Sew Personal

Bambinos

2012-02-19T17:06:00.004-08:00

Kelly's Kids and Cooper

2012-02-18T19:36:00.003-08:00

Recently, I did a few Kelly's Kids things for one of my customers. The patches were already on these shirts, but I added the initials to them . . .

I also just added initials to these Kelly's Kids dresses . . .

And a name on this appliqued top . . .

And I've done a bunch of things for Cooper lately {the grandson of a sweet friend} . . .

I suggested adding red buttons to the center of the wheels on this dumptruck and she did. It looked super-cute that way!

Cooper's grandmother sews, so he has pants to go with all of these tops. I thought this choo choo turned out pretty cute to go with his black/white check pants! . . .

And this sweet varsity applique font is really one of my favorites . . .

And this is the beginnings of his reversible birthday longall . . .

Happy Birthday Cooper!

And just a random project, but it was for my Kelly's Kids rep so it sort of fits . . .

I have so many more pictures to get posted soon!

finishing up for my girls

2012-02-09T17:50:00.000-08:00

It never fails that Christmas comes and goes and I still have a huge pile of long sleeved things to do for my own girls. This year was no different. However, I found that we had quite a few clothes already and opted not to do ALL of the things I had waiting. These are the ones that made the cut . . .

I'm having to let Evynne do a lot of picking of designs and fabrics these days since she's gotten so opinionated on her wardrobe. She loved this fabric and even though it wasn't exactly what I wanted, it's worth it so I don't have to fight her to wear it!

Both girls have orange pants that these are going with. {Evynne's are solid orange like the cuff on the hat and mittens and Elly's are the orange/ivory polka dots that I used for the main fabric on hers}.

These are pleated dresses that are going with brown leggings for Evynne and yellow for Elly.

Evynne's "name" dress to match Elly's I did a while back . . .

And last, but not least, a simple monogram on a shirt for Elly to wear with these Hollywood Baby pants. It looks really sweet on her too!

love birds

2012-01-26T09:52:00.000-08:00

Been on a bird kick lately. These cuties are for my girls . . .

I have to do an owl every year. They are just SO cute! These are going with the red minky skirt and pants they had for Christmas {I needed a new non-Christmas top for them to wear with them!}

A Valentine's shirt for a customer/friend . . .

To match a blue minky skirt {wing fabric} for one of my "big girl" customers {this is probably her last year in appliques. tear.}

And another matching set for my girls . . .

I have always loved this design and finally got around to doing it!

And since we're on the subject of love, another Valentine's shirt {for the same big girl as the bird above} . . .

new year. new babies. new fabric.

2012-01-13T20:29:00.000-08:00

So, it seems like it's been awhile since I've had a lot of orders for baby gifts, but apparently, the new year is a time for showers. I've done several burp cloths lately.

I love this little fancier girly one I did. Except for that it is off-center. And I'm a perfectionist. Even if it is just for a baby to throw up all over. I'm having trouble in my 4x4 hoop because the design usually can't be moved around at all because it maxes out the space. I think my needle may be off-center because no matter how much I work to get the item centered in the hoop, it is always off. I need to get it checked out.

A few pairs of bloomers for a third girl in the family of one of Evynne's friend's.

And I hit Thimbles today for 2 spools of thread and 2 fabrics. This is what I got in addition to my list . . .

I've said it time and time again. I have a problem.

Is anyone else loving this fabric as much as me?! . . .

How precious would this be for a skirt or capris with a turquoise shirt for the spring/summer?! I love you Fabric Finders Fabric.

we need a little christmas now

2011-12-18T11:33:00.000-08:00

I think I was able to come through for everyone who needed something pseudo-last-minute for Christmas. And I can honestly say, I have no outstanding orders at this time. ~~Okay, except for two pairs of bloomers for a baby due in February. And they're not newborn size.~~ This SWEET outfit was for a Christmas card photo . . .

And just some classic Christmasy-but-can-be-worn-year-round applique initials . . .

{Please ignore the smudge on many of the pictures in this post. A certain 2-year-old at my house likes playing with my camera!}

Kelly's Kids top and nightgown for a sweet friend {and Kelly's Kids rep} . . .

Sweet design to match some pants out of the green minky {tree} fabric . . .

A hostess gift for the hubs' work party . . .

Simple, yet so cute! I need to do one of those for myself! Some more dish towels for the sister-in-law to give as gifts {these are really cute too! I think she said she found them at Homegoods.} . . .

A sweater a friend is giving her dad as a gift. Although I fear I put the embroidery too high. I'm a little perfectionist about these things. It's really hard to do grown-up stuff because I know just where to put designs on kids' clothes, but not so much on the grown up stuff . . .

In the future, I would prefer for the subject to put on the garment and mark the appropriate place for embroidery. At least until I get the hang of it! I also used solvy interfacing on top of the sweater, which washes away, but looks a little like plastic pieces are sticking out until it is washed!

And this is for the little 4-year-old girl we pulled off of the angel tree at Evynne's school. She asked for clothes . . .

We got an Osh Kosh jogging suit that was hot pink with navy and other colored flowers on it so I made this to match. I really hope she likes it!

This is a gift for my M-I-L {aka, Snowy}. I think I stole this idea from a Mustard Seeds kids' shirt . . .

And finally, some of our friends are getting a trip for Christmas. Can you guess where to? . . .

Pillowcases for autographs {another stolen idea from another monogrammer -- so cute!} . . .

And now all we need is a little Christmas ~~break~~!

seventeen

2011-12-15T10:16:00.000-08:00

In case you're wondering what seveteen sweatshirts looks like, here you go . . .

Now that's a lot! These are for a group of aspiring twirlers who are marching in a local Christmas Parade tomorrow night! I think they will be precious!

And I'm glad to have that checked off my list!

initials

2011-12-05T14:09:00.000-08:00

Obviously, with what I do, I do a lot of initials. Recently, I did several with the little dots on either side of the first initial . . .

It's a nice way to change things up for me since I do so many monogrammed things for my own girls . . .

How simple and cute to go with these Kelly's Kids tights . . .

The applique initial is also a popular favorite for customers . . .

One of my favorite fonts, sunny . . .

I wish pictures of navy didn't look so bad! And finally, just a simple monogram on a white shirt . . .

This is a great way to get one shirt to go with lots of things!

{In case you wondering what I've been up to, I'm currently about 2/3 of the way done with 17 sweatshirts for a Christmas parade!}

it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2011-11-26T13:48:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure how you do it at your house, but at mine, just about every room looks a little something like this right now . . .

I love the Christmas season! I've had a lot of fun doing some sewing to get ready for it too . . .

Lots of jammies. Below are Kelly's Kids jammies for a whole group of cousins . . .

This turtleneck is for Evynne. Grandmomma made her a red minky skirt to go with it {bought the fabric at a Hollywood Baby fabric sale a few years ago and am finally putting it to use to match something I have for Elly} . . .

Also for Evynne . . .

Elly has a red shirt that was Evynne's three years ago and it has one ornament with all three initials in the dot fabric. I wanted Evynne's to be similar, but not exact. This is what I came up with and I am pleased with the result . . .

And I just love this nativity . . .

For a friend's little girl, but maybe next year my girls will have this design.

For a big girl of another friend . . .

I really like how this turned out to go with a red skirt . . .

And even for those who like to keep it simple . . .

I'm surprising myself this year and have gotten the monogramming part of two teacher gifts done already! . . .

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!!

all dressed up

2011-11-21T12:43:00.000-08:00

This pink dress for Elly is an example of one of those times where I debated what to do about thread color and regretted my decision. I originally was going to do all brown, but since the letters overlap a little, I was afraid they might not stand out and be legible. I opted to outline each letter in a different color pulled from the fabric. I don't love it. I think the brown would've looked just fine.

So, I still have to do the matching one for Evynne and hers will most definitely be outlined in all brown. I figure that's more fitting for a big girl anyway.

I thought this one for a friend's little girl turned out precious . . .

And I also really like this one I did for Evynne . . .

She wanted a butterfly so I tried to make it a little less "springy" in color. She will wear this with brown leggings. Elly will have a coordinating one that will have a yellow gingham body and she will wear hers with yellow leggings.

sew girly

2011-11-17T13:25:00.000-08:00

These are for my girls . . .

Aunt Malli knitted these adorable skirts for them and I could not wait to make the tops to match. Now if it would just stay cool long enough for us to get to wear them!!!

This one is made to match some pants a friend made for her daughter. This fabric is cute! {Even if elephants are not allowed in my home.}

I got this pale pink turtleneck at old navy for Evynne. I loved this tan dot fabric with it and decided a sheep would be the perfect applique for the fabric! It turned out SO sweet and will work great with khaki cords, brown pants, or jeans.

This last shirt is one I made for a friend's daughter to match the Kelly's Kids black and pink reversible pants.

ease ;

2011-11-10T05:49:00.000-08:00

Got this cute Hannah Kate outfit at the Hope for Gabe consignment sale. I was so happy it was blank and I could put an E on it!

I'm working on doing better about having more than one top to go with each pair of cute pants so I also made this top to go with them . . .

Not my favorite E, but since I do so many, I like to change it up. This is the Flamingo font.

We also had this dress that was a hand-me-down that just needed a little something . . .

I love this Hollywood Baby romper that Aunt Malli gave Elly . . .

And this is just a Garanimals turtleneck from Walmart. Under $4 a piece people. It's going with some bright blue cords for Evynne . . .

I've had this Sweet Varsity applique font for awhile and finally found a way to use it!

I really like this new Mia patch too!

These shirts are just for everyday wearing with lime frill pants, jeans, whatever.

You can never go wrong with the Dotty applique font!

I've been slowly working all of these projects for my girls in with the many orders I've been working on. I still have TONS to do since the majority of their wardrobes this season involved an applique or monogram! I can't believe I'm about to have to do Christmas stuff.

some shirts

2011-11-03T10:41:00.000-07:00

A few boy shirts . . .

And one for his sister . . .

A few for some friends . . .

And one for my own . . .

{I gave Evynne four fabrics to choose from and this is the one she chose for her cross shirt. Pretty cute!}

girl shirts

2011-10-30T13:47:00.000-07:00

Some Christmas . . .

A roller skating birthday party . . .

And a couple for Evynne . . .

She wanted this applique and we have Hollywood Baby pants out of this fabric.

two of a kind

2011-10-25T07:13:00.000-07:00

I always do lots of two of a kind things for my girls, but lately, I've had a bunch for other people. Like one-year-old twins Ethan and David . . .

And almost 3-year-old twins Reese and Morgan . . .

{Probably the most labor-intensive design to-date. And I got to do it twice ;) }

They are having a pirate-themed 3rd birthday party. So cute! And the design was not my own doing. She found something similar on etsy and asked me to recreate it!

I also did some things for 3 and 4 year old sisters . . .

And of course, I have managed to squeeze in a few things for my own girls! I like these monag pleated dresses with leggings so this is what I came up with for one set . . .

And I am in love with these apple monag empire dresses! Evynne picked this design AND the fabric {that way she can't argue with me about wearing it!}

It's going with the pink kelly's kids footless tights. And we know I love the polka dot ricrac trim. I'm pleased with the result even if this might not have been my top pick for fabric!

And coordinating Kelly's Kids outfits . . .

new fabric and some boy shirts

2011-10-20T19:52:00.001-07:00

I went to Hobby Lobby and Thimbles a couple of weeks ago. We all know what that means. New fabrics . . .

These are the ones I found at Hobby Lobby . . .

And these at Thimbles. The first three from the left are fabrics I bought specifically trying to match the apple monag dresses I bought for my girls. Evynne liked the one on the far left and the floral the best and to match the pink of the tights I have, I went with the far left. {However, I ADORE the floral so I think I'll buy apple shirts or dresses again in the spring so I can use it!} I'll be posting those pics soon!

And I've done a few boy things recently . . .

I really like this plaid . . .

And I thought this fringe lion I just bought from Applique for Kids turned out SO cute . . .

Let's not leave out the nephew. This is an old white shirt that my sister wants to put under a navy sweater so we just gave it a little personality :)

i heart this

2011-10-19T19:52:00.000-07:00

I made this shirt today for Evynne to go with a blue/white checked skirt. The skirt has applique flowers on it so I wanted to keep the shirt simple. I LOVE this lemon colored lettuce shirt with the royal on it!

Way too often I get in a rush doing things for my own girls and end up not being pleased with the result {I'm REALLY trying not to do that this season!}. This time, I was thrilled! Even though it was still a quick design to stitch out {relatively speaking}, I love the result. I can't wait to see it on my five-year-old!

UPDATE: I just realized the skirt that this goes with is with a short sleeved shirt in the previous blog post. The short sleeved shirt is an example of one of those things I did without thinking it all the way through and ended up not really liking. It was just TOO much going on with the skirt. And the E looked more like a backwards 3 for some reason. Maybe because I did a 2 on Elly's shirt.

a few girl things

2011-10-17T17:49:00.000-07:00

just thread

2011-10-06T12:09:00.000-07:00

After doing SO many appliques, I forget how much quicker the monograms go! I've done quite a few things lately with just thread (no fabric) . . .

kelly's kids coordinates

2011-09-27T08:11:00.000-07:00

I've had so much fun monogramming Kelly's Kids clothing and making matching pieces to go with some Kelly's Kids items. I think this pullover is so great for big boys . . .

This font is called Atilla and I like it very much . . .

I bought this skirt for Evynne at an overstock sale and it is from last Fall's collection . . .

My mom bought Elly the matching pants from the online outlet to give her for her birthday.

Both shirts are monag -- Evynne's is lettuce edge, which I prefer with skirts and Elly's is frill, which I prefer with pants.

I also got this from the online outlet (last Fall's collection) for Evynne . . .

I think the E could've been a little bigger, but it's cute for sure.

This dress is one that a customer brought to me to monogram. It is Kelly's Kids and she found it at a consignment sale with the tags still on it. It looks familiar so it may be from last Fall's collection (not sure!) . . .

My friend who is a Kelly's Kids rep ordered the turquoise corduroy pants with lime polka dot ruffle for her little girl this season. This is what we made to match . . .

{The apple in the "pumpkin patch" post was made to match the reverse side of these pants which are lime polka dot with red ricrac above the ruffle.}

I love to just order the cute tights and then put a monag dress or skirt with them. I ordered these tights for Evynne this year and made a turquoise monag dress to match . . .

And this may be my ALL TIME favorite. I used my hostess earnings to order this matching dress for Elly and skirt for Evynne . . .

I love this polka dot ruffle trim and have used it many times in a variety of colors. This is the first time I've used it for something other than the seem of an empire style top or dress. I was inspired by the top and dress in this collection from Kelly's Kids.

LOVE. IT.

I do still have more Kelly's Kids stuff to do, but this is quite a start! If you need to order anything, I know a rep whose name you can put in when you order online so she gets credit {and come to my show in the Spring!}

more big girls

2011-09-24T07:13:00.000-07:00

We are still waiting on some size 10 monag shirts to come in, but until they do, I think I've finished the last of the big girl stuff . . .

big girls and football moms

2011-09-22T12:15:00.000-07:00

Some of my best customers have 2nd grade girls this year and it's fun to work with them to find designs/fabrics that are age appropriate for their "big girls". Here are just a couple of the ones I've done for one of them this year on size 10 Monag lettuce edge shirts. {Note: the first two pumpkins in the last post were also for these two customers.}

We always have the fun challenge of making shirts to match different skirts!

This one is going with a turquoise minky dot skirt. So cute!

This fabric is becoming a favorite of mine. Below is the 4th item I've used it on in the past month!

And we moms tend to forget ourselves, but I loved this idea! One of the moms I mentioned above has a son who plays football and she decided she needed a "momma shirt" to wear to the games. Love it! . . .

And when here sister heard about it, she decided she needed one too {different team, obviously}! . . .

pumpkin patch

2011-09-20T07:03:00.000-07:00

I think I've finally finished all of the pumpkins for the year! I think they all turned out really cute. I just love pumpkins!

For twin brothers and big sister.

And as of this Friday, it's officially Fall y'all!

Yahoo!

for the wee ones

2011-09-19T18:47:00.000-07:00

I've done a few things recently for some wee ones . . .

This shirt is going with some navy pajama pants. Cute! . . .

The momma wanted a moon and I just happened to find this one - a free download - on Embroidery Boutique. Obviously, the bottom half of the moon was still wet when I took the photo.

this & that

2011-09-13T07:43:00.000-07:00

I think I've finished the last of the short-sleeved stuff for awhile. Here are some pictures of this and that, which I have been working on . . .

Cute idea -- A friend got these shirts for two friends who were finding out at their 5th birthday party that they were going to Disney together the next day! . . .

These last two outfits are ones that I bought for Evynne at the Hope for Gabe Sale. They were cute, but the tops were plain. I had to get creative with ways to match the bottoms since I didn't have the fabric the pants were made out of. I am really pleased with how they both turned out!

For this one, I used the hat from Planet Applique's Cowboy Alphabet, but put it on a more girly "E". This fabric was a tough one to match, but I really love the simplicty of the solid fabrics and how this turned out. Evynne loves it too, which is great!

sale!!!

2011-09-03T15:26:00.000-07:00

The Hope for Gabe sale has come and gone. Almost all of the football stuff sold, but I still have a couple of football shirts and some other things left to sell. I'm offering them at even MORE reduced prices here and then I will put them in another consignment sale next Saturday. Keep in mind that some of these prices are as low as what I usually charge JUST for the applique! Please email me asap if you are interested in purchasing any of the items below. First come, first served!

Only the Auburn helmet shirt in this photo is still available. It is a Hanes Beefy T (great quality shirt!) size Youth XS. By my judgment, it's about a 3/4. Price: $14 SOLD

This tiger is on a navy 24 month long sleeved Garanimals Bodysuit. Price: $12

This is a Gildan Youth XS, which is really about a size 5. Price: $12 SOLD

War Eagle Bib. Price: $5 SOLD

Red KiddyKats Sweatshirt in size 24 months. Price: $14

Red Monag Lettuce Edge Shirt in size 3-6 months. Price: $14 SOLD

go, fight, win!

2011-09-01T08:28:00.000-07:00

Still going strong with football gear around here! Here are a few things I've done in the past week . . .

And not just college football, we also have some things for the Briarwood Lions . . .

And that's not even all! I still have one or two more things to go!

Here is my big girl (with my little bit) modeling her crayon shirt at Open House yesterday . . .

So cute! One of my faves to date, I think!

B2S and a few gifts

2011-08-27T05:44:00.000-07:00

Evynne is finally heading to K-4 in a couple of weeks {they don't start until after Labor Day}. Next week we get to go to Open House and meet her teacher, see her classroom, etc. I LOVED this crayon trio from Applique Cafe as soon as I saw it and when I asked Evynne what she would like {I gave her a few choices}, she picked this one too. YAY! So this is what she'll wear to Open House next week . . .

I used Madison font to add her initials . . .

Then, I found this precious skirt on the Chez Ami finale sale page and when it went an additional 20% off, I grabbed it! Fortunately, I already had a brown shirt that I could make to go with it. Again, I couldn't resist the zigzag apple from Applique Cafe . . .

She'll wear this for the first day of actual school {Wednesday after Labor Day}. I'm kicking myself for not putting a layer of white {interfacing or fabric} behind the hot pink for the apple. The brown shows through too much and it's not as bright as I would've liked. That's what I get for trying to skip a step!

It's still super-cute though and Evynne is already begging to wear it. You can't argue with that!

And, of course, all of us here in the South know that Back to School also means back to football. A customer brought me these cute Chez Ami dresses to monogram for her girls {and Auburn fans} . . .

I also had a few gifts to squeeze in the past couple of weeks. Evynne's friend Emma just turned 3 . . .

And this is a baby gift for one of my sister's friends. So sweet . . .

all dressed up

2011-08-24T15:49:00.000-07:00

I've had fun doing some church dresses and boys' baptism outfits recently . . .

{Hopefully, you'll be seeing this same Kelly's Kids dress and coordinating romper with EMH on them soon! This one, however, is for the little girl of my friend Amy, who is the rep for the company.}

what's new?

2011-08-22T20:28:00.001-07:00

First of all, the blog is finally complete. {Barring a few minor changes I want to make.} This is now my only site for all of your Sew Personal needs :) Notice at the top of the blog, there are now tabs with all of my applique designs, fonts, and other information about products and ordering. I'm pretty proud of myself for getting it all on here! It was not a quick and easy task.

Besides the blog update, I have a few more new things that I'm excited about. I got my first shipment of commercial stabilizer from sewingmachine.com today! I.AM.PUMPED. This is what it looks like . . .

I took the plunge based on a recommendation from the applique cafe blog. And I am not disappointed. The initial reason for my order was to get something called "Comfort Cover", which I have not seen an alternative to in the stores.

Basically, you iron it on over the back of the applique so people with sensitive skin aren't bothered by the thread and interfacing. I have one special customer currently with said sensitivity so I wanted to give it a whirl. I can't believe how easy it was. Literally, cut, lay, iron.

And I must say the back feels super-smooth and soft. While I was at it, I went ahead and bought a BUNCH of stabilizer. Now that I have the 6x10 hoop, I'm flying through stabilizer and it's super-expensive even with 40% off at JoAnn's. I purchased 100 pieces of 12"x12" precut squares {$13.99} and 250 pieces of 8"x8" {$16.95} medium cutaway. I didn't try this out today, but I can tell I'm going to love it.

Also, after talking to the very nice man at sewingmachine.com on the phone, I decided to buy this LARGE can of 505 adhesive spray to use in place of the very expensive KK2000 spray I've been using. He's told me it's a much better bang for my buck. {$12.95}

Also, in the first picture you'll notice the ENORMOUS roll of cutaway - 28"x 25 yds. that I bought for $18.99 and the large roll of "Peel and Stick" that I bought for $21.78. The peel & stick was me going out on a limb as I did not read about that on the applique cafe blog. But I did use it today and the only difference I can tell between it and the Sulky "sticky" is that it doesn't have the grid lines. Which I never used in the first place. It is a much better deal. I am pleased. So if you're in the market, I say head over to sewingmachine.com. I think this will pay huge dividends in the end even if it did cost me $115 on the front end!

more for H4G

2011-08-19T12:20:00.001-07:00

This week I finished up a few more items to sell at the Hope for Gabe Consignment sale. I enjoyed choosing simple designs for football season & Christmas to put on these items for sale. I was pleased with how they turned out and hope they sell well at H4G! In fact, I went first thing to the sale on Thursday morning and the Auburn "War Eagle" with football shirt (in previous post) sold within the first hour while I was there. I hope it continued to go that way after I left! It would be awesome for me to get to make a little money and support this awesome cause at the same time (20% of all sales will go to H4G)!

By the way, any items that don't sell at H4G will be up for sale here when the sale is over!

catching up

2011-08-11T13:15:00.000-07:00

I have a few projects from previous weeks that I haven't posted plus the things I've done this week. I really loved how this princess castle turned out on the pink shirt. So girly . . .

This week I've spent my time working on some overstock shirts. I'm going to sell these pre-done shirts at the H4G Consignment sale next week. Hopefully, I can make a little money and get rid of some overstocks at the same time!

Lastly, I completed both of my girls' second Auburn outfits . . .

Nothing like Applique Cafe's "add a bow" to make a tiger a little more girly. I let Evynne pick what she wanted on her shirt and she chose the tiger with bow over a cheerleader. I was thrilled because I think we have plenty more years that she can wear a cheerleader!

felt, fabric, and a few baby gifts

2011-08-06T08:28:00.000-07:00

As promised, I am trying out felt clippies. First I needed some felt. Apparently, there are different types of felt, which I know nothing about. So, I bought this array of choices for a starting point . . .

I didn't get the right size clip so these aren't finished, but this was my first effort . . .

LOTS more options I want to try! ~~{When I find the time.}~~In order to buy some felt, I had to go to JoAnn's and Hancocks. Which meant I also found a few fabrics to add to my collection. I really liked these that I found for boys . . .

Cute boy fabric is SO much harder to find so I was really excited about these! I also found a few that are more girly . . .

And after ~~wasting~~ spending so much time running errands, I managed to squeeze in a few baby gifts. This first bib and burp set is for a friend who had a sweet little boy 3 weeks ago and named him Sam. I couldn't resist a Dr. Seuss theme, though it's not my usual style . . .

And this little romper is for a friend due with her first little girl next month {she already has two boys!} . . .

I just can't get enough of this sweet girl fabric . . .

a few dresses

2011-07-28T17:47:00.001-07:00

My sewing schedule has been so eratic this summer. Today I sewed only for half of the day and I did a few dresses. I love how the lollipop on this birthday gift for one of Evynne's friends turned out . . .

You gotta love the zigzag stitch for something different and less time-consuming.

I also thought these two dresses for a customer's Fall/Winter wardrobe turned out cute . . .

I'm really starting to look forward to the routine that comes with school being back in session. I really work better and am more productive when I'm in that routine and on a schedule!

back to school time

2011-07-27T11:03:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe it's back to school time almost! It IS time to be getting ready. I did a couple of backpacks for a friend of mine the other day . . .

They were a little tricky just because I had to use sticky and then they kept wanting to come off of the sticky because they were hitting up against the machine. The second one was almost a loss, but I think I salvaged it. The first C on the left is a little close to the H . . .

Not sure I will sign up to do a lot of backpacks. They'll have to be just the right style! And even though it's almost back to school time, there are still some "summer dresses" I haven't gotten to for Evynne. I squeezed one in this week. It's a size 6 that runs only a little small (from Dharma) so she'll definitely be able to wear it next summer. It is a Hollywood Baby hand-me-down that my MIL picked the existing monogram out of, which left some holes. No problem -- I completely covered it with the gigi patch . . .

Not sure I love this font (Schwoops) with this patch shape. It is a super-cute font though!

And of course we can't head back to school without our Auburn gear. You got a sneak peak of Elly's tank top in the previous post, but here are the finished products for both of my girls . . .

I promise the navy ricrac matches better in person! They have some navy knit Target skorts to wear with these, which I think will be pretty cute!

And last, but not least, I hit JoAnn's last week. Yes, I was late for lunch with sweet Alyson after standing in line at the cutting counter, but this is what I have to show for it . . .

Some cute new fabrics! {Have I mentioned I have a fabric problem?!} I also got some felt to start working on some of the felt stitchies I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. Does anyone know where to buy felt? JoAnn's had a lot of colors, but not what I would consider "stylish" colors for little girls like a good fuschia, lime green, turquoise, etc. Let me know if you have any tips!

first off the line

2011-07-24T18:46:00.000-07:00

So, the new machine is in complete working order and after spending an ENTIRE day organizing my applique design files, I finally got busy sewing. Here are the first projects off the line . . .

This is a size 10 monag shirt so this roller skate is actually pretty big. I did this in the 6x10 hoop.

And I knew this might happen, but I miss having a 5x7 hoop. This machine has all of the features that my old machine had that I love plus several great improvements! I just don't understand why Singer can't have a machine that has more than two hoops. It would be PERFECT if it had the 4x4, 5x7, AND 6x10. I may have to send an email.

And because it doesn't have the 5x7, I did this bib &burp set in the 4x4 hoop. That meant the name had to be smaller than I typically like it. But I can't use the 6x10 for everything. It will take WAY too much stabilizer. I haven't done any size 4 or smaller shirts yet, but I'm concerned about how that big ole hoop is going to fit in them. We'll see! In the meantime, I'm praying that they come out with a 5x7 hoop for this machine!

Is anyone else getting football fever?! This is the first of many Auburn projects to be done for my girls. This happens to be on a {Garanimals} tank top that is still awaiting ricrac, but I'll post the complete top when it's done.

So, the verdict is . . . I really do LOVE the new machine and sewing on it, but I want the middle sized hoop to go with it!

coming soon!

2011-07-12T14:21:00.000-07:00

I ordered a new machine today! Yahoo! I sold my original machine and my second machine on craigslist -- each in one day, but the delivery process took a little longer. This is the new Singer XL-400 and it is very similar to my old Singer 150 I think except it comes with the 6"x10" hoop and a few other features. That means bigger designs! I should get it by early next week and start sewing on it.

Also, coming soon, I plan to try these adorable "felt stitchies" hair clips . . .

I've seen them for awhile on ggdesignsembroidery.com and thought they were precious, but just now took the plunge and bought the designs to try them out. I can't wait to see how they turn out when I get my new machine!
Lastly, I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I've been working on my blog. I'm trying to transfer everything over from my original website to this blog since it's SO much easier to keep the blog up-to-date with new designs, etc. It's only about half-way there, but I'm working on it! Stay posted . . .

July Projects

2011-07-08T07:44:00.000-07:00

June Projects

2011-06-01T20:05:00.000-07:00

May Projects

2011-05-02T18:06:00.000-07:00

I used metallic silver thread on several of my first projects this month and man, that stuff can be a pain! Not sure if any of you sewing friends have ever tried it, but here are a couple of pointers in case you do . . .

1. Ball point needle seemed to work best with the knit shirts I used the metallic thread on. (I'm not one to always use ball point needles on knits, I usually use titanium.) The thread frayed and broke less when I switched to the ball point.

2. When I broke my last ball point needle that I was using and had to switch back to titanium, I put Solvy on top of the shirt and that also seemed to really work.

3. With bathing suits, I always use Solvy on the top. Since I was using the metallic thread this time, I used two layers of Solvy and of the three items I used the thread on, the suit was the only thing I had absolutely NO problems with! Phew.

If you read this and have any wisdom to impart, please do!

April Projects

2011-04-06T12:54:00.000-07:00

March Projects

2011-03-06T17:55:00.000-08:00

February Projects 2011

2011-02-06T16:16:00.001-08:00

January 2011 Projects

2011-01-07T06:37:00.000-08:00

december projects 2010

2010-12-11T07:57:00.001-08:00

november projects

2010-11-01T08:18:00.000-07:00

October Projects 2010

2010-10-09T11:14:00.001-07:00

new fabric

2010-09-19T11:56:00.001-07:00

I'm really tired of using all of the same old fabrics over and over. So last week, I went out and bought these 30 new fabrics to get me excited about all of my fall/winter projects! I found these at Thimbles, Hobby Lobby, and Joann's. If you are a sewing friend and know where I can find more cute "boy" fabrics, leave me a comment! I feel like all I ever use is gingham and for every 1 "boyish" fabric I bought last week, I probably bought 3 "girly" ones!

September Projects

2010-09-03T16:57:00.000-07:00

Got a busy month this month! Lots of fun new projects on the drawing board. I think the biggest hit so far is the tiger paw/War Eagle combo. The more the merrier!

August Projects

2010-08-04T13:15:00.001-07:00

So I did absolutely NO sewing in July. We have just been super-busy this summer plus mom had rotator cuff surgery, which means I have less help with the kiddos for awhile. I'm slowly getting back into the routine and getting excited about Fall stuff and football gear. There are so many cute new designs out that I can't keep my website up-to-date with all of them. Check out the links in the sidebar to get some ideas. I'm trying to find a better way to keep my inventory updated!

June Projects

2010-06-11T14:00:00.000-07:00

June will probably be a slow month due to a week of VBS followed by a week at the beach! Can't say I'm sorry about that :)

End of April/May Projects

2010-05-11T06:38:00.000-07:00

The last 30 or so pictures are actually from the end of April while we were in the process of moving and I didn't have a computer to upload pictures!

April Projects

2010-04-13T06:53:00.000-07:00

March Projects

2010-03-02T13:29:00.000-08:00

February Projects

2010-02-05T08:08:00.000-08:00

January Projects

2010-01-11T19:54:00.000-08:00

Note: For some reason at the end of this month I've done a lot of dark colored shirts (i.e.navy, black, and dark purple). They do not tend to photograph well, but I promise they were very cute in person!

December Projects

2009-12-03T19:10:00.001-08:00

November Projects

2009-11-06T05:59:00.001-08:00

October Projects

2009-10-21T14:16:00.000-07:00

September Projects

2009-09-03T17:51:00.001-07:00

August Projects

2009-08-09T05:34:00.000-07:00

July was a slow sewing month and August is off to a slow start mostly because I spent a good portion of my time taking care of a sweet 3-month-old. Now I'm back in the game and have tons to do before baby Elly arrives in 2 months! Let the fun begin!

July Projects

2009-07-06T15:25:00.000-07:00

June Projects

2009-06-08T16:49:00.000-07:00

The short story . . . I love 'em!

2009-05-21T11:12:00.000-07:00

My mom made the first pair of shorts for Evynne and I am in love! From the moment I first saw this fabric in my favorite fabric store, I knew something was going to be made of it. Since it looks so summery, I decided shorts would be best. I got this lime lettuce edge shirt to go with it and decided to do the ruffle in lime gingham to tie it all in. I am just dying for Evynne to wear this next week at the beach. I love it! And knowing that our second little girl will get to wear it too just makes me even more excited! I think this is my favorite project yet. Thanks Grandmomma! (And for all of you faithful customers, I'm sorry I don't sew and can't offer to make you these shorts. But if you know someone who can, save the scrap fabric and I can sure make a cute top to match!)

May Projects

2009-05-05T19:17:00.000-07:00

It's About Time!

2009-04-21T17:03:00.000-07:00

After completing all of my Auburn Home Show orders, I finally took some time to do some things for my own child. Sometimes I have to remind myself that the reason I got into this business was to sustain my habit of clothing my own child! It seems like at least half the time I do things for her, I end up wishing I had done it differently, but that's all part of the learning/experimenting process. It's fun and I love it! Here are the things I did for her over the past week:

One of my favorite things to do is take something super-plain and find a fun way to spruce it up. This swimsuit cover-up came from Target for $10. We added ric-rac and an applique patch to make it into this adorable piece!

I love the fabric in this patch!

A Garanimals shirt from the end of last season that I got some turquoise Garanimals shorts this season to go with. Notice I rarely put Evynne's whole name on anything other than a Garanimals shirt because I know it will never be worn by another child!

A hand-me-down dress from my cousin's little girl that needed a little something to make it even cuter! Evynne loves hippos so I thought that would be appropriate and it fit in the little space!

Simply sweet

Mom whipped up these capris in no time and of course, I had to get the shirt done to match!

This is a time where I wish I had gone with different thread colors, but it's so hard to tell when you're planning it in your head!

A $5 Faded Glory dress from Walmart made cuter with an applique. Not sure how this will look on since it was pleated at the top and the rectangle patch doesn't really work with the pleats. I thought it was worth a try, so we'll see!

I LOVE this fabric, but thread colors were hard to choose. I thought about using turquoise for the initials, but I thought adding another color might make it too busy.

What says Summer fun more than an ice cream cone?!

I have a cute little lime Garanimals skirt to make a great little play outfit out of this!

I LOVE the way this turned out. I got this Garanimals tank at the end of last season and these orange Garanimal shorts for $4 this season. I can't wait to see Evynne in this!

April Projects

2009-04-02T16:01:00.000-07:00

After a crazy March and my machine being in the shop for 2 weeks, I'm finally back in the swing of things. I'm also entering my 2nd trimester so I'm finding I have more energy -- thank goodness! I have no idea why some of my pictures keep showing up sideways in the slideshows, but I hope you can at least get the idea!

nephew love

2009-03-30T12:21:00.003-07:00

I just love my little nephew Ethan. Here are some pics of him in his Sew Personal gear. Eat him up!

March Projects

2009-03-03T17:07:00.000-08:00

I've been working hard to jump start this month and make up for some slow days the past few weeks while I haven't been feeling too great (with morning sickness/all day sickness & exhaustion). It's hard to believe that the home show in Auburn is this coming Saturday (March 7th) and I've got a lot I want to do before I go! Stay tuned for more Spring/Summer ideas!

February Projects

2009-02-03T18:45:00.000-08:00

January Projects

2009-01-23T17:20:00.001-08:00

New in '09

2009-01-11T12:49:00.000-08:00

Wow! There's a lot of new stuff at Sew Personal for 2009! From sippy cups and travel mugs to checkbook covers and cute little clothes! I keep finding things that I can't resist adding to my selection. I've also added some new appliques and fabrics! This slideshow is a peak at what's new. Of course, all items include a monogram even if the picture doesn't have a monogram yet! For pricing and more info, visit the Sew Personal website and click on "New Items". I've also created a slideshow of new fabrics I'm offering. Most of these have not been added to my website yet just because I haven't had time. If you see one you like, just let me know! They are all fair game!

January Projects

2009-01-05T19:02:00.000-08:00

We Did It!

2009-01-05T18:45:00.000-08:00

My mom and I finally finished an outfit -- together! I wanted to do this with her so she could start teaching me some sewing basics. (I really only do the machine embroidery and don't know much at all about sewing.) I saw this fabric a couple of months ago, LOVED it, and knew right away Evynne had to have some pants made of it. Mom showed me how to cut out the pattern and fabric and although she did most of the sewing, I did do a little. Baby steps! Anyway, when I arrived at her house today she had completely finished the pants so I got right on the machine and did the top to match! It's been sitting there a while waiting for me to have a minute to do it. Girl mamas, don't get too excited, I don't plan to start making these pants to sell. However, I can match many popular fabrics and at the very least, find a coordinating fabric. So, if you have some pants, you can just bring them to me and I can do the top to match! I'll have to get some pictures of Evynne in this outfit to post and really show it off!

My nephew is coming!

2009-01-03T07:21:00.000-08:00

So, it looks like my nephew is going to be arriving within the next week or so and I am SO excited to meet him! My sister (Erin) and her husband (Erich) have not decided on a name for sure, but they are leaning toward Ethan. It sure is hard to do a lot of gifts for your nephew when he is nameless! However, I managed to get a start on a few things and couldn't resist putting Ethan on one thing -- hoping for the best! Here are a few of the things for Baby Dawson that I've done so far. There will be many more!

more stirling than silver

2008-12-13T06:47:00.001-08:00

These pictures are of sweet Stirling - the child of a friend-of-a-friend in AU who happens to appreciate my work! Stirling's Mommy ordered several outfits for her at the Auburn home show and got some of the most precious pictures of her! Thanks Ali for your business and for these adorable photos!

December Projects

2008-12-07T14:49:00.000-08:00

November Projects

2008-11-10T08:22:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to move this slideshow to the top of the page so I'm re-posting it!

Check back often -- I will continue to add pictures throughout the month! Just a note -- I love the new frill pants. You can make so many different tops to match!

New Possibilities! Your comments please?!

2008-11-04T13:49:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the designs and products I've been thinking about adding to my selection. Please leave comments in the comment box or email me your thoughts on these things! I never know what people might like for themselves or for gifts! FYI, the lunchboxes, backpacks, and minky blankets all come in a bunch of colors and you could even get all three to match if you wanted! Some of the pictures didn't do so well blown up so sorry about that. Again you'll have to use your imagination!

New Designs

2008-11-04T13:26:00.001-08:00

Here are some of the latest designs I've purchased. None of these pictures are done with my fabrics so it's a little harder to tell how cute they can be. Use your imagination! There is a nice set of new applique patches in here that have so much potential! With cute fabric and leaving off some of the stitching, I think they can be much cuter. I really think the diamond would be precious for a boy with a diamond monogram inside it. I did one of the new circles already this month so see the November projects post to see how it turned out!

Holiday Open House

2008-11-01T12:35:00.001-07:00

For anyone interested in working with me in person, I am having an open house with a good friend of mine in my neighborhood in a couple of weeks. Not only can you see some of my work and work with me in person, you can meet my friend Whitney who is an awesome photographer and also sells sticker labels and paper products. You can visit her many websites to check out her stuff: www.whitneytinglephotography.blogspot.com, http://littlebuttondesigns.googlepages.com, and www.littlebuttondesigns.blogspot.com. You can see all of her pricing and some samples on her sites to see if this is something that might interest you. Feel free to email me at sewpersonalgifts@gmail.com for more info. We hope to see you there!

October Projects

2008-11-01T11:51:00.001-07:00

I've had a lot of fun this month working on some new things. I did a homeshow in Auburn with great success. It was neat to talk with new customers and put our heads together to come up with some great ideas for appliques and fabric combos. I also made an all-time favorite for Evynne -- a new Auburn shirt! Enjoy!