Fun with Sergers?

Over the weekend, MrBeans accompanied me to my local sewing machine shop while I picked up some supplies.  Digging around for gift ideas, he asked me if there’s anything I might like.  Without hesitating, and possibly subliminally prompted by the one in front of me, I said, “A serger, of course!”  

Of course I want a serger; what sewista is complete without one?  Though, I don’t need one.  But by some total twist of uncanny fate, day one of a two day serger class was being held in the shop at that very moment.  Quickly drawn into the classroom by the friendly shop keepers, I was instantly immersed into a garment making frenzy and the latest and greatest trends in sergers.  Maybe I do need one…

Then, once I saw how the Baby Lock sergers magically thread themselves, it was a no brainer.  I had to have one!

If it wasn’t for the voice of reason (aka MrBeans,)  I would have swept that bad boy up into my arms and taken it home with all the extras and goodies only available for the limited time special weekend price of $$$$.  $$$$!  Falling off of cloud 9, I realized I really don’t need one, now.

So tonight, while dreaming of sergers, I enjoyed embroidering another cute, little onesie.

Onesie, Twosie, Threesie…Eightsie, Tensie

Lately, I’ve been overrun by onesie orders.  These are all the ones I’ve made in the past week and a half.  Not much time for other projects!

What’s everyone got against pink?

Occasionally, etsians ordering a custom embroidered baby equation onesie ask, “Can I get a different color for the mom’s name?  The baby is a boy.” 

On a “standard” baby equation onesie, dad’s name is embroidered in blue, mom’s name is in pink and “baby” is in green.  The intuitive shades make the onesie cute, colorful and whimsical; perfect for a 0 to 3 month old.

But for those thanking heaven for little boys, I have options.  I like to switch out the pink for purple to keep mom’s name feminine.  After all, what’s purple, but pink with blue added to it?  Sneaky, huh? 

The other option to switch out all the colors for a new color scheme.  Since we’re specifically talking about “boys,” all the names have been switched to blues.  Not as colorful, but still cute.  Mom’s name is in a greenish-blue, because I just can’t get myself to embroider mom’s name in a pure shade of blue.  She’s the one having the baby, and there’s nothing blue about that!

Seeing Double

Some nights, I look forward to piddling away at my sewing machine, working on my own little projects that never seem to get finished.  Other nights, orders pile up and my embroidery machine beckons.  Was it merely coincidence, that as I prepared myself to make two onesies this evening, I opened up my email and found not one, but two adorable babies staring back at me wearing the cutest little onesies?  As if Providence knew exactly the right amount of motivation to get me through this evening’s chore. I love seeing the finished onesies, especially when adorned by a baby, and I remember why it’s so much fun to take the time to make them!

Soho Baby Bibs

I would be remiss if I never mentioned my favorite fabric shop on my quilty/crafty blog.  My one weekly “spam” email that I always look forward to reading comes not only with the latest and greatest must have fabrics and kits, but also with style, grace, and at least one project that immediately sends me daydreaming of me at my sewing machine, far far away from the computer holding the email, surrounded by work and cubicles.   Purl Soho is this little girl’s New York City dream!  One day, I’ll make it there, and shop my heart out!  …Until then, I’ll just have to shop online.

Now, You can only imagine my excitement when I returned home from work on Friday to find a package on my front porch sporting the words “Purl Soho!”  I dove right into the first project I pulled out of the box, and promised myself something to be proud of by the end of the night.

 

When I first saw the project for Liberty Baby Bibs on Purl’s blog, the Purl Bee,they looked too cute; then, when I went to check out the price of their kits, they already were sold out!!  If they were that popular, I had to have one.  I patiently waited for them to come back in stock. (FYI, I just got my kit yesterday and they’re already sold out of the “yellow” colorway.)  The kit comes with every thing you need to make four sweet little baby bibs, and if you’re not A.D.D. like me, it will take you no time at all to finish some adorable baby gifts.

Here’s the scoop:  I love this project.  Liberty of London’s Tana Lawn line of fabric is the silkiest cotton I have ever felt, and the colors are beautiful.  Purl provided an easy pattern to follow, and for those of you that don’t want to purchase a kit, you can download it online!    I’m thinking about creating my own pattern, and selling a customizable version in my shop.  Wouldn’t that be fun!? 

Now here’s my tip:  Use a heavy duty thread when sewing on the snap.  I used hand quilting thread.  It’s a large, sew-on snap, and the cotton thread that came with my kit broke on me while sewing the first half of the snap on. 

Check Engine Light

While sewing last week, the “check engine light” on my sewing machine turned on.  And yes, it’s just as annoying as when it turns on in the car.  Sure, you can keep sewing…or your can bring it into the dealership and expect to hand over your wallet when you want it back.  Well, being that I probably care more about my sewing machine than my car, I sadly dropped it off at my local sewing machine shop.  Back at home, unable to sew and unmotivated to clean, I took a nap most of the afternoon.  :)

To get my sewing fix in, I took care of one last onesie before dropping it off.  I hope my machine’s not gone long!

Monday, Monday

 

Some Mondays live up to their name, and it’s possible that today, I did have “a case of the Mondays.”  To cheer me up, this evening I made sure to take the opportunity to do a little sewing.  I made three onesies this evening, and one of them has a springtime color theme.  I honestly prefer my standard blue/pink/green color scheme; however, I was genuinely happy with the way this one turned out.  Not a bad way to end a Monday.

Back to School…and Work

 

For many, the end of the Labor Day weekend means back to school.  For me, it just means I have to go to work four days this week instead of five.  (It also means College Football starts!  Yay!)  Though, sometimes work isn’t in an office, but waiting for me online…

 

After spending the weekend camping in the mountains, I came home and made this onesie.  It’s a surprise from Jeff and Joni to Joni’s parents.  Can you figure out what the surprise is??

Happy Labor Day!

 

I just finished up a couple onesies before the holiday weekend!  I hope you have a great weekend!

I especially love this one:

Color My World

I really enjoy making custom embroidered onesies.  Of course there’s a lot of excitement for those with the promise of a “me,” and I love to think that mom and dad’s hearts melt a little when they see their names on baby’s chest. 

A typical onesie is embroidered in what I like to call “neutral baby colors.”  It’s perfect for a boy or girl; I always envision a baby boy in his little jeans and this onesie, and a baby girl wearing this onesies with a little tu-tu.

Though, sometimes I to get a little more creative for specific types of babies…this one is for little Jack.    It’s fun to give other colors a chance! 

Busy Bee

So far, a typical day for me this week has been 10 hours at work, followed by a concert, meeting or rehearsal, then finally retiring home to embroider some custom onesies.  I’m not really complaining…it’s my husband and cats that always seem to think they got the short end of the Jill-stick.  So before anyone notices that I’ve been gone, here’s what I’ve been working on:

True Colors

I’m in the midst of a couple of crazy weeks!  I’ve actually closed my Etsy shop, because I knew I couldn’t handle any custom orders.  (My sewing machine went to the beach?!?)  But knowing the magic words got me to squeeze in a couple custom onesies this evening. 

They’re different color combinations then I’ve done before, and I should have balked at the Mets colors…but I made it anyway.  25% off to anyone who reads this and wants a onesie in real colors, Phillies colors!  Just comment on this post!

Happy Father’s Day!

Why 2 “I heart Grumpa” onesies??

Because Grumpa has twins!  Happy Father’s day to all those dads, grandpas and grumpas out there!

Downpour!

Today we experienced two torrential downpours, and we’re not sure we’ll make it through the night without another one.  I don’t mind the rain…except when I’m nervous about it taking the power out and my sewing/embroidering machine along with it! 

Luckily, the power did not go out, and I finished two custom embroidered onesies.  

One of the onesies I created today had a special request for a little duck on.  I think it’s turned out very sweetly!   I can’t wait to find out what she thinks of it.  I might need to add the little duck to my shop as an option.

When I finished embroidering, and it had stopped pouring, I put my L.L.Bean wellies and splashed outside in the puddles!  I bought them for using in the rain and snow (with the warmers,) and they’ve been awesome!  It’s fun to act like a kid sometimes, especially when you’re not getting wet or muddy!

Onesie Under Glass, Revisited

A couple months ago, I heard the one of my customers loved their onesie so much, that they put it “under glass.”  I decided this was such a cute idea to display my custom onesies, (the best way will always be baby wearing it,) that I displayed one in a frame to show off for North Wales Day!

It would be so cute hanging  in a the nursery!, maybe even with a picture of Dad, Mom and Baby in the shadowbox frame. 

I added in the the little sox for another personalized touch.  I can only image the hand-me-downs that could make this an extra special display: a picture of Dad, Mom and Baby mom, or dad’s baby sweater or shoes, a rattle, hospital bracelets...  On North Wales Day, I was slightly embarrassed to explain that I didn’t make “the booties” in my display.   Though maybe, it was just a complement that my onesies looks very professional!

A Niece Gift

I don’t have a new baby to show off, but I do have a cute baby gift basket to share!  I made this little gift basket for my new baby niece who’s 8 days old.  I got this cool Fisher Price Ocean Wonders bath caddy, and filled it with lots of things for a baby girl!  A hooded towel, wash clothes, bath soap, lotion, pink onesies, a cute outfit, little socks, a bib, and of course, SewBean’s custom onesies and burp burp cloths! 

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

I’m so excited that I finally caught up on my orders tonight!  Well, making them, at least.  Tomorrow, I will make the post office very happy when I ship all these packages!

Happy Mother's Day

Another One-sie

Heather, a favorite customer of SewBeans, finally purchased a onesie for herself because she's due in July!!  She's having a little girl and picked out her own combination of colors.  Looks great, and best wishes, Heather!

Quick update:
I've been really busy!  I'm getting backed up with onesie orders while frantically trying to find time to finish up gifts for friends.  I can't wait to update with some pictures of what I've been working on!

New Ideas on Virtual Paper

I've had a couple of new ideas swirling around my head, and this evening, I've finally committed them to embroidery software.  Fancy, huh?

I'm hoping to make these offical SewBeans onesies this weekend, then hansomely diplay them (and sell the samples at a super discount!) at North Wales Day on May 15th!

Have an comments??  Post them here!