Pretty Ditty

Abbey Coat pattern giveaway

2012-01-06T10:00:00.000-08:00

A Sewing Journal is giving away 3 Abbey Coat sewing patterns! The giveaway will close this Sunday (1/8/12), so click on over to enter. Here is the link.

Cheers,

Jamie

The Abbey Coat lookbook

2011-12-27T08:39:00.000-08:00

Here's the Abbey Coat sewing pattern lookbook...

Cheers,

Jamie

The Abbey Coat sewing pattern

2011-12-21T13:13:00.000-08:00

It's here! The Abbey Coat sewing pattern has arrived.

I'm so excited about this coat pattern! The Abbey Coat is a semi-fitted, fully-lined coat, that can be made with or with out a flounce. The coat features princess seams, 3/4 sleeves, and a peter pan collar. The sewing booklet includes instructions with color illustrations for every step. As always, full size pattern pieces and a glossary of terms accompanies the booklet. The Abbey Coat can be made in sizes 2 - 18.

The Abbey Coat is now available here and here.

Cheers!

Jamie

Porcelain plate drawing tutorial

2011-12-13T07:34:00.000-08:00

I'm very excited to share this tute with you today! Yes, this is yet another pinterest find of mine - ***Porcelain Painting*** Disclaimer....You don't have to be an artist to make these. If you know how to trace then you can do this.

The above pictured plates are Christmas gifts for my cousin's family and my brother. The plate on the left is for my cousin's family and the plate on the right is for my "hard to shop for" brother.

Before I began to make these Christmas gifts, I searched the internet for some info on the process, which lead me to this very helpful tute by Doe-c-doe.

Here's how I made my plates...

Material list

(I purchased all of my supplies from Michael's except for the plate, which is from Crate and Barrel)

Carbon paper or some type of transfer paper
Porcelain pen (I used Pebeo bullet tip for my cousin's plate and fine tip for my brother's plate) or paint ( I did not like the paint at all! I highly recommend the pen)
Pencil for tracing
Porcelain plate
Tracing paper
Paper

1. Trace the shape of the plate onto paper,

2. Within the circle, draw the picture you want to transfer to the plate. Or, print a copy of the image you want to transfer. For my brother's plate, I used Duy Huynh's A Chorus from the Brain Forest. I cut out the key images and taped them in the circle.

3. Cut out the sketch and tape the sides to the plate. Leave the bottom and top open for sliding the carbon paper under. Notice I did not cut out a perfect circle. Try to cut away any dead space. This will make it easier to tape to the plate.

4. Slide the carbon paper under the tracing paper. The coated side should face the plate. Use a sharp pencil to trace over the image.

5. As you can see, the image transfers pretty good onto the plate.

6. Follow the directions on your pen and trace the transferred image. I found the bullet tip pen flowed very well; where as, the fine tip pen had some issues with it's flow. However, the bullet tip would have been too thick to have used for my brother's plate. It's probably a good idea to have both tips on hand. I did try the paint and it was horrible for what I was trying to accomplish. The color was more of a blue black and I was unable to produce consistent lines.

7. According to the instructions on the Pebeo pens, let the the plate dry for 24 hours then bake at 300 degrees for 35 minutes. If you are using a different brand of porcelain paint be sure to follow the manufacturers directions.

I should also mention that they make ceramic pens for ceramic dishware too.

Cheers,

Jamie

Cupcake half apron

2011-12-08T19:55:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I've made an apron. So much so that I actually had to break out my instructions to make sure I made it correctly. I made the above pictured apron for my son's kindergarten class raffle basket. The basket's theme was "baking" and I was very excited to contribute an apron to the cause. One mother suggested that I fulfill the theme by making a Pillsbury themed type of apron...uh...OK. Anyhoo...I used the half-apron version of the Cupcake apron pattern with the tulle underskirt option. If you look real close you can see the black tulle peeking out from underneath the apron.

When I wrote the instructions for the Cupcake apron, I purposely designed the tulle underskirt to require 9" of netting. The reason for 9" is that it allows you to use birdcage veiling as an option. Birdcage veiling is available in 9" widths, which makes it very convenient to use. Quite some time ago, I made an apron with black birdcage veiling, but my sister snatched it up before I could take any pics of it. Sisters! Even as grown ups we still take each other's clothes. What can you do about it :)

Cheers,

Jamie

Brownie Waffle

2011-12-05T22:04:00.000-08:00

Another pinterest find - the brownie waffle (link). We made these the other night and they were delicious! As you can imagine, it was very easy to make. Simply heat the waffle iron and add the brownie mix. We topped it with ice cream, whip cream, chocolate syrup, and sprinkles.

***Pattern news***

The new sewing pattern will go to print this week. Hooray! I can't even begin to express how excited I am about this pattern. The testers really liked it and felt the pattern was great for an intermediate sewer. If you like Mad Men and Peterpan collars I think you will fancy this pattern.

Cheers,

Jamie

Halloween lovelies

2011-10-17T10:30:00.000-07:00

After pinning quite a few painted pumpkins on Pintrest, my family and I decided to give it a go...

They sit next to my fireplace along with some other Halloween lovelies...

I made the banner out of luggage tags that I found at Michaels. The tags were a little to perfect, so I painted and antiqued them with a burnt sienna color. I then printed out the word "Harvest" in a Rosewood font and glued each letter to a tag. To add to the Halloween vibe, I covered the front of the tag with birdcage veiling...

Vinnie the vulture looks down over the fireplace. He too was a great find at Michaels!

And what's Halloween without Abigail the librarian hanging out with the crew...

I bet you can't guess where I purchased the black glittery trees from??? Michaels! I know. Crazy.

Happy Harvesting!

Jamie

Photo shoot

2011-10-09T11:36:00.000-07:00

Hello there!

I'm putting the finishing touches on my new sewing pattern. Here are a few pics from the photo shoot we did last Sunday. Pierre Olivier was once again my photographer.

It certainly was a family affair with my sister coordinating the shoot and my brother as a prop in some of the pics...

It was nice having him there playing his banjo. At one point in the shoot some local folks, who I believe lived at the park near by, came over to watch the shoot. They had a parrot with them and the parrot would dance every time Nathan would play the banjo. Yes, we did include the parrot in a few pics. We really didn't have a choice, because the owners were INSISTENT that the parrot be in some pics. I hesitated at first, since I was concerned that the parrot would poop on the garment. However, the parrot's owner assured me that he, the parrot, had "morals" and would never do such a thing. So we let him in some shots.

He is handsome!

Soon I will be back to posting, but in the mean time I am determined to wrap up this pattern. Before I'm off, I wanted to share a video promo of my brother's band, The Drowning Men's current tour. They just signed with Borstal Beat Records, which is Flogging Molly's record label. I'm very excited for them! Here's a video promo for their tour with the Airborne Toxic Event...

Cheers,

Jamie

New website

2011-08-22T07:27:00.000-07:00

I have a new website and me like-y a lot! The new site features all sorts of goodies such as a freebies page, a lookbook page, a press page, and a shop page that allows me to add a whole bunch of pics for each pattern. So please come on over and have a look around.

Speaking of press, this months Sewing World issue did an article on Jamie Christina Designs.

Alice Synge of Backstitch wrote the lovely piece and gave me an opportunity to convey my motivation behind the sewing patterns. I also got a chance to talk a little about my mom and granny, which means a lot to me.

Other news to share... I've been busy working on a new sewing pattern. As I get closer to the release I'll share more info about it, but for now I can tell you that it's the PERFECT pattern for cold weather. Ooooh I can't wait!

Cheers,

Jamie

Must make

2011-08-01T10:34:00.000-07:00

Here are a few things I need to try...

Source: s633.photobucket.com via Jamie on Pinterest

Hermes guide to summer scarf knotting via Everything Fabulous.

Source: annamariahorner.blogspot.com via Jamie on Pinterest

Easiest dress ever via Anna Maria Horner.

Source: citified.blogspot.com via Jamie on Pinterest

Hair Chignon via This is Glamorous.

A paper beaded necklace (link).
Instagram poster (link).
Matte nails in black (link).

Lastly, Pizza Skewers with garlic dipping sauce. Can I hear an "Ah Yea" out there!? These look so delicious and easy! I'm in trouble now.

Cheers,

Jamie

Pinterest & Facebook

2011-07-14T06:42:00.000-07:00

Source: passionnailart.com via Jamie on Pinterest

How fun are these! It's newspaper print on nails and it's super easy to do.

1. Paint nails with nail polish.

2. After polish has dried dip nail into alcohol. I used rubbing alcohol, but the directions suggests vodka. I was all out of my week's supply... ;) Kidding!

3. Press a strip of newspaper on top of the nail (nail should be wet with alcohol).

4. Gently pull strip away.
5. Apply a top coat after nails have dried.

Here's my first attempt...

Not bad, but I smudged the index finger.

Here's my daughter's nails...

I discovered this tute via Pinterest.

On a different note, I've joined Facebook. I know. It was a moment of weakness. I've tried so hard to hold out all these years, but finally I was like what the heck. And you know what? So far so good. When you work from home you kind of miss co-workers. You don't get to chit chat about the kids, who's dating who, who's had botax (which I totally think Megan Fox has... I'm just sayin), and all that meaningful stuff. Now with Facebook, I consider my "friends" my co-workers. When I need a break from work I just click on over to the water cooler and chat.

Anywho, I'm happy to announce there is a Jamie Christina Facebook page. As I navigate my way through the wonderful world of social technology, I'll add more to the page. Here's the link.

Cheers,

Jamie

Love me some fabric!

2011-07-12T08:14:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, my mom and I went to LA for a fabric shopping trip. Both of us went there in search of coating fabric and jersey knits. First on our stop was Mood Fabrics.

I had never been to Mood before, so as you can imagine I was both excited and nervous - excited to see the fabrics that I've coveted since watching Project Runway, but nervous that possibly Tim Gunn would be there and question all of my fabric choices. "Jamie, I just don't think that fabric compliments your signature look." Or, "What were you thinking when you grabbed that atrocious fabric?" "I just, I just have a hard time seeing your vision." Oh how the mind can wonder. Thankfully, Tim Gunn doesn't hang out at Mood Fabrics, so that wasn't a problem. As a matter of fact, I shouldn't have been nervous at all, because the Mood sales staff were extremely helpful and kind.

The store is well organized with signs above each fabric section identifying what type of fabric it was. And yes they do have everything from lace and leather to woolens and every type of silk you can think of. Their price point was consistently higher, which is what I expected, but the quality of the fabrics is exceptional.

Searching out fabric is made easy since swatches hang from the end of the rolls. You can also request swatches to take home. I believe you are allowed up to 12 swatches and any more than that will cost a 1/4 yards worth.

I purchased 2 jersey knits. Both fabrics were $14.00 a yard.

I actually like the wrong side of this fabric better.

How dang cute is this heart fabric?! I purchased it for my daughter, buuuuut I may have to keep some for myself.

I did find some great coat fabrics (wool); however, the fabrics I was interested in were at least $30.00/yd and I needed 3 yards. I just couldn't pull the trigger on that. I may go back... I'll think about it.

After we forced ourselves to leave Mood, we headed to the garment district (now called the fashion district). I've been to the garment district twice before, but this time I came prepared. I found a great shopping guide for the garment district on Patternreview.com. Here is the link. I mapped out where we wanted to go according to the pattern review guide. This helped eliminate the overwhelming feeling one can get when visiting the plethora of options within the district. Basically, if a shop wasn't on my list to visit then we didn't go in. Plus, I knew what to look for in the shops that I did visit.

At Michael Levine I purchased 2 striped jersey knits...

and a striped sweater knit...

All 3 fabrics were $3.00/yd, but with a seller's permit you get an additional 20% off. So, if you go to the garment district be sure to bring your seller's permit (if you have one).

I can't remember where I purchased the next fabrics, but I can remember the price...

cotton woven fabrics $1.75/yd

jersey knits $1.00/yd

knit 3yards for $5.00

There is definitely a difference in quality between the Mood fabrics and the $1.00 fabrics, but my thinking is that I will use the $1.00 fabrics for "play fabric" and the Mood fabrics for the real deal stuff.

At the end of the day we stopped at Starbucks, which is conveniently located in the district.

My mom!

She was funny to shop with. There was no way I could haggle with any of the shop owners, because every time we walked into a shop she would say, "Oh wow, I can't believe the prices! All of the fabrics are so beautiful." She was cute and the prices really were great.

Cheers,

Jamie

Beaded Headband tutorial

2011-06-27T07:09:00.000-07:00

About a year ago, I made a beaded headband inspired by my beaded necklace tutorial. Since then I've been meaning to write up a tutorial to make one and just haven't found the time until now.

The tutorial includes the option to make a double or triple strand headband. Once you've made the headband you can embellish it as you please. I like to make fabric flowers and hand stitch them to the headband. The tutorial does not include instructions for the flower, however there are plenty of great tutes available on the web. I used this one for making the flowers.

Another idea is to add birdcage veiling around the flower. I haven't had a chance to give that a try yet, but would love to see it. If you make a beaded headband, please be sure to share on the pretty ditty show and tell flickr group.

Below is the pdf. Download and enjoy!

Beaded Headband Tutorial

Awww wook!

2011-06-23T07:58:00.000-07:00

This is Rosie. She is oozing with sweetness...

And guess what? We have another bunny...

This is Anakin. He's the brains of the bunch. Yes, I did write bunch...

This is Heavy (named after a clone trooper) and he's all personality.

Oh, but wait! There's more...

Lastly, this is Thumper. Everyone has to have a Thumper eventually.

I know what you're thinking. Is she auditioning for some animal hoarder reality show? No, I am not. Let me start from the beginning.

About 2 months ago, we noticed a domestic gray dwarf rabbit in the neighborhood. The rabbit seemed quite content with living the free life, so we decided to leave food and water out at night for the rabbit. Our next door neighbors did the same. We decided to name him Gunther. They decided to call it Roger. We all enjoyed taking care of Gunther/Roger and would talk with the neighbors about where we last saw him and how much fun it was for the kids to experience this.

Last Friday, my daughter decided to practice her cartwheels out in the front yard when suddenly mid-cartwheel she noticed a white fur ball run across the yard. She went to see what it was and realized it was a baby bunny and alerted us to her discovery. Quickly, we ran outside and saw the little bunny balled up in the corner of our door step. My husband scooped the bunny up and placed him in our dog kennel (minus the dog). It was then that we realized Gunther/Roger was not a boy after all...it was a Jessica! At this point we were all oohing and ahhing over Heavy our new baby bunny, not realizing that there would be more to come over the next two hours.

Approximately, one hour after we found the first bunny I noticed a cat trying to get something in the bushes. Well, as I'm sure you've figured out by now the cat was trying to capture 2 more bunnies dashing through the yard. I quickly shooed the cat away and added 2 more bunnies to the kennel. My kids were elated to say the least that we had 3 bunnies. And, at the moment, so was I. I love animals. I love babies. I love baby animals. It was my birthday too! I was thinking to myself, "Wow! We have 3 bunnies!" Then, 24 hours later I was thinking to myself, "Yikes! We have 3 bunnies!"

We began to stress about if we had done the right thing by taking the bunnies in. Maybe we should put them in the bushes where we think the nest is. What if the cat comes back? Does the Mama rabbit miss her babies? Will the raccoon eat them if we put them back (oh yes, even a raccoon was trying to get a piece of baby bunny)? Will they die if we keep them? Will they multiply again? My poor husband! So after all of the what ifs, we decided to call our veterinarian. He said that the bunnies best chance for survival was with us and not the wild, because they are domestic rabbits. That was all we needed to hear. My maternal instincts kicked in and off to the pet store we went.

Ah...but there are 4 bunnies you say. Yes, that night after we returned from the vet's office we were outside with my neighbors talking about the new additions when my son noticed a little black ball of fur by the trash cans. "How many do they have," I thought to myself? We were already committed at that point with the 3 bunnies, so we added Aniken to the family. I don't think there are anymore bunnies in the front yard. If more appear, I may have to take Jessica (a.k.a Gunther) in to get fixed. That is if I can catch her. She's a free spirit.

The good news is that my neighbors have agreed to take 2 of the bunnies after they get a little stronger and older. So in the end we will only have 2 bunnies... I think =)

Have I showed you Rosie...

Do you see the wittle arms? Too cute!

I think she's my favorite.

Cheers to baby bunnies,

Jamie

My dope new shoes!

2011-06-14T10:15:00.000-07:00

I'm told this is what all the cool kids are wearing now a days. No?

Seriously, I love my new running shoes (Vibram fivefingers). There's been quite a lot of press lately on barefoot running and I had to give it a try. I suppose my barefoot running curiosity began many moons ago when I worked at a clinic called The Egoscue Method. It's then that I learned that we are all designed to run barefoot and that it's the shoes that give us problems such as plantar fasciitis, strained ligaments, and back pain. Their belief is that the body is designed to have a natural S curve and if you look at a toddler before he/she starts wearing shoes you will see that the child has a natural S curve. Of course you have to take into consideration the way we live now compared to the "hunter and gatherer days" is a more sedentary lifestyle and certainly that plays a huge role in losing the S curve. However, I am willing to try to re-train my running stride to help eliminate common ailments that may occur due to shoes.

I have had these for about 1 month and so far so good. Actually, I feel better post run than when I had shoes. My heels aren't sore and I'm not as fatigued. I've shortened my stride so that I have mid foot strike rather than heel strike. I also try to land gracefully rather than "thudding" as I run. Consequently, my pace is slower now, so other than a bruised ego the shoes are great for me. I've even stopped shaving my arm pits...

just joking =)

Cheers,

Jamie

Winner!

2011-06-10T08:16:00.000-07:00

The winner of the Shabby Apple Dress is... Simply Beautiful Sundays who said...

I love skirts and bare feet!

Congratulations! The random number generator has found favor with you. I will contact you shortly or you can contact me (apronstreet at yahoo.com)

Thank you everyone who entered the giveaway.

Before we part ways for the weekend, here's a look at another lookbook I made. This is my apron lookbook.

Cheers,

Jamie

Shabby Apple Dress giveaway

2011-06-06T07:29:00.000-07:00

Today is a good day, because I get to giveaway a dress from the lovely online clothing boutique Shabby Apple. Not only do I get to giveaway a Shabby Apple Dress, but I also get to giveaway a 10% off coupon to all Pretty Ditty readers.

First, a little about the Shabby Apple. The Shabby Apple is an online boutique that offers a variety of clothes from maternity dresses and yoga wear to little girl dresses and aprons. However, my favorite are the vintage inspired dresses...

Blue and White Overboard shirt dress

Black and White houndstooth dress - Madison Ave

Green and White striped dress - Sheep Meadow

Yellow poplin dress - Le Soleil

I also like their vintage inspired bathing suits...

Turquoise Cascada bathing suit

Red & White striped Venezia bathing suit

Giveaway Details

Today's giveaway is for the turquoise cotton lawn Ahoy dress...

To enter, leave a comment telling me what's your favorite item to wear during the summer. It could be a piece of jewelry, shirt, dress, or whatever comes to mind. For me, it would be my flip flops =) Also, be sure to leave a link or email for me to contact you. Or, contact me if you are the winner.

The giveaway will close on 6/9/11 and the winner will be announced on 6/10/11. I'll use a random number generator to choose the winner.

The 10% coupon off code is prettyditty10off. The coupon expires at the end of this month.

You can also visit Shabby Apple on Facebook (link). They offer special promotions and exclusive discounts to people who "like them" on Facebook.

The giveaway is now open!

***Shipping update***

The Shabby Apple is only able to ship within the U.S. for giveaways. If you are not in the U.S. maybe you can use a U.S. address (friend or family) and they can ship the dress to you.

The giveaway is now closed.

Miz Mozelle Dress sewing pattern

2011-06-01T21:10:00.000-07:00

The Miz Mozelle Dress sewing pattern is here.

I love everything about this pattern from the keyhole neckline to the peter pan collar. This dress makes me happy! The waist is a simple elastic waistline, which is quite easy to make. On the back cover I recommend stretch fabrics with drape; however, you can use woven fabrics as well. If you choose to use a woven fabric, you just need to make the Bodice, Collar, and Sleeves one size larger than you normally would.

The Mozelle Dress sewing pattern is named after my Granny who passed away when I was 9 years old. Granny was an amazing seamstress who used to make my Mom and Aunt's skating costumes for all of their skate competitions. I am told that their skate costumes were one of the highlights of the competition. I sure could use her knowledge now. She would have been a great mentor for me.

New to the Jamie Christina website is the Lookbook page! Below is a lookbook for the Miz Mozelle Dress. I will be adding more lookbooks to my site in the up and coming weeks.

The Mozelle Dress sewing pattern is now available in my shop and be sure to check out the list of shops that carry my sewing patterns. There may be a shop near you =)

I also want to thank my pattern testers Cynthia (my mom and new owner of Phat Fabric) and Madeline from Maisonnette of Oceanside.

Cheers,

Jamie

Another Mission Maxi giveaway and a sneak peek

2011-05-25T20:47:00.000-07:00

A quick post to let you know there is another Mission Maxi sewing pattern giveaway. Natalie at Hungry Hippie is hosting the giveaway. Here's the link.

Also, the above pic is a sneak peek at the new pattern to come...

Jamie

Mission Maxi sewing pattern giveaway

2011-05-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

Melanie from A Sewing Journal is having a Mission Maxi sewing pattern giveaway! One of the prize packages includes jersey knit fabric and thread. Click on over to enter. Melanie has also written a great review on the pattern.

Cheers,

Jamie

The Mission Maxi

2011-04-27T19:11:00.000-07:00

Here it is! The new sewing pattern I've been waiting, blogging, talking, and excited about.

The Mission Maxi sewing pattern

After seeing all of the beautiful maxi dresses out this season, I just had to make a maxi sewing pattern.

View B (halter top maxi)

View A (basic tank top maxi)

And my favorite - View C (godet back maxi)

In addition to the 3 different views, the Mission Maxi can also be made into two different style of tank tops (basic and halter).

This pattern is very quick and easy to make. My pattern testers, Melanie (A Sewing Journal) and Natalie (Hungry Hippie), both thought the pattern was beginner friendly for those exploring the use of knit fabrics. Even more, within the pattern I do offer tips on how to sew knit fabrics on a home sewing machine. If you are an intermediate to advance sewer, this pattern is the perfect canvas for you to have fun with.

Something new to my overall pattern designs is that the booklet is printed in color.

Me like-y the colors!

While the dress is fashionable, I can't say enough about its comfort! The comfort of the design has propelled my maxi dresses to the top of my wardrobe. Some might say it is a new uniform of mine. I wear them to pick up my kids from school. I wear them to take my kids to practice. And I wear them when I go out to dinner with my husband. I even wore one on a trip to the zoo for my son's birthday. Though the zoo day was chilly, I just threw on some tights, my laced up boots, and a sleeved T and I was good to go! In a way, it's like wearing sweats with out looking like you've given up. It's that comfortable!

Anywho, the Mission Maxi is now available in my shop and the great shops that carry my patterns.

Enjoy!

Jamie

Special thanks to Pierre Olivier my talented photographer and Taryn Goedert a beauty of a make up artist.

Old Town photo shoot

2011-03-18T07:51:00.000-07:00

The photo shoot for my latest patterns was sooo much fun! We went to Old Town San Diego and let me say it's almost overwhelming with all of the perfect little spots to shoot. We did the shoot last Sunday which happened to be the daylight savings time change. Yikes! Tell me again why we need to change the clocks? Needless to say, we got off to a late start. Due to the time change, we started shooting later than we had hoped, which made the sun light a little harsh at times. Even still, Pierre Olivier (my talented photographer) was able to handle it and made it work for the shoot.

The above pics are of the models Sellecca and Carrie.

My sister.

Me, in desperate need of a hair cut and color while waiting patiently for the crew to finish watering their horses.

I'll share some more pics as I get closer to publishing the patterns.

Oh and one more thing! I am now on twitter. I have no idea how frequent I'll tweet and what all I can do with it, but it is nice to randomly tweet something.

Cheers,

Jamie

Hey! Hello there!

2011-03-07T06:56:00.000-08:00

Oh how I miss blogging! Not only have I not had a chance to blog, but I haven't really been able to read blogs. Ugh! I feel like I'm out of the loop and have no idea what's going on in the crafty blog world. I'm in serious need of a crafty blog fix, but that will have to wait. First, I must sell what is left of my fabric at Phatfabric.com, then I must finish the 2 new sewing patterns that I'm working on.

I have a photo shoot scheduled this Sunday for the two new patterns, which I'm so excited for! The location is freaking awesome and the dresses turned out great, so all I need is a sunny day which isn't asking too much from California...right?

As for Phat Fabric, all fabrics are now on sale at 40% off the retail price (link). This is the last sale. I intend to transfer ownership to my mom by the end of March.

I think I need a twitter account- the fast food equivalent to blogging.

Cheers,

Jamie

Phat Fabric News

2011-02-07T21:19:00.000-08:00

You may have noticed that I haven't restocked any of Phat Fabric's inventory for some time now. You also may have noticed that all of the fabrics have been on sale for the past couple of months and will remain on sale until all of the fabric is gone. The reason for this is because I will be parting ways with Phat Fabric... sort of.

This transition is a bitter sweet moment for me. Bitter since Phat Fabric is like my first born of this fabric/design world that I am now a part of. It's sweet because the reason I'm parting ways has to do with the growth of my sewing patterns. They have taken up most of my work time, which is why in order to manage my time better I will be handing Phat Fabric over to my mom. Yes, that too is sweet! My mom will soon own the business, so I'll still have some access to the fabrics. Plus, she's who I go to when I have questions about fabric. Currently she runs Lil Urchin Fabrics, but soon she will move all of her fabrics to Phat Fabric and make it her own home.

I anticipate the transfer of ownership to happen in about a month. In the mean time, click on over and see if there are any fabrics you fancy, because all fabrics are on sale until they're gone.

As for my Jamie Christina sewing patterns, I am thrilled to announce that they've been picked up by 3 distributors: Clotilde, United Notions, and The Pattern Peddlers. If you are a retail store and purchase from a distributor, be sure to ask if they carry Jamie Christina sewing patterns. I sure do appreciate it =)

More pattern news...I'm working on a new sewing pattern that is my most favorite of all! Seriously! No, it's not another apron pattern. It's something that I will probably wear all Spring and Summer long. It's perfect for a lazy day. I'll leak some sneak peeks as I get closer to publishing it.

Cheers!

Jamie

The Law in Plain English for Crafts book

2011-01-26T22:20:00.000-08:00

If you are a crafter, artist, pattern designer, photographer, or in any cottage industry type of employment whom sells one's own work for profit, you need this book The Law for Crafts. That is if you don't have it already. Although, if you are a lawyer or have access to one, you probably can do without the book. However, lets just assume you are like me and the only law knowledge you possess is from the many John Grisham books you've read, which unfortunately isn't going to cut it.

The author, Leonard D. DuBoff, is a practicing attorney and wrote this book to help aid the independent craftsperson in regards to sound business practices. The book includes information about contracts, licensing, consignment, copyrights, how to keep your taxes low, and perhaps best of all, the book also includes legal forms that the reader can copy and use.

The author engages the reader with what would otherwise be extremely dry reading. DuBoff explains the historical background of certain laws and provides examples of how the law is applied to situations that the reader can relate to. For example, in Chapter 3 Contracts, he discusses what are implied contracts and what's not implied by using an example of a fictional weaver and the situations she may find herself in when discussing her works for sale.

The chapters aren't too long, because Duboff gets right to the point of the subject matter. And if you don't have time to read, you can just flip to the chapter that relates to your particular area of interest, such as Trademarks, and go from there. Definitely a valuable book to have on hand...along with John Grisham's The King of Torts. I consider myself an expert in Tort law since reading that book ;)

I should mention that DeBoff authored 2 other similar books: The Law for Photographers and The Law for Galleries.

Jamie

My sweet Mika

2011-01-19T20:30:00.000-08:00

Over Christmas break, we had to say goodbye to our dog Mika. Mika was a part of our family for almost 15 years. I knew it would be hard, but still I was not prepared for the huge void she left. I still catch myself consciously stepping over her in the morning when I wake up. She always slept right beside my bed. It's a sad feeling to realize I don't have to look out for her anymore.

In 1996 My husband and I adopted her from the humane society. We were so excited to have spent only $30 for a really cute dog. Three days after we took her home she became very sick and lethargic. Like good new parents, we immediately took her to the vet. I was at work when I received the call that she had Parvo, a life threatening illness. As I hung up the phone I began to SOB! I cancelled all of my clients for the rest of the day and drove to my husbands work to tell him the bad news. With tears and snot running down my face I told my husband the bad news and how we needed to move forward with intravenous treatment for her. "How much is the treatment," he asked? "It doesn't matter how much!"

"We're her parents," I exclaimed! He pretty much knew right then that it would take longer for me to forgive him than it would take to pay off the credit card had he said no to treatment. So $500 and four days later, Mika survived Parvo and was worth every penny.

I always said that she knew we saved her life, because of just how great a dog she turned out to be. She wasn't a chewer, only had one accident in the house (unlike other dogs of ours... ahem), and she was always on watch for suspicious characters. I don't think there will ever be another dog like her. I bet she could have learned to sew had I taught her =)

Well I can't leave you all sad here, so I'll share a recent pic of Shoog the Boog.

She's grown... a lot! Sometimes we don't know how big she is until we take her for a walk and people stop us to say, "Your dog is huge!" I politely tell them she is sensitive about her weight and that she prefers the term "big boned" thank you very much.

Dogs! They are the best =)

Jamie

A quick giveaway

2011-01-15T14:04:00.000-08:00

Hey! Shawnee over at Flirty Apron Swap is having a Jamie Christina sewing pattern giveaway. The giveaway includes The Pretty Ditty Apron pattern, The Palooza Apron pattern, and The Cupcake Apron pattern. The giveaway closes tomorrow, so click on over. Here's the link. Good luck =)

Jamie

Clara and Glory Peg Dolls

2011-01-12T07:21:00.000-08:00

This Christmas I made a couple of peg dolls for my sister and aunt. As you can see they are peacefully housed in doodled bakery boxes (idea from Emily Martin of The Black Apple). I purchased the blank boxes at Michaels and whimsically doodled on them.

This is Mademoiselle Clara. She is awkwardly shy, but full of strange curiosities.

I experimented with Clara's hair by using a fine point felt pen to stipple her hair. I'm not sure if stipple is the correct term. I've always enjoyed the texture look when artists draw the hair similar to Clara's hair, but better of course :-) I tried to research the technique online, but I have no idea what the correct terminology is. If you know what I'm trying to describe and can point me in the right direction, please leave a comment or email me.

She lies on a bed of moss in her box house. I told you she had strange curiosities. And that's not the half of it! She insists on wearing shoes made of a woman's obituary. The woman's name in the obituary is (gulp)....CLARA! Duh duh DUNNN! The mystery continues...

I gave her to my sister.

And here we have Glory. Ahhhhh. A sweet angel indeed.

I used paper clay to make the wings. I would like to make another angel and maybe try a different technique for the wings in the hope of making them with even more edge texture. Her shoes are made of text from the bible verse Luke 2:13,14. She lies on a bed of clouds (cotton balls) in her doodle box. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to take a pic of the inside of her box. She was a gift to my aunt, who is an angel to me.

Cheers,

Jamie

Balboa Island

2011-01-07T10:24:00.000-08:00

Happy 2011!
A new year already?! I haven't even found the time to make any New Year's resolutions yet. However, I do want to reorganize this blog. I'd like to try some new layouts and add a tutorial page with all of my tutorials nicely organized into categories. So just a heads up that things may look a little weird around here for a wee bit or at least until I figure out what the heck I'm doing.

***

During the Christmas break my family and I went to Balboa Island. It was a beautiful day to say the least.

Yep that guy is trunkin it while paddle boarding in December.

An artist painting.

A house ready for Santa.

A ferry ride to the other side of the Island. Ferry rides make me nervous due to a horrible experience I had on a water taxi in Lofland once. Long story short it almost tipped over into the water. It doesn't sound that scary, but at the time it was dark and stormy on the river. Not cool!

Hooray we made it to the other side!

What is it about Ferris wheels that make them so interesting?

Newport Pier at sunset.

Then we had to go back onto the ferry. OH NO!

Thankfully we made it back to land and continued to tour the brightly lit homes for Christmas. I hope you all had a lovely Christmas.

Cheers,

Jamie

Cake Pops

2010-12-20T08:29:00.000-08:00

This holiday season I was introduced to cake pops - a highly addictive and easy to make treat. My husband came home from work one day praising a new sweet he had tasted at work. A wife of one of his co-workers had made the cake pops and my husband was relentless to get the recipe. I'm glad he did... sort of...I've put on a few pounds because of these.

Clearly I took the liberty to use a lot of chocolate, which is why my cake pop is sporting a crew cut. They're supposed to be completely round. Some people decorate them to look like Rudolf the red nose reindeer (here).

Here's a peek at the inside of the cake pops...

The above cake pop is made with funfetti cake.

This one is made with red velvet cake. Me like-y a lot!

Here's how I made mine:

Ingredients

Cake mix or make your own cake from scratch. So far, I have made cake pops with pumpkin cake, red velvet cake mix and funfetti cake mix.
Cream cheese frosting or make your own from scratch (mix powdered sugar with cream cheese until it taste like frosting).
Dipping Chocolate
Paper Sucker Sticks
Wax Paper

Directions

Bake the cake by following the box directions or your own if making from scratch.
When the cake has cooled, crumble the cake into small crumbs in a bowl with your hands. The cake mixture should be fine.
Using a rubber spatula, mix in cream cheese frosting a 1/2 cup at a time. Mix in enough cream cheese frosting until the cake mixture is moist enough to roll 1" balls. You probably wont need to use all of the cream cheese frosting.
Roll 1" balls out of the mixture and place them on a wax paper lined pan (jelly roll pan or cookie sheet).
Stick the sticks into the center of the balls. Freeze for about 15 minutes.
Prepare the melting chocolate by following the instructions on the bag. I melt mine in the microwave by heating and stirring in 30 second intervals until the chocolate has melted.
Dip the pops and cover them with chocolate. Let the excess drip off (I usually skip this part).
Place the pops back onto the wax paper with the stick facing up. Let it cool.

That's it!

After Googling cake pops it turns out there are a couple of cake pop cook books and a Martha Stewart appearance. I have not had the opportunity to flip through the cook books, but I imagine there's a whole new cake pop world out there waiting for me to explore.

Cheers,

Jamie

Bird and birdcage ornament tutorial

2010-12-06T22:26:00.000-08:00

For Christmas this year I decided to make Christmas ornaments for my kids' teachers and friends of mine. The ornaments turned out to be quick and easy to make! In fact I made extras for unexpected guests that visit me over the holidays. This way no one leaves empty handed.

I don't have a tree yet to hang them on; however, they do sit nicely on my shelf.

I also like them without the Christmas bling. This one could be a year around decoration.

Here's how I made the ornaments...

Materials

Bird template (link)
Festive paper for making the bird. For the fabric birds, I glued plaid fabric to card stock (another option).
Spray adhesive glue (I used craft bond).
Floral wire that looks natural. I purchased mine at Michaels for under $4.00.
Embroidery floss or string that matches the floral wire.
Thread for hanging the bird. I used nylon thread (not pictured) because it is clear.
Safety pin or something sharp for poking a hole into the paper.
Embellishments such as: glitter, berries, bells or flowers.

Lets begin!

1. Glue the non-printed side of the festive paper together. To do so, fold the festive paper in half so that the printed side is visible on both the front and back of the paper. Unfold the paper and spray the wrong side (non printed side) of the festive paper with the spray adhesive glue and glue the wrong sides together. You should now have the print on both the front and back of the festive paper.

Fabric bird option - For fabric birds, cut 2 pieces of fabric the size of the card stock paper. Spray the adhesive glue to one side of the card stock and glue the fabric to the paper. Once the glue is dry, turn the paper over and glue the fabric to the reverse side of the paper.

2. Print out the bird template on plain paper to use as a tracing template or print the template directly on the festive paper. If you are using it as a tracing template, trace the bird and wings image onto the festive paper or fabric.

3. Cut out the bird and wings from the festive paper or fabric/paper. Cut the slits as indicated on the template.

4. With a safety pin, poke a hole into the tips of each wing.

5. Slide the wing's slit into the bird's slit.

6. Fold the wings upward (along slit line) to create some dimension. Set the bird aside until step 11.

7. To make the base, coil the floral wire until it is about 3" to 3 1/2" in diameter. Cut off the excess wire. A 3" circle is included with the bird template to help reference the size. Using the embroidery floss or string, tie the end of the floral wire to the wire next to it (shown in the photo below). It's OK if the base is uneven or "wonky" as I like to put it. However, if there is extreme wonkiness to the base you may want to tie down some of the wires that are causing the problem to the wires that are more stable.

8. From the floral wire, cut 2 wires that are 11" in length.

9. Wrap one end of a wire around the outside wire of the base. You only have to wrap the wire once to secure it. Next, arch the wire to the opposite side and wrap the opposite end to the base.

10. Repeat step 9 with the second wire. With the embroidery floss or string, tie the wires together at the top of the cage.

11. Thread the thread through the holes on each side of the wings. Tie the ends of the thread to the top of the cage.

12. Measure the circumference of the cage. Cut a wire that is approximately 1 3/4" longer than the measured circumference. Make a circle with the wire and overlap the ends by 1". Twist the ends together.

13. Place the wire over the cage and slide it down to the middle of the cage. The wire should be snug. Optional - You can secure the wire in place by tying the circular wire to the cage where the circular wire and cage wires intersect.

14. Coil a piece of wire and leave one end straight for wrapping around the top of the cage.

15. Wrap the straight end of the coiled wire around the top of the cage.

16. Embellish the cage to your hearts desire! You can spray the cage with adhesive glue and sprinkle glitter on it, or you can wrap Christmas berries around the wires. A few more options are bells, dried flowers, or you can leave it a la naturale.

Enjoy!

Jamie

The Dalliance Glove e-pattern

2010-11-29T08:24:00.000-08:00

In addition to my two new sewing patterns I'm excited to release this new PDF pattern...

The Dalliance Glove sewing e-pattern

There are so many reasons why I adore these gloves. First of all the folds... I don't know what it is about fabric manipulation that I find so addicting, but folds in fabric gives me the same happiness feeling that chocolate does, but without the calories. Secondly, it's a sewing pattern! I wanted to make a few fingerless gloves as Christmas presents, but I could not find any that weren't crochet or knit pdf patterns. If I had the time or talent to knit that would be great, which brings me to my third reason - it's a quick pattern. Lastly, this pattern works well with cotton stretch fabrics and a woven fabric with some stretch or loosely woven fabrics. It's nice to have fabric options.

The pattern also includes tips on sewing with cotton stretch fabrics on a home sewing machine.

Here's a better shot of the folds...

The pattern is a PDF with instructions, illustrations and full size pattern pieces. Because it's a PDF there are no shipping charges and it's emailed to you within 24 hours.

The Dalliance Gloves sewing e-pattern is available at jamiechristina.com, phatfabric.com and Pretty Ditty (etsy shop).

Cheers,

Jamie

New patterns are here!

2010-11-24T18:31:00.000-08:00

The Cupcake Apron pattern and the Palooza Apron pattern are now available.

The Cupcake Apron

The Palooza Apron pattern and glove tutorial

The Cupcake Apron sewing pattern includes instructions and pattern pieces to make both a full and half apron. In addition to the two apron options, the pattern also includes instructions to make the apron reversible, non-reversible and my personal favorite, the netting underskirt option. The underskirt gives the apron extra retro flare!

The Palooza Apron has a flattering fit that features a unique corset back.

The Palooza Apron pattern is the one I use to make laminate aprons with such as this one.

Another highlight to this pattern is the fabric dish glove tutorial. The dish gloves are quick and easy to make. A perfect stocking stuffer =)

Both patterns are now available in the shop and my fabric shop.

If you would like to share something you've made with a Jamie Christina sewing pattern, I have a flickr group just for that! Here's the place to share or be inspired.

So let's see... new patterns... check! New flickr group...check! There's one more thinnng... oh yes... Every single fabric is on sale this week at Phat Fabric!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Jamie

P.S. Photography by Pierre Olivier

Japanese fabric sale

2010-11-16T17:15:00.000-08:00

How about a fabric sale while we wait for the new patterns???

All Japanese fabrics are on sale for at least 25% off at Phat Fabric. Here's the link.

Cheers,

Jamie

Peeks at the new patterns

2010-11-11T07:15:00.000-08:00

This is what's been keeping me away from blogville... well, one of the things that's been keeping me away. I have 2 new sewing patterns at the printers right now. Yippee! I'll share more pics as soon as the patterns are available, but for now that's about all I can share. OK... maybe one more pic

One of the patterns includes a tutorial to make the above pictured dish gloves. Practically all of the women in my family will be receiving a pair for Christmas =)

After the shoot, we did a crew photo shoot...

From left to right: Julia (my right hand woman), Taryn (makeup artist), Me, Stacy (model), Pierre (photographer extraordinaire)

I like this pic because it's pretty much the closest I'll ever get to looking like I am in a band.

Cheers,

Jamie

Halloween wreath and Halloween bunting

2010-10-14T12:03:00.000-07:00

My little baby spider Ella has finally found a home on my Halloween wreath. For some time now I have been wanting to make a yarn wrapped wreath. I've eyeballed quite a few on etsy (here) so this past week, while at Michaels, I spotted the perfect pumpkin colored yarn for a fall wreath. I purchased the yarn along with a charcoal gray skein and a straw wreath. I believe the wreath was under $5.00, which was cheaper than the foam wreaths. Rather than unwrapping the plastic covering around the wreath and having a straw mess on my floor, I left the plastic on and wrapped the yarn over it (per my moms suggestion).

The bunting banner is made out of a paper grocery bag I had on hand. I think I got the idea from a Martha Stewart craft but I'm not entirely sure. Anywho, I cut the paper to a letter size and ran it through my printer. I created the BOO! template in illustrator and saved it as a pdf. Below is the link to the Halloween bunting pdf I used. Feel free to bunt away. The pdf includes the words BOO! and Happy Halloween.

Enjoy!

Halloween Bunting Banner

Jamie

Chocolate chips + sweet rolls = happiness

2010-10-11T09:01:00.000-07:00

I made these a couple of weeks ago and all I can say is they were worth every calorie! There was enough dough left over to make cinnamon rolls the next morning and then some. I tried to give the extras to my neighbors but they weren't home, so I ended up eating them for dessert that evening. That weekend will go down in the history books as the weekend I put on the most pounds. And I'm ok with that.

Here's a link to the Chocolate Chip Cookie Sweet Rolls.

Enjoy!

Jamie

Baby Spider Peg

2010-10-04T09:09:00.000-07:00

This is Ella the baby spider peg of Bethany.

I made her by gluing 2 wooden peg heads together and then adding the legs so that it can stand alone horizontally. The heads I used are smaller than the ones I carry in my shop, which posed a problem for adding the last 2 legs to my baby spider. I recommend going with the medium and large size heads which will allow enough room for adding all eight legs.

The texture of Ella's legs come from wrapping the wire in newspaper shreddings. I like how the black and white text gave her some Nightmare Before Christmas interest to her. Fun fact...I still haven't seen that movie in it's entirety since my husband can't stand creepiness and my kids get scared walking through Michael's during the Halloween season, so I'm sure that movie is out of the question for them.

Maybe I'll find some me time this season to see it.

Cheers,

Jamie

Bethany the spider peg

2010-09-23T21:48:00.000-07:00

Fall always makes me want to paint pegs. This is Bethany the black widow. For Halloween I wanted to paint something cute with a little bit of creepiness to it. I used acrylic paint and pastels for Bethany's face. I like how the pastels shaded her hairline and made tiny wispy hairs across her forehead. Bethany is a mama and I'll introduce you to her daughter soon.

Cheers,

Jamie

Mohawk Hooded Scarf

2010-09-20T07:01:00.000-07:00

Hello!

Motherhood has kept me quite busy here. Our school year thus far has consisted of: ear infections, nagging coughs that don't allow any sleep, and a black eye that my older son got at baseball practice.

The irony of it all was that we cancelled his football registration because the coaches/parents seemed "too aggressive". (I totally sound like one of those parents don't I.) At his second winter baseball practice he was accidentally hit in the eye socket with a baseball. It was awful! My son had thought his eye popped out and was yelling that he was blind. We ended up staying over night in the hospital for observation because he had concussion symptoms. Thankfully, he is fine now and enjoys the attention at school. He makes sure to say, "Hi" to every person walking down the school hall and then waits for them to respond with, "What happened?" The story never gets too old for him to re-tell over and over again.

I am thankful that these are only minor issues in the big picture =)

Despite the sport injury we are still a sport loving family. During this time of the year we go to quite a few football games. As the football season progresses it can get cold out there sitting on the bleachers, so to keep my little shooga boog warm I modified the Hooded Scarf pattern to become a...

Mohawk hooded scarf.

His rocker sign is the I love you sign. Too cute! I'm not going to correct him =)

Here's how to modify the pattern...

1) Use the template for the basic hooded scarf and cut out your pieces.

2) Decide how wide you want your mohawk to be and add 1" to the width for the seam allowance. Next, measure the length from front to back of the hood (curve and all). My measurement was approximately 22" because I extended the front of the hood by about 1" so that his older brother can wear the scoodie too. For the scoodie, I cut a piece of fax fur to measure 4" x 22".

3) Pin the fur side to the right side of the hood. If the faux fur is on a woven fabric or doesn't have much stretch, you should stay stitch the hood fabric first (assuming the hood fabric is a knit). This will prevent the hood fabric from stretching as you sew.

4) Stitch the fur to the hood.

I trimmed the excess fur after I stitched the other side of the hood to the fur.

5) Repeat with other side of hood. Stitch other hood to un-stitched side of faux fur.

6) Assemble lining the same way.

7) Follow instructions in the pattern for assembling the rest of the scoodie.

The Hooded Scarf pattern is available at:

Jamie Christina.com

Pretty Ditty

Phat Fabric

Here's a link to more shops that carry the pattern.

Rock on!

Jamie

All Alexander Henry fabric on sale!

2010-09-01T21:05:00.000-07:00

All Alexander Henry fabric is on sale at Phatfabric.com. Fly on over to check it out!

Jamie

Bibury Capelet by Natalie

2010-08-30T08:56:00.000-07:00

The Bibury Capelet as made by Natalie of Hungry Hippie...

Natalie sent me a pic of her Bibury Capelet creation and I just had to share it with you all. She used a cotton poplin fabric, which turned out simply divine! Here's a link to her post about the capelet. She also made some beautiful Anthro inspired headbands to go with the capelet. Me like-y a lot!

Jamie

Do you speak German?

2010-08-17T21:30:00.000-07:00

The current issue of German Burda Style magazine features my Peg Doll Kit!

Now, if I could only read German. I'm pretty sure they wrote nice stuff about Miss May and that peculiar librarian Abigail. Or at least I hope they did?

Jamie

Office space makeover-ish

2010-08-11T22:51:00.000-07:00

Before...

After...

A few weeks ago, my husband and I decided it was time to give me an Anthro inspired office space. Up until that point, my office was in a secluded corner of the house far from the activity of everyone. I wanted to move my office into the family room, so that I could see people and more importantly my kids. It seemed strange to work from home and never see my kids. I would be in one corner of the house while they would be playing in another. We would all communicate with loud voices. Good for their lung development, but bad for nurturing intimacy. So, as I already mentioned, a couple of weeks ago we decided to make it happen. The trick was to have an exposed office that looked good being exposed. I wanted the office to look more like an art display rather than a file/paperwork display and I knew just the place to find my inspiration... all together now...1...2...3... Anthropologie! Here's the inspiration image...

I really love the frame around the shelves, but it just wasn't going to work for my particular area, so what I took from the inspiration image was the shelving and the wood table/desk. To achieve the weathered organic wood shelving look, my husband went to an off the beaten path lumber yard. He found a 10ft. plank of wood buried in the dusty inventory of the lumber yard. The plank was cut into 3 separate pieces at the lumber yard before being brought home for me to clean off all the dust and residue spider webs... thanks. It was my idea after all.

I loved the water stains and chipped parts of the wood planks. It was important to me to have wood that was naturally distressed.

My husband also found some pea green planks, which we ended up making a table out of.

First, we drilled some brackets into the walls. Since the planks are heavy and would become working shelves we first located the studs in the walls before we drilled. My husband used a Black & Decker stud finder to accurately find the studs. And yes, he would also point it at his chest to locate the "stud." Any of your husbands do that? Moving on...

After drilling the brackets into the walls, we drilled the planks to the brackets.

My stud then applied a stain to the fresh cut portion of the planks, which gave it a weathered look that was consistent with the rest of the wood.

Lastly, we decorated. I tried to weave in work stuff with decor stuff.

A butterfly knob was added to my desk.

The prima ballerina that I made for my daughter peacefully sits at the end of a shelf and watches me type. The silhouette is of my husband when he was a little boy.

My mom gave me this vintage pin cushion.

Three little bird candles. I just don't have it in me to light their little backs on fire.

At night, I light the tea candles that are randomly placed throughout the shelves.

And here is where I write, work, and play.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jamie

My Toms

2010-08-05T15:52:00.000-07:00

You like? I do!

These are my new Toms shoes and they're awesomeness. They are very comfortable, cute, and charitable. For those of you who are not familiar with Toms shoes here is a quote from their website explaining their One for One movement:

"TOMS Shoes was founded on a simple premise: With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for One. Using the purchasing power of individuals to benefit the greater good is what we're all about. The TOMS One for One mission transforms our customers into benefactors, which allows us to grow a truly sustainable business rather than depending on fundraising for support."

After checking out their site, I noticed a corduroy style which is now a must for me this fall. I like these. Here's a link to my pair.

Cheers,

Jamie

My sewing machine got broke

2010-08-04T07:56:00.000-07:00

I sew on a Singer. I bought my Singer about 8 years ago from Sams Club for under $200. In the social circles of the sewing world Singers are considered to be... well as it was once put to me, "The VW bug of the sewing machines." And I'm not talking about the new revised VW bugs. I'm talking about the bugs that my best friend and I from high school would jump over the train tracks and bottom out the car and the next week her dad would jimmy it back together because the parts and car were both extremely cheap. However, I have to say that I have never had a problem with my Singer and I love the old bugs. Not only have I never had any problems with it, I have never taken it in for a cleaning or a tune up in all of the 8 years that I've owned it. I know. I've been a bad owner, and yet my Singer has been so good to me. So when she broke down on me the other day, I gave her a pep talk explaining that it wasn't her it was me and that I wasn't going to give up on her.

Yesterday, I took her to the repair guy and it turns out the problem is a timing issue. She should be fixed in about 10 days. 10 days! Ughhhh! I don't think I have ever gone more than 5 days without sewing. When the repair guy said 10 days, my son exuberantly raised both of his arms and said, "Yeah! Mom can't sew for 10 days." The repair guy then replied to my oldest, "You better be on good behavior then." My son then realized that maybe my sewing isn't so bad after all and that in fact it has distracted me from some of his mishaps. Anyhoo, I have no idea what I'm going to do with myself. It looks like I'll be cleaning and shopping for the next 10 days. I guess I'll make dinner tonight.

Cheers,

Jamie

Shoog the terrorizer

2010-07-29T10:17:00.000-07:00

Moments before the above photo was taken...

She does this every morning if I don't give her a bone to chew on. She never actually bites into the couch. It's more of a threat. She's basically saying, "This is what I'm capable of doing if you don't pony up the bone." Since I have big plans to reupholster this couch, I hesitate in giving her the bone and calling her bluff. She would save me time in tearing off the fabric.

The other day I had to take Shoog to the Vets for a spider bite. While sitting in the waiting room, I noticed a poster on the wall that said the following...

Why dogs are better than kids

1) They eat less.

2) They get their hair cut exactly as you want them to.

3) If they get pregnant you can sell their babies.

They make a compelling argument.

Cheers,

Jamie

Sunny Day pattern shoot

2010-07-28T08:03:00.000-07:00

I made a slide show of the Sunny Day pattern shoot via Image Shack. Thanks to the hospitality of Kaj and Crystal, who were so generous to let us use their home for a set, this shoot will always be memorable to me. Their intimate home supplied an abundant of backdrops for the models. I most enjoyed the beauty of their backyard English Garden, which set the stage for the wonder Pierre tried to create. On top of that, the home's close proximity to the the beach added the coastal air and summer carefree sun which the Sunny Day Dress reminds me most of.

Crystal is an interior designer and it is obvious by the charm and originality of her home that she is very talented at her profession. I wish she had a blog because her work is harmonious. For example, she made a pillow and stitched a branch with a felted flower to the pillow. She lined the inside of her cabinets with a beautiful vintage inspired wallpaper and trimmed it with black rick rack. The backyard is an English garden that could easily provoke the thoughts of fairies and talking animals in a little girls imagination. AND Crystal loves Anthropologie! If she ever starts a blog I'll be sure to let you all know.

The models are friends of my sister. They were perfect for the pattern. Francis modeled the dress and Christalle modeled the skirt. Francis works at an organic hair salon and is a mom to a 4 year old little girl. Christalle studied fashion design, so I tried to pick her brain as much as I could without loosing focus on the shoot. Stacie (seen reading a book in the above slide show) modeled a piece for another pattern that I'm working on. More to come on that. Taryn Goedart was the make-up artist whom herself could have easily been one of the models. She has the sweetest face sprinkled with freckles. I love freckles. As most of you already know, Pierre Olivier was the photographer for the shoot. He always knows how to capture the mood and look I want to be portrayed in a shoot. He is getting quite busy and popular in his photography career. I always enjoy reading about his other shoots on his blog. My sister was my right hand woman. She styled, organized, and did anything and everything I needed. She's the best!

The shoot is always one of the highlights for me in putting a pattern together. I find great enjoyment from the collaboration that these shoots create. Everyone is able to share their craft with mine, and have a blast while doing so! It's rather poetic watching it come together in a shoot.

Cheers,

Jamie

New fabric and Anna Maria Horner fabric sale

2010-07-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

Before I jump into the fabric news, I need Maddy Maze Studio to email me at apronstreet@yahoo.com to collect your Sunny Day sewing pattern prize. Thank you =)

New fabric at Phat Fabric...

Echino Bike

Nani Iro - Fuwari

This is the fabric I used for the modified Sunny Day Top.

AND 30% off Anna Maria Horner Voile fabric (link). Ooh la la!

Jamie

The Sunny Day Dress and Skirt Cover is...

2010-07-22T08:53:00.000-07:00

Cover #1!!!

Oooh...I know a bunch of you thought it was #3. Ah...but it's not. I too was torn between cover #1 and #3. Cover #3 captured the feeling of a sunny day, plus Frances (the model) looked so happy and natural riding a bike with the dress on. However, I felt cover #1 showed the dress the best. Who knows, maybe I'll print #3 for the reprint. Or, I may use it for the web. It really was a difficult choice, which is a good predicament to be in. I liked the 2nd cover, because if you noticed, it showed off the lining option for the dress. For Cover #2 I used a nylon netting for the skirt lining which added fullness to the dress. I'll write more about the pattern in a bit, but first let's announce some winners. If you chose correctly you were entered twice for the giveaway.

And the winners are...

Maddy Maze Stutdios (said... I'm going for #1. I really think that's it)

Belinda (said... Option 2 is my guess!)

Sapo Verde (said... I think you chose option #1 for the cover. It really features the dress nicely.)

Congratulations winners! I will contact you for your shipping info.

About the Dress

The dress is based off of my Pretty Ditty Apron pattern. The top is a halter top with neck straps that tie behind the neck. However, you could sew a couple of buttons to the back of the waistband and criss cross the neck straps to the back and button them down. That too would look good! The skirt is gathered and the back of the waistband is gathered with elastic. The dress is backless and the bodice covers beyond the side seams, which makes the dress comfortable to wear. You can also wear it with a tank or form fitting t-shirt just as you would with an apron. Very versatile!

About the pattern

Something new that I constructed with this pattern print job is that the instructions and illustrations are in a booklet form. The booklet also includes a page for adding notes such as modifications and such.

Other highlights

~ There are plenty of detailed illustrations for the visual learners.

~ A Glossary

~ Options such as:

adding waist ties

adding trim to the waistband

lining the entire dress

AND

a pretty darn cute skirt option.

Of course after the pattern was made, I discovered that by cutting off most of the skirt I could make a top too out of the pattern.

I added the running stitches to the waistband before I added the waist ties. Here's the back...

You can see what the pattern looks like with a tank under it.

The sizing chart located on the back of the pattern helps direct you by simply finding your size on the chart and following that column down to locate the fabric requirements.

The pattern is now available in my shops - Jamie Christina, Phat Fabric, and Pretty Ditty. Also, be sure to check out my list of shops that carry my patterns (link).

I will share more pics from the shoot and write about all who were involved with the shoot soon. It was a lot of fun and I am so thankful to everyone that participated with this project.

Happy creating!

Jamie

The Sunny Day Dress & Skirt pattern plus giveaways

2010-07-14T19:47:00.000-07:00

The giveaway is now closed. I will announce the winners tomorrow. Thank you all for entering. It was very interesting =)
The Sunny Day Dress and Skirt booklet pattern is at the printer. Yippee! While I'm in waiting mode for the booklet I figured we'd celebrate with a giveaway...or 3. Below are 3 possible covers for the booklet. Since the pattern is already at the printer, we all know that I have already chosen the cover, but just for fun which cover do you think I chose?

Cover #1

Cover #2

Cover #3

How to enter

Leave a comment guessing which of the 3 options above is the Sunny Day Dress and Skirt pattern cover. All comments will get one entry, however, if you guess correctly you will receive 2 entries. Be sure to leave your email address with your guess, or contact me via email if you are one of the winners.

Who can enter

Any and everyone - including international friends.

When

The giveaway begins now and ends Wednesday the the 21st of July.

The winners will be chosen via a random number generator.

Here's the back of the pattern...

When the pattern booklet arrives, I'll write more about the pattern and photo shoot.

Good luck!

Jamie

Boo!

2010-07-12T08:46:00.000-07:00

Photo by Alfred Eisenstaedt

It's me. Jamie. The apron/pattern/mom/Anthro loving/occasional blogger. Remember?

Well that was quite a break! Originally I had intended the break for working on my new patterns, but I'm sure I would have taken a break even if I wasn't working on the patterns. Between swim classes, youth sports, and beach visits, this has become quite a busy summer. Not to mention how messy this place can get with so much going on. I don't know what it is about the 3rd child, but ever since that little shooga booga arrived 4 years ago I can't seem to catch up with things.

Take the laundry for example. Never a problem 5 years ago, but now... well, now I just tell the kids to check the couch for their swim trunks. And if they can't find a matching sock, which is almost always the case, I'll settle for matching colors. No one notices anyways... right?

*** Pattern News ***

I am finished with one pattern and will be sending it of to the printers this week. I'm anxious to share some pics in the upcoming days. I've leaked a few on my flickr page. The talented Pierre Olivier photographed the goods. You can check them out here.

More to come!

Jamie

New fabric and new pattern news!

2010-06-14T22:16:00.000-07:00

There are a couple of new Japanese fabrics in the shop.

Echino - Bus

Echino - Camera

Nani Iro - Fuccra (I've already cut into this)

Nani Iro - Poster Fleur

This last one is part of the Kokka family and is called Tiny and Cute Deer. They have the cutest big ole fat heads. I just want to squeeze them really hard... ok, maybe a little too hard.

***

On a different note, I've been busy these past couple of weeks working on 2 new patterns. Normally I leak out pics of what I'm working on, but no can do this time. Well, I shouldn't really say that. I have shown pics of them in the past... sort of. Anyways, I'm finishing up pattern #1 and then I'm going straight into pattern #2. These next few weeks may be a little quiet around here, because I really want to get them out ASAP. As soon as the patterns are completed, I'll get back to posting some tutes.

Cheers!

Jamie

Shoog is still a boog

2010-06-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, shoog is still a boog. She gets herself in these predicaments that she can't get out of. Take, for example, the above predicament. The other day I happened to glance outside and saw 2 big eyes staring at me. I just about jumped out of my skin! Shooger managed to get herself stuck on our patio table. She tried to get down by herself, but as you can see she's not exactly the agile kind. The third frame is my favorite, because she gets her hind legs perched up next to her front legs and then chickens out. We have obviously lost the "getting up on furniture" battle.

Ah I love her!

Have a fun weekend!

Jamie

Vintage dress madeover with trim

2010-06-09T08:33:00.000-07:00

Last week, I got around to taking off the rick rack trim from my vintage dress and replacing it with the Italian trim. I contemplated sewing trim to the waist line as well, but I decided that it might be a bit too much.

After all, it is my barefoot dress.

Jamie

The Palm Springs celebration

2010-06-07T09:08:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my husband and I took a little road trip to Palm Springs. Actually we stayed in Indian Wells, which is a sister city to Palm Springs, but most people don't know where Indian Wells is, so Palm Springs it is!

Indian Wells, along with Palm Springs, are some of the cleanest cities I have ever seen. As we were driving into town, my husband and I kept saying to each other, "It's so clean here." "How do they keep it so clean?" Where's the litter?" Then, when we got out of the car we said, "IT'S SO HOT HERE! So, I suppose that's the trade off for cleanliness.

While we were there, an alcohol/substance recovery program group was having a celebration retreat at the resort. There must have been about 250 people celebrating their sobriety. It made for a very interesting setting. It was like spring break at Daytona Beach, but without the alcohol. Usually the combination of pool side bootie shaking dancing, boisterous buff tattooed bodies, piercings, and what most would perceive as a wild looking crowd, would normally produce fighting and other uncomfortable situations. But not this group - no fighting or anything of the sort. Not only wasn't there the threat of what happens when parties go bad, but everyone from the group was extremely kind and joyful. Genuinely joyful! Everyone was very supportive of each other and they just wanted to celebrate a positive change they had made.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the celebration and the various conversations I had with the group members. I found myself sincerely excited for their success. I wanted to ask whomever I came in contact with what was their story and how they overcame their addiction, however, I figured they weren't there to talk about their past because they have a new life to begin. It was so special to witness their celebration and affinity for each other. It made our own special weekend that much more fun.

My husband and I had our own reason to celebrate this weekend, since we have been married for 16 years this month!

And much like the recovery group, we too are looking forward to the brightest of futures.

Cheers,

Jamie

Winners and New Organic Fabric

2010-06-02T11:11:00.000-07:00

The Random Number Generator has found favor with...

Sarah G

and

Lucie.

Congrats winners! I have both of your email addresses, so I will email you shortly for your shipping info.
Looking over all of the comments, I'd say the Peacock is the blue prize winner for Most Popular Craft to Make First category. I do have 3 books left in stock if you are interested in making that Fancy Peacock.

Thank you everyone who entered.

Continuing the bird theme, I just received a shipment of organic fabric by Birch Fabric's titled Circa 50.

All of the fabrics would make lovely aprons, curtains, and/or baby blankets. However, my favorite of the bunch is Tree Stripes located in the top left corner with the birds perched in the trees.

The entire Circa 50 collection is GOTS certified which means the fabric meets the Global Organic Textile Standard. The fabric is produced from organic cotton and printed with low impact dyes. So not only does this fabric make the eyes feel good to look at - it's environmentally friendly too! Here's the link to the fabrics.

Lastly, I have added more fabric to the 40% off clearance section such as Sandi Henderson's Meadow Sweet fabric. Here's the link.

Cheers!

Jamie

Book giveaway

2010-05-26T08:50:00.000-07:00

The giveaway is now closed. I will announce the winners tomorrow. Thank you for playing!

Hey! How about a book giveaway? CT Publishing has graciously given me 2 Little Birds books to giveaway.

Who can enter?

Any and everyone. International friends are more than welcome to enter.

How?

Leave a comment telling me which project you want to complete first. Also, be sure to leave some sort of contact email, or you can email me if you are the winner. Two winners will be chosen through the random number generator.

When?

The giveaway begins now and concludes on Tuesday June 1st. I'll announce the winners on Wednesday the 2nd.

What projects?

The projects in the book are:

Little Bird Mobile

Fancy Peacock

Stork With A Heart Mobile

Our Flock Embroidery

Tweet Birds Apron

Birdhouse

Fred the Cardinal

Edward The Owl

Bird In A Cage

Little Round Bluebird

Bluebird Wallets

Mildred The Dove With Baguettes

Birds On A Wire Quilt

Embroidered Doorknob Ornament

Mid-Century Scrap Quilt

Pikku The Penguin

Garden Of Birds Embroidery

Bird's Nest Journal

Bird In A Nest

Little Birds Quilt

Owl Wallhanging

Budgie

Wreath With A Bird

Bird On A Branch Makeup Bag

Chewy The Owl Ornament

Here's the book trailer again. You can view the projects in the order listed above.

Best of luck!

Jamie

Little Birds Book

2010-05-21T06:22:00.000-07:00

This unique and creative book called Little Birds: 26 Handmade Projects to Sew, Stitch, Quilt & Love by Stash Books is the best bird crafting book ever! I'm not just saying this because I happen to be one of the contributors in the book. Honestly! Ok...maybe.

My project is titled A Bird In A Cage. It's similar to my fabric birdcage, but the base is painted and decoupage with floral fabric motifs. To add to the birdcage's charm, red wooden beads are attached to the base as a stand. Also included in the project are directions and pattern pieces to make the bird.

I have quite a few favorites from the book.
I love, love, LOVE, Samantha Cotterill's Mildred the Dove with Baguettes...

Then there's Amy Adams' Fancy Peacock...

And who could overlook the Birdhouse by Abigail Brown...

Every bird deserves a happy home like this.

Eleanor Brice's Edward the Owl is a must make for me...

I could go on and on about this book since there are quilts, embroidery and even an apron - all bird themed. Being a bird lover, it was the perfect book for me to be a part of.

You can view all of the projects by watching this promo video.

The book is available here and here.

Have a great weekend!

Jamie

The vintage dresses

2010-05-20T08:07:00.000-07:00

Here's how my vintage dress fits from the secret shop. It fits perfectly (just as long as I don't increase my waistline by 1 centimeter). I love wearing the dress. I can see why women of the fifties wore dresses like these around the house. It just feels so light, flowy, and pretty.

It makes me feel like I could happily sweep my floors.
Sigh
Someday.

My other vintage dress has a drop waist fit and needs a little work...

As you can see, the sewer of this dress stitched black rick rack around the waist and partly outlining the neckline. I'm not sure if I will complete the neckline rick rack, or take out the rick rack and add some trim. I'm leaning towards the trim.

The best part about the dress is the fabric.

Such a sweet whimsical design. This dress makes me want to go barefoot all day long and never so much as lift a finger for my floors.

Cheers,

Jamie

New Aprons

2010-05-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

Last week I attended a culinary themed women's luncheon at Azusa Pacific University, which I was asked to be a vendor at. I had been preparing for the luncheon for some time now, and I figured whatever didn't sell at the luncheon I could list in my shop. Happily, almost everything sold, which means I won't be having a big shop update. However, I do have 2 aprons for the shop.

The first apron is made with Echino Quiet Ground in lavender. And the second apron is made with laminated Echino Quiet Ground fabric. Both aprons have a corset back and are available in my etsy shop Pretty Ditty.

Cheers,

Jamie

Thea fabric

2010-05-14T16:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday! Before I'm off and running to T-ball games and school picnics, I wanted to show you a new Alexander Henry fabric titled Thea. Here are 3 of the colorways in stock at Phat Fabric.

I think the first one is perfect for welcoming summer into my house. Also, I have added new fabric to the sale section, including the 40% off sale section. Here's the link.

Have a great weekend!

Next week I will be adding 2, maybe 3, new aprons to the shop. One of the aprons is a laminate apron. I'm still on the laminate fabric kick.

Cheers,

Jamie

Pill Box Hat

2010-05-11T20:26:00.000-07:00

The other day I stumbled upon a Pill Box Hat tutorial by Humble Bumble B on the Threadbanger YouTube channel (link). After watching the tute I had to make one!

I had a little trouble stitching the curve, but for the most part it was pretty easy to make. Although to be honest, I think some of my stitching looks as if I was drinking and sewing. I wasn't. I promise. It was late at night. Anywho, the hat was quick to make and requires very little fabric to complete it. You can probably get by with using some scrap fabric if you have a stash. In the tutorial, Ms Humble Bumble doesn't mention interfacing, which is probably because she uses a wool felt fabric in the tute. However, when making my hat, I did fuse interfacing to the fabric pieces before I stitched the pieces together. It all depends on the type of fabric you use, so it's something worth considering before you make the hat.

The flower and birdcage netting is my own embellishment. For the flower I used dupioni silk from Joann's Fabric. I cut a 1/2" strip of the fabric, folded it in half lengthwise and wound it up. While I wound the strip I dabbed glue along the base of the strip and glued the layers together. For the birdcage netting, I found a great etsy store called Birdcage Supply (link). They have all sorts of Russian, French, and English Veil netting.

Here's how the hat looks on my noggin...

To secure the hat to my head, I stitched a small buttonhole on one side of the hat. Then, I pinned a bobby pin through it to secure the hat to my hair. I pinned a second bobby pin through the birdcage netting to secure the opposite side of the hat. This was enough to make sure the hat wasn't going to fly off into the sunset with one little blow of the wind.

I love the hat, even though I have no idea where I'm going to wear it.

Cheers,

Jamie

My vintage treasure

2010-05-07T07:45:00.000-07:00

Nestled in the San Diego hills of California, sits a sweet little shop full of vintage treasures. My mom discovered this hidden gem a couple of weeks ago and purchased a dress and capelet for me (I'll share some pics soon). My mom told me that the shop was full of vintage clothes, fabric, buttons, sewing patterns, jewelry... in fact, she said that there was so much stuff you have to walk on stuff to get to more stuff.

The story is that the owner is an elderly lady in her 80's and she used to work as a seamstress and costume designer. Currently, she spends time frequenting estate sales on a regular basis.

After hearing about and seeing first hand some of the thrifty finds, I had to find the time to take a trip to the shop for myself. It took a couple of weeks, but finally, last Tuesday, I made the drive down to San Diego to visit the vintage shop.

When we arrived, we were greeted by an employee of the shop named Beth. I asked Beth if I could take pictures for my blog. Hesitantly, she said yes but asked me not to mention where the location was. I'm not kidding. She said she didn't want a ton of people to come there. "OK?" I said and I put my camera away. The strange thing is there was a huge SALE sign in front of the store. A little twilight zone-ish. I did get a little spooked, but then again it doesn't take much to spook me.

The shop was overwhelming, but in a good way. It wasn't like the swap meet (I don't do good shopping there). It was charming and every room of the house/shop seemed to have a story. There where 3 separate shops and one of the shops was a house. The kitchen had vintage dishes in the sink. The living room had an old record player with records stacked around it. There was tattered luggage on the floor. The place seemed frozen in time. I felt like a detective snooping and exploring through a
private life.

I found quite a lot of goodies to purchase. When it was time to leave Beth showed me one more room. It was there that I found my treasure. In the corner of the room there was an end table with a weathered book lying on it. It looked like a scrap book. Casually I opened it and found pages and pages of vintage magazine cut outs. "This is what I came here for," I thought to myself. I asked how much the scrapbook was and Beth gave a fair price, so I bought it. I bought it without looking at everything inside, so as soon as we left the shop I opened my book and was shocked to see what I had. The book not only had cut outs of fashion designs, but it also had magazine articles and full magazine issues dating from 1902 to 1978. And when I write 1902 to 1978 that includes practically all of the years in between- 1903, 1905, 1906, 1910, etc. Crazy awesome!

Here are some pictures from the book...

I circled the date 1913!

This one has the words written My hat. I wonder if she designed it???

This is a magazine about crochet and knitted handbags.

I'll stop here, but there really is so much more to share. Every page has the year the images were collected written at the top. This book is not only inspiring for the design element, but it also inspires me to keep a book of all the design trends in my lifetime.

I'm so happy I finally picked a good vintage find, because in most all of my previous attempts at vintage hunting I've come up fruitless.

I also picked up some sewing patterns...

And a dress...

I'll show you how it fits just as soon as I get some pics with the dress on.

The dress has some stains on it. Beth said they're water stains. I'm not sure how to go about removing them. I don't want to ruin the dress. Anyone???

I can't leave you with a picture of the stains, so here's some shoes...

Cheers,

Jamie

Ella's upcycled sock dress

2010-05-04T21:37:00.000-07:00

The other day my daughter asked me if she could use my fabric scissors. "Why?" I asked. She told me it was a surprise and promised to ONLY use the scissors on fabric. About 10 minutes later she emerged from her room with this...

A cute mini! Maybe too mini, but a mini. Ella here is wearing a B-Girl original upcycled sock. Three snips and voila! I just love the cowl neckline.

Not only is she a designer, but a hairstylist too. Yep! That there rocker hairstyle was cut by my B-girl. She also gave her American Girl doll bangs... very short bangs. I can't show you the picture because it freaks my mom out (she bought her the doll). As long as she doesn't cut her own hair, I'm fine with it. Right?

Are you wondering what the heck happened to Ella's left hand? I think we all know who's calling card that is...

Nothing can escape the wrath of Shoog the Boog.

Cheers,

Jamie

The happy pillow

2010-04-29T08:09:00.000-07:00

The other day I was browsing through Target and came across this pillow by Dwell Studio. It was love at first sight! From the rosette flowers to the color combination, it possessed all that I needed for my bedroom. I tried to walk away, but it kept calling me- beckoning me to take it home. Eventually, I justified the notion of letting it ride along in my cart while I shopped. Every time I looked at it in my cart, I smiled. The next thing I knew I was walking out to my car with the pillow in hand.

It's happy here. We're happy here.

Nightie night!

Jamie

Yarn Button Tutorial

2010-04-27T06:47:00.000-07:00

Today, I thought it would be nice to show you how to make that cute yarn button featured in my Hooded Scarf sewing pattern. I've had a few emails asking if I made the button and if so, could I share how. The answer to that question is no I didn't make that particular button, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

Ahh I couldn't resist.

Anywho moving on. As I was saying, I didn't make that one, it was an extra button from an Anthro sweater of mine, but I do know how to make them.

As you can see, you can make these buttons with many different types of yarn and embroidery floss colors (yellow button). I prefer a mohair type of yarn, because I like the look of it and you can thread it through an embroidery needle.

Materials needed...

Yarn - About 2 yards will be enough for this project. If you have too much yarn it will be difficult to wrap around the plastic ring.

Needle that is big enough to thread the yarn through.

Plastic ring - I used a 1 1/8" plastic ring found at Michaels. However, the Anthro button has a center bar (I felt it), so I believe they used a belt buckle or something.

Directions

1. With one end of the yarn, tie a knot around the ring.

2. Begin to wrap the yarn around the ring. When you wrap the yarn, be sure to wrap the little yarn tail from the knot. Do not cut the yarn once you have finished wrapping the ring.

3. Once you have wrapped the entire ring, begin to fill in the center by stitching a Satin Stitch. First, begin where you finished wrapping the ring (see #1) and insert the needle into the opposite side of the ring, making sure that you stay within the ring (see #2). Next, pull the yarn through so that the yarn is taut. After pulling the yarn through, insert the needle next where you began (#3). Pull the yarn up and through nice and tight again. Repeat these steps making sure your stitches are close together. Work your way to the opposite side of the ring. If you find your ring is not thick or has some holes, repeat the stitching across to the other side again.

4. When the button is nice and thick, decide which is the front and which is the back of the button. Bring the yarn towards the back and begin to weave it through the yarn on the button (careful not to weave to the front of the button), making your way to the middle. If you are going to sew the button to a sweater or some type of loose knit, you can use the yarn tale to do so. Simply stitch the button to the loose knit using the yarn tale. However for most fabrics, the yarn may be too thick to stitch with. If this is the case, tie a knot and cut off the yarn tail.

5. Thread your needle with matching thread and tie the thread to a couple strands of yarn. Make sure the thread is centered and secure.

6. Stitch your button to the fabric.

That's it!

To give you an idea of how they look on a sweater, here's the Anthro sweater from the original button.

Cheers,

Jamie

Turn Signal Biking Jacket

2010-04-23T09:29:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if this has made the blog rounds yet, but I had to share this (via www.instructables.com). It's a biking jacket with led lights as a turning signal. Here's the link to the tutorial. I love it even though I don't bike. I should start.

Happy Friday!

Website updated?.... Check!

2010-04-20T19:31:00.000-07:00

My website, Jamiechristina.com, is updated. I changed practically everything on the site; from the design to the about page. I also added some new features, like a products page for purchasing. Other new or improved features on the site include...

~ An updated list of shops that sell my patterns.

~ A wholesale info page.

~ A corrections page for any revisions or tips on my sewing patterns. There is already a revision regarding how to make the waist ties longer on the Pretty Ditty Apron pattern.

~ A FAQ page.

Wrapping up the list of new features is the website mailing list, which is basically a way for me to keep you up to date on stuff like new products, corrections, and press. If you'd like to sign up here's the link.

Cheers,

Jamie

New fabrics and the Italian trim is back!

2010-04-13T10:28:00.000-07:00

A couple of Phat Fabric things on the agenda today. First off, new fabric...

I'm not much of an animal print person, but this Zebra print (called Zebe) is really making my eyes feel good! The scale is large and it's not black and white - it's black and ecru, which I like. I've already made an apron out of it and I can't wait to share.

Next up is another Alexander Henry print called Cameroun Jungle...

You could say I was in a black and ecru mood when I purchased these prints for the shop. Again, a large scale with whimsical floral/jungle motifs.

A little something to change up the mood...

This fabric is called Splatter and is part of the Van Gogh collection for Free Spirit fabrics. It's 100% rayon poplin. Perfect for Spring. I would love to make a light weight cape out of this fabric or a simple fabric bobble scarf.
Here's the link to the new fabrics.

***

I have good news for Italian trim fans. They are back in stock! Last week, I introduced the new trim section and within 48 hours sold out of almost all of the trims. Here is the link to the new trims.

This week I will be working on updating my Jamie Christina website with new features and goods. So, if it gets a little quite here, know that all is well.

Happy creating!

Jamie

The flower fields

2010-04-09T10:59:00.000-07:00

On Easter, we went to the Carlsbad Flower Fields before visiting our families. This was my first visit to the fields, which is strange considering I lived near them for a significant amount of my life. I guess I took it for granted until I moved away. Well, that and you have to pay to view the fields. That also seems strange to me, but we payed and enjoyed our visit.

Notice my daughter. Notice the dress. Notice it is Easter. Remember the Easter skirt I made her? Well, she had other plans... Grrr!... sigh...

Where were we? Oh yes - the flowers...

A lovely day!

Jamie

How to go from cardi blah to cardi HOORAH!

2010-04-06T07:27:00.000-07:00

This was a lot of fun to make! All you need is some cute trim, needle, thread, cardigan and about 15 minutes (depending on your hand stitching skills).
Here is my Anthro inspiration (link).

The before and after...

Materials list:

Cardigan - I used a Mossimo cardigan that I purchased from Target a few years ago. That's why I don't throw things away (ahem sweet husband of mine).
Trim - I used a little more than a 1/2 yard of the Nylon lace (link). Important note on the trim you choose: Make sure you can cut into the trim to allow the trim to separate along the bottom edge (see step 2)
Needle and thread

And we're off...

Step 1. Measure the amount of trim you need by pinning the trim to the neckline. Do not simply rely on measuring with measuring tape. You need to see the placement of the pattern. If you are using the same trim I used, or one similar, make sure you have placed the motifs so that you do not end up with a full circle on one side of the neckline and a half circle on the other side. If you find that you end up with a half circle on one side, then adjust where you begin the placement of your first motif. Either move it back or forward to allow for more or less room (cut off excess if less room). Once you know how much trim is needed, cut off the excess. Re-pin the trim to the neckline if you unpinned it to cut off the excess.

Step 2. The trim is not cut as a collar, yet we are sewing it on as a collar, so you will have to cut into the bottom of the trim to allow it to expand with the circumference of the neckline. However, you do not want to cut all the way through the trim. Notice below that I cut around the circles and stopped where the larger circles are joined. I also made sure that each motif had the same amount of small circles (4 small circles). If desired, you can add fray check to edges that are cut.

Step 3. Thread your needle (I double threaded it for extra strength) and bring your needle up from underneath the first motif. Pick up a couple of threads from the trim and insert it back into the trim and through the sweater. When I brought the needle through the sweater I tried to just grab a few threads making sure I didn't go all the way through the sweater. I didn't want the beige thread to show on the wrong side of the sweater (sometimes it did).

Step 4. Continue to stitch the trim to the sweater. Stitch the tops of the circles and continue to stitch down to where the circles join, then back up the circle (see white line path in pic below).

Step 5. When you get to the last motif, finish it off, tie a knot, and smile.

Enjoy =)

Jamie

Trims from Italy!

2010-04-05T12:40:00.000-07:00

I am very excited about my new Trims section at Phat Fabric (link). A couple of weeks ago I went to the LA textile show and came across a lovely Italian trim booth. I had been wanting to carry trims for some time now, but I hadn't seen any that I took an affinity to. That is until I saw these...

and these...

The last one is my favorite! I've already made something that I can't wait to share with you all this week (tute included). It's Anthro inspired. And speaking of Anthro inspired, take a look at this shirt I bought from Anthro some time ago...

Recognize that trim? It's practically the same cotton lace trim from the first set of pics (except slightly wider). When the rep from the trims booth pulled out that specific trim, I instantly remembered my green Anthro shirt. As we all know, anything Anthro looking is a friend of mine. It's amazing how sewing a trim on a basic shirt can... um... Anthro-ize it.

Also, the shabby flower trim is very similar to the trim I used on my daughters Easter skirt.

I feel like a little girl in a candy store. So dang exciting!

Jamie

Easter Skirt

2010-04-02T07:14:00.000-07:00

I made my daughter a skirt for Easter. I decided to revisit my past pettiskirt experience. Whoooh! Sends chills up my spine just thinking about that beast. Anyways, I wanted to make her a skirt similar to the pettiskirt, but I wanted it to be a much more pleasant experience. And it was! I basically gathered strips of fabric to the waistband. However, the waistband was not sewn together when I gathered the strips of fabric; instead, I gathered the strips to a rectangle which later became the waistband. Once all of the strips were gathered and sewn together, I then matched and sewed the raw edges of the skirt together making a circle. Lastly, I made a waistband casing and threaded elastic through the waistband casing. Next time I will take pics of the process and write up a proper tutorial about it. I wasn't sure if it was going to work, so I didn't take any pics of the process. Contrary to my first experience, this skirt was really easy and fast to make. I think I'm going to make myself a pettiskirt using the same method.

Fabric: Little Honey (skirt) and Froth (under skirt)by Anna Maria Horner at Phat Fabric.

Trim: Shabby Chic Rose trim at Frog Feathers.

The sweater is hand knitted by my cousin Priscilla. She made it for my daughter's 7th birthday. I think it's simply beautiful and very thoughtful of her. It matches my daughters Easter skirt perfectly.

Have a blessed Easter!

Jamie

Tiny Dancer

2010-03-31T07:40:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a new little peg doll for my daughter. Little by little I paint her petite features and then set her aside. The other morning, I noticed my little prima ballerina sitting in her usual spot. However, the morning sun had drawn special attention to her. There she sat, doing her morning ballet stretches with the morning light warming her skin.
I hope she is as special to my daughter as she is to me.

Jamie