Spring

5.26.2009



I hope everyone had a safe and fun holiday weekend! I spent a good portion of mine shopping local nurseries for new perennial flowers, and then the remainder directing my husband where to dig all the holes for planting (I can be very good at delegating tasks, especially when it involves pickaxes and heavy shovels!). The landscaping around our house when we moved into it consisted primarily of hosta (mostly in sunny, dry spots...why??) and some non-descript shrubs that appear to be healthy breeding grounds for mosquitoes, which won't do at all. I adore birds and butterflies, so we put in some salvia, black-eyed susans, dianthus and lavender. I had no idea that dianthus smells so incredibly good, I could spend all day sitting in the garden smelling the plants. Next on my list is echinacea and shasta daisies.

The other day I was sitting in my favorite spot in the kitchen looking out the window and it was like a scene from a Disney movie, with all sorts of furry and befeathered critters frolicking outside: chipping sparrows and goldfinches at the birdfeeder, a chipmunk chirping on the rocks, and a couple of rabbits hopping through the grass. One of these days I'll have my camera outfitted with a zoom lens with me to capture it. In the meantime you can enjoy the flowers which stay nice and still when I crouch next to them to take pictures.





It was so energizing to spend time in the garden, I'm feeling very inspired for Spring. Hopefully that will translate into some fun new creations in the sewing room. That is, if my kids will take a break from being such night owls! Ever since the days started getting longer, my littlest guy can't seem to figure out when it is that he's supposed to sleep.

I've also noticed the clotheslines starting to come out, which means it's officially clothespin apron weather!

What's your favorite sign of Spring?

Out of Town

5.15.2009

For anyone who is planning to purchase a sewing pattern this weekend, please know that I will be out of town and will send all patterns purchased Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (May 15-16-17) on Monday, May 18. Thank you for being patient and have a great weekend!

Kim

Shop update

5.07.2009

Thanks for such a warm response to my new pattern! It's always a little scary to embark on something new but you all are making it completely painless.

However, it sounds as though some of you are having trouble checking out with the pattern in my shop. I'm thinking that there has been an occasional issue with the pattern disappearing out of a cart because it sold or I've taken it offline momentarily to update a listing. If this happens to you please go back to the main page of my shop and try again--I'm now making sure that there are always at least one or two listings with several copies of the pattern available at any given time.

You may also purchase the pattern right here from my blog by clicking the "Buy Now" button in the sidebar on the right side of the screen. Let me know if you have any issues with it, though I believe it should work okay.

Have a lovely rest of the day!
Kim

A New Leaf

5.06.2009

I love spring, but who doesn't? I'm appreciating it even more this year since moving away from Georgia, where the just about the only thing that differentiates the seasons is what kind of songbirds you see in your backyard. Don't get me wrong, I do love those songbirds, but this year after being buried in the snow for a solid 5 months (holy cow!), I am good and ready for flowers and leaving my mittens indoors.



It's also a season of new beginnings, and this year that is especially true of my business. You may have noticed a hint or two that I've been working on something new, well I finally get to share it with you and I'm beyond excited! Ever since I started offering pear pincushions in my shop, I've been receiving requests for the pattern. And then I began making ornaments and pillows and I heard from even more of you. So, without further ado...Say hello to the first of my Retro Mama Sewing Patterns, Plush Pear Trio: Pincushion, Ornament, and Pillow!



If you have seen my tutorial, you will already be familiar with my instructional style. However, this pattern is even better. Not only is the layout prettier, but you’ll find a glossary of terms and techniques found in the pattern and also hints for construction that will help you be successful. The pattern is in PDF format, which lets you save paper by only printing the pattern pieces if you wish, and bonus! The pattern pieces are to scale so there's no need to enlarge, just print and sew. Orders will be e-mailed to you within a couple of hours of purchase so you can start sewing today!



You can purchase this pattern at my Etsy shop. Look for more patterns in the future, and I'm certainly taking suggestions if you have a favorite project of mine that you'd like to see as a pattern.



Now, I know some of you will have questions about the pattern, and I love that you contact me so I can help you out, but this time I'd like to ask that you post your questions in my flickr group, Retro Mama Pattern Projects, so everyone can benefit from any advice I give. Also, I would love to see your creations so please post those project photos in the group as well!

So let's get sewing!

Kim