running joke around here.  As in, “Honey, I bought a new iron today.”  ”Cool!  Does it stream Netflix?”  Now, I love technology as much as the next person, I do.  But, two events happened last week to make me question my sanity.  The first was when I walked into our living room to find the t.v. on, my husband in his chair playing on his glorious new iPad, our son sitting on one end of the couch playing DS, and our daughter sitting on the other end of the couch playing on her DS!  It got worse later in the week when I walked into her  room to find her watching Netflix on her television while she watched Netflix on her DS.  Oh come on!

When you have this much money tied-up in electronics, you need to protect them.  I remember standing in Best Buy the day I got my iPhone 4S, trying to decide between the baby Otterbox and the granddaddy Otterbox.  (BTW, get the Defender, it is worth every penny!!)  The sales associate came over to “help” me and asked, “Why are you looking at the Defender?  Did you not purchase insurance for your phone?”  And I thought to myself.  Here is a person who doesn’t have children.  My kids can reduce anything to a pile of rubble in 4 minutes.  Just ask our cat.

This is our cat, five days after we got her, with a broken leg. She has yet to forgive us.

But, back to the subject at hand, protection.  When the kids got their 3DS systems for Christmas, we went the extra mile and got the Nerf cases for these things.  (I’m pretty sure if it won’t survive William now, it will at least survive a nuclear explosion.)  There was a great deal of discussion on how to properly protect the new iPad.  We could get an Otterbox cover for it, but then it would probably be too big to fit into the house.  When my husband said something that will forever endear him to me.  (Or at least until he says something stupid again.)  He said, “I think I want you to make me a case.”  J.K. usually doesn’t agree 100% with most of my designs.  He almost always dislikes my fabric choices too.  (He is really a solid color kind of guy.)  To be able to design something for him was both exciting and daunting at the same time!

This is what I came up with . . .

I found this really cool fabric that looks and feels like leather, but it is paper thin which makes it much easier to sew with.  I used my “leather” on the front pocket and back and then used a super soft chocolate micro-suede for the front and lining.  I’m pretty happy with how it turned out and he seems to really like it.  I found a really cool Steam Punk design and I want to do another one with that on it.  In all my free time.

Something interesting happened a couple of days ago.  I got an email from WordPress entitled something like “Your Blogging Year In Review”, and I thought to myself . . . wow, when was the last time I blogged??!!  Turns out the answer to that question was JULY!  That sounds about right, that was right before I started Fall Show and then I didn’t pick my head back up again until last week.  What a crazy year!

In the midst of all that crazy.  I broke my camera.  Again.  My husband says he’s going to start making me draw everything because pencils are cheap and it won’t matter if I drop them.  The blog died last year right about the same time that I dropped my second camera in two years.  I decided the solution to this problem was to stop buying teeny-tiny little cameras and instead buy one that is about the size of my daughter.  My reasoning there was that I’ve never dropped her!

To celebrate the arrival of my new camera, I have decided to blog about a project I finished a few weeks ago.  I discovered Pinterest many months ago and have managed to waste more than a couple of hours tooling around on their site.  I spied this pin for a pressing table made out of an old wooden t.v. tray and I knew I had to have one.

When I sew, I hate having to stand up, walk across the room, iron a hem, and then come back to the machines.  But, if you sew, you know what a huge difference a nice pressed seam can make.  It’s even worse when I am quilting and every little seam needs to be ironed.

Fast forward several months.  Shortly after Thanksgiving, my husband’s grandfather passed away, and we began the long process of cleaning out a home that had been lived-in and loved for over 50 years!  As I was leaving one day with my mother-in-law, I spied a lonely little t.v. tray tucked away in the corner.  ”I want that!” I yelled as I jumped up and down and clapped.  A quick search of the house found 3 more and I left with my new treasures.

My favorite thing about these little tables was that the legs were painted and antiqued so all I had to do was cover the tops!

I decided I would stage an action shot so y’all could all see how wonderful my new pressing table works.  On top of the table you will see the beginning of my Jammy Pants Quilt.  I make all my kids’ jammy pants and make most of them out of flannel.  I thought to myself as I sat shivering on the cold metal bleachers of the soccer field one day, wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a soft flannel quilt to carry out here with me?  (And yes, I do realize that by the time I finish this quilt it will be too precious to leave the house and my kids will probably have graduated from high school.  But, it is still a nice thought!)  I put these two blocks together about a year ago, and keep vowing to get all the flannel back out.  Maybe now I will be motivated since I don’t have to jog around the sewing room while I work anymore.

I thought this post seemed like a great way to get back in the blogging mode and play with my new camera too!  If  only it weren’t 39 degrees out there, I would take to the backyard and have a lot of fun.  For now, I’ll have to be satisfied with my sewing room and favorite new project!

We’re adding a lot of new items to the fall line this year . . . among them are Jon Jons and Longalls.

These wardrobe standards are perfect for almost all weather.  Dress them up with a collared shirt or dress them down with a turtle neck for winter.

TCG Jon Jons are fully lined and feature your choice of monogram or applique.

They have buttons on each shoulder strap and snaps in the crotch.  Prices start at $35 for short pants and $42 for long pants.

For an additional $10 we can make your Jon Jon or Longall reversible giving you two outfits in one.  Perfect if your little one spills something on the front.  Look for these at Fall Show or send me a message to order yours early!

Last fall/winter, I was unprepared for my daughter’s fashion craze.  All she wanted to wear to school was skirts and tights!  Unfortunately for her, as I was getting ready for her first year of school, I bought jeans and other pants for her to wear.  Imagine my surprise when she dug out her one pair of tights and a light summer knit skirt and refused to wear the nice, long, warm pants I had bought for her.  This year, we are getting ready early and trying out a new skirt for fall!

I made this one for summer so that I could make any adjustments before we go into mass production for fall.  It is fully lined on the inside and only has two little tabs of elastic that sit at the hips, allowing the front and back to lie flat.  I have some fall fabric sitting in the wings and I can’t wait to start making these for her.

Pair it with a cute t-shirt and you have the perfect little outfit!

Several years ago, I designed this little bag to hold everything I needed while I was knitting a pair of socks.

It was small enough to take anywhere, and large enough to hold two skeins of yard, my needles, pattern, and my scissors.

Over the years, I have found many applications for this little bag.  I have used them as gift bags.  I’ve thrown fruit snacks in them and used them as little snack bags.  Perhaps my favorite thing about them, is that the little loop handle, hangs perfectly from a hook on the back of my seat in our minivan, allowing my kids to be able to reach them when we are on a trip.

Recently, William and Hannah have been sharing the same little church bag as William is going to “Big Church” with us now.  The bag works perfectly for Hannah who takes coloring books and markers, but William’s stuff is always getting lost in it.  Today I designed this for him . . .

Finally he will have something small enough for him to carry, and large enough to hold several of his favorite cars and toys for church.  I’m even thinking of doing another one for Hannah to hold her ponytail holders and bows for when we travel.  You can do so much with these little bags!  This one is currently up on the Etsy site and you can find it by clicking here.  You can add any personalization and nearly any applique to one of these.  You will also be able to see this one in person at one of my Fall Shows.  (Dates coming soon on that!)

 

Embroidered Headband

I have been wanting to do one of these for awhile now!  2″ embroidered headbands are now available to match most any TCG outfit.  You can do a plain headband, or add an embroidery design or name for no additional charge.  These are available in girls and ladies sizes.

 

I bet you wondered what happened to us?  We haven’t moved, died, or been captured by aliens!  (Although, by the looks of my house on some days, you would probably wonder.)

The Summer Line is finished and while I’m still accepting orders, I have already turned my eyes to the Fall Line.  Here are a few of my favorites from summer in case you missed them.

Madras Sibling Set

Fishing Outfits

I made these as a pick-me-up for our cousins.  Their home was damaged in the big outbreak of tornadoes back in April.  They lost some of the kids clothes, so we did several outfits for each of the children.  I know a surprise box of goodies always cheers me up!

Patriotic Outfits

Golf Outfit

Bonefish Outfit

In the coming weeks, I’ll start posting samples of the Fall Line.  We’re doing something a little different for fall.  I’m offering hostess spots to a few lucky customers.  If you want to host a TCG home show, my hostesses receive $20 in merchandise credit for every $100 in sales!  If you are local, we can do a home show and I’ll bring along my samples so that your friends and neighbors can shop and touch everything.  If you are not local, you can still host a show.  We’ll set-up an internet show and you can direct all your friends to shop from the comfort of their living rooms.  I’m also doing a pre-sale on my fall samples.  I have listed the appliques I’m going to feature for Fall Line on my Facebook page.  If you see something you like, I will make it at a discount with your personalization and get it to you after fall show is over.  It is a great opportunity to pick-up some TCG merchandise at a great price.  You can view the album of fall appliques by clicking here.  Send me a message if you are interested in participating in either of these great programs.

Enjoy your summer, and stay tuned for new fall items being added daily!

My daughter is a tough one to figure out when it comes to fashion.  I guess you could say she marches to the beat of her own fashion drummer.

She started Kindergarten this past fall, so in preparation for being in school 5 days instead of just 3 days a week, I stocked up on jeans and long pants so she would always have something clean to wear to school.  At some point between when I bought all these fall/winter clothes and when it actually became cold enough to wear said clothes, she decided that she was only going to wear short skirts and tights to school.  (Prior to this announcement she owned 1 pair of tights that she would never wear.)

So, as spring rolled around, knowing how much she loves all these little skirts, I bought her lots of skirts to wear for summer.  Almost immediately when it warmed up, Hannah announced that she didn’t like skirts, she liked short shorts.  And I mean SHORT.  If it actually covers her bottom, it isn’t short enough for her.  Needless to say, a compromise will have to be reached.

I was very excited to see her wear a pair of Bermuda shorts today because I have had an idea tickling the back of my brain for a while now.  So, as soon as she headed out the door to school, I sat down with my trusty pencil and paper and came up with this. . .

My good friend has been putting cute little ruffles on all of her daughter’s shorts for this summer, and while I thought it was a cute idea, let’s face reality . . . Hannah wouldn’t wear a ruffle if you hog-tied her and surgically implanted one on her.  Instead I thought I would try this and see if I could sneak something quasi-girly into her wardrobe.

I think they turned out super-cute, but the jury is still out with Hannah.

She did love the summer top that I put together for her.  If you know Hannah, you know that she is only happy if she is wearing a tank top.  But the reality of the situation is, 30 knit cami tank tops does not a wardrobe make.  (Shhh, don’t tell Hannah!)  So, I designed this little top for her.  I love the straps that just pull through and tie.  It makes is very adjustable and much easier on me, because I can never seem to find a button when I need one.

This outfit is now available in the Etsy store.  You can find it by clicking here.  You can also order the shirt and shorts separately, but they are currently only in the store as a set.  Send me a message if you only need one.

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