winsome goodies

First, I want to thank you for the lovely response to my sewing table (I'm so glad I'm not the only "giant" out there!) and matryoshka dolls. My new table is working out great, and is currently com-plete-ly covered with the remnants of pattern drafting and sample stitching (i.e. the state I prefer it to be!).

Which brings me to "win some" portion of this post. In just a few days, my matryoshka pattern will be available for purchase (yay!). So, in celebration of my 14th PDF sewing pattern release, I will be giving away 3 copies of my Mod for Matryoshka sewing pattern!

All you need to do is leave a comment below (1 per person, please!) letting me know your favorite pattern from my shop, OR what pattern you would like me to tackle next! Three lucky winners will be announced on Tuesday (Jan. 29), and will receive the pattern before it is available in my shop (Wednesday). Please make sure that your name links to an e-mail address or leave it in the comments so I can contact you if you win.

UPDATE: This post is closed to entries, I will announce the winners later in the day!  Thank you to everyone who entered!

Good luck, and Happy Stitching!

Hans and Greta....by you!

Popping by (in between cutting stacks and stacks of felt) to share some Hans and Greta photos that you, my lovely customers, have posted or sent to me.  I am constantly awed by your creativity and inventiveness, and I am so grateful to be part of the dolls that are being made for your own little ones and for your business endeavors!  Thank you so much for choosing my patterns for your sewing projects; please keep sharing your project photos!

These sweet Greta dolls by Laura are each sporting an adorable appliqued apron. They look like the best of friends, don’t they?

This cute mismatched (mismatched being the best kind of matched) Hans was made by Kim, who happens to have a sweet party supply shop. Those little denim shorts slay me, and the stripey socks + yellow sneakers combination = fab.

 

This amazing collection of Greta dolls is by Lamb and Wolfie, and I think they have all been sold, but perhaps you could ask her pretty please to make one for you? I adore all the hair styles and accessories!  How cute is Greta with pink hair??

Could this Harry Potter trio by Kelsie BE any cuter--I want to give Harry, Hermione, and Ron some chocolate frogs and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans!  Check out the real buckles and laces on the shoes, and those sweaters are amazing!

These colorful Hans and Greta dolls by Kara are so groovy!  The simplified design makes them appropriate for your very littlest ones, and I really dig the wild hair colors!

Thanks again to those of you who shared your photos with me.  I do believe that bunny season is coming up--I would love to see your Easter eggs, and your Betsy and Basil bunnies!

Happy Stitching,

resolution: sewing room

As the new year rolled in, I was inspired to take charge of my sewing room. I have been multi-tasking my resolutions to get more fit and organized by rearranging my room as well as adding some new furniture to make life a bit easier.
First order of business? A new cutting table.

It's about time. Sometimes I get the impression that the entire population of folks on the internet is around 5 feet tall and I am some kind of aberrant giant at 5' 9-1/2". Anyway. I was breaking my back cutting fabric and felt on my old table (which had formerly been our dining table, until it was scratched in one of our moves), which is nearly 7" shorter than the new one.

I haven't cut anything on it yet but I can already tell the height will make a world of difference. (P.S. Those sadly empty shelves will be brimming with felt by early next week!)
Please pardon the grainy camera phone photos, perhaps my regular camera was misplaced in the excitement of furniture moving?
I noticed this when I flipped over the old table after it was disassembled. Apparently we move around a lot (she says, tongue in cheek)? The first time we relocated with a moving company I was religious about taking off all the moving stickers, but apparently I gave up soon thereafter.

Next order of business? A new shelf, which I adore. Camera: found!

Mmm. Colors.
This shelf is so cleverly designed and so gorgeous that I pretty much want to buy all my furniture now from Land Of Nod. I am sure to spend hours playing with it, there are just too many possibilities. I feel like a little girl rearranging her dollhouse; in fact the arrangement is already different from the photo. Yes, the migrating dolls on the lower part shelf are a pattern in progress, I plan to have that available for you soon(ish)!
I will show you more of my room as other bits fall into place. Anyone else have sewing room resolutions this year?
Happy Stitching!

2012 (and a sale!)

1. Hans and Greta, 2. Happy Valentine's Day!, 3. patchwork potholder, 4. paper pieced house, 5. mini pear pincushion, 6. Doxie, 7. fabric house ornament no. 2, 8. cover girl, 9. elephant softies, 10. Ruthie Bear, 11. mini apple pincushion, 12. 12 houses, 13. Hans  

Looking back on my (sadly, few) photos from 2012 it seems that it was the year of the house for me. And Hans. And doxies. And felt. Lots and lots of felt (you should see how much I have now!). I had some amazing opportunities come my way this past year (and at least one that I will share with you shortly), that kept me quiet and hunkered down hard at work. But, I hope to spend more time with you in the coming year, because chatting with crafty friends here is one of my favorite things.

For one of my biggest accomplishments last year I have you to thank, as more felt came into and left my little room than I ever could have expected. I love helping to find just the right colors for your projects and I’m so excited that in the coming year I will be able to offer even more felt, both in new colors, and, for the first time, yardage!

So, as a thank you, I am having a New Year’s sale on everything in my Etsy shop. Use the code NEWYEAR20 for 20% off your order through January 3. I am quite low on pear, cherry, and espresso felt, but I expect to be restocked in 2-3 weeks. Please go ahead and order the colors that you would like, and if any of your colors end up being backordered, I will give you your options after checkout. Sorry, I will not have new 6x6 sets until my new shipment of felt arrives!

Thanks again for a wonderful year, and Happy 2013!

Stay warm (or cool, as the case may be),
 

twelve cottages of Christmas

A new holiday season, a new batch of fabric house ornaments! I've just added 12 little cottages to my shop, and this is the only batch that I will make this year, so once they are gone, they're gone! All of the houses have been sold. Thank you!  (if you are feeling crafty, see my house ornament tutorial for making your own)

house no. 2

house no. 3

house no. 100

Happy shopping and/or stitching!

random goodies and a preview

I made a few goodies for Blend Fabrics at Quilt Market...unfortunately the only day I had to take photos was crummy, but I wanted to show you my Ruthie Bear anyway because I loved how she turned out. The fabrics are from Anna Griffin's new Juliet line and the photos do not do justice to the gorgeousness of these creamy neutral prints.

and the random: working on my elephant mobile for Make It Yourself magazine

FYI: felt stacks are back in the shop!

And coming soon to the shop: a batch of fabric house ornaments

Reminder and Make It Yourself info

A reminder that I'm running a sale this week through Oct. 14! Use the code FALL20 at my Etsy shop for 20% everything, and patterns on my blog are pre-discounted.

Second, several international folks have asked me where they could purchase Make It Yourself, so I wanted to let you know that it is available in digital format through Zinio(link on my sidebar!). For those in the US, I have also found the magazine at Barnes and Noble and JoAnn stores, and I believe it has also been seen at Walmart.  If you've found it elsewhere, I'd love it if you would let me know in the comments!

Fall Sale at Retro Mama

It's that time of year again...time to get started on those holiday projects! If only there was some convenient way to stock up on sewing patterns and felt.....

OK! Here you go:

 

Use the code FALL20 to save 20% off all PDF sewing patterns, felt, and sewing kits in my Etsy shop through Sunday, October 14. Patterns on my blog are pre-discounted, no code necessary. (If you want to purchase more than one pattern, though, I recommend using my Etsy shop!)

Happy shopping and stitching!

Make It Yourself Magazine

Please forgive me if I seem a bit...err...flighty today. I just got a copy of the brand spankin' new Make It Yourself magazine, and lookie at the cover!

I have two projects in the debut issue of the magazine. First, I altered my house ornament pattern so it could be made with charm squares (yay!). the other project I designed specifically for Make It Yourself. It's a sweet circus-y elephant nursery mobile, mostly made with felt. It has bunting, stars, and balancing balls, and it's paired with a wonderful quilt by Theresa Porter of meanderingthread.

There are soooo many gorgeous projects in this magazine, I think you should run out and buy one right away. It will be available on newstands until December 31 and I believe I may have left one or two copies out there... (I found mine at Barnes and Noble, but my local JoAnn did not have it, FYI)

Happy Stitching!

Hans

It's taken awhile...but I'm finally ready to introduce you to Hans!

He's a sweet little guy who likes shooting marbles, climbing trees, and the occasional jaunt into the woods with his sister, Greta. Don't worry, he always remembers to keep breadcrumbs in his pockets!

He's got corduroy shorts, suspenders, and a cute cowlick too. I recommend my Hans doll PDF sewing pattern for experienced beginner stitchers and beyond (I don't recommend him as your very first sewing project, but if you've already stitched up a couple simple patterns I think you'll have no problem with Hans! And as always, you are welcome to ask questions if you need help as you're stitching along).

All the felt colors used for Hans can be found in my shop (chestnut for his hair, cherry and marshmallow for the sneakers, and curry for buttons). It's quite possible that Hans is my favorite pattern so far, but then again, I always think that about my latest pattern!

(Greta pattern can be found here)

Happy Stitching,