6/12/13

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>>>I'VE MOVED!<<<

Please come over to april-rhodes.com and take a look!

obviously, it's a brand new place, so forgive me if it feels a bit sparse... I'll be filling it up over time :)

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Processing

It has been a MAJOR month full of goodness and inspiration. My mind is already so full from May that it's trying to live in June. However, I'm doing my best, to keep my thoughts in the present and to process all the wonderful moments and exciting developments that have recently transpired.

First, there was camp... ♥ 

and then there was Portland .....and of course Quilt Market!!!

I still hope to elaborate more on of these, after I've sorted through all the thoughts and photos.

As far as sewing's concerned, I've worked on just a few things in between all the travel.  

For Market I made an extra special, rainbow, maxi, Staple Dress.

I pieced together a foxy tote bag.

And durning the flights and car rides, I've stitched a bit more on this...

my ongoing, black and white, cross stitch, wip. I'm now calling "Road Work", because I really, only work on it while in transit.

Plus I've been working on 2 new patterns... {perhaps you've seen little peaks of them on my IG...}

phew.. It's felt like a lot. It kind-of-is. For me anyhow.

Now for the to do list that has my mind wandering into June...

• Write a newsletter for The Shoppe
• Sew cover "garments" for new patterns
• New patterns - cover shoot (i.e. party with my lady friends and watch Suzanne work her magic!!)
• Build new website
• The Staple Dress pattern - IN PRINT
• New patterns - testing and finalizing
• Remodel studio!! 

(not on this list is the small matter of selling our old house!!! and, of course, mothering two small children, and washing the dishes, and folding the laundry and cleaning the cat box and planting flowers and making dinner and driving to play camps and and and...) 

Maybe, if it's like you to do so, and you wouldn't mind too much, you could send me some calming/grounding thoughts or perhaps a little prayer. 

I hope I'm not in over my head this time!

Katy.....

Camp was amazing!!! Overwhelmingly good.

I am still processing it in many ways..

I hope to be able to share more on the details of camp later... but today I am overcome by another campers words..
Katy Jones could never know how meaningful her words are to me this morning.. I am crying again.. She could have never know when typing her post that I had thought, and felt, the very same things as her.. about her. Feeling intimidated, but longing to know her.  Soooooo scared, as I walked in and SHE was right there.. sewing my little dress. I worried it wouldn't be good enough for her!

I had run into Katy a few, very brief, times at Quilt Market. I didn't want to seem stockerish this weekend by sharing my memories of these mini encounters... but they left strong impressions on me.  Katy has a magnetism. I wanted so badly to know her! I knew, after just passing her in the bathroom of a Kansas City hotel ballroom, that she was funny, talented and clever. I admired her bold style and tattoos.. her witness. She was with a small group of other bloggers/designers/makers. I was alone and shy.
I wanted to be friends.
Now Im crying again... maybe this is TMI. but whatever.. this is me. I wear my emotions on my sleeve. I except that about myself.
Now, reading Katy's post about ME, I feel absolutely ________. I don't know the right word. The fact that someone else, someone I was intimidated by, felt the very same feelings about me has kind of shattered my world in the best possible way!

Katy ♥

I love you Katy! I really do. You are beautiful and funny and dear. You made me feel "a part of". Now... being a hugely dorky, Anne of Green Gables fan.. all I can think to say, is that I feel we are "bosom friends."
I couldn't be more grateful to know you!
Thank you for your kindness.

HUGE HUG!!

Here we are with Melody Miller! Another idol in my eyes... We are all ll in our Staple Dresses :)

I will have to write more about Melody. And Rae and Jen and Amanda,  Brenda, Rashida, Jan, the Toronto ladies, Sonia, Libs, Caitlin, Anna, Shari, Ellen, Maureen, the mom that also made me cry, and all the other ladies..  (that I can't remember names while typing right now.. forgive me, I still love you! ) I loved EVERYONE at camp!

>> - - - - -♥- - - - - >

April

➤➤➤ arrows ➤➤➤

It was last Quilt Market that I approached Melody Miller about making a dress for her. I am sure I was bumbling quite a bit, because I still get nervous around those designers I am so in awe of, and her booth was fantastic, it just made me... well, bumble.. but she was gracious and sweet and she said that she would like to have one of my dresses.
I had no idea what the new line would be like. I knew I'd love it, because I always love Melody's work but I didn't know I'd love it THIS MUCH!
I also remember seeing the arrangement of arrows in Melody's booth. I loved them! (I wanted them!) Had I'd known they'd be a main feature in this new line, Ruby Star Polka Dot, I'd probably have bumbled too much to even speak.

see them there, behind the chair..?

I pretty much love arrows, any type... the sign, symbol, the object of an archer.
As kids, my sisters and I used to go searching for arrow heads while camping in Hawking Hills and other parks.

As a sewer, I really enjoy arrows in the simple form of triangles, flying geese all in a row..
I'm also quite fond of making arrows with type, such as  >> - - - - >  or   >>------}>  or even  >>---♥---]>

Now, this print has rocked my arrow loving world! It is so amazing! I want to make everything from it! Curtains, dresses, bags, quilts...

But the very first thing is Melody's dress!

There are so many things I love about this dress. It's my Staple Dress pattern again ;).. not yet shirred in these photos, because I'll be customizing that with Melody tomorrow.
She requested that the border print run along the hem and I think it is a fantastic detail!!
I know that the arrows are completely different form the the ones I once searched for, but they somehow capture the essence of that memory for me. Not to mention the fact that they are just plain AWESOME!


Note: I still feel very passionate about camping, which is one reason why I bought my husband this camper/trailer fixer-upper, which also happen's to be called an "Arrow"!  how perfect is that?!

oh.. and just one more dress photo.. with my topless photo-bomber ;)

The above photo-bomber does have a new dress too, and it also reminds me of the searching for arrow heads...

It's her Indian Summer Geranium (pattern by Made By Rae)! 

I finished it on the very last day of Kids Clothes Week and just had't gotten around to posting it yet.

Anyways,  I adore it!! 

I'd say more, but it's not necessary. The photos speak for themselves. 

And I should head off anyways, because I need to rest, at least a little, before for actual CAMP! 

Tomorrow I take off, bright and early, for Camp Stitchalot! YAY!!

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Kids Clothes Week: FIGGY'S BANYAN SHORTS!

I started the week off with lofty ambitions.
"Quickly" made a precious pair of Quick Change Trousers for a friend's son.
Then I started scheming things for my own girls.
Decided to try a little set of shorts for Aelyn and another Geranium dress for Camilla.. I also hoped to make a few tope for them both but they will have to wait...

These shorts have taken up most of the weeks sewing time.
But oh, how I adore them...

and I think she does too!

front

back

lots of pocket space :)

great for jumping

The shorts..
Pattern: Figgy's BANYAN: tapered pants, shorts, tee and tunic
Fabric: Robert Kaufman Brussels Washer Yarn Dye in Grey (a linen/rayon blend)
both from our shoppe, Sew To Speak!

The pattern really gave me a work out! I'd never done a zip fly before. I also got distracted around the waistband area and somehow went astray.. but I was I able to get back on track and finish them up nicely.

I am sooo pleased with they way they came out!!

I was also pleased, when I asked her to try them on, for fitting the elastic in the back waistband, she didn't want to take them back off so that I could finish! She even started putting toys in the pockets! But I explained what needed to be done, and she did, take them off, telling me to "Do it fast, Mom." 

...so that she could wear them to Grammy's house this evening :)

I will definitely be making more. As for the time invested, I know that the next set will go together much more quickly. I have my pattern traced and I know what I am doing ;)

Now.. just that Geranium for Camilla! We'll see if I can whip that up between tonight and tomorrow... It sews up quick so if I cut it out now I think I can. Then I might be able to finish one more little thing before Kids Clothes Week is officially over, on Monday!

I might've accomplished a lot more, had I planned and prepped my projects ahead of time, like many other, smarter, sewers did. 

But I didn't. 

So. 

Awe-well.

now I'm on this Bloglovin thingy...
so, if you want to..

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

;)

Two Tomorrow

♥

This girl..

Camilla.

It's hard to believe it was just two years ago, that I was waiting.. so very anxiously, for her to arrive.

Praying for regular contractions, after weeks of teasers. 5 days past due. 

She came the next night. 

So quickly. 

Into this world. 

6 days late and making up for it. Nothing else in her development has been late. 

She is this tiny force.
Charging into life.
Crawling early. Walking early. Talking early.
Not slowing down even when I ask her to... She just runs ahead. 

 

Our joyful little Milla.

♥

the very first and the very last two photos in this post are by Suzanne.