Hmmmm....

Just when you think you have it all figured out....

I know I pretty much threw up over all y'all with that last post, but apparently I had some things that needed getting off my chest.  I think at the time I was going through the process of letting go of what I thought Pretty Jane was meant to be--but I had no real idea what Pretty Jane was becoming.  It might've come off as grumpy and bitter and for that, I'm super sorry.

Here's the funny part, though: this past weekend, I took part in the Inman Park Festival, one of the biggest annual street markets here in Atlanta.  I was there under the Pretty Jane name, but had designed my booth to really promote Whipstitch, since the last few months that's where my energy has been going and it was where I saw myself moving professionally.  I took about four dozen Pretty Jane pieces with me--the same styles I've taken before, but a pared down selection.  The Lily reversible jumper, the Abigail pinafore, the Jacob western-style boys' shirt.  Some of those hand-dyed knits I showed you a few weeks ago.  And guess what?

I sold them.  I sold those puppies like crazy.  I think I expected to go and have folks really interested in the fabric and the classes (which they were) and largely ignore the clothing, almost as though my designs were a prop to promote everything else.  But that's not what happened at all.

I've been telling my husband for months that the reason I do all three--design, teach, sell fabric--is because they feed one another and build off one another.  I guess part of me kept thinking I was exaggerating that a bit, and that I'd come to a point where it was no longer true.  I got my feelings all hurt by someone else's bad behavior and was feeling pretty down about my abilities and vision as a designer.  This past weekend really changed that for me, and made me more aware of the true interconnectedness of all the things I do--which was such a joyous, joyous discovery.  I hated the thought that any one of my teeny triumverate would have to give way to allow the others to grow.

Pretty Jane will live on--I'm reconfiguring the website to move my few remaining pieces over to the Pretty Jane Etsy shop (the shop I set up ages ago and never listed in), and hope to see the same level of excitement and acceptance there that I did in my little booth this past weekend.  If you were one of the lovely people who came by and smiled and said nice words and bought a jumper or a shirt, thank you!  You can't know how good your compliments and enthusiasm were for my soul.

Soon: photos of the booth, featuring all the yummy designs from this spring, and images of up-and-coming Etsy deliciousness, debuting over the next few weeks!

Where Have You Been, Pretty Jane?

Away. Busy. Overwhelmed. Changing directions. Moping, occasionally.

I've been going through A Thing.

On the one hand, I've been starting a new venture--have I mentioned Whipstitch yet, my baby, my passion? It's really taking off and becoming so much more than I ever, ever thought it could be. I mostly blog about it separately rather than here, but there are a lot--A LOT--of gray areas, and sometimes I want to bring the overflow of all that excitement to this venue more. I'm sorry I haven't done that.

On the other hand, Pretty Jane has been doing some...well, not really growing. UNgrowing? Is that a real thing? And I didn't want to write about it--still don't really, so forgive me if I'm abstract and oblique when it comes to details today. Perhaps I'll feel more like elaborating as time goes by.

As Whipstitch grows, I've had to do a lot of hard thinking about what Pretty Jane IS. Ironic, no? When I've been building up and building up with posts and previews and giveaways of the spring line. I've said since the beginning of this company that I didn't really believe that Pretty Jane, as a company, was what my life holds for me--but with equal utter certainty, that Pretty Jane would lead in a very direct way TO what my life holds for me. The success and excitement and anticipation and satisfaction that I am currently seeing with Whipstitch leads me to see the truth in that vision, and to be very, very grateful for it. It also necessitates some changes of structure.

I wrote earlier this year that I was scaling back on Pretty Jane, planning to sew every piece myself again, that I'd had enough of playing Sisyphus and trying to push that boulder up the hill. My plan was to reduce my scale and focus more on my family. As soon as I began to do that, Whipstitch moved in as an entity with its own motivation, and has shown me what needs to be done next. That has been nothing short of a revelation for me, and I am so, so grateful.

To cement that, there have been bad experiences. There has been a lot of hurt. Reading a post over on Kelly Rae's blog today really drove that home for me. She alludes to a lot of the behavior that has led me to want to walk away from Pretty Jane altogether, the kind of insecurity and dishonesty that seems to come out with fangs bared when the economy gets bad and suddenly people feel threatened. Hypocrisy shows up then, too. I want very badly for my work, especially the creative part of me that is Pretty Jane, to be about so much more than just the stuff I make. I want it to reflect who I am and what I stand for and what matters most in this world.

It's been hard to feel passionate about Pretty Jane at a time when I feel a little defensive. But here is what I've learned, and where I stand: I love designing, and I know the things I make are good. I know that imitation is constant and relentless in this field--in any field. I also know that often inspiration and imitation are difficult to distinguish, and that it is possible for two individuals to have markedly similar ideas with no contact between them.  It saddens me to see so many people who could so easily work together and learn and benefit from one another work AGAINST each other and struggle needlessly. I feel a little ill when one individual accuses another of stealing an idea or a design or a concept and then turns right around and does the exact same thing.  Consistency is a reflection of one's ideals, and inconsistency is a reflection of a lack of character.  It makes me sad to see so much insecurity, so many people marking out territory in what is, essentially, unimportant--yes, I know that there are designers whose livelihood depends on the income from their design work, but I also know that none of this matters as much as our families and our friends and our spirits and our hearts. I will sacrifice none of those things in order to get ahead, and I will not go to the mat to fight over who invented what and who got there first.  You want it? Take it. I'll just go make something better.

I suppose this sounds as though I disagree with what Kelly said; in fact, I don't. I feel very strongly that each person who designs and innovates should get full credit for what they do and what they create. I also feel that duplication is a part of the free market, and as such, is the price each of us pays for putting our ideas out there. Kelly gives excellent guidelines for a personal set of checks-and-balances to determine if you, in your heart, feel that you have appropriated someone else's ideas prior to selling them for profit; I urge you to read what she has to say.  It allowed me to work through some of the lingering ickiness I've been feeling, so that I can let it go and make a constructive new start.

One of the things I love most about Whipstitch is that it gives me the opportunity to sing the praises of other creators and designers. I've always felt a little hesitant to link to other sewers (and children's designers, especially) on this blog because I know that some of them DON'T want their work to be associated with any other designer--a concept I find deeply foreign and so confusing. I'm thrilled to talk about and talk up and revel in the ideas of others, and I feel so liberated to do that through Whipstitch.

And so, having digested all that, Pretty Jane has begun to tell ME what needs to come next. I'm leaving the boutique in which I've been a member for over two years, and am no longer taking custom orders. As of May 1, Pretty Jane will be Etsy-only, and I feel so, so good about that decision. No more pressure to produce volume--did I ever mention that manufacturing has always been the bane of my existance?? I love design, but manufacturing is HARD! No more pressure to try to outsmart the consumer and predict what they'll want--I just get to make what I like, and if others like it, too, well that's one more reason to greet the day with gratitude.

I hope none of this comes across sounding anything other than jubilant. I'm so thankful for everything Pretty Jane has offered me these last two years, and have learned so much. A lot about who I am and who I want to be. A lot about how to run a business and how to treat people, both of which feed directly into Whipstitch and are allowing me to experience the true happiness I am finding there.  Even the bad stuff has been good, really.  It has forced me to take a long look at my own motives and see if I measure up to the standards I set for others, a practice I think few of us do often enough.

I'm not leaving this blog. Just FYI. But it's becoming more personal in nature, more about me and my family and less about Pretty Jane. Pretty Jane has always been me, anyway, that part of me that wants to run and play. How sad that the last year or so I've felt like she was getting too rambunctious and needed to be told to settle down! Time to let her out again--thanks to all of you who've been so kind, you've been the balance to the mean voices, the insecure competitors who have taken the fun out of the game. I'm taking my toys and heading back to the Big Sandbox, and I hope to meet your smiling faces there for a long time to come!

The sun has already begun to shine, and shine bright, over at Whipstitch.  It's headed back over here, too.  See you soon, with my smile on...

Friday Preview #4: Instant Wardrobe

When did I say this next preview would be posted?? Let's just pretend it was today, shall we? All better then.


Here, then, is the Instant Wardrobe for girls.

The Abigail pinafore, always a popular seller. Plus a pair of shorts, a pair of long pants, and an appliqued tee.

All in coordinating fabrics, to be worn in nearly limitless combinations:
Wear the Abigail alone.

Wear the Abigail with the tee.

Wear the tee with the shorts.

Or the tee with the pants.

Or the Abigail with the pants.

Or the Abigail with the shorts.

Or the Abigail with the tee with the shorts.

Or the Abigail with the tee with the pants.

You get the idea.

In lots of different fabric combinations, as you can see. The pants and shorts in cotton are mostly flat-front with a hip pocket, but some are elastic waist. All the linen pants are elastic waist, with a wide leg for roomy playtime (oh, and ALL the linen is machine washable, just like the cottons, because I can't be bothered with anything else!). I'm partial to the giant dahlias and the apple dot, but I'm pretty wild about the Jay McCarroll deer-and-shrooms up against the Michael Miller pretty plaid in peony pink (say that five times fast).

Personally, I've always gravitated towards separates as a shopper and as a dresser. But this spring, I'm concentrating a little more on coordinates in general and on "sets" of clothing--not outfits necessarily, but a mini-grouping that can be worn lots of ways. Makes me feel as though I'm getting more from less, and that seems to be how ALL of us are feeling right now.

Next up: Tween Time!

Friday Preview #3: Hand Dyed Appliqued Tees

This is actually LAST week's preview, which I postponed as I digested my new minivan ownership. Look tomorrow for another, BONUS preview post, and keep in mind that the preview with the highest total number of comments will be featured in a GIVEAWAY in early March!

I've done appliqued tees in the past, but I always struggled with the colors that were available. Somehow, it had escaped me that I could MAKE the colors I wanted, to go with the rest of the collection. This season, I've embarked on what may prove to be a huge experiment, and have hand dyed all the tees and knits in the collection, and am working my way through embellishing them to fit the "Woodland Picnic" thing I've got going on.

What was once a rack full of all white is now this:

I used two brands of dye and did things in lots of little batches. Then they were washed and dried and some of them washed again, just to be sure. Then they hung here for a while, as I admired the colors. I don't think I was going for an EXACT color with the dye here so much as I was going for a family of colors, none of which were adequately represented in what I saw out there. So, lots of limes and buttery yellows and teals and aqua and lilac. For the boys, some blue spruce and deep olives. Still a little white here and there, too. There are cap sleeved tees for girls, plus smocked A-line tops, babydoll tanks, ruffled snapsuits, and for the boys there are short sleeved tees and snapsuits, plus diaper covers with appliques on the bum! So many yummy shades of loverly colors--I'm really pleased with how well they turned out.

Then, the appliques. In the past, I've always done a straight satin stitch over all the exposed edges, and this time I wanted to try some other things. In some cases, I did a more open zig-zag stitch, leaving less thread (and therefore less color) along the edges. On other cases, I used a straight stitch to allow the edges to unravel and give the shirt a little three dimensionality. So far, I love love LOVE these a LOT more than any of the applique I've done in the past, so that's always a good sign.

I wanted to develop some designs that I could use over and over throughout the season, and I wanted each of those to be tied into the overall theme. So, we have lemons, for the lemonade:

Note the contrast stitching for the pith:

And we have a happy little teapot, because what's a picnic without sweet tea? At least, in the South, anyway.

Open zig-zag here, and I'm really liking the contrast.

Always plan for ants at your picnic, that's for sure:

I think this little guy needs a face. But no nose?

For the boys, I think we all know it's not really a picnic until someone gets out their guitar:

In the back pocket, he can keep his pick:

For the moments when he's overcome with the urge to play.

My husband thinks this touch is a little silly, but I think he means it's kicky and FUN.

More to come, but I don't want to reveal all the funnest bits at once! Would love feedback in the comments--am always looking to refine these and make them the bests they can be. Like, I really think the teapot needs some steam, don't you?

What Might've Been

The fabric for the Rinse aprons finally arrived--AFTER Market was past. Ah, well. I whipped up a couple aprons anyway, since Heather says she still wants a few for upcoming street markets, etc. One is flouncy and gathered and very French Maid:

The other is flat front and has more of a retro feel, with a round pocket made from the pressed flower medallion:

I've been reading today about the "controversy" from a couple years ago surrounding using Amy Butler's fabrics in items to sell--best as I can understand, she at one point disallowed selling creations with her prints on them, as an infringement of her copyright over the print design itself--which makes sense, since she licenses her designs all over the place. There was quite the uproar, though, since so many designers get their inspiration from vintage origins, and who's protecting THOSE folks' intellectual property? More here, if you're interested.

So, I had a brief moment of concern. I know Heather prefers the flat-front apron, so I figured I'd make a child's version of the French Maid shape and put it over at Beehive as part of the Mommy-and-Me apron collection I'm installing in time for Valentine's Day baking. But what if I was infringing on Amy Butler's copyright? It seems she's since rescinded her decision, and now we can all use her prints, thank goodness. But it gave me plenty to wonder about and worry about, and made me even more aware of the burden each of us has to protect what we create. This IS a free market, and my policy generally is that if someone else is doing a style or design that is very similar to one of my original ideas, either I'll move on to something new--why go to the mat over an idea that's achieved such saturation that it's no longer distinctively mine??--or I'll rely on my fabric choices, craftsmanship, detailing, and customer service to put my product over and above the copycats. Having said that, I'm being much more careful with my intellectual property these days, and am finding that while I like the security I get from knowing I'm more protected, it's a double-edged sword: I also think more about property and ownership than I like.

So, with each of these Friday posts I'm putting up, I feel as though I'm marking my territory a little, putting my ideas out there early and making them mine. Silly, maybe. The aprons are the same way: lots of apron designers out there these days. Not as many doing Mommy-and-Me, and fewer still doing the shapes and styles I like. I hope Heather likes hers, and am looking forward to having something new over at the store.

Friday Preview #2: Reversible Skirt

This is the Kirsten skirt, in sizes 12mo to 12 years. I've done it in loads of fabric combinations this season, and one of my favorites is this Sandi Henderson fabric:

Elastic waistband makes it fully reversible, with bright flowers in pinks on one side, and a flush of petals on the other:

I like the "paper bag" effect of the waistband here, too--does anyone else remember this style from the late 80s? on the "Boyfriend Jeans" we had in 9th grade, perhaps?

Hem is fully encased in wide bias tape, visible on both sides:


I love this style for its simplcity, its clean A-line shape, and the fact that it works so well for so many ages. Vary the fabric, and it has a whole different feel!

Remember the GIVEAWAY coming in early March--as I post previews of the spring collection each Friday, the selection with the MOST COMMENTS will be given away to a reader in a random drawing. Thanks for stopping by!

Friday Preview #1: Spring is Coming--with a GIVEAWAY!

I know, the holidays are barely even over yet and here I am, blabbing on about spring.

But I have a secret:  I've been working on spring and summer styles for months now, and I can hardly stand the cloak-and-dagger any longer.  It's really, really difficult, when you find something you love, to NOT talk about it all the time.  I remind myself of E with her first real high school crush.  Wow.

So these next few Fridays, I'll be showing tantalizing sneak peaks of the spring line, bit by bit, all leading up the the grand Trunk Show at Beehive to launch the new season.  There are a LOT of surprises along the way, and I'm busting at the seams to tell you all about them...

Oh, and as I reveal teensy glimpses of each piece, I'll be watching the comments: the garment featured in the post with the MOST comments by February 15 will be GIVEN AWAY!  So keep checking back each Friday between now and then, and be sure to leave a note for the ones you love--I can't wait to send the first of this collection away to someone I know will adore it!

Today:

From the TWEEN COLLECTION, our renewed focus for Spring 2009.  Lots of very cool, very wearable styles for girls' sizes 7, 8, 10, and 12.  This is a version of the Abigail jumper for littler girls, in a very tween-friendly print: mod guitars in lime and aqua on a chocolate background.  Cap sleeves, A-line body gathered at a square neckline, buttons up the back to wear as a top, a tunic, with a shirt beneath.

Yum!

Have you clicked yet?

I won't say "voted," since I still have some PTSD from the last election. And since the Blog Awards are hogging all the "voting."

But please take a sec, if you haven't already, to hop on over and vote in favor of changes to the CPSIA. Use that little icon to the right, the one that says, "Save Handmade Toys in the US." Help us all out.

I'm not freakin' over this the way I was at first, partly because I am fortunate enough to be somewhat diversified, but I AM freakin' as a mommy and an independent spirit who places insanely high value on CHOICE. Let's be certain this issue is one that faces the incoming administration ASAP so we can make the language in this law clear and logical, and use the law to do what it was intended to do--punish the manufacturers who betrayed our trust in the last year with faulty products that endangered our children--and NOT punish those it was never intended to punish--teeny tiny manufacturers like me and piles of others on Etsy and elsewhere who have ALWAYS made safe, handmade, non-toxic, charming, heirloom products for children.

Thanks, y'all.

35 Before 35

A number of other bloggers have composed lists of Things to Do Before One Turns 35. As my 35th will come in September of the dawning year, now's as good a time as any to make MY list and then endeavor to complete it in the next nine months. Lofty ambitions, to be sure.

Again, these aren't resolutions--we all know how I feel about those. These are GOALS for my 35th year of life. Hold me to 'em, folks!

My list:

1.  Organize the master closet--oh, the shame!

2.  Get back into my size 4 pants I bought a month before I got pregnant this last time--the tiniest size I've ever worn, and it only lasted a few weeks!

3.  Make some clothes for MYSELF.

4.  Display Pretty Jane in a solo booth at the Inman Park Festival.

5.  Set up my bookkeeping the way it OUGHT to be lest the I R S come knocking and find shoeboxes of receipts.

6.  Publish an eBook.

7.  Complete 500 sales in my Etsy shop.

8.  Take a great vacation with my husband--again.

9.  Repair the leak under our kitchen sink that has been making me insane for five months.

10.  Send my sister the most amazing gift package she has ever received, to make up for the fact that I am a crappy, crappy gift-giver and she is the greatest.

11.  Teach my 100th student in my sewing classes at Beehive.

12.  Have my little company featured prominently on some really famous blog.

13.  Lose the extra 14 pounds I'm still carrying around since our baby was born.

14.  See our eldest perform in her first school play.

15.  Buy a minivan.  Say what you will, I've embraced the minivan.

16.  Design one really great tween dress.

17.  Cut back on sugar--I think it makes me ornery when I have too much!

18.  Get back to running--I'm so out of practice that thinking about running makes me short of breath.

19.  Give myself permission to relax each night with a novel for a few minutes.  It's my way of sharpening the saw, but it feels so indulgent that it must be wrong, right?

20.  Have a weekly date with our oldest so she won't enter her angst-ridden teen years thinking her mother has forgotten her.

21.  Print out the best of our digital photos and create an album to display in our living room.

22.  Begin some sort of really cool summer tradition for our family--everyone has holiday traditions, but we can do better.  Suggestions graciously accepted.

23.  Incorporate my business, and admit to myself that I am an Entrepeneur--well, Momtrepeneur.

24.  Get business letterhead. And matching envelopes.  Oooh, yum!

25.  Always shop Etsy first when gift-giving opportunities present themselves.

26.  Take my vitamin EVERY DAY, and not just when I remember to.

27.  Have an ENORMOUS yard sale and finally, finally win the war against the Garage That Ate Atlanta.

28.  Drink more water.

29.  Have the ring my parents bought me as a 30th birthday gift reset so that I'll actually wear it.

30.  Call my grandmothers, while I still have them.

31.  Visit my sister before she has her second baby.

32.  Keep the flowers in the terra cotta pots on our front steps alive, so that for one summer, just one, my husband won't "tsk" me all season long.

33.  Publish a series of sewing patterns, available for download.

34.  Convince my husband that another baby is a GOOD idea.  And SOON.

35.  Chill out, for heaven's sake, and realize that my life is so far beyond my expectations that even if I accomplish NONE of these things I am blessed beyond all measure.

OK, only nine months to go!  Keep me honest, everyone.

Let the Holiday Craziness Commence

December? WHAT?? How did THAT happen?

Now that Thanksgiving is officially behind us, there is no denying it: the Holidays are HERE. Our tree went up yesterday. And down today, when gravity toppled our vintage spruce right to the floor. It's in recovery status at the moment; photos when we're out of the ICU**. 

I was out of the house Saturday morning and Sweet Husband, E and M did all the unpacking of decorations and arranging and general holiday-ing up. I got to come home to lights and ribbons and wreaths. It was awesome. I love that the lights are draped in coils on the front porch rather than wrapped around the handrails.
I love that the tchochkes are all mish-mashed on the bookshelves and tables, running into one another like a Christmas boxcar derby.
Mostly, I love that my family did all that for me as a surprise.  See?  I'm not the only one who gets all squishy around here--I was having a tough morning Saturday, too, so this was an awesome way to come home.

And I spent some of my day making for them, too. I had a chunk of this silly Sesame Street print in the stash, and am embarking on more Brother/Sister outfits. Clearly, I am a woman obsessed.
M's got done first, as it took the least thought:

She insisted on wearing it right away.

Next is E's, but we'll need a new tee for her--that last one was an XS, since she is in fact extra small. But their idea of XS is a little, well, trampier than E's idea of XS, so we're getting her an S as she goes into Beta on this whole matching outfits thing. O's will be last, since the Thanksgiving outfit juuuuust fit, and once we sent it through the hot dryer didn't fit at all. He'll need a whole new pattern, so I'm putting that off a bit.

Am also thinking of gifts to give, and who'd like what. My family have largely declared they'll not be exchanging gifts with the adults this year--my sister, my parents, even some of our friends have cut back and are focusing on the kids only this giving season. I, on the other hand, wisely neglected to mail gifts to my sister and mother for the past two Christmases, always thinking, "I really should send those..." And so we have plenty to share this holiday season. See how procrastination can often be in one's favor?? Clever me.

Still, all the little ones would love to have something handmade under the tree this year, so my dance card is filling up with ideas for them. Stay tuned this week as I work my way through sewing projects to give and get.

**I suppose I'll know I've become a true blogger when rather than shriek in horror when I get out of the shower and see our Christmas tree lying sprawled on the living room floor I rush not to rectify the tragedy, but to my camera to document it, instead. Sorry to cheat all of you--us, really, and posterity--out of that image. Will do better next time.

A Week of Gratitude, Day 7: The Future

Taking the WHOLE week off to spend time with my amazing family. Am auto-posting a series titled "A Week of Gratitude" while we're off doing cool stuff like baking, digging out the Christmas decorations, jumping in piles of leaves, making final visits to the playground before the weather gets too cold, visiting with the relatives, taking looooong drives all in one vehicle, singing songs loudly, and anything else we can think of. Be back in a few days! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. This year, let's be glad of all we have...

A Week of Gratitude, Day 7: The Future



Capping off this week of looking at all that I have to be thankful for, I realize that much of it has focused on what I have now or have had in the past, and very little has focused on looking forward to the future. That, in itself, is a gift, since none of us knows what our future will be and so many we never think about have no ability to even comprehend what it is to dream or to plan or to look ahead with hope.

The whole idea that I can sit and write on my blog about my husband and kids and business is so fantastical to me. The faith embodied in those things, the attitude that this is the norm and to be expected... I want to remember to be humbled by it, to be overwhelmed and awed by how much I have. I want to remember that looking ahead is a gift all its own.

My Sweet Husband and I are debating whether we'll add more children to our family. If money grew on trees, there would be no debate, and I suspect both of us would be thrilled to have at least a couple more. But money does not, and so we are hesitant. And as we go back and forth over whether it's wise to have more children, I rarely think about what a luxury it is to even consider that, to have a choice, to have that option.

One more thing to be grateful for: all the intangible gifts we have that allow us to dream and plan and hope for the future, all the things we forget to say "Thank You" over, and simply take for granted because they are such a part of the fabric of our existence. I'll come home and head back into the studio on Monday, and I'll think, "What do I want to make today?" At that moment, I want to remember, and be thankful.

A Week of Gratitude, Day 4: Work I Love

Taking the WHOLE week off to spend time with my amazing family. Am auto-posting a series titled "A Week of Gratitude" while we're off doing cool stuff like baking, digging out the Christmas decorations, jumping in piles of leaves, making final visits to the playground before the weather gets too cold, visiting with the relatives, taking looooong drives all in one vehicle, singing songs loudly, and anything else we can think of. Be back in a few days! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. This year, let's be glad of all we have...

Day 4: Work I Love


I got into this business completely by accident.  My husband and I were driving around one evening before our second baby was born, thinking and talking and worrying a little about what it would be like for me to stay home with the kids.  He pointed out that if ever there was something I wanted to do, some work I wanted to do from home, a business I'd like to start, now was the time--no opportunity cost, lots of "free" time.  I told him the only work I could do for eight hours a day unsupervised and be expected to not tire of and not shirk was sewing.  He thought that sounded fine.

So we jump into it, back-assward, as they say.  No business plan, no business experience, no real idea of what it would be like or look like or how it could possibly work.  We were clearly blessed more than once with opportunities and breaks that we couldn't have gone looking for and that were fundamental in getting us this far.

And the best part is, I wake up every morning and get to take my twelve second commute downstairs to my studio, and do work I truly enjoy while having the freedom to stop for PB&J with my kids or leave early for violin concerts at school or tend to sick children if necessary.  My family is still top priority, and my work is something I look forward to and think about when I don't have to.  It's such a colossal blessing, one I didn't know I was missing until I found it.

Who knew?

For Bitty Babies

A friend of ours asked me to bring in some styles of baby items so she could choose a gift for a friend set to deliver her little girl any day now. Most of them are based on the prototypes for the spring expanded line of baby things, and made up in fall/winter fabrics. I'm super excited to offer lots of new styles for littlest ones come spring, and to announce that we'll be focusing with similar intensity on our Tween collections. Both of those size ranges are ones that Pretty Jane has neglected these last two years, and that are rarely designed for, and have so few choices. I'm excited to grow our offerings, and hope you like what you see!

These teeny overalls are the flagship design, and are based on the ones I made for O for Thanksgiving.  Astute observers will also recognize them as the Dylan overalls from this fall, but now in a teenier size!

Little pockets

Fully reversible, with an elastic back waist

Button closure at the crotch for easy diaper changes

More updates as I complete other designs--if only I'd taken a shot of the bubble for girls that she purchased to give as a shower gift! All in the shop just after the New Year (or by special order in winter fabrics NOW!).

Holy Holidays, Batman!

I struggle with this, but I'm already well into whipping up Holiday-themed goodies for the shop.

See, I'm a die-hard Not Until The Day After Thanksgiving kinda girl. I really, really, really don't like the consumerism/commercialization/earliness of Christmas these days. It makes me tired. It makes so many of us want it OVER ALREADY by the time it finally arrives. And I don't want to feel that way about such a quiet, reflective, peaceful, family-filled time of the year. I wrap each ornament individually when I pack them away each year, convinced that they absorb somehow the love and joy and peace we feel during the holiday, and wanting them to hold onto that until we unwrap them the following year. It's special to me, and I want it to be special for my children, something for them to pass down.

And now here it is, just days past Halloween, and I'm already up to my knees in red and green and holiday lights. As a manufacturer (even at my tiny scale), I don't feel as though I can wait longer to unveil Christmas products. But as a mom, I cringe.

I beg your indulgence, then, as I show what I've been working on these past few days:


Winter and Christmas MegaBibs--they're super-sized for all those giant meals. Button closure at the back, and fully reversible!

Matching burpies, also reversible, and just the right size for dozing off. Two designs in each package.

Holiday gift sets, with one bib and a matching burpie.

Speaking of gifts, aprons and mommy-and-me apron sets, perfect for ALLLL that holiday baking.


Even my ironing board has gotten in on the action!

Forgive me, Internets. It is the market pressure what made me do it. Hope you like it enough to cut me some slack.

Have a great weekend!

Sandra's Surprises

I've written before about Sandra, from whom I purchased my sewing machine adn serger off eBay a few years ago. I mentioned I'd post about some of the other treasures I located in the boxes and boxes and boxes of things her son included in the sale, and I've let that slide for too long.

So without further ado, just a few of the tools bequeathed to me by Ms. Sandra that I use every day. Maybe, if I plan well, I can post some of the sillier treasures, too, but these were the ones that made me tear up a little when I recognized just how wonderful Sandra must've been.

ironing ham


I've seen hams before, but had never purchased or used them. Knowing that Sandra had one made me think, "This lady was Old School for sure," and it made me wonder if learning how to use 50s era tools like sleeve boards and pants rolls was worth the trouble. Lemme tell ya, it IS, especially if you work with smaller crafts regularly, or if you've ever found yourself hunched over a too-big ironing board struggling to get the cap of a puffed sleeve pressed just right. These bad boys are awesome in teeny situations or on curved shapes, and I keep mine on the end of my ironing board all the time now.

rotary cutters


I knew that rotary cutter were out there, but I assumed they were just for quilters, which I translated as "old ladies with bad taste." I have been so insulated, and as my eyes were opened to all the cool stuff that can be done with quilting techniques, and the work that some of the newer, more modern quilters are doing, I looked into it more. Once I did that, I began to see the real appeal of using a rotary cutter: many, many layers at the same time with no fatigue, compared to cutting with shears which makes your hand want to fall off. I love love love my rotary cutters now, to the degree that I've covered my entire cutting table with mats so I can use it anywhere.

expanding measure


As if I actually knew what THIS was when I dug it out of one of the dozens, literally, of crowded boxes I received when I purchased my Sandra Machines on eBay.  I thought it looked kinda cool, so I figured I'd use it for marking buttonholes and making my pleats even, since that's all I could think to do with it.

About two months ago, one of the children discovered the instructions for this little gadget in the leaves of a book of Sandra's.  Turns out I was using it right, but overlooking some of the other recommended uses: portion slicing and spacing seedlings, to name a few.

bobbin holders

Did anyone else even know these amazing little inventions existed??  I've been buried under stray bobbin threads in my sewing box for years and had no idea anyone had come up with a solution.  They pop right over the thread end to hold it all in place, so it won't unravel and waste a whole bobbin.  Sandra, you genius!

bobbin boxes

And to prove that Sandra was, in fact, either a sewing savant or an EVIL genius, this is how I found the bobbins (the ones that corresponded with the 400 spools of thread I received) organized: in teensy acrylic boxes designed for that purpose and sorted by color family.  I sincerely pray that Sandra used her powers for Good while on this planet, because this level of organization and foresight could take down a lesser nation than ours.

I'll show more if I can get my act together enough to get photos of them--Sandra was FULL of surprises.