A (ginger) Blissful Event

I'm back! It feels like ages since I've blogged, but it's been a really busy week and I'm finally getting all caught up :) I've been making lots of gifts (pics to come) and working hard on following leads to beef up my business a bit. I'm thinking of designing a custom buckle to go with my belts, and am also going to be carrying *a lot* of Japanese fabric imports in the months to come. I love the stuff. Cute, classy, unique... all things that I love in a good yard of fabric :)

I also connected with Hoodie of Hoodies Collection and I'll be stocked with her yummy patterns when she returns from her trip over-seas. Be sure to check in thru Feb to see if I have received my order - I can't wait!

In case any of you ever wondered how I got into this whole selling fabric/patterns thing, it's really quite simple :) I sell products that I like and the designers that I believe in. I love supporting women designers and "the little people". I won't ever get rich, but I sure have fun doing what I do!

So onto some projects... The focus last week was on finishing up some baby gifts for a baby shower that was held on Sunday. Note that I didn't say "that I attended on Sunday".... Long story short, I think I'll be asking for GPS for my birthday. I got so heinously lost that it was actually funny. Urgh. I lived in Boston for many years, but the Quincy/South Shore area is still (and looks to always be) a mystery to me.

The best part of making these gifts was that I got a chance to visit my stash. It's like visiting old friends.... Syd and I sat down with my big box of Amy Butler and picked out a few gems. My preggers friend loves elephants, so I used a curtain panel from Amy Coe's adorable elephant line to make a nursing pillow, bibs/burp cloths, and a water-proof lined zippered bag. I needed some coordinating accessories, so the Ginger Bliss line popped into mind (lots of green/brown/purple). We don't know the sex of the baby, so things had to be neutral (but cute!).

Here's a large diaper and wipes pouch (with a pocket in the front to put creams). I made it bigger b/c she plans on cloth diapering as well, and the regular sized ones aren't big enough. I might change this pattern a bit to have a zippered top, instead of the velcro.



Here's some more of the loot: Upper left (elephants) and upper right (Amy Butler Market umbrellas) are zippered wet-bags; Wubbanub (the *best* binkies ever - see my EBAY store to snatch one up); elephant bibs/burp cloths; Red Sox bibs/burp coths; and bottom left: Nursing Apron (Amy Butler Eggplant Kimono/Cathedral Windows)



And lastly, here's the boppy and some cloth diapers. I also bought her some diaper covers, but put them inside the dipe/wipe pouch with a travel sized wipes case.




I still can't believe that I got lost....

Anyways, I also got around to taking some pics of the knitting case that I made a couple of weeks ago. Again, I have some things I want to change in the pattern, but overall I really like it. I used my favorite bird fabric from a favorite designer (who I hope to soon be supporting) - it's a nicely weighted canvas. Perfect for this project.

Outside: (awesome LARGE vintage button from Auntie Re's stash)



Inside:




Inside with flap raised (can you tell that I like to knit with the big needles?)



I also started a dress for Sydney to wear to the baby shower, but on Friday morning (a moment of silence please), my sewing machine died... It's a temporary death, but still, it is gone and I miss it sew (hee, hee). It is now in MD visiting Jenny for some work and I'm thinking of planning a party for when it comes back. I have a back-up machine that I despise, but it gets the basics done.

Needless to say, I only got this far with Syd's dress: (it's actually a deep purple colored corduroy)



I picked up another super cute pattern for her:




I've been looking for a pattern to make a wrap-style dress and haven't found anything. I'll try this pattern and see if it's easy to just make the top longer. I'll keep you posted :)

As it's been quite chilly up here the past week (0 degrees at night!), I've been curled up with a blanket, cocoa and knitting most nights. I picked up this super cute pink/red yarn that I thought would be great for a scarf for my niece, Jordan, but I've since decided that it's not soft enough. It screams Valentine's Day to me, so I'll think of something to make for her before the big day. Maybe a little zippered pouch? (my repertoire isn't too big...)




I'm almost done with this crocheted pink baby scarf. Don't ask why, but I feel like babies need scarves too. It's so darned chilly out - no bare necks! This one will be going to a friend in NJ, Cara - her daughter Katie just turned one!



Speaking of baby scarves, I finished up a ribbed one (K2,P2) for Lucas, my nephew. I tried my hardest to get Syd to model it, but crawling into my lap is much more fun :) You can get the idea from the picture - it's a key-hole scarf and is sooooooooooo soft. (the pink yarn above and the blue yarn below is the same SIMPLY SOFT yarn). It's ~ $2.50 /skein at JoAnne's and each scarf only uses a skein. I like this knitting thing... very economical. *EXCEPT* that I have now started a yarn stash. I vowed not to, that I would only keep what I could store in my metal tin that Sue gave me.... I admit it... I'm weak...


Lastly is an adult scarf for a surprise gift to a friend down in NY. A little hug from NH :)