Sweet Dreams are Made of These

I've seen a lot of great embroidery and needlepoint projects on various websites recently.  It seems like a skill in line with sewing, and I thought it would be a great addition to some of my quilting, so I thought I would give it a try.  I purchased Craftsy class Design It, Stitch It Hand Embroidery.  It was an easy and clear tutorial.  For practice, instead of doing random lines I dove right into a project (of course!).

Our niece was baptized in April, and I wasn't sure what kind of gift to give her.  I thought a handmade memory would be best, so I made a pillow with a quilted front, a monogram on the back, and embroidered the back with all the pertinent details of the day.  

For the cross quilted front piece, I used Michael Miller's Sommer Garden Bloom and a baptist fan free-motion design.  I enjoyed mixing the textures of satin and cotton.

For the back, I used an upholstery grade satin fabric, the same cotton for the monogram, and a variegated embroidery silk in monochrome colors.  

I have never done a zippered pillowcase, and I was very pleased how this turned out, and very proud of myself on the zipper.  I did a gathered, rounded corner, ruffle around the outside.

All the Pretty Little Dresses

One of my most popular early items were dresses, which was, somehow, unexpected for me.  I had three orders in a large spectrum of sizes.  All of the dresses were in my favorite dress pattern - Georgia Vintage Dress by The Cottage Mama - and all the clients opted for single skirt without a bib as opposed to a double skirt with piped bib front.

The first was to attend a christening.  Fabric was Forget Me Not in Blue Jay by Hawthorne Threads.

And my gorgeous model wearing her dress.

Then, there was a dress for another cutie.  I loved the combination of the Michael Miller Eiffel Tower fabric in red and the black buttons.

And another beautiful model!

My final order was a Christmas dress in Hawthorne Threads Reindeer Stripe in Red complemented by Snowflakes in Neutral with snowflake buttons on the back.  I can't wait to see a pic of this little angel wearing her custom dress.

Baby, You're a Firework

I love the 4th of July.  I even got married on the 4th of July.  I love BBQs, fireworks, and red, white, & blue.  I do, however, sometimes find the readily available stuff a little too patriotic (read: fly print everywhere).  I wanted to make my daughter something cute for the 4th, so I went back to an old favorite, Peek-a-boo Pattern's Sugar & Spice dress pattern that I used for a St. Patty's dress one year.

The main fabric is from Riley Blake's Parade on Main line.  I liked how it evoked a sense of small-town nostalgia as well as being adorable.

The result:

And Bloomers Too!

Another thing a customer asked was if I could make bloomers.  I had never thought to try before, and I don't know why because they were so easy and fun to make.

I used this super-cute cactus fabric from Hawthorne Threads.

Can be made with an elasticized leg (as shown) or straight leg (like shorts).  Available in sizes up to 10.  Now for sale for $25.

Introducing Skirts!

So far, I have been surprised to discover, that custom clothes are more popular than quilts.  I only had one quilt order, while I've had orders for 4 dresses and 3 skirts.  I had never done skirts before until a customer asked me if I could.  I've done dresses, which, in my mind, are more difficult, so I said "sure!" and went on to figure out what kinds of skirts I could make.

I finally settled on the Euro Ruffle Skirt by tiedyediva and the Madalyn Skirt by ViolaLeePatterns.  They are both super cute patterns and easy to create.

Here is an example of the Euro Ruffle Skirt.  I love the fun fabric - Michael Miller Groovy Guitars - this customer selected and complemented with a pink ruffle.

The Madalyn Skirt is equally cute, if not a bit dressier.  It can be made with a bow at the waist or without.  I did a set of two for a friend's daughters to wear for Christmas.  She selected Michael Miller Nordic Holiday and complemented it with Kona Tomato

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It's a Boy!

My first quilt order was for a friend expecting a little boy.  She liked the disappearing nine-patch pattern and said her preferred colors were blues and greens with lots of contrast.  I looked through my stash and came up with this "Barnyard" quilt.

Some of the fabrics I used were: Cloud 9 Happy Drawing Too Organic Sheep White Fabric, Tractor fabric ny newmomdesigns via Spoonflower, and Apple Hill Farms - Tree.  I threw some larger blocks in as well to break it up a bit.

I free motion quilted it with a stipple pattern.

For the back, I used a vibrant blue: Kona Malibu.

And six months rolled on by...

I can't believe it's been almost six months since I officially launched my business.  I feel like things have started well.  I've had some orders (thank you!) and have started to learn my accounting software and work out some of the kinks of trying to order supplies for a business.  It's been a great learning experience, and I've had about as much work as I can handle.  Balancing starting a home business with being a stay-at-home mom and actually dealing with running my home has been a bit of a learning curve, and I admit that I haven't marketed my business as much as I should have the past few months.  I plan on rectifying that by updating you all on what's been going on here the past few months, the projects I've been working on, and the plans I have for Sue Sews Whose Clothes in 2017.  So keep watching this space and the FB page for updates in the next few days.  As always, if you have any questions or are interested in a custom quilt or outfit, don't hesitate to email me or message through FB.