Disboutiquers Part 18 Kids Disney Boutique / Customs Clothes psst..we sew ;-)

[tvgirlmin]

Sorry girls - lost a ton of my quotes again! I don't know what is with me lately...

Everybody has been making such awesome stuff! I am "sew" inspired and wish I had more time to work on customs!!!! I can't wait to try some new ideas in 2010.

Thanks for the kudos on my Patricia tunic, A-line, and Birthday Shirt! Lost the quote, but someone asked about the material for the Birthday Shirt - it was called "Puppyville" and I got it at Wally World in Maryland this past summer. It was so cute and only $2.75 a yard that I got a bunch - just couldn't decide which print I liked the best! I am thrilled to have enough left to make Emmy a puppy dress, too! My next project is for Jack, though, who is feeling left out - we got a cool Batman panel to make him a bowling shirt!

This is what I made my mom for Christmas. I got the idea from tvgirl, thank you very much. Of course I didn't finish until after Christmas but oh well, I also planned to make one for MIL and my grandma but that didn't happen either so they will be after christmas gifts.

The picture my mom took when she took them to the pool. I had to sneak into her room to get her camara to get the pic. She loved it and had no idea I got the pic from her.

This looks AWESOME! Great job, girl! I have never made one with the store-bought straps - that is on my to-do list! Make the straps is probably my least favorite part of making the purse. I ended up making 4 as gifts, and now I wanna make myself another one with Disney trip pics!

Jumping in a little late...My picky DD is 7 and I like making knot straps. It makes the top/dress a little adjustable, and I don't have to worry about getting the straps the perfect length. Here's a few pics

Your daughter is so cute, and I just love your customs - you make awesome stuff!

Happy New Year, everyone! I started out 2009 dreading the year to come, cause I knew my hubby would be deployed for most of it. But it turned out to be a great year, even with the deployment, and we ended it spending the New Years Eve countdown with him on his ship (he had duty) and other Navy families (and I even still got my New Year's Smooch!)! Not sure what to think of 2010 yet, but I am hoping it will be even better!

 

[NiniMorris]

Hi all, I had a great post going until my computer decided to crash.

So I went back and tried to take notes, but I was pretty far behind! Everything posted has been so cute. I love all the mini trip reports! Those coming to Disneyland, I should meet up with you all!! I have my annual passport and love to have an excuse to go!! Especially after DGD's move to Japan, I will need my cute kids in customs fix!!

Love the little girls room, so cute and that she helped you! Love everyone's New Years Resolutions. They say you should write them down and make a contract with yourself! I too, want to loose weight and will be having lap-band surgery in late winter/early spring! I have been seeing the nutritionist for several months and am looking forward to it.

Shannon, I am so sorry for the loss of your friend. But happy you are at peace with it now. The cruise will help you relax after the hectic schedule you have had. Oh, and I just wanted to say that I too, marched in the Rose Parade when I was in High School! And we used to live right off the parade route, so we went to it every year. Now we live near one of the places that make the floats and we have worked on them many years and then we go watch the floats being taken from our area to Pasadena! She had a great day to march in!

Welcome to all the newbies! Sorry I am bad with names, but whoever said it was not cheap??? NO but buying your customs can be very expensive and its so much more fun to say you made the outfit!!! And for the person who said they want their scrap booking pages to match...... you fit in perfectly!!!

Congrats to those who will be retiring. I did that a couple of years ago and I love it. I do a lot more sewing and am able to go visit the grandgirls pretty much whenever I want!!!

Piper, my grandmother taught me to sew when I was 8. She was just like you, I know she wanted to take that out of my hands and do it herself, but she had so much patience! Those are very special memories to me.

Congrats to those who are getting new sewing areas! My sewing room got put on hold but I am hoping it will get back on track this week! Or maybe next!

I know I am forgetting many of the quotes I had. I reread through and took notes!!

Okay, now totally OT, but I have a question for those with special needs children. My youngest DGD seems to have some medical issues but her mom & dad don't seem to be worried about. I have "felt" in my heart that something is wrong, but don't know how to talk to her parents about it. They are getting ready to go to Japan so their focus is totally on the move but I was chatting with my neighbor the other day and she is VERY concerned about the baby. She is a Special Ed Administer for LAUSD. So the baby is about to be 18 months old and is not walking. She has taken a few steps before Thanksgiving, but she won't anymore. After talking with my neighbor, now I am concerned. She said the baby isn't a late walker, she is way beyond that. She says the baby needs to be in PT, if nothing else. Does anyone else think this is a red flag, or should I just keep my mouth shut?? She was very late sitting up, crawling (she started crawling at 12 months) and now walking. Her language seems delayed too. But she is great at sign language, oh and she had no hearing in one ear for a couple of months. Because of that, they don't think there is any concern as the doctors said she could be delayed. What do you guys think? I really have no one to talk to about all this and really am worried. Thats why I am up at 5am writing this all out! I am NOT a morning person!! Thanks for listening to my rambles....

OK...I waited a while before answering. I guess I wanted to see what others had to say. My Special Needs child wasn't born special needs. It happened very suddenly because of an auto accident.

However, my DGD was born with club foot. She has had two surgeries to correct it and neither one 'took' completely. Her mom has done a lot of research and has decided to do ...nothing. There is a lot of evidence to support her waiting, and a lot of evidence that waiting is bad. But DGD is now 2 and I worry that the longer we wait the harder it will be to correct it later.

I have expressed my concerns to her...but in the end it is their choice not mine. This is one of the hardest things about being a Grandmother!

If I were you, I would research and express my concern one more time and then leave it up to the parents.

Nini

 

[Stephres]

Thanks for all the comments about the valentine's outfit. It was really easy and fast to put together. I made her a nightgown with one of my favorite patterns. It is easy and quick too.

 

[revrob]

Thanks for all the comments about the valentine's outfit. It was really easy and fast to put together. I made her a nightgown with one of my favorite patterns. It is easy and quick too.

That is so cute! what pattern did you use?

 

[Granna4679]

We have been talking about redoing the girls' room. Lydia saw these pictures, and told me THAT is how she wants her room. "EXACTLY LIKE THAT!" Could you tell me what colors of paint and the brand that is? Lydia also wants the exact same decorations on the walls, the curtains, the saying, and the bedding... She REALLY likes this room!

Sending you PM

 

[jham]

AGH I hate my husbands computer not only did I lose my multi quote I lost the whole post I just wrote!

OK short version lol. I cannot believe how much everyones kiddos have grown! I love all the new stuff! The little boys bowling shirts are making me want to REALLY learn how to sew! I love your grand daughters rooms! LOVE the glitter on the wall! Every little girl should have some glitter in their lives!

Krissy it is funny how we "knew" each other here and had no clue we knew each other irl! I wonder how many other disboutiquers I know !

OK update on us We have had a ton of kiddos in and out of our house as some of you well know but we are finally done I think We got Mia (not her birth name and not the name we will adopt her under but is her nick name) on my bday in March we had already been chosen for her other brother but were waiting on the slowness of the state. We started doing extensive visits for Tyler and on July he came home forever . In Novemeber we adopted him. Mia's bio parents rights have been terminated. One of her parents however is appealling the courts decision. It is highly unlikely that the decision will be over turned but it will just take forever to get to the appelet court and get a decision . So when we should be gearing up for an adoption this month we are waiting for the decision to come down. If we are blessed it will happen this spring sometime. It is more likely to happen in the summer or possibly even next fall/winter. The good news is she is with her forever family so she doesn't have to wait for this to be all done for her to be moved to her home . It is just going to be a bit longer before I can plaster her picture all over the net in cute customs lol.
Anyway hope everyone had a great New Years eve and day!

Yay for having everything finalized with Tyler! How exciting! Hopefully Mia's process will keep moving along and not drag on too much.

HEY! I know those cute kids!!! Aren't they just too adorable!!! And look at Luke, he's like the second tiniest one there!

Oh my gosh you just made me laugh so hard Teresa!

Hi all, I had a great post going until my computer decided to crash.

So I went back and tried to take notes, but I was pretty far behind! Everything posted has been so cute. I love all the mini trip reports! Those coming to Disneyland, I should meet up with you all!! I have my annual passport and love to have an excuse to go!! Especially after DGD's move to Japan, I will need my cute kids in customs fix!!

Love the little girls room, so cute and that she helped you! Love everyone's New Years Resolutions. They say you should write them down and make a contract with yourself! I too, want to loose weight and will be having lap-band surgery in late winter/early spring! I have been seeing the nutritionist for several months and am looking forward to it.

Shannon, I am so sorry for the loss of your friend. But happy you are at peace with it now. The cruise will help you relax after the hectic schedule you have had. Oh, and I just wanted to say that I too, marched in the Rose Parade when I was in High School! And we used to live right off the parade route, so we went to it every year. Now we live near one of the places that make the floats and we have worked on them many years and then we go watch the floats being taken from our area to Pasadena! She had a great day to march in!

Welcome to all the newbies! Sorry I am bad with names, but whoever said it was not cheap??? NO but buying your customs can be very expensive and its so much more fun to say you made the outfit!!! And for the person who said they want their scrap booking pages to match...... you fit in perfectly!!!

Congrats to those who will be retiring. I did that a couple of years ago and I love it. I do a lot more sewing and am able to go visit the grandgirls pretty much whenever I want!!!

Piper, my grandmother taught me to sew when I was 8. She was just like you, I know she wanted to take that out of my hands and do it herself, but she had so much patience! Those are very special memories to me.

Congrats to those who are getting new sewing areas! My sewing room got put on hold but I am hoping it will get back on track this week! Or maybe next!

I know I am forgetting many of the quotes I had. I reread through and took notes!!

Okay, now totally OT, but I have a question for those with special needs children. My youngest DGD seems to have some medical issues but her mom & dad don't seem to be worried about. I have "felt" in my heart that something is wrong, but don't know how to talk to her parents about it. They are getting ready to go to Japan so their focus is totally on the move but I was chatting with my neighbor the other day and she is VERY concerned about the baby. She is a Special Ed Administer for LAUSD. So the baby is about to be 18 months old and is not walking. She has taken a few steps before Thanksgiving, but she won't anymore. After talking with my neighbor, now I am concerned. She said the baby isn't a late walker, she is way beyond that. She says the baby needs to be in PT, if nothing else. Does anyone else think this is a red flag, or should I just keep my mouth shut?? She was very late sitting up, crawling (she started crawling at 12 months) and now walking. Her language seems delayed too. But she is great at sign language, oh and she had no hearing in one ear for a couple of months. Because of that, they don't think there is any concern as the doctors said she could be delayed. What do you guys think? I really have no one to talk to about all this and really am worried. Thats why I am up at 5am writing this all out! I am NOT a morning person!! Thanks for listening to my rambles....

I don't have any experience or advice but

1) Cuteness! How do you get Seth into pjs? Jacob won't let me make him any new ones, but he does wear his old ones. I love the big reindeer faces!
2) Megan says, that doll is as big as Lily! There are really cute and I like how you customized the hair so it matches each girl. I don't understand those dolls. You do them in the hoop? So if you don't have an embroidery machine you can't make them?
3) Cute jacket and that is Jacob's normal "posing" face so I totally get it.

Everything is so cute!



Megan was a little slow on everything and she was big so that made it worse (for me, not her). I was so paranoid something was wrong with her and I asked the pediatrician at every visit and he said she was within the normal ranges. She did eventually catch up but even now I notice she is not as mature as her friends. I would think as long as they are taking her to the pediatrician and it is documented I would try not to worry yet. I just hope they keep up with doctor visits while they are in Japan. I'm sorry.

Thanks for all the comments about the valentine's outfit. It was really easy and fast to put together. I made her a nightgown with one of my favorite patterns. It is easy and quick too.

Steph, Seth is a total comfort freak. He loves anything soft and comfy! The Mini Kimmy doll is in the hoop or a regular pattern. This big doll version is not in the hoop at all although she does give you a machine design to do the face if you don't want to do it by hand. They weren't hard at all but I did them a little bit at a time over about 1-2 weeks. I "curled" Lily's doll's hair while I sat in bed at night watching TV. It took a while! I Megan's nightgown! That is such a cute pattern! I'd ask what pattern it is but I know if it is a non YCMT pattern I would probably never tackle it.

 

[disneygirlsanddrew]

Another question for futura users:
Can I use marathon thread? Have any of you used that? Do you guys use rayon or polyester?

 

[teresajoy]

Okay, now totally OT, but I have a question for those with special needs children. My youngest DGD seems to have some medical issues but her mom & dad don't seem to be worried about. I have "felt" in my heart that something is wrong, but don't know how to talk to her parents about it. They are getting ready to go to Japan so their focus is totally on the move but I was chatting with my neighbor the other day and she is VERY concerned about the baby. She is a Special Ed Administer for LAUSD. So the baby is about to be 18 months old and is not walking. She has taken a few steps before Thanksgiving, but she won't anymore. After talking with my neighbor, now I am concerned. She said the baby isn't a late walker, she is way beyond that. She says the baby needs to be in PT, if nothing else. Does anyone else think this is a red flag, or should I just keep my mouth shut?? She was very late sitting up, crawling (she started crawling at 12 months) and now walking. Her language seems delayed too. But she is great at sign language, oh and she had no hearing in one ear for a couple of months. Because of that, they don't think there is any concern as the doctors said she could be delayed. What do you guys think? I really have no one to talk to about all this and really am worried. Thats why I am up at 5am writing this all out! I am NOT a morning person!! Thanks for listening to my rambles....

18 months seems really late to not be walking. I guess I would mention it one more time, then let them handle it. I don't blame you for worrying.

Thanks for all the comments about the valentine's outfit. It was really easy and fast to put together. I made her a nightgown with one of my favorite patterns. It is easy and quick too.

Steph, I love that!!! It's so cute!!!

Sending you PM

Thanks!!!

Oh my gosh you just made me laugh so hard Teresa!

You are welcome!
It made me laugh when you posted it on Facebook, so I'm just returning the favor!

 

[billwendy]

Thanks for all the comments about the valentine's outfit. It was really easy and fast to put together. I made her a nightgown with one of my favorite patterns. It is easy and quick too.

Steph, what pattern is this? I love it!!

Sue - sent you a pm

MrsMcKenna - missed you around here!! Sounds like a lot of lovin at your house!!! AWESOME!!

 

[revrob]

Another question for futura users:
Can I use marathon thread? Have any of you used that? Do you guys use rayon or polyester?

I owned a futura before the machine that I use now. You can use any thread that you like - I used all different kinds on my machine and never really had a problem. I prefre to use polyester thread as it does not bleed or fade. Since most of what I stitch is for children's clothing, that is important to me.

 

[teresajoy]

Heather and I went to our cousin's house Thursday, and she let me take this home with me!!!

I's a Viking Rose embroidery machine. It still only has a 4X4 design size, but she gave me the mulitposition hoop to go with it. Now, I just need to get my favorite digitizer *cough*Heathersue*cough to learn the multiposition hoop digitizing and I'll be good to go! Well, that and I need to get a card reader for this machine now! My cousin gave me an old one that uses SCSI ports, and I have no software for it.

I think the Ultimate Box will work if I can't get this one going. Anyone want to trade a PED Basic for the Ultimate box??? She gave me 6 or 7 blank cards to go with it too.

Does anyone else have this machine? Do you have any tips?? I need to find a manual for it. I emailed Viking, I hope they respond.

ETA: Lydia Rose loves it because it has the Rose on the front of it!!! She is begging me to give it to her!!!

 

[woodkins]

My dd7 Gianna was born prematurely and was 3lbs at birth due to a torn placenta at 21 wks. We were told we would lose her but she fought and was born. We were on watch for delays etc so when she had no spoken words by 12 mos we had an evaluation done through our county's early intervention services. Thank goodness we did, she received many services multiple times per week all at no cost out of pocket to us. It turns out we have an official diagnosis of mild cerebral palsy as well as PDD-NOS which is an autism spectrum disorder. With all of her therapy she went to regular ed preschool with an aide and by Kindergarten was in public mainstream ed with no interventions at all.

My point is getting therapy early is key. Getting an intervention is easy, free and painless, all of the therapy for kids is playing and what little child doesn't like playing and getting lots of attention LOL. The worst that can happen is that they do an eval. and determine that there are no issues to address and everyone goes back to business as usual. In my family it was the opposite, everyone told me I was paranoid and a worry wart (which I am ) but now they all tell me how right I was to get the eval done. Some of my dd's therapist have become close family friends and it has been a wonderful experience for our family. I hope everything works out as well for yours!

 

[ireland_nicole]

OK, I lost a quotew/ the earlier stuff, I love, love, love the Room, Megan's valentine's outfit, the bag, and anything else Imissed LOL.

Hello All & Happy New Year...Sorry for all the pic's LOL!! I couldn't decide which ones to share!

Here are some pic's from our November Trip to DL! It was so much fun, but I was so behind on the order for 38 Mickey T's, I only had one custom for my DD (5). I have also included a pic of the T's and a Hungry Catepillar Blanket I made for a gift.
Breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen - My girlfriend made the Hair Clip (too cute)

Maddy with Donald (first character we saw once we entered DL on day 2)

Our family xmas pic...that I never got around to printing...

Some shots I just love...

Awesome!

Here are a couple of things I got loaded into photobucket.

The kids' reindeer Christmas pj's:

I made the girls both Kimberbell kids rag dolls from YCMT. They are so cute!

and to show you how big they are:

And my nephew's NBC hoodie. Ignore his expression, that is how he poses for his auntie. I used Heathersue's designs for this one.

I promise it's centered. He's just standing weird.

Great job! Love everything, wow, that doll is a lot bigger than I realized; so, so cute though!

Okay, now totally OT, but I have a question for those with special needs children. My youngest DGD seems to have some medical issues but her mom & dad don't seem to be worried about. I have "felt" in my heart that something is wrong, but don't know how to talk to her parents about it. They are getting ready to go to Japan so their focus is totally on the move but I was chatting with my neighbor the other day and she is VERY concerned about the baby. She is a Special Ed Administer for LAUSD. So the baby is about to be 18 months old and is not walking. She has taken a few steps before Thanksgiving, but she won't anymore. After talking with my neighbor, now I am concerned. She said the baby isn't a late walker, she is way beyond that. She says the baby needs to be in PT, if nothing else. Does anyone else think this is a red flag, or should I just keep my mouth shut?? She was very late sitting up, crawling (she started crawling at 12 months) and now walking. Her language seems delayed too. But she is great at sign language, oh and she had no hearing in one ear for a couple of months. Because of that, they don't think there is any concern as the doctors said she could be delayed. What do you guys think? I really have no one to talk to about all this and really am worried. Thats why I am up at 5am writing this all out! I am NOT a morning person!! Thanks for listening to my rambles....

Wow, this is a tough situation. Y'all know that both my kiddos have special needs, although they're different. Honestly, I would be concerned about the delay. Most concerning to me at the moment is the regression in her mobility. That is unusual, and can be a sign of certain developmental disorders. I would def. encourage them to talk to the pedi about it; certainly she would at least be appropriate for PT at a minimum. DS got PT, OT and speech from the time he was about 6 months. Feel free to PM me if you need to. What seems strange to me is if the dr's say she's delayed, they usually order therapies, so there seems to be a disconnect there. I will def. be praying for y'all. BTW, you're not rambling

 

[disneygirlsanddrew]

I owned a futura before the machine that I use now. You can use any thread that you like - I used all different kinds on my machine and never really had a problem. I prefre to use polyester thread as it does not bleed or fade. Since most of what I stitch is for children's clothing, that is important to me.

Thank you so much! Did you purchase prewound bobbins or wind your own? I feel so lost trying to figure all of this out! But I can't wait to get started at the same time!

Heather and I went to our cousin's house Thursday, and she let me take this home with me!!!

I's a Viking Rose embroidery machine. It still only has a 4X4 design size, but she gave me the mulitposition hoop to go with it. Now, I just need to get my favorite digitizer *cough*Heathersue*cough to learn the multiposition hoop digitizing and I'll be good to go! Well, that and I need to get a card reader for this machine now! My cousin gave me an old one that uses SCSI ports, and I have no software for it.

I think the Ultimate Box will work if I can't get this one going. Anyone want to trade a PED Basic for the Ultimate box??? She gave me 6 or 7 blank cards to go with it too.

Does anyone else have this machine? Do you have any tips?? I need to find a manual for it. I emailed Viking, I hope they respond.

ETA: Lydia Rose loves it because it has the Rose on the front of it!!! She is begging me to give it to her!!!

Congrats!

 

[kimmylaj]

Okay, now totally OT, but I have a question for those with special needs children. My youngest DGD seems to have some medical issues but her mom & dad don't seem to be worried about. I have "felt" in my heart that something is wrong, but don't know how to talk to her parents about it. They are getting ready to go to Japan so their focus is totally on the move but I was chatting with my neighbor the other day and she is VERY concerned about the baby. She is a Special Ed Administer for LAUSD. So the baby is about to be 18 months old and is not walking. She has taken a few steps before Thanksgiving, but she won't anymore. After talking with my neighbor, now I am concerned. She said the baby isn't a late walker, she is way beyond that. She says the baby needs to be in PT, if nothing else. Does anyone else think this is a red flag, or should I just keep my mouth shut?? She was very late sitting up, crawling (she started crawling at 12 months) and now walking. Her language seems delayed too. But she is great at sign language, oh and she had no hearing in one ear for a couple of months. Because of that, they don't think there is any concern as the doctors said she could be delayed. What do you guys think? I really have no one to talk to about all this and really am worried. Thats why I am up at 5am writing this all out! I am NOT a morning person!! Thanks for listening to my rambles....

i am a preschool teacher and like to err on the side of caution. i would say encourage them to get an evaluation. it cant hurt. when we recommend evaluations to parents we always say that it is just a way to get more information. either way it will have a positive outcome. they will find her to be at age level and everyone will have a clear head or they will recommend services and she will have resources available. early intervention is the key. also my pediatrician gave me a denver developmental scale. it tells you the range of ages when certain things should be happening along with the point at which 50 percent of kids master certain skills. it goes from birth thru age 5
it has the age range for walking from 10 months to 15 months with 90% walking well by 15 months. it also includes, stoops and recovers, stands well alone, walks holding onto furniture (90% of children do these by 15 months)
18 month skills include 50%walking upstairs, walking backwards and 25% of children kicking ball forward and throwing ball. there are also checklists for language, fine motor, and personal social. here is the only link i can find it is not very clear but i think you can probably make most of it out.
http://www.umsl.edu/~garziar/Media folder/denverform_front.jpeg
all of that being said my hubby did not walk until 18 months, but he did need some assistance in elementary school for motor skills delays. of course he is all caught up now but his mom says she wishes she had done something when he was a baby and didnt wait til school age hugs to you and hope that helps a little

 

[jham]

Heather and I went to our cousin's house Thursday, and she let me take this home with me!!!

I's a Viking Rose embroidery machine. It still only has a 4X4 design size, but she gave me the mulitposition hoop to go with it. Now, I just need to get my favorite digitizer *cough*Heathersue*cough to learn the multiposition hoop digitizing and I'll be good to go! Well, that and I need to get a card reader for this machine now! My cousin gave me an old one that uses SCSI ports, and I have no software for it.

I think the Ultimate Box will work if I can't get this one going. Anyone want to trade a PED Basic for the Ultimate box??? She gave me 6 or 7 blank cards to go with it too.

Does anyone else have this machine? Do you have any tips?? I need to find a manual for it. I emailed Viking, I hope they respond.

ETA: Lydia Rose loves it because it has the Rose on the front of it!!! She is begging me to give it to her!!!

Next time you visit your cousin I want to come along!

Thank you so much! Did you purchase prewound bobbins or wind your own? I feel so lost trying to figure all of this out! But I can't wait to get started at the same time!



Congrats!

For my Futura I can use any kind of thread. I use a lot of Sulky and Coats & Clark just because it is handy to grab at Joanns. It would be lovely to buy a nice set though. I use Polyester and Rayon. I used to wind my own bobbins but finally bought some pre-wound and I like it MUCH better! I think things run smoother and the bobbins last a LOT longer. I got really sick of changing bobbins mid-design!

 

[sahm1000]

Happy New Year's to everyone!I know I'm a day late!

Things have been crazy around here. Christmas went by in a flash! My parents along with my sister, her husband and two children (ages 2 and 2 months) came and stayed with us. We had crazy cold wintery weather for Dallas but we made it through! Got all of the decorations down on 12/28 (I know it's bad luck to do it before the first but they drive me crazy!). Had a great New Year's and celebrated it with friends and neighbors. Then we had the same people over yesterday for a pajama day. I made a ham, lots of snack food and leftover Christmas cookies and candy for everyone to eat. Good day with lots of football!

I am still not sure where 2009 went and cannot believe it is already 2010! Yikes!

So I thought I would start out with my resolutions. Hopefully some of them will make it through the year!

Like so many others, I need/want to lose weight. Luckily I don't have a ton to lose but could definitely stand to lose 20+ pounds (okay really I could lose more but we'll start with 20). I need to get back into working out. I did great last year with my swimming but my class meets on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7-8pm and Fridays at 5. With Grace starting kindergarden and going to school everyday I didn't want her out at night that late and since Darren has been travelling so much this last year it just wasn't doable for me after the summer. Lilly is now walking really well and can go to childcare at our gym without a reservation so I don't have any excuse. So maybe if I put working out together with watching what I eat I can finally drop some pounds!

I also want to sew more this year. No specific goal, I just want to get more done. We just this last week booked our trip for late April/early May with Darren's family. I am almost secretly hoping his family backs out so we can stay on-site (I know, I know - I am horrible!!!) but if they all do go we are staying at the Embassy Suites in downtown Disney. We have five rooms there from 4/28-5/5 (using Darren's Hilton points - goes back to him travelling so much this last year). So I do need to get started working on customs for that trip! WooHoo! I am going to finish up one outfit before starting on Disney stuff for all of my girls and then get cracking on Disney customs. I have my three girls to sew for as well as for my 2 nephews and 1 niece! Yikes! Please send me some sewing fairy pixie dust 'cause I'm going to need it!

I also need to get my house more organized. I started on this in November and it has really helped! My girls helped me with their play room and we sorted through and donated a ton of toys! I told them that Santa wouldn't bring them new toys if he didn't think there was room for any and it really worked! I swear they got rid of almost everything! It was also good to see what things they actually cared about. I have also gone through my closet (5 big trash bags of my stuff were donated - shameful to have so much excess) and our coat closet, the spare bedroom closet, organized my kitchen drawers with bamboo dividers, cleaned out my pantry, etc. I still need to do more but feel much better about things with what I have done.

Hope everyone has a great, happy and healthy New Year's! Hopefully with everything settling down more now that the holidays are over I'll be on here more!

 

[pnutallergymom]

Wow ladies, I have spent half the day looking through all of your beautiful customs!! Boy, are they GORGEOUS!!!!

I have wanted to pick up a "skill" for a long time and I think sewing may just be the thing!! We are going on our daughters MAW trip in April and I would love to be able to figure out how to make even a few things for the kids to wear a few days!!

I have been looking into taking a beginners class...but do you all have any suggestions??

Thanks so much. Keep up all the beautiful work!!

 

[ireland_nicole]

Wow ladies, I have spent half the day looking through all of your beautiful customs!! Boy, are they GORGEOUS!!!!

I have wanted to pick up a "skill" for a long time and I think sewing may just be the thing!! We are going on our daughters MAW trip in April and I would love to be able to figure out how to make even a few things for the kids to wear a few days!!

I have been looking into taking a beginners class...but do you all have any suggestions??

Thanks so much. Keep up all the beautiful work!!

Hi!! I didn't take any classes, I just bought the Carla C simply sweet dress pattern from youcanmakethis.com and followed the directions. It's a lot easier than you think, I promise! FWIW, a friend of mine went to a class at Joann's, but said she didn't learn much, they focused on how to turn the machine on and thread it. She said she learned more from me just sitting down with her and going through the easy fit pants pattern with her (also from Carla C, avail. on youcanmakethis.com)

Hey girls, you remember how my Dad moved in, thereby "kicking me out" of my sewing room? Well, DH was sweet enough to let me have half his office, and I thought I'd show y'all how I downsized. In here are just the essentials LOL. I kept all my other fabric and craft stuff in the closet in my Dad's room.

the scraps are on the back of the door, just for ref. Here's another view:

The only part I'm really having a probelm with is here: I need to put my smaller amts of fabric (less than 3/4 yd) somewhere close, and need my blanks for embroidery, but it kinda looks like a bomb went off:

it's the only other stroage avail, and bless him, DH said he wanted to keep the top shelf

The little blur at the back of the 2nd pic is the embroidery machine on it's little cart. Here's a slightly better view:

 

[billwendy]

Hi Everyone -
If anyone has PE design, could you please PM me - Im really stuck!!! i want to do an applique, but when I go under sew, applique wizard isnt clickable....grrrrrrr....HELP!!! lol