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!

Clutch!

Trying to fight off the winter doldrums, it seems I’ve been spending too much time huddled in front of the stove and not enough by the warmth of my sewing machine light.  Apparently, it’s not a very warm light.  But prompted by the sale of a few Bean’s Clutches in my Etsy shop, I decided I better move away from the stove and make more before I’m all sold out.  So I turned up the heat (my creative juices and thermostat) and got to work!

In a matter of a few nights this week, I was able to crank out 10 clutches, managing to use up all the oil cloth in my stash!  Which probably means that there won’t be any more Bean’s Clutches for a while.  Not a big deal.  I’ve been putting so many projects on the backburner, and I’d like to push my shop aside for a little while to get them done.  I’ve cleared a lot of items out of my online inventory, and I keep my fingers crossed that my onesie don’t get discovered by more than the occasional trickle of buyers.  I packed up the remaining scraps from my Bean’s Clutches and some fabric I purchased for new products and they’re off to the closet!

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!

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!

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:

4 Bean’s Clutches

It’s been a busy, yet productive evening!  I finished up four Bean’s Clutches which have been cut and ready for production for at least two months.  Now it’s time to get them into my shop before I’m off to dreamland!

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:

St. Thomas

is the Patron Saint of Architects…or it it beaches?  In either case, he’s the guy for me!

I recently spent a week hiding out from my everyday life on the beautiful islands of St. Thomas and St. John in the US Virgin Islands.  (And yes, I brought my beach bag.)  They are supremely gorgeous.  White sandy beaches, blue-blue water and uber friendly natives - this beach girl’s dreams come true.

If you know anything more about St. Thomas, than you know it’s a shopping haven.  Practically duty-free and no taxes, you can get some great deals.  But I made sure to take some time away from the tourist malls and checked out some shops with items produced by local crafters.   Here’s a couple of items you won’t find on Etsy, yet.

I found this cute magnet outside of Iggies at Bolongo Bay.  Wednesday nights are Carnival Nights at Iggies.  Along with a show and all you can eat feast, they feature local artisans displaying and selling their handicrafts.  Being a residential designer, I loved this beachy cottage.  A must-have since I saw the sunset in the “window” just that evening!  It was created on St. Thomas by Bridgette Julius of Kallaloo Cards & Gifts.

At Jans Creations by the Sea, an adorable little window shop in Coral Bay, St. John, I snatched up these  beautiful wire and crystal earrings.   I had so much fun chatting with Jan about the island, and even wore the earrings the next night!   You’ve got to check out her website to see just how cute her shop is!

So now that I am full speed ahead back into my everyday life, I think I’ll still dream about relocating myself and my sewing machine to a tropical paradise like these “smart” St. Thomas and St. John crafters; I’ll just have to keep telling myself that sand and sewing machines don’t mix.

Happy Anniversary SewBeans!

August marks the 1 Year Anniversary of the opening of my shop and my first sale!  It all started with a dream and this little kite bookmark:

After bookmarks, I added custom embroidered onesies, camera straps, wine totes, Bean’s Clutches, a set of fabric coasters, Burpies & Bunnies burpcloths, and wine bags to that list of sales.  I’ve almost reached my goal of 100 sales this year, which will be such an exciting accomplishment! 

I’m very excited about how much more my little shop will evolve in the next year.  In celebration, I am having a sale and am hopeful about getting some new items up in my shop this month…maybe I’ll even become a little more blog savvy.

Little Boxes

I have a small obsession with handmade jewelry, specifically the kind you can purchase on Etsy.  In fact, I have been forced into starting a collection of little boxes from all the unique packaging my jewels come shipped in.  It’s so easy to get carried away with the need to buy more earring and necklaces, as I feel tricked into thinking they’re all just little gifts, perfectly boxed up for me.

The Robots can Stand on their Own

Hurray for Summer Camp!  Tomorrow, MrBeans starts  two weeks of instructing future engineers at Lego Robotics Camp!  He loves robotics and insisted that I make him a custom embroidered polo for his first day of camp.  It’s a lot of fun when you can customize almost anything!  Today, he picked up a plain black polo shirt at Kohl’s,  ($10 Kohl’s cash=free polo) and I spent about 30 minutes making his new favorite polo!

Funny story: One year, MrBeans got a good friend to help him with camp.  After a long day of young children, Legos, and programming, they indulged in all-you-can-eat wings at a local establishment.  After a couple dozen too many hot wings, the friend’s wife had a difficult time waking him up off the couch and into bed later that evening.  He yelled absurdities (in his sleep) at her: “The robots can stand on their own!”  and “Don’t tell me what to do!”  Moral of the story:  Don’t mix robots and hot wings.

 

I like custom embroidering “serious” things too.  Before Lauren moves away to Chicago next week, she asked me to monogram pillow cases for her.  She picked out the set of sheets, then just dropped the pillow cases off at my house.  An hour later, they’re beautifully personalized!

MrBeans says I’m very creative; I tell him it’s not me, it’s the robots.

Goodbye to June

My favorite month is nearing the end.  June is the best for many reasons.  It’s the beginning of Summer (this beach girl’s favorite season,) birthdays, anniversaries, and it’s flanked by two three day weekends, Memorial Day and July 4th…What’s not to love??  It’s sad to see another June ending.  At least there’s still two more months left of summery weather!

 

Speaking of summery weather, for Christmas last year, I received Amy Butler’s Barcelona Skirt pattern, and while exploring some quilt shops on my birthday, I picked up this damask fabric (from the House collection by Annette Tatum for Westminster) to make one out of.  I’m very excited...I just hope I can find the time to make it this summer while I still have a chance to wear it!

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!

That’s clutch!

Hooray!  I’m finished sewing 7 custom embroidered Bean’s Clutches!  

Not that they weren’t fun, but I can’t wait to get back to some projects for myself!

And here’s a sneak peak from yesterday’s shopping trip:

Monograms for Clutches

 

My current work in progress consists of monogramming Bean’s Clutches for a bridal party.  I’m creating six clutches, plus one for the bride, with single letter monograms.  It’s been relatively fun so far, and I really like the look of the embroidery on oil cloth.  The only problem is finding time to make them!  I’m off to band practice tonight, but maybe I can do a little more when I get home…after all, I don’t have to wake up early to go to work tomorrow.  ;)

I’m getting a little more savvy with creating blog posts, but not so much with editing video.    Hopefully this works:   I’ve added in a video of my sewing machine doing a little bit of the  embroidery….because it’s so much fun to watch!

Don’t forget to check out these clutches at my shop!