Very Hungry Caterpillar Twirl Dress

I just finished this little girl's dress made from the Sandi Henderson Analise pattern. I was inspired by The Very Hungry Caterpillar fabric by Eric Carle to make a "dots" twirl dress as my intrepretation of the fabric. I found different size, shape, and colors of fabrics with dots to create texture to the dress. Then I made the bodice and final layer at the bottom of the dress from the fabric that has the caterpillar eating through the picnic fruit. It was fun to design!

The dress itself took quite a bit of fabric. The bottom ruffle along took a full yard of fabric cut into strips. I should have measured the ruffle before I sewed it onto the dress, I know it was over 10 feet long. This dress will sure twirl high!



The pattern itself was fairly easy to follow, but I got confused with the A and B parts of some pieces because I didn't realize I needed to label them. It was late at night and I also could have overlooked that step. But, because I didn't label my pieces, I did end up with the same colors touching in one spot on the dress. Luckily the dress is so full that I don't think it is noticable at all!



The back of the dress is really cute! It has elastic in the back and also closes by tying the long straps in a large bow. I love the back of this dress pattern. And, I love the topstitching of the elastic in the back. I hadn't though to do that before. I think I'm going to make a lot more elastic casings look like that.







Overall, I think this pattern, although a lot of work, time, and fabric, was fairly straightworward. I would rate it at an intermediate level. And, it gave me a good reason to use my serger to create a rolled hem - something I have been meaning to try for awhile, but it never happened! Thanks for the pattern Sandi!

Joyful Baby Store Summer Schedule

 
 
 
 

Summer is a busy time around my house. We live on a small farm and the farm chores seem to grow. Add in the weeding and taking care of a large garden, canning and freezing fruits and vegetables and summer BBQ's and camps then summer time seems insanely busy! Because of this, I won't be adding as many new already made items to my main store as I usually do. I am still available to work on custom sewing requests though. Just email me with your request and I will write back to you with a price and estimated completion time. Is the price and timeframe works for you, I charge a $5 deposit to which will be applied to the price. I will bill you for the remaining balance upon completion.

I will still be adding new items to Avant-Garde and Serenity Tree as usual. I really appreciate your understanding and business! You can keep up on the happenings on our farm and my business by following me on Twitter too! Thanks! April Ross

Amy Butler Birdie Sling - Finished!

 

 

 

I realized yesterday that I didn't have a graduation present for my husband's niece. The graduation party is today. Oops! I have wanted to make the Amy Butler Birdie Sling for awhile, I've had the pattern for almost a year. So, I decided to make her a Birdie Sling for her graduation gift. She loves red and I had some red wallflower fabric from the Amy Butler Lotus line, so yesterday I went to The Top Stitch, a local fabric store, and bought some coordinating fabric. I ended up cutting the blue fabric upside down, but you probably couldn't tell unless I told you. The bag does have some minor flaws as do most things when you make them the first time. But, I'm happy with how it turned out! And best of all, I got it done in time for the graduation party! It did take me about 6 hours to complete. And, I did have to rip out one seam that I did wrong (after I ripped it out I decided it was time to go to bed). One common complaint I have heard about Amy Butler patterns is that they use a lot of fabric. But, I was able to reposition some of the pattern pieces to better use the fabric. At first I wasn't going to include the pockets to save time. But, as I thought about it more, I decided that it is such a large bag that it really does need the pockets if you want to ever find your car keys. I didn't make the pockets according to the pattern, but improvised an easier and quicker design. Overall, I'm really happy with how it turned out! I hope she likes it!

One Size All-in-Two Cloth Diapers w/ Bamboo Velour and Zorb

 

 

I just finished this order or diapers for a local mom. She is planning to use them with her newborn baby girl due in three weeks. She picked out the outer fabrics that she liked from my fabric gallery. Then, I made them up using her fabric choices and using bamboo velour, bamboo fleece, and zorb for the inserts. When my 97/3 wool comes in, I plan to also make her some doublers to place underneath the snap-in insert as a new baby present.

I really like working with the zorb so far. It is thick and more rigid than any other fabrics, but it seems to work well. And, I much prefer cutting and sewing zorb compared to microfiber. I don't think my fold down style soaker will work with the zorb, but the standard style works fine. The zorb is just so rigid that I don't see it folding down very well.

My 97/3 wool should hopefully be to me within a week or two. I love this wool because I can super-felt it and then it becomes washable. I plan to use it as the backing to diaper doublers because wool will absorb so much liquid. And, since it if completely machine washable, you can wash the doublers with your diapers on hot and not experience any shrinkage or warping! I'm very excited for it to get to my door.

If you are interested in having me make a diaper order for you, check out my custom order policies for the details!

Introducing Happy Heiny's Cloth Diapers and Trainers

 
 
 

After much research, I moved into retailing cloth diapers other than the ones that I sew myself. After much debate, I decided to make this decision for a couple of reasons. First, I wanted to provide a fuller range of products than what I am able to sew and perfect. Many people prefer pocket diapers and I get requests to sew them. I will not sew and sell a pocket cloth diaper unless I am able to afford an attorney to help me be sure my design is not included in the patent covering pocket cloth diapers. I know lots of people make pocket diapers and sell them without any problems, but this was the only decision I am comfortable with personally. Secondly, I've realized that I need a source of income that is not tied to how many hours I can sew each week. By retailing Happy Heiny's diapers, I am able to diversify my WAHM income stream.

In no way am I going to slow down or quit selling my "home sewn" One Size All-in-Two cloth diapers. I love my product and it is unique to the marketplace! I have not yet found a mass produced one size bamboo velour all-in-two cloth diaper.

In searching for a company whose products align well with my products, I chose Happy Heiny's for a couple of reasons. First, they are manufactured in the USA. I want to support American jobs. Secondly, Happy Heiny's began as a small WAHM shop, just like mine! Thirdly, I like their warranty and customer service. After I was approved as a retailer for Happy Heiny's, I realized that the business headquarters is within 5 miles of where I graduated from High School.

I don't plan to carry a large selection of every product that Happy Heiny's sells. I will focus on one size diapers with snap closures and training pants. The diapers I sew are primarily one size with snap closures. And, I do plan to add cotton and bamboo inserts to my store to use in the pocket diapers and trainers if someone wants an alternative to microfiber inserts.

So, I have added the products to my store, so go check it out!