ROAR!

I am lucky to have a group of very lovely and very loyal, local customers. I've done everything from birthday party t-shirts, to holiday skirts for these super sweet ladies. And even though I don't know their children, I feel like I am watching them grow up through their clothes, toys, and bedroom accessories.

I "met" Davis through his birthday party t-shirt quite a while ago. You may remember that one with the giant 2 on the front. I even had to privilege of helping him announce his new "Big Brother" status when his mom found out she was expecting. And now that his little brother is about to arrive, Davis is getting a big boy bedroom. His super-creative mom has designed quite a room complete with dinosaur wall decals and a hand-painted growth chart. And I got to add these adorable pillows to the mix.

The dinosaur pillow has a corduroy applique design on the front. The Charlie Brown pillow was made with this tutorial. It is really simple, but really tedious! All the measuring, clipping, and pressing of those tiny points just about drove me bonkers. But it is so cute now that it's finished, that I think it was totally worth it!

I hope Davis likes them...and his new brother:)

FINALIST - Holy Macaroni!

My Pip is a FINALIST in the Blogger's Pillow Party for January! SHOCKED, AMAZED, STUNNED, SUPER-EXCITED! Can you tell I am pleasantly surprised??? I never thought that, with all the talented seamstresses and amazing pillows, that my little Pip might stand a chance. WOOT WOOT!

Ok - enough of the all-caps...A huge thank you to Rachel for giving us all the chance to play along! And another huge thank you to Anna from Noodlehead for stopping in to judge all the gorgeous pillows. And one last huge thank you to all the other folks who entered pillows and shared some terrific inspirations with the sewing world! If you haven't already, be sure to go check them out...you will drool!

Now I'm off to do my happy dance!

Blogger's Pillow Party - Take 1

Remember this cutie??? On a whim I entered it in the Blogger's Pillow Party for January. Ridiculous really, because have you seen all the amazing pillows that have been entered? They are truly stunning!This pillow was all about showing off the Pip. With the release of the line still so far away and such a limited quantity of adorable little squares, I really wanted to make the most of each one. Showcase them, I guess you could say. This pillow is supposed to be the first in a collection of several, but you know how it goes...an order here, a birthday there, and before you know it weeks have flown by. Maybe now that I am revisiting this sweetie it will spur a little more Pip creation:)

I love these prints because they remind me so much of my little Belle. That child could swing forever, maybe even sleep on a swing if someone would stand out there and keep pushing (we're working on learning to swing by herself, but it is slow-going). And since Santa brought a scooter for Christmas, that has become her second favorite outside pastime. But I suppose that's why everyone has fallen in love with this fabric. If it doesn't remind you of a child you love, it probably reminds you of yourself as a child. It's a real tug-at-the-heart-strings collection. Well, it sure got me. It makes me a tiny bit misty to think about how fast these days will disappear.

So, head on over and check out all the other entries...tons of inspirations. And say hello to Anna from Noodlehead, who will judging this month. Leave her a little note...maybe it will inspire her to pick my Pip:)

Pips on a Roll...

The Pips and I have been on a roll! But, I do have a confession to make...I hoard fabric. When I get my hands on fabulous fabric, no project ever seems worthy of cutting into it. It sits there for weeks, months, even years...untouched. One of my goals for 2011 is to stop this ridiculous practice. Repeat after me, "Fabric is intended for use. Fabric is intended for use. Fabric is..."


So when the first set of Pips arrived, I immediately made these skirts. The fact that I started with charm packs definitely helped me begin to conquer my hoarding ways. There was no pristine yardage that had to be butchered. Just neat, little squares that were already cut for me.



But I'm no fool. I knew when that second charm pack arrived that it would be filed away for future use. I mean, this fabric hasn't even been released! How could I possibly use all of it???

Luckily, I've written down my sewing goals for 2011. A short list, in a prominent location, that must be faced every day. At the top of that list....STOP HOARDING!

So reluctantly, I planned out a few projects and got right to work.

I must admit, I'm really glad I didn't hoard these...and I even have a few left over for that "perfect" project down the road. But just a few, and I'm already making plans for them...I PROMISE!

And just to prove that I really am trying to rehabilitate myself, I'm not even going to hoard the finished products. Both of these will be for sale in my shop when it reopens on 1.4.11. Use the coupon code PIPS10 for 10% of any order.

2011 Sewing Goals:

1. STOP HOARDING!

Handmade Holiday Update

Before we go any further...have you entered my GIVEAWAY yet??? Yes? Good! Now on to the post...

Princess pillows??? That's what she wants! I have no idea where this idea came from. I've probed and prodded and tried to get more details, but to no avail. Belle is insistent that Santa bring her princess pillows. When questioned, she explains that she wants to put them around her knee when it hurts. Hmmm.... She plans to use them in the family room. Hmmm.... They must include her favorite princesses. Hmmm... Santa was perplexed, so he passed the task to Mommy and went with something much less nebulous.




I just hope that Mommy can rise to the challenge!

Ariel didn't photograph very well, but she was the most time-consuming, so I started there. Still to come...Cinderella, Rapunzel, and a castle pillow.

The sad news...Belle will be moving to a grown-up bed shortly after the holidays. The real deal. I'm not handling this "growing up" thing exceptionally well, and if I let her move to a grown-up bed, then I might as well start shopping for a wedding dress. I seriously need a pause button for life.

The good news...these pillows will be the perfect start to her new grown-up bedding set. AND, you all will get to see all the parts as they are created. Quilt, wall art, accessories, the whole shebang! That is assuming that her knee is willing to share the pillows with her bed:)