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

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.

today. 28.

woke up. 

snuggled my girls. 

sang silly songs to my husband. 

taught a workshop. 

came home for more hugs.

cleaned the house a bit.

ate an amazing meal with family.

cake outside in the early evening.

tired by the window tonight. soaking in the last bit of sunlight.

feeling so grateful.

if you'd asked me at 20, what life might be like at this point... i could've never imagined this!!

♥ 

I'm going!

And I can't wait for that, no dishes to do, no laundry to fold, no dinner to make, no rushing about, no emails to write, all there really is to do is sew, time. 

so much ♥

I have been seriously blown away by the kindness and encouragement of the blogger/IG world over the last week!

Since releasing my pattern last Wednesday, I have had so many kind comments directed toward me or about my little Staple Dress!

I have seen women start to post photos of their process, making the dress. Some people posting have been personal friends, but most are women I have never met,

some names I  have recognized are those of women I very much admire, ones I "follow" and look to for inspiration... 

To be honest, I cried a little when I first posted the pattern and saw the orders start to come through. I was overwhelmed and humbled. I didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

To hear that other women are excited to make my design, and to see them wear it has been the most INCREDIBLE feeling! 

My favorite place to keep tabs on who's making THE STAPLE DRESS has been on IG. If you're making the dress and you're on Instagram, be sure to use the hashtag, #thestapledress, so that I can see it!! It's such a thrill for me.

I shared in the past about how I feared I just might not have it in me to finish... Creating and designing sewing patterns has been a dream for so long. But I would say things like "I might try that someday" or "when both the girls are in school". I never in my wildest dreams thought it would be HERE and NOW. Like this.

The STAPLE is just the beginning.. I have another dress, a skirt and possibly 2 bags in the works.

I feel very blessed and honored to be a part of this connected network of amazing women and crafters! It fouls me. And I want to do and make even more than before!!!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

To all those friends who talked me up and supported me through this, THANK YOU!! 

Sincerely,
April

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

a little more ♥: my mom has decided to offer 10% off of any staple dress fabric purchase at our shoppe, Sew To Speak!!  Discount good when you buy the pattern... if you're shopping our online store email me and I'll give you your own personal code! ;) aprilarhodes {AT} gmail (DOT) c o m

little sleep, lots of progress

Well.... I missed my first deadline, this past Thursday, the instructions are still in the works.
They have been much more time consuming to compose than I expected. I have had them written in my little note book for so long, but now putting it all together and making it make sense for others to read is overwhelming me. I've been up till 4am more than once this week...
but I am getting close now.. real close.

Actually I was a big bundle of nerves about that and about my upcoming cover shoot when I first started writing this little update (late last night).. but tonight I am a big bundle of excitement!!

I had the shoot today with Suzanne and my last minute savior of a model Mary.

Between the three of us and the amazing space it all blew my expectations out of the water! I haven't even seen the final photos yet and I know they are beyond my wildest dreams.
Speaking of dreams... it's still happening, my dreams.. they are becoming less and less my dreams and more and more my reality.

And just as I am typing Suzanne is emailing me sneak peeks from our shoot.
{then it all starts to make me cry}

^ I took this one of my amazing team! 

I am still overwhelmed but in a very happy way....

I am blessed.

I can't wait to show it all.
>>----♥----}>
    April

photography by SUZANNE GIPSON