Froggy Girl Designs

I packed up and moved!

2010-01-28T15:37:00.001-08:00

After MONTHS of waiting, my chosen domain name finally became available! So now I've moved on over to Wordpress, come and visit me at www.froggygirl.com!

Tutorial: Foldover Elastic (FOE) bound Baby Crib Sheet

2010-01-18T14:11:00.000-08:00

In case you can't tell, I've become quite the fan of FOE over the last little while. I've used it over the last 6 months or so for my cloth diaper covers, and over time have ventured out into other uses. Today I'm bringing you a tutorial for one of my favorite ways to use this versatile little notion. This is kind of picture heavy, as I'm a visual learner and I always like lots of pictures on tutorials, it's like someone is right there holding my hand as I go! The pictures aren't fantastic as it was late while I was doing this and my sewing room is rather dark, but hopefully they're good enough for you to see what I'm doing.

First, if you aren't familiar with FOE, it is a soft knit elastic with a slight depression down the center (you can see in the picture below) to enable it fold over cleanly while maintaining stretch. Think of it as the bias tape of the elastic world. It takes a little practice to get it to look really good (and I should mention now that the stitching in this tutorial is NOT an example of looking really good!), but it's worth it!

Now lets get started, gather your materials:

68" of flannel cut the entire width of the fabric leaving selvedges intact (or really, you could use a knit or cotton woven as well, but it needs to be cut to an appx. 45" width NOT length)
5-6 yards of FOE (this will vary a bit depending on the amount of stretch, I will list some sources at the end)
Your normal notions-rotary cutter or scissors, ruler, and a marking utensil, I use tailors chalk on these.

Step 1: On each corner of your fabric, measure a square 8" x 8" and mark with chalk.

Step 2: Using your rotary cutter or scissors, cut out the squares. It should then look like this:

Step 3: Take the first corner of your fabric and fold right sides together (as shown below) and serge or sew from the edge to the V of the fabric. If you don't have a serger, finish the edges with a zig zag stitch to help with fraying issues in the wash. I personally serge the seams and THEN sew for durability, but I might have a few perfectionist tendencies lol.

Step 4: Pick out your FOE-there are TONS of colors available, and more and more prints all the time. I went with plain white for purposes of this tutorial so I could use a contrasting thread to show you what I'm doing. You want to start your FOE on one of the straight edges-fold the FOE in half on the edge of the fabric, sandwiching the fabric in between and making sure it's all the way to the inside. Use a few tack down stitches to secure the end, stopping with your needle down.

Step 5: Now this is where it gets a bit hard to explain (and takes practice to get everything to go the way you want it to). Move your stitch to a wide zig zag or 3-step zig zag (I'm using a 3 step in the pictures). With your needle down, you want to put your finger about an inch or so back from your presser foot, grab the FOE (not the fabric, just the FOE) and stretch it as much as you can. I usually pull the fabric behind the presser foot as well, not yanking it through the machine, just holding it taut to ensure the stretch is maintained as I stitch. You have to reposition your hands frequently to keep the FOE stretched and the fabric situated correctly in between (which can result in some hand cramping-fair warning!), but after a few inches you'll see the gathers forming behind the presser foot as you let the FOE go on that side.

Step 6: When you get to the end, cut your FOE off so it overlaps the start a bit, finish stitching to the edge and remove from the machine. Turn so the cut edge is perpindicular under your presser foot, and put your machine on a thinner tight regular zig zag stitch. Stitch over the exposed edge (this is mostly cosmetic as FOE doesn't really fray much). As you can see, I got a little sloppy on this one, but I had a 2 yr old and a 1 yr old helping me at this point.

Step 7: Put your new crib sheet on your babies crib and enjoy the feeling of knowing they're sleeping on a sheet mama made with love (and MUCH cheaper than buying a single sheet at Toys R Us!). This is not the sheet I made during this tutorial obviously, but it IS one I made using this method!

I hope my instructions were clear, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask away and I will answer them for you! I'd love to see pictures of your creations, please post them to the Froggy Girl Designs Tutorials flickr group. Enjoy!

Sources for FOE (if you know of another please let me know and I'll add it!):

FOE Your Diaper
This End Up Yahoogroup (this is where I personally get all of mine, it's a group buy, but worth the wait!)
Sewzanne's (it looks like she only carries 5/8", but that would work although it might be more difficult to wrangle)

Reflections on the first year

2010-01-16T17:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my sweet baby girls first birthday. She's the only girl, coming after 4 brothers, and is the last baby in the family. I struggle with that for many reasons, but my body couldn't take anymore, so I feel so very blessed that God chose to give me this perfect girl as my final child. She is wonderful in so many ways, challenging in others, but oh how I love her.

She has 4 teeth now, can sit up on her own-but chooses to sit on her knees instead of her booty much of the time. She loves to play patty cake on daddy's belly, and still has to be swaddled to sleep (not that she does much sleeping!). She tells me she's hungry by crawling in the kitchen and laughing at her high chair. She loves her brothers as fiercely as they love her, lighting up when they enter the room. As soon as she hears daddy's voice when he comes home from work, she takes off to him as fast as she can crawl, fussing until he picks her up. Bedtime is still for mama though, no one else can get her to sleep (a blessing and a curse!), and I cherish those times we snuggle together watching her sweet face in sleep.

Her skin is slightly better, although she's figured out that by laying on the carpet and wiggling her booty back and forth quickly she manages to itch her back a bit. She's not walking yet, but has been pulling up for a few weeks, and has started to clear off surfaces she can reach in her efforts to help mama (HA!). She's so beautiful, and so happy despite the misery of the constant itching I know she goes through.

Happy birthday my sweet Gennah! I'm so glad God let me be your mama!

Catching up

2010-01-13T18:59:00.000-08:00

That's exactly what I'm doing. I got hit with an icky sick late last week that is still hanging on, mostly just enough to be annoying at this point. We also tried to transition Ree over to regular milk which did not go well. Poor baby had some nasty stomach issues from it, so for now we've put her back onto formula. None of my other kids ever had a problem with milk, so I'm really at a loss where to go from here. Anyone have any suggestions?

The picture above is something I've been wanting to tell you about. My breakfast? Well, in a roundabout way yes! At a show I did this fall, there was another vendor selling all locally made fruit spreads, ketchup, etc. I was so excited, even more so once I actually tried the samples! The company is called Local Folks Foods, based in Columbus, IN. None of their items have any preservatives or high fructose corn syrup, and all are made using items that are either locally grown or sourced from small independent farmers. The blueberry spread you see above is called "Purple Haze" and is SO yummy. The ingredient label-4 items-cane sugar, blueberries, lemon juice, pectin. I love being able to pronounce everything in my food, and knowing the mission statement behind this small company makes it even better. Seriously, go check them out, they do ship items, you won't be sorry!

I've also been working on Ree's first birthday outfit. I can't believe my last baby is going to be a year old TOMORROW! As you can see above, the last couple of days have involved tracing, tracing, tracing and then sewing up this cute little number. Both patterns are from Fishsticks Designs-the top is the Emmy, the pants are from the Little Ones Layette pattern.

I love Bonnie's patterns, they're so quick to sew up and really easy even for beginners to do. I think once I actually got sewing, the entire outfit took less than an hour. The top is a favorite knit jersey, the pants are a super soft fuchsia cotton velour. Also, one note on these pants-not only are they made perfectly to accommodate diaper booties, but with no seams at the front or back, they are perfect for embellishing with embroidery or applique.

Now, it's time for me to go and try to conquer some more of these piles in the house. Things are VERY slowly coming together as I'm still on my mission to declutter. I'm hoping to get my sidebar fixed up today so ya'll can track with me my challenges for the year. How are you doing with your personal goals for the year? Are you making progress or have you tossed them to the side?

Japanese Hedgehog Fabric Grocery Bag Holder

2010-01-08T14:16:00.000-08:00

Yup, I did it. I cut into my piece of my treasured hedgie fabric. It's been sitting in my stash for over a year, because I LOVE it, and because it's a cotton oxford (a little heavier than a twill, and a bit of a stiffer hand to it). I always go back and forth with what to do with oxfords, as I personally think they're a bit heavy for the childrens clothing I primarily make.

Our kitchen here is a closet, seriously, it's tiny. There's not much storage space at all, so I'm having to get creative with things. It's still not unpacked all the way simply because I hit a point where my brain doesn't compute anymore and I have to take a break to let things muddle around in my head, which is why you can see the boxes in the background. At our old house, we stuffed our plastic bags under the sink (ya I know, classy), but here cabinet space is at a premium. I want to get a bunch of reusable bags made for grocery shopping, but we'll still use plastic bags for trash can liners and the like. Enter the grocery bag holder!

I basically used this tute (this is one of my favorite blogs btw, ALWAYS awesome tutorials!), I just didn't do as much piecing. I used the hedgie fabric as the main body, then some Amy Butler Full Moon dots as the accent. The ribbon I used was sent to me by a friend, it was on one of the gifts she got when she had her son-who is 3 weeks older than Ree. So now, not only do I have a pretty, functional grocery bag holder, but I also think about my friend every time I look at it and smile!

So tell me, am I crazy for using a piece of my precious Japanese fabric this way? Or do you agree that it's better to have it out where I can admire it all the time instead of withering away in my stash?

Featured on Try Handmade today!

2010-01-08T06:09:00.000-08:00

Today my interview is featured on Try Handmade. Go check it out and learn a little more about me! Then come back later today when I talk about my new grocery bag holder and some works in progress!

2010 Decluttering Challenge

2010-01-07T06:20:00.000-08:00

In case you haven't noticed, I've decided this is my year to get my stuff together-mentally, physically, emotionally-everything. Over the past 5 years, we've moved 6 times each with it's share of drama. Whether it was losing the house we were buying on contract or our ceiling caving in, it's been a series of "You have GOT to be kidding me!" moves. That results in lots of just throwing things in boxes and going. I admit I'm no Martha Stewart, as much as I long to be, so boxes will sit untouched, or barely touched, because I simply don't know what to do with the contents or don't want to take the time to sort them.

When we moved this time, I vowed NO MORE! I have been going through every.single.box piece by piece, item by item and either putting it in its place, or putting it in a box for a HUGE yard sale this spring. So far, we've put something like 50 boxes into storage until our yard sale. I also am making a huge leap for my packrat self-anything we don't sell is going to be donated to a charity here locally, not coming back in my house. I grew up quite poor, and through my adult life have faced more times of poverty than I care to think about, so its very hard for me to just let those things go that we spent good money on. BUT, I've been doing alot of soul searching the past few months, and came to realize that God provides no matter what, so I can let things go. I want to bless others with things we no longer need or can use, while making our home more comfortable.

All that rambling to say...I'm going to participate in Amy's Declutter Challenge The goal is to get rid of 730 items in 365 days. I'm a few days late joining the party, but I KNOW I've already decluttered at least 730 items, so I'm going for 730 more! I'll do a post at the end of the month rounding up what I've gone through to get rid of, and post pictures for proof so ya'll know I'm really doing it!

FOE (foldover elastic) Bound Ironing Board Cover

2010-01-06T14:02:00.000-08:00

Here at the new house, my sewing room is...not big. I'm SO blessed to even have a room for all my stuff, that I dare not complain. There is no space to put up my full sized ironing board and leave it (and other areas of the house!) easily accessible, so I'm using the small table top board that I already had. The downfall of that is that the cover it came with was 1) UGLY and 2) WAY too big. I don't know why, but it was like 10" too long for the board and a good 4" too wide.

So, I got crafty! I LOVE foldover elastic for tons of applications. I originally started using it simply for diaper covers as intended, but quickly came to find so many other uses for it! Probably my favorite use for it other than diapers, is crib sheets. I've made tons of crib sheets for Wyatt and Ree out of super cute flannels with FOE around the bottom.
I was totally winging this, and as you can see it's not perfect, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. The major problem area is the curve at the front, I need to work on that part so it looks nicer and fits a little better. Would anyone like to see a tutorial on this? I'd be happy to write one up if ya'll want!

The perils of too much fabric

2010-01-05T13:31:00.000-08:00

You can't see me, there's too much fabric!

What! Too much fabric??? NOT POSSIBLE you say.

To which I say, yes, unfortunately it is. I am a confessed fabric addict-so many patterns, so many ideas, so many gorgeous prints! I want them ALL! And now it feels like over the last couple of years since I started sewing I've been on a mission to do just that-acquire a bit of everything! I would say I'm lucky in the sense that sewing is pretty much the only craft I do-no jewelry, no bows, no wool felting-just sewing.

But even with sewing there are always new awesome gadgets (like this bias tape maker machine-WANT!), and beautiful new fabric lines (like this one from Sandi Henderson-SWOON!) that I just have to have. Let alone all the things you need to actually sew-thread, bobbins, interfacings, etc. That equals alot of STUFF! All of which I love to be surrounded by. The joke around the house when I'm getting stressed is that I need to go to therapy, then I'm sent to my sewing room. It keeps me grounded, and helps me get more centered to spend at least a little time with my machines every day.

But now, the stash is overwhelming. I have so many options that I freeze. I can't decide what the best method to reducing my stash is (other than the obvious to SEW it!), I know I can't just get rid of it, I'm physically unable to throw any usable fabric away, and I want to use it all!
This? This isn't even 1/4 of my stash now-both of those shelves are STUFFED and then some.

So, here's my plan of attack for 2010. I'm going to sew more of course, but I'm on a mission to reduce! In order to buy 1 yard of fabric (unless it's a NEED to finish something), I have to sew through 10. That sounds like alot, until you think about the fact that between October and December of last year I sewed over 100 yards of fabric-and didn't make the slightest dent in my stash. I need to pare down the notions too-no new thread, interfacing, etc. again, unless it's needed to finish a project.

I'll also be doing a month of scrapbusting (because um, ya-2 bins full) and I'm also going to be concentrating on finishing all the UFO's (unfinished objects) I found when we moved. January will be spent getting more organized, there are still boxes and boxes of fabric and such that my new sewing room simply can't fit.

So tell me-do you think there's such a thing as too much fabric? Got a load of UFO's you need to work on?

My goals for 2010

2010-01-01T19:13:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit to Rainbow Brite/Hasbro/etc.

It's been a wonderful start to 2010 so far! Last night we had a wonderful family night, one of those nights that you sit back and say "Wow, this is awesome!". We continued on with it today, but with a determination to get our living space more under control and unpacked. Do you ever feel like the boxes multiply while you sleep? I know I do!

I've been thinking about the goals I have for my life over the past few weeks as we come into a new year. I'm not one to set resolutions, per say, but its nice to feel that sense of renewal that a brand new calendar brings. I'm not trying to reach for the moon, but keeping my goals within reach.

Personal:

Be more present as a wife and mother-I have pretty bad ADD tendencies, and I find myself all too often only listening with half an ear while I do 12 other things. I feel like I'm missing too many wonderful moments.
Make a better home for our family. We've never been homeowners, and when renting I think it's really hard to not only take pride in something that doesn't belong to you, but also to make it your own within the limits placed upon you by your landlord. The house we're in now is wonderful, and my goal is to bloom where I'm planted-keep up the cleaning better (sigh..its neverending isn't it?), decorate at least a little bit, that type of thing.
Continue on our journey towards better eating. Our goal as a family is to have one "eat out" night a week, and we fail on that VERY often. I love to cook, and try new recipes but when I have a long night with the baby and then a long day with the rest of the kiddos, I give up. So this year, I'm going to try to do more freezer cooking and utilize the tools I have available to me to make more homecooked meals.

Business:

Well, resurrecting the blog was #1. I'm forever coming up with post ideas while I'm going about my day, I just need to get lots better about actually writing them!
Pretty things up around here! I'm a self proclaimed "techtard" so I've got a friend working on a new template and everything for me.
Post the tutorials I have in my head. I have some goodies hanging out up there!
Go outside of my comfort zone. I've been doing this for a year and a half now (give or take) and I still am simply astounded that people like my stuff enough to buy it. It's time to step it up-find boutiques to take my things to, approach blogs for reviews, etc. If I ever want to have any modicum of success, I have to bite the bullet and just do it!
Practice my ad/marketing writing. My skills are not very good, and I really need to brush them up!
Keep my Etsy shop stocked-I tend to let it fall by the wayside which is counterproductive.

See, nothing really earth shattering, but easily attainable which I think is the key for anyone to have success with goals. Keep them manageable and eventually you can reach for the stars!

(The photo up top has nothing to do with this post except for the fact when I was browsing Flickr for 2010 images and ran across a bunch of Rainbow Brite images-apparently the dolls are being re-released this spring. I was a HUGE Rainbow Brite fan when I was little, so I'll definitely be scooping some up for Ree!

Your turn-what are your goals for 2010? Are you shooting for the moon this year?

Wrapping up 2009

2009-12-31T08:17:00.000-08:00

I don't think I've ever been so happy to see a year come to a close. This has been a rough year at the Lily Pad (as evidenced by my lack of posting since May!), but things are definitely looking up for 2010!

Quick recap:

March saw my daughter being diagnosed with a genetic skin condition known as icthyosis-something she unfortunately inherited from me and will suffer with for the rest of her life.
April saw my husband being laid off from his job-which led to an 8 month roller coaster ride of resumes, applications, interviews and disappointments.
August saw the ceiling of our house cave in due to a bad landlord-which led to almost 5 months of the 7 of us living with my parents (they are saints I'm convinced).

Doesn't lay out to much, but our lives were in a constant state of change. Things are going better though! Bobby found a job, that he really enjoys, doing what he loves. They don't offer health insurance, so that's a hurdle we need to jump, but we'll get there!

I'm VERY thankful that through the year, we have been blessed to have very healthy children, no major car repairs, nothing that was catastrophic. The year was a challenge, but easily overcome with a bit of determination!

The weekend before Christmas we moved back into a place of our own. Can you say WOW crazy?! Things are still a mess, but its wonderful!

As for Froggy Girl Designs-I've found myself recommitted, reinspired and ready to REALLY tackle putting my business out there. Tomorrow I'll do an official goals post for my business and personal life, but suffice to say-2010 is the year that Mika goes out of her comfort zone!

Are you glad 2009 is over? Looking forward to 2010? Tell me about it!

The economy meets the Lily Pad

2009-05-25T07:42:00.000-07:00

So sorry for the absence, both of you who read here missed me very much I'm sure! Our household (aka The Lily Pad) was recently hit by the economy..Bobby (my husband) was laid off from his job. We've been in planning mode since then..making sure that our ducks are in a line in the case of a lengthy lay-off.

It's a very hard thing to face, you never think it's going to be YOUR job that is eliminated-even temporarily. But it's happening, everywhere, to people from all walks of life. I know my husband is getting very discouraged, we're going on a month since the lay-off and he's put out well over 100 resumes and applications all over the country with so far, 2 interviews. He's a CNC Machinist, so it's a skilled position and it's an industry that's been very hard hit in this economy from what I understand.

BUT! Regardless, God doesn't close a door without opening a window, so we're looking forward anxiously awaiting what He has in store for our lives. I'm using the extra time hubby is around to try and spend more time in my sewing room. I'm starting to work on drafting my own patterns for some of my designs. I have no formal pattern drafting knowledge, and have only been sewing for a couple of years so I've been doing lots of research. Most of my drafting knowledge comes from making changes to existing patterns-sizing them down or up depending on my current need, changing some shaping, etc. I'm very excited though, and hopefully will have some things to show you soon!

The dress at the top is one of my modifications..I took the Miss Madeline from Samantha over at The Handmade Dress (LOVE her patterns!) and sized it down to a 3-6 month for a customer order. I couldn't resist making one for Gennah as well! Now I just need to make some bloomers to go with it!

Craft Show: The Aftermath

2009-04-25T16:44:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm home and MAN am I tired! Sorry I missed the last few days, I didn't have anything to share other than "HOLY COW it's in X days and I must sew sew sew sew!". Not very helpful!

My friend Barb and I went to the school last night to set up (this was a band boosters fundraiser), and from the beginning I was quite impressed. They had student and parent volunteers there to help us not only unload, but over the course of the hour or so that we were there, we were asked no less than 4 times if there was anything they could help us with. We got about 99% set up last night, making notes as to things we needed to remember to do/bring for today.

We got there this morning about an hour before opening. I had managed to get a few more shirts embroidered last night, as well as finished up another outfit to take. I've had lots of requests for pictures of my setup, and any hints and tips I can pass on. The picture at the top of this post is my setup from the front view while standing in the aisle. I am really happy with how it turned out, I completely could NOT have made it look as nice as it did without Barb though..she was awesome with ideas on how to make things look better and "more shoppable". The second picture is facing the clothing setup-I have some outfits simply hung on the closet doors (and the idea was for them to look a bit "shabby"-did I succeed???) and then my husband cut large dowels to create hanging rods for other items. Next time I will definitely create a bit more order to the way things are hung-ordering by size and type of item, today they were all just kind of smushed in wherever.

This third picture is the table that has key fobs, badge reels, rice bags, etc. on it. The table was full without being overcrowded, and we basically kept like items together. After this picture was taken we did move things around a little bit, bringing one of the key fob displays to the front and moving the wallets to the back to create a bit more visual interest.

Now, my immediate hints and tips:

It's very important to create areas of visual interest-using different heights for displays, lots of color (makes shoppers go "ooohh, what's this?!?!"), but still keeping some sort of order to your items.
Having small low dollar items will pull shoppers in to your booth, and in some instances will result in higher dollar sales (example: one lady started looking at the badge reels and fobs up front, and left having placed a custom order for a dress).
Be approachable and friendly without being overbearing. Don't stand right at the front of your booth, it makes it hard for people to see your items, and in some instances you may come off as a "gatekeeper" or intimidating-NOT what you want your customers to feel!
Know your own products, and if you have a helper educate them on your products as well. Barb was with me all day, and while I didn't do a great job of educating her about things like my rice bags and why they are awesome she listened to me talking and picked up on it quickly-MAJOR help!
Lastly, having someone with you is great! I know it's not always possible to have an "assistant" but it really is helpful. Not only could I go to the restroom or go browsing knowing my booth was in capable hands, but when it was busy and I was talking to one person and someone else walked up, she was able to welcome them and help answer questions and talk up my products so I wasn't left feeling like I had to ignore one person over the other, etc.
Make good signs! Mine were NOT spectacular by any means (and I forgot to bring my banner with me..oops), they did the job but didn't really fit well with the feel of my booth. Lesson learned.

That's what I have off the top of my head (and I'm majorly sleep deprived and wiped out so hopefully they make sense!). This show was amazingly well run-not only did they provide the aforementioned help in loading/unloading-but they also had parent volunteers who would come relieve you at your booth if you were alone for a potty break, etc. They delivered lunch to your booth, I even saw one volunteer who was helping a vendor with her baby since the vendor was there alone. There was a great turnout, I'm hoping they send out an email to the vendors with the attendance numbers, but my guess there were somewhere around 700-1,000 people in attendance. My sales were better than I thought, and I made some very good contacts with people that will hopefully pan out into large orders in the coming weeks. I'm VERY pleased with the show, and can't wait to get to my next one!

What are your tips for running a successful craft show booth? Any ideas on how I can improve my setup or comments on anything I've left out? Talk to me!

Can't post..massive sewing

2009-04-24T07:11:00.000-07:00

It's crunch time ya'll. Setup starts at 6:30 this evening, so I'm in a mad dash rush to get as much done as possible today. Displays are done, signs are done (shoot, except one..must get on that), business cards are packed, items are tagged. Still to do-finish carding up badge reels, embroider 8 t-shirts with the awesome music sayings I found, finish up some more ruffle shorts and matching applique tees, and pack up the van! I'm so nervous but so excited! If you need me, I'll be here, buried amongst all that fabric and thread!

Craft Show Countdown Day 3 & 4

2009-04-22T06:22:00.001-07:00

Ok I missed yesterday..because I was panicking. Not a recommended way to prepare for a show, but that's what I was doing. This morning I moved my sewing machine and serger upstairs so I can work even when the kiddos are awake, hopefully that will boost my completed items count. Just a peek at what I'm working on...

I made decent progress today, but do you ever get the feeling that it's never enough? It's been a long, rough day..not so great news from hubby's job, hyped up kiddos, and my serger blade needs replacing NOW. Which of course is Murphy's Law right?

Now, I'm going to go back to panicking! How has your day been?

Craft Show Countdown Day 2

2009-04-20T15:18:00.000-07:00

I think I'm doing my countdown wrong, I'm actually counting UP! Oops! Well either way, it's coming!!! Currently I'm waffling between being in control and flipping my lid that I'll never be prepared!

My best piece of advice for the day is this..BREATHE. I sat down and made a list of every item I would like to finish for the show (realizing all the while that much of it won't get done, it's a very ambitious list)-pattern/item, how many per size, etc. I also started a list of things that I definitely don't want to forget to take. There are the obvious things like change and inventory, but I also want to remember to take things like a tape measure.

I'm working on a custom order form to take as well. So many of my items need to be custom, or are a better fit that way, I decided that being set up to take those orders was probably a good idea. Another thing I'm trying to decide on is credit card acceptance. I think in today's world, NOT taking credit cards would essentially be like shooting myself in the foot, so I'm researching options. I will have my husband's laptop there with me, so I'll be choosing between Propay and Paypal, anyone have any suggestions for me?

And just because who likes a post without pictures? Just a little sneak peek at one of the outfits I'm working on!

Itchin 2 Be Stitchin Bloggy Giveaway!

2009-04-18T16:49:00.000-07:00

Just a quick interruption to my mad dash of craft show preparation tonight. Tracey over at Itchin 2 Be Stitchin is having a little giveaway to help celebrate her countdown to summer break. Head on over and give it a shot!

Craft Show Countdown: Day 1

2009-04-18T05:24:00.001-07:00

My first craft show in over a year is one week from today. I am SO nervous! Does anyone else get that way? I have a massive to do list and not nearly enough time to accomplish it. People frequently ask me how I get done everything I do. Here's a glimpse:

I have 5 children, 2 of which are still babies (22 months and 3 months old), so while they are awake I'm not able to spend really any time in my sewing room. It's in the basement, so it's a bit chilly down there, and my son doesn't like being down there at all so I reserve all sewing for when they are asleep or when my husband is home to keep an eye on them. That gives me about 2 hours during the day. My husband works second shift, so I also work from about 8:30pm (when all the kids are generally asleep) until he gets home at 11:30. Now, I also run a co-op group, so my duties for that (cutting fabric, sorting notions, compiling packages, etc.) also falls into that time, so I'm still trying to find the best balance to get everything done in a timely manner. via Flickr, booth belongs to Joyful Abode

Which brings me to craft show prep. Apart from the obvious need for product, today I'm worrying about setup. This show is indoors, in a school gym, so I don't need to worry about taking my tent or anything like that. I've not really displayed my children's clothing at previous shows, as I was just starting to dabble in that arena, so I'm trying to work out how to display them. I've been browsing craft show setups on Flickr, and I really like how in the above picture, she's used the lattice to create V's with the hanging bar at the bottom. I have some slatted closet doors here that aren't in use, so I think I'm going to build on her idea for displaying my clothing.

My husband made some cute little pegboard displays for my keyfobs before my last show, so I will definitely be using those again. I also have some baskets I'll be using to hold various things. One thing that's really important with craft shows is creating areas of visual interest to grab and hold a customer's eye. On tables, creating different heights is one way to do that. This table is a perfect example. This whole booth is absolutely stunning! Nice and bright, very eye catching, full without seeming overly cluttered. I love it!

via Flickr, booth belongs to Red Marionette
I think I'm starting to get a handle on this part, I have a layout all sketched out. Now, the dubious-to get my cutting table cleaned off by Friday morning as it is my display table as well!

Do you have any great tips for craft show prep? Pictures of your setup? Let me know!

Miss Edith and Miss Madeline have a playdate

2009-04-17T04:05:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know I promised to post the other day, but I got sidetracked, then yesterday a great friend of mine came and borrowed my two littlest boys all day so that I could work. I got SO much prep work done for my upcoming show, but man I was tired!

Anyway, my two most recent finishes are the Miss Madeline dress by The Handmade Dress. Samantha is SO sweet, I couldn't wait to try her patterns out. To make this dress, I used a jelly roll (appx. 40 2 1/2" strips all rolled up together) of Japanese fabrics for the base. I sewed all the strips together to create yardage, then cut the pattern out. I used a matching red solid for the sleeves and waistband. The ribbon at the waist is a Farbenmix Little Red Riding Hood print that was in my stash waiting for the perfect project and I think this was it! I absolutely LOVE how this turned out.

The pattern was relatively simple to sew for someone with some sewing experience, and would be plenty easy for a beginner as well although there may be a bit of trial and error involved in a few portions. Overall though, a great quick sew (unless you're sewing together a massive amount of 2 1/2" strips!) and an adorable turnout. I have the rest of her patterns either already in my stash or on order right now, so I'll tackle those soon!!!

The second one is the Miss Edith Twirl skirt by Jona from Fabritopia. This is an awesome skirt with some serious twirlability. I used the super popular Apples & pears fabric which has been languishing in my stash for over a year (gasp! the horror!), and paired it up with a cute pink tone on tone print and pale yellow polka dot, then I used Amy Butler Happy dots for the binding. This was a GREAT pattern! Very easy to follow, the only real change I made was the ruffle on the underskirt. The length of fabric the pattern calls for to make it ends up with a barely ruffled ruffle, and I like the tightly gathered look so I added an additional strip. This one will definitely be made often as well, there are SO many things you can do with it!

On the t-shirt, I finally conquered using my new embroidery machine on a knit fabric. Most of the problem was operator error, not the machine..but I really like the apples and pear design on the chest. Both of these items are up on Hyena Cart if you're interested!

So what new things have you tried lately? Any great new patterns you've worked with? Old favorites? Clue me in!

Linkie Love in the Blogosphere

2009-04-15T05:47:00.000-07:00

Morning everybody (all three of you)! I'll be posting some finished projects this afternoon-in which I finally conquered a challenge I've been having lately and will talk about that, but I wanted to post some good links I've found from my reader this quiet morning.

Amy Karol, of Angry Chicken fame, has a new book coming out in August called Bend The Rules with Sewing. Many of you will remember her first book, Bend-the-Rules Sewing, which is a great book with lots of neat little tips and projects. Her new book, Bend the Rules with Fabric:, takes it to the next level incorporating projects for sewers and non-sewers alike (I always feel wierd typing sewers, like someone is going to think I'm talking about the place icky toilet water goes!). It's even got screenprinting!!!! It's available for preorder on Amazon now, as well as a few other places, the link above takes you there! I can't wait to see this book!

Craft has a great tutorial for making a quilted potholder. They simply use batting for their layers, I would probably use Insulbright myself to make it more heat resistant and less likely to burn my hands. Speaking of Insulbright, for those of you who aren't familiar with it, it's a batting infused with what looks like those silver NASA blankets-it insulates either hot or cold, so it's great for potholders, tortilla warmers, lunch bags, ironing board covers, coffee cozies and hundreds of other projects! Very usefull stuff!

Also via Craft, I found a new to me blog, Dollar Store Crafts. She posted a tutorial for these super cute Dishtowel Shorts, and she's also hosting a "Make Something Cool Everyday" party in April. This one is definitely going into my feed reader!

What are some of your favorite blogs? Seen anything awesome in the blogosphere lately? I'll be back later today with some finished pretties!

Fabric Stashing..or why I need the Stash game!

2009-04-13T16:04:00.001-07:00

I'm a member of an online cloth diaper sewing forum, called Diaper Sewing Divas, which is an awesome resource for anyone considering cloth diapers or anyone who just wants a really friendly community of "crunchy" mamas. Every few months, they will have what is called a Stash game. The premise is relatively simple...you sew from your stash, and earn points for items sewn but you lose points for buying fabric during the game.
Generally, business sewing doesn't count, only sewing done for you or your children, etc. but that works for me because it really ups my motivation level in all aspects of my sewing room! I tend to work really hard, and quite a bit more focused during the games-I know I'll never win, I don't get enough time to sew to do that, but it's just FUN!

These pictures? These are only 3 of 15 pics I took of my entire cotton wovens stash for a customer. This doesn't include knits, PUL, corduroy, muslin, flannel or my 60" wide cotton wovens. See why I need the stash game?

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T14:59:00.001-07:00

I hope everyone is having a nice, relaxing holiday with their family! I was burning the midnight oil last night to complete the bloomers to go with Gennah's dress. They never did get finished due to a malfunctioning sewing machine at my moms, but she looked super cute anyway! This is a quick (VERY blurry) pic I took of her modeling it the other day:

The pattern I used was a new one on You Can Make This, the Precious Dress by Carla C. I have quite a few of her patterns and I love all of the ones I've made up so far. I think the worst part of this dress was the sleeves, and that was only because they are so very small (this is the 3 month size of the dress). Start to finish I'd say it took about 3 hours, which I didn't think was bad at all for such an adorable little dress!

This was the first year my youngest son (Wyatt), was really able to get into the Easter Egg hunt. He'll be 22 months old this week, and it was SO cute! We were helping him find the eggs, and once all the eggs had been found, he wasn't done! So he spent the next hour taking eggs out of his basket, throwing them in the yard, going to find them..then starting all over again. Definitely one of those priceless kid moments!

My older three are old enough to know the drill...they were tearing around like crazy screaming and yelling every time they found an egg. Even my 9 year old who is starting to hit that "I'm too cool to be excited" stage.

The rest of today will be spent relaxing with my family, watching movies, enjoying the barbecue chicken my husband is currently grilling, and just enjoying each others company. I hope your day is as great as mine!

Welcome to Froggy Girl Designs!

2009-04-10T09:17:00.000-07:00

Hi, I'm Mika, work-at-home mama to my 5 little punks (4 boys and 1 girl!). I create children's clothing, aprons, cloth diapers and wipes, and whatever else strikes my fancy! I'm a long time lover of crafty blogs, and thought I may have something to offer. I hope to bring positive things to this space, including some tutorials, pattern reviews, what's up and coming around the fabric world, and I'm sure I'll talk about my goofy kids too!

I'm still working on getting the blog setup, but if you'd like to check out my stuff, you can always go to www.froggygirldesigns.etsy.com!

Welcome!