Merry Christmas

Trenton in Ticking Stripes

For this custom order bag I used a Michael Miller fabric called Blue Ticking Stripe. Boy I love Michael Miller Fabrics. I also used a super sturdy interfacing for extra body. It is fully lined with 6 roomy pockets. Enjoy Jillian and Trenton!

Twilight

For those that didn't get to see the placemat purses and apron from the Heather's raffle drawing here are a few pictures.

This bag says "If you'll be my Edward I'll be your Bella". I lined it with a black and white geometric fabric and added an interior pocket. The red ribbons are removable... but thought that they were so cute on this bag.

This bag is made of red corduroy with a black lining. It says "Fanpire I'm a Twilight Girl".

Unfortunately my full length picture of the apron didn't turn out... but I found this cute vintage style apron and added Bella's Kitchen to the front.

Thanks Heather for planning such a fun evening. It was fun designing a few Twilight inspired items.

TWILIGHT

Dear Fellow Twilight Fans,
I know that some of you are here for a sneak peek at the give-a-way that will take place at Friday's Twilight Movie Extravaganza. Unfortunately my contract clearly states that I can not reveal anything. That Heather is a tough chick! So check back on Saturday and I'll have all the information and pictures. Aren't you so excited! See you all on Friday.

Amy

The Ashlynn Placemat Purse

I can't wait to see Ashlynn carring this around.

The JoJo

I have been trying to play catch up for the past few weeks as I have gone back to work. Here are a few of the projects that I have finished. Hopefully I will be done in a few more weeks and ready to take on more orders. Thanks for being patient!


I know that most of my posts tell you how I love how projects turn out. But when I say that I love this bag.... it is true love. It is a new design that I will affectionately call the JoJo. It is a BIG bag that I am sure could truly fit everything you could possibly want to take, including the baby if need be. One of the fun things about this bag is that is doesn't resemble a traditional diaper bag. So for all you gals out there that don't need a diaper bag... this is for you. It is a sling style with two handles. You can tell from the second picture that the side of each handle is very wide and become narrow at the shoulder. There are three pockets inside. One medium and two deep, narrow pockets. This could easily be made into two pockets... one medium and one XL. For this particular bag I used corduroy for the top band and handles and cute Amy Butler fabric for the outside and lining.

I also experimented with a changing pad. I used a thin layer of vinyl over the decorative fabric and a striped chenille on the back with a ribbon tie. It also has fleece in the middle for some padding. I also tried a new shape for the bib. It is a bit smaller and shorter than the other bibs that I have made.

Asian Inspired Gift Set

This set included a tote bag, blanket, security blanket, onesie and bib.

The Colored Pencil Roll

My nephew Jedrek, had his 8th birthday a few weeks back. I was worried that the crayon roll would be too young for him so I altered the design and made it for colored pencils.

The Slimline Messenger

I had a request for the messenger bag but less bulky and less "diaper bag". So I made the messenger a bit smaller and thinner and left the outside side pocket off. I was really happy with the finished product. I thought that the size was perfect for an everyday bag and don't you love the Amy Butler fabric!

The Necktie in Blue

I have been loving experimenting with different colors on the necktie. So far I have made them in brown and blue, blue and yellow, blue and white, and white on white.

Diaper Clutch

This little bag is the perfect size for carrying a few diapers and a travel wipe case. It's for those trips when you don't need your entire bag and will help keep the diaper bag organized too!

Nathan Quilted Blocks

Hero

Nathan was born today so I thought that I would post this set in his honor. It's a bit hard to read but it says:

"I Have a Hero, I Call Him Dad"

Congrats Cami and Gary! I couldn't be happier for you.

Baby Shower Bliss

I helped to host a baby shower for a good friend and put together this welcome sign with an embroidered onesie. It's hard to see but the tie is chocolate brown with blue dots. I think that these tie onesies are so cute. Of course I send it home with her after the shower.

We Have 2 Winners

May I have the drum roll please..................................

And the winner of the crayon roll is:

The Montgomerys
"I think my kids would love it! I want to win one and I will have to buy one for my other kid. Thanks or your giveaway! Ruth Anne sent me here."

(Please email me so we can make all the arrangements.)

And since Ruth Anne sent her my way she will get one too!

Thanks to all that participated.

Give-A-Way #2

In celebration of the awesome state of our national economy I am offering my second give-a-way. Up for grabs is a fantastic crayon roll. See the post below for details and pictures. If you are the lucky winner, I will create a custom design (from my current selection of fabrics) and include an embroidered first name. And to make this offer even more exciting.... if someone you refer to my site wins...... I'll make one for you too.

So here is how to win.


1.Make a comment (on this post only!) . Be sure to include the name of the person that referred you to my blog. If your profile does not include an email address you may want to include that also.

2. Send all your friends here and have them post a comment... make sure they mention your name!

How much easier could that be? You have until this Friday, October 3rd to post a comment.

Small print Info:
Only one entry per person. The winner will be picked at random. Even though I love many of you and want YOU to win... I will be fair!

Crayon Roll

I made these the other day for my kids ages 3, 5 and 7, and they have loved them. They are the perfect travel case for crayons. I found the directions at Skip to my Lou . I made a few modifications including adding a Velcro closure instead of a ribbon. I wanted my kids who don't know how to tie a bow yet to still be able to open and close it easily. It holds 16 crayons and is approx 5" tall. I made one for my nephew yesterday and added his name on the outside. What a great gift for all those little artists.

New Bag..... as promised

Here is one of my new bags. It is a messenger style diaper bag. Although, with a few alterations could be used as an everything bag. The pictures show the front view, outer side pocket, inside view and back. This bag is approx. 14" wide x 12' tall x 5" deep with a 16" drop from shoulder to top of bag. This can be worn over your shoulder or with the strap across your body. Anyone taller than 5'5" may want to lengthen the strap if you want to carry it with the strap across your body.

The fabric I used was an experiment. I found a cotton laminate. It is your basic cotton with a thin clear vinyl coat on the top. That is why it looks very shiny in the picture. It is great for a diaper bag because you only need to wipe it with a damp cloth to clean. It is not machine washable. Although there are many positives about this fabric, it was very hard to work with because it can not be ironed on both sides. The creases from shipping were hard to get out. For this reason I'm not offering this fabric at this time..... OK maybe with lots of begging and pleading and an extra fee. :) I'll be making another one of these in the next few weeks using a regular cotton fabric... so look for pictures.

Recent Projects

Some of these are repeats of earlier designs, but still worth showing again.

What's New.....

Here's what's new in my little sewing world:

My machine came back from vacation. She is working like a champ!

I've been working on a few projects that I'll post pictures of later. Some are gifts and I don't want to give away any surprises.

I have made a few NEW bags. As soon as I take the pictures I'll post them.

I ordered a book called "A is for Apron". It has the cutest vintage aprons you have ever seen. I am excited to give them a try.

I am already looking ahead to the Christmas rush. I am heading back to work full time and won't have as much time for sewing. :( So what that means for you is that you need to get any Christmas orders in ASAP. I will have to cut off orders after Nov. 15th and possibly sooner depending on how many I get. So start thinking ahead!

Please become a follower. Scroll down and on the right you can sign up to be a loyal Signed with Stitches follower. I am thinking about having a monthly drawing just from my follower list.

Bye Bye for now. Look for more pictures soon!

The Winning Creation

Just wanted to show the placemat purse that the Give-a-Way winner received. Her favorite color combinations for the moment are brown and orange. Enjoy Emily!

And the Winner is..................

Congrats to:


emily said...
Jolene turned me on to you, your stuff is so cute! I would love to win!Emily August 17, 2008 4:51 PM


Thanks to everyone who participated in this give-a-way. I loved reading your comments. They were quite the boost to the old self-esteem! But don't fret if you weren't the winner .... I had so much fun with this drawing that I am already planning one for September. So check back often. If you would like me to email you when the next give-a-way is posted, just drop me an email (see link on the right of this page). Thanks again!

Also, I wanted to mention the I used Random.org to pick the winner. Although I had lots of friends and family that wanted me to pick them (Hilary!) I was fair, honest, and picked the name at random and had my hubby be my witness. :)

Trouble with Give-A-Way Comments

Some of you are having trouble posting a comment for the Give-A-Way. I really have no idea why... but asked by smart and talented sister in law who suggested that there may be issues with the setting on your firewall protection or with the search engine that you are using. That is really all Greek to me. If you continue to have problems posting comments feel free to email me and I'll keep a list and assign you a number so you aren't left out of the drawing. If anyone has the answer feel free to post a comment :) Thanks!

Give-A-Way---- Expired!

(This give-a-way is expired, but check back often for another)

I've been reading some other blogs lately that have been offering give-a-ways and decided to give it a try. Up for grabs is a monogrammed placemat purse. If you are the lucky winner you will get to choose the placemat color, handle and ribbon from my existing selection and embroidered letter of your choice....... all for free. The picture above is just an example and not the actual purse that you will receive.

Here is how to enter this drawing:

Leave a comment on this posting before Monday, August 25th. (Yep, it's that simple)

If your profile doesn't include an email address you may want to leave it in your comment.

I will randomly pick a number based on the number of comments and that person will be the winner. I will then post the winner sometime Monday, Aug. 25th. If you don't leave an email address please check back on Monday to see if you won.

Just a reminder that my machine is being serviced and I will begin making the placemat purse in the beginning of September.

GOOD LUCK!

A Favorite Bridal Shower Gift

I've made several of these aprons for different bridal showers but don't think that I have posted them before. They have been in all different colors (pink and brown, blue and brown, pink and red etc) and loved the way this red and black turned out. My sister ordered this for a friend and put it together with a cute cook book.

Tied up in Stitches

My friend Bridget came to me with this idea for her newborn son's blessing day. She wanted a onesie that had a white tie embroidered on it. This was my version. I first tried it in white with off-white dots and then did her onesie in white on white. What a fun and original idea for a special day.

Black and White and Pink All Over

I loved experimenting with these colors. This customer gave me the color combinations but gave me free reign to create as I wanted. I thought that both sets turned out unique and girly. It is hard to pick a favorite. I loved the embroidery on the swirl set. The flower applique was the perfect touch. But I was so happy with the ruffle on the squares set. It softened the lines and made it girly. For the square blanket I used two cotton fabric layers to make it cooler for the summer. The swirl set used the super soft minkee dot on the back. And I can't forget the bag. I think I am in love... if it is possible to be in love with a bag. Hmmmm...... if only I had a little girl to make this set for.

Enjoy Carleigh and Kassia!

Machine on Strike

My embroidery machine has informed me that it is going on strike for the month of August. Apparently there is a wonderful vacation spot calling her name at our local sewing machine repair shop.... :)

I have been ignoring the need to service my machine for quite a while and have decided that it has to be done! After 3,240,276 stitches I am tempting fate to go any further without a tune up. That means that I will be without it for 3-4 weeks. You are more than welcome send inquiries or questions about future orders, but please be aware that I won't be able to start them until the end of August and need about2 weeks to finish most projects.

You may be asking yourself what I am going to be doing with all my free time... I hope to go back into hobby mode and experiment with some new designs and fabrics. So look for posts of my new creations!

Blue Disco Dot Tote

I've been experimenting with some small design changes and have been really happy with the outcome. (Thanks Nicole for the inspiration!) Instead of having the small solid piece of fabric on the bottom I flipped things around and put it on the top. Then I added the embroidery to the top chocolate section. I loved how it left lots of dots but I was able to keep the focus on Taylor's name. The lining of this bag is chocolate with the blue dots at the pockets. I also used a super stiff and sturdy interfacing on the fabric. This bag totally stands on its own. So now there are two choices for interfacing... depending on how stiff you want your bag.

I also wanted to share with you a fun place to shop for fabric on the web. www.craftersvision.com has a excellent selection at a great price. I love the Michael Miller collection. His fabrics are so fun and versatile. He even has a laminated cotton available. It is regular cotton with a clear plastic laminate added to the front. I thought that it would be a great product to use for diaper bags that always seem to get dirty quickly. All you do is wipe with a damp cloth to clean. I will be playing with it soon, so watch for some new designs and fabric options.

BTW... this disco dot fabric also comes in pink and brown!

Black and White Market

A friend ordered this for her sister's birthday. The swirl fabric was fun to experiment with. I'm working on a regular tote using the swirl that I'll be posting in a few days.

This bag is surprisingly roomy. I put three pockets and a key fob to help with organization.

Blue Stripes!

For this bag I used a cotton retro blue striped and dark brown fabrics with a stiff interfacing to give it lots of body. This, like all my other bags, had six roomy pockets inside, a magnetic snap closure, and a key fob to keep everything organized. I also lined the bottom of the bag with a clear vinyl to help keep things clean and for added strength.

Island Baby

This was really two sets in one. The palm tree design used the super soft blue dot minkee on the back of the blanket and bib. The surf board design used a double layer of the hibiscus for the blanket to make a cooler and more light weight summer blanket.

Watch out Christy

I have been wanting to do a bag in black and white with hot pink for a long time. I was really excited to see the finished product after Christy ordered this bag... and wasn't disappointed. So Christy better watch out... I've heard from a few people that they are changing their name to Christy and confiscating this bag.

Camping Queen Apron

This was ordered as a thank you for a Girl's Camp Mom who fed everyone very well!

Jungel Faces

This was a fun set to put together. The jungle baby face fabric was very versatile. I was able to compliment it with blues and greens and there were many animals to choose from. Shown in the set are 2 burp clothes, a blanket, onesie and bib.