How to - The Ruffle Thong

With the gracious help of Anna, from Mrs. Depew Vintage Pattern, my ruffle thong pattern has been fully digitized!  Digitizing is a breeze when Anna does it! :)  

I'm really excited about this pattern because it is super easy, quick to sew, and is a great way to use up scraps of fabric since it takes only about 1/2 yard of fabric + a small scrap of cotton jersey, and regular, ol' 1/8" elastic that you can get at any fabric store.  This pattern is designed for wovens, so you can use cute quilting cotton prints, woven silks, whatever your heart desires!

First thing's first, you'll need the Pattern, 1/2 yard of woven fabric, 3 yards (or a hank) of skinny elastic, and thread to match.  You can also pick up some ribbon for bows, or lace to trim the edges. 

Print your PDF File, selecting “none” for page scaling in your Print Options window.

Tile your pattern pieces on a large table, using the Alpha-Numeric Key to help you align the pieces.  Trim off the excess margins along dotted lines, and tape your pieces together.  You can now either trace out your pattern pieces onto tracing paper, or use the printed pieces for your pattern.  ½” Seam Allowance has been added, so do not add seam allowance.

Cut your elastic using the measurement guide provided in the pattern. Double check the length by wrapping it around your waist, and leg (and inseam, where the thong would sit). Pull the elastic snug, but comfortable.

Fold your fabric on a 45 degree angle to the selvedge, this is the "Bias".  Place your front and back pieces on the fold, and cut out.

 Cut 1 Crotch piece in jersey lining & your self fabric.

 You have a total of four pieces - 2 crotch pieces (one lining, one self), and a front and a back.

 Layer your crotch pieces, wrong sides together.  Treat them as one piece from here on in.

 Stitch your back crotch seam to the back thong piece, and the front crotch seam to the front thong piece.  I serge mine.  You can straight stitch, and zig zag.  Optional, you can topstitch down.

Finish your leg openings with a rolled edge, pearl stitch, OR simply fold under and zig-zag stitch.  You can also zig-zag stitch stretch lace around the leg openings.

Now it's time to apply your elastic. Take your shorter length of elastic, and pin along the leg opening, ½” to ⅝” away from the finished edge.  The elastic is considerably shorter than the leg opening - this will create the ruffle effect.  You will want to pin the elastic to the start of your leg opening (on the wrong side), at the end of the leg opening, and in the middle, so that the thong will ruffle evenly the whole way around.

Using a narrow zig-zag stitch, and pulling the elastic evenly as you stitch, sew your elastic onto the wrong side of the thong. As you sew you will see that the elastic gathers the fabric, creating a ruffled effect. Finish both leg openings in this manner.

The Elastic is much shorter than the length of fabric you are sewing it on to  

Once you have stitch the elastic onto both leg openings, you should have something that looks like this - all scrunchy and ruffled.  This is a good time to give it a press with a hot iron. 

Now, Stitch ONE SIDE SEAM ONLY, making sure that your finished edges line up, and your elastic stitching line matches up.  I sometimes make a small thread tack so that the fabric doesn't shift- works better than pins!

To finish, pearl stitch your waist band (or zigzag, add lace, etc), and sew up your final side seam.  Top with a bow, rosette, or leave plain.

Ta Da!

Meet my new model

Sadly, the Zellers in our town has been bought by Target and they are liquidating the entire store, including fixtures.  I picked myself up this lovely set of legs for a steal. I'm now itching to sew something new to display on it!

But... today I need to get down to business and sew some orders.  Yesterday ended up being devoted to errands, chores, and other things... And I didn't get a minute to sew.

In the morning we walked downtown, which was closed off to traffic for a Side-walk Sale.  We ate poutine at 10am, and boy was it delicious.  I wish I could eat poutine everyday.  We walked home, ran errands, took a drive, cleaned the house, then received a message that some friends were up visiting from the city.  So, we walked back downtown again and had afternoon drinks on a patio with them.  It was so, so, so nice to see them.

This evening we are heading out to our second Pugalug Meeting of the year.  You might be wondering what the &@#* is a Pugalug? Well, basically a bunch of dog-obsessed pug owners meet at the park with their pugs and watch them get up to no good.  We only caught the tail end of the last meetup so I'm really looking forward to this one.  Oliver is so funny around other dogs, and much prefers human company.  I hope he loosens up a little more this time and spends more time off my lap!

Well, I'm off to watch some Murdoch Mysteries and sew, sew, sew!

Ginger Sew Along: Planning

Swimsuit fabric can be expensive and hard to find, but there are lots of sources online that have a good selection for a decent price.

I often scour Ebay for fabric-finds.  A simple search for "Swimsuit fabric" will bring up a few pages of goodies. Fabric.com has a good selection of Swimwear fabrics, as well as polyester ITY knits, that when lined, will work well for this swimsuit. Etsy as well is a great source for supplies. Sew Sassy has really reasonably priced lining, and solids.

Swimwear fabrics often make me cringe.  Neon, gigantic hibiscus florals, cheesy designs... I find that using prints sparingly tends to make a more... sophisticated suit.

Sew in swimsuit cups can be found at most fabric stores and most online retailers.  They usually come in a range of sizes, A-B, B-C, etc.  They come lightly padded or push up, so decide which you prefer.  We will be stitching these directly to our lining. Sew Sassy is a great resource for these kinds of findings. The added cups are 100% optional and do not need to be added.

Swimwear elastic is often quite rubbery - or the clear type.  I hate that clear elastic, it's sticky and makes me mad.  I am using a chlorine-friendly elastic that looks just like any elastic you would buy at the fabric store.  It is up to you what kind of elastic you use.  You will need a resilient elastic, no wider than 3/8" for your leg and neck openings, and a 1/2" elastic (optional) for under the bust.  I am using bra strapping for this.

Clear elastic can be used to stabilize your seams, depending on how structured your fabric is.  I am not going to be doing this.

I've kept construction of this suit as easy as possible. I'm a sewist who loves to sew, I'm not a sewist who obsesses over the "rules" (I am a "whatever works" seamstress).  My goal is always to enjoy what I do, and end up with a garment that I feel great wearing!

This pattern was designed as a lingerie piece, but looks pretty darn cute as a swimsuit if I say so myself.  I am by no means a swimsuit expert so I really look forward to learning some trick and tips from all of you along the way!

Ginger Bodysuit to Maxi Dress

So I got this awesome tie-dyed knit in the clearance section last weekend. It's been so hot here lately, maxi dresses have been the only thing I've wanted to wear.  They are light and airy, cool, comfy, and look more put together than shorts and tank tops.  I used the Ginger Pattern to cut this dress, with a very simple pattern manipulation.

Cut the bust cups as you normally would - I did not line mine.  I overlapped the Centre front and Side Front 1" (because each piece has 1/2" S.A.), and eyeballed how I wanted the side seams to lay.  You could just as easily make this a princess seam dress.  I extended my side seam down as long as I wanted the dress, gently curved the hem, then did the same to the back.

As I mentioned, I did not line the cups of this dress, I finished the edges with fold over elastic.  You could just as easily line the cups alone, or simply fold under.

Comfy!  Now... just needs some accessories.

New in the Shop...

I posted a couple new items in my shop today.  The first being the Summer Camp undies in a shorter hipster style.  I really, really, really love the lace on the sides of these undies.  It is the prettiest rose colour.

I also added some ivory satin Cheeky Panties.  It's always nice to have some basics <3

The Ginger Swimsuit Sew Along + GIVE AWAY! CLOSED!

Oh my goodness... I sewed like a mad woman over the last few days, testing my new pattern... and, I think it's ready to go! So, I am happy to announce that I will be also hosting a sew along for the 1 piece swim suit version of the Ginger Pattern.

Here's a sneak peek:

The instructions in the digital pattern do not go over things like adding elastic under the bust, or how to sew in the padded cups, so I will be going over all of these things here.  I'll also be showing how to sew on the elastic and how to make adjustable straps.

You are going to need a few things that might be hard to source if you are from a small town like me.  First, you will need swimsuit fabric.  While Spandex is the best, it is expensive and not always easy to find.  I am using a combination of black Spandex with a polyester knit that I will line.  If you cannot find Spandex, 100% polyester knits are good because they dry quickly.

 This swimsuit will be lined, so you also need swimsuit lining.  Swimsuit lining is often made of nylon or polyester, and is very stretchy.  It is important that all of the fabrics that you use are 4-way stretch fabrics, or you will need to make some major fit adjustments.

Spandex World has a great selection of Swimwear fabrics. Spandex House is also great.

The most important things about the fabric that you choose are: 1) they will be chlorine and water friendly.  Synthetics tend to dry quicker, and fabrics like polyester tend to have good chlorine resistance. 2) They are 4-way stretch knits.

You will need to buy enough fabric to do a mock up and your actual garment.  I recommend buying 1 yard of inexpensive stretchy knit fabric to test the pattern, and 1 yard of "good" fabric for your actual swimsuit. Don't forget to buy a coordinating swimsuit lining in either white, beige or black!  I can't stress enough how important the muslin is for 1 piece swimsuits.  In my experience, finding the right length for the swimsuit on your first go is very, very tricky!

You will also need 2 yards of chlorine-friendly 1/4" - 3/8" wide elastic to match your fabric, 1/2 yard of soft elastic for a band under the bust, and sew in swimsuit cups.  Optional are bra strap sliders and clear elastic.

Of course, you will also need a pattern.

To Kick off the Sew Along, I'll be giving away a free copy of the PDF pattern to TWO Lucky winners! Here's now to enter:

1. Comment here letting me know what kind of embellishments, fabrics, etc, you'll be using for your swimsuit.
BONUS ENTRIES!

2. "Like" Ohhh Lulu on Facebook.

3. Tweet about the Sew Along on Twitter

I'll be choosing two winners on August 1st, and will post my first sew along post on Friday August 3rd!

New patterns coming soooooon!

I've really enjoyed doing the whole sewing pattern thing, so I have decided to team up with Anna from Mrs. Depew Vintage Patterns & Notions to help me digitize a few of my patterns.  We are currently working on bringing you my ruffle thong pattern, which I like because you can use cute quilting cottons and other non stretch fabrics, and no serger is required.

I have been working on this pattern for the swimsuit sew along I am contemplating.  It can be made as a 1 piece, or two piece set and is suitable for knits only.  For the swim suit, it will be fully lined, and will have padded cups for support.

I am going to be opening a NEW shop for my patterns as soon as I get a few more made!

My parents have been in Wales for almost a week, so we went out and tended to the garden a bit last night. I brought home a bag of potatoes, beans, onions, and peas fresh from the garden - which I am roasting right now.  We stopped by my favourite park and wandered the trails, and kind of got lost...

This morning we woke up early, and headed out to the trails again, this time to a place just on the outskirts of town.  We walked for over an hour, just enjoying the forest.  It's one of my most favourite things to do.  I got eaten alive by mosquitoes and horse flies, but it was worth it!

My local fabric store was having it's seasonal clearance sale, so I stocked up on a few things this afternoon, including a drool-worthy chocolate brown stretch satin that is begging to be made into a slip.

When I got home, I worked on a couple orders including this teeny-tiny bodice for a little flower girl.  It's made of organic cotton jersey, overlaid with antique-white stretch lace.  I smocked the back with elastic to make it extra stretchy.  I understand the little one will be wearing it with a tutu skirt.  I think it turned out pretty darn cute...

Well, potatoes are done.  Time to eat and unwind!

Something Blue

I've been working on getting a few more bridal pieces into the shop.  I'm so embarrassed to admit that I totally forgot about my own wedding lingerie, and was scrambling at the last minute to throw a few things together! I will not let that happen to other brides! :)

Last night Dan went out with some friends and I had the house to myself.  It was nice, I finally started watching Downton Abbey, and just chilled with the Cat & Dog.

Yawn...

I've finally decided I need some away-from-my-day-job time, and have requested vacation in August.  I'm really excited to have some time off.  I don't plan on doing much, just hanging out around the house, maybe a day trip or two, but mostly focusing on new patterns, a couple new designs, and relaxing a little.

My parents boarded a flight to Wales on Monday Night, for a two week vacation and to visit my Aunt. I am so excited for them! This is their first real trip in ages.  I can't wait until they get back so I can hear all about it.  I, myself, am dying to take the trip out there so maybe they will inspire me to start saving my pennies!

Last weekend I managed to get alot of sewing done.  I also prepared a couple of things to send to a stylist for a photoshoot at the end of July. This is something I'd really like to do a whole lot more of... so, if you are a stylist, and are ever looking for lingerie, send me an email :)

Today, I am off to work.  I feel like I've really had to drag myself there every day.  Unfortunately, Dan's job has taken a bit of a downturn, so we are a little more dependant on my day-job income than we would like.  I'm going to see how business goes over the winter, then think about seriously taking the leap!

Pink & Lacey

I finished a few custom orders this weekend - and this is part of one order.  The customer requested some padding in the cups.  The foam inserts are not overly padded, but give the bra a little extra shape.  I'm going to try to find some time to experiment with adding pre-formed cups on larger size bras to see if it adds some extra support for ladies like me!  

In the works...

WOW! This summer has been amazingly busy for Ohhh Lulu.  It has been absolutely awesome.  I've had the opportunity to sew soooo much wedding lingerie.  It's really been a lot of fun.  I am catching up and winding down and hoping to have some time to devote to my blog soon.

I have a few things floating around in my brain... First, I've had a lot of people ask about converting the Betty Pattern into a swimsuit bottom.  So, I am working on a Swim Suit Sew Along, and am in the midst of making a long-line bra/tank pattern that can be used as a swim suit top.  I'm really excited about that.

I've got a give away planned for August.  It's not Ohhh Lulu Lingerie, but it is something that fellow sewists will want to stay tuned for.

Soooo.... stay tuned :)

Little Lydia

We took Lydia in to see our vet last night.  When you adopt a pet from the OSPCA, you get a complimentary vet visit, which was nice because Lydia has some issues.  First, like most animals that come from a shelter, she had a bit of a cold.  Second, She has a heart condition. Third, she has a cloudy eye that the vet at the shelter could not get a good look at, but did take note of.

The heart condition is a level 6 heart murmer.  I've learned that heart murmers run on a scale from 1, being least severe, to 6 being most severe.  Lydia's heart murmer is a 6.  She is so tiny and her heart beats so hard you can actually see the heart murmer when she is laying down.  She is a pretty lazy kitty, but it doesn't cause her any discomfort.  The vet was pretty clear that it really is a serious issue for her.

Poor kitty also has an infection in her incision from the spay.  As a precaution, because of her heart condition and everything else going on with her, we have her on some antibiotics.  She is such a nice, docile kitty and takes her pill so easily.  

It's sad to know that this sweet little animal that I am already so attached to might not be with us for long, but I suppose I feel repose knowing that at least she will live out her life in comfort. She sits on the chair next to me when I sew and has is starting to come for pats and snuggles with us on the couch at night.

I've never had a pet with any sort of serious health problem, so I'm not really sure what to expect.  

New Mailing List

I've had a few people contact me to ask about a mailing list, and I have finally gotten around to setting one up.  You can subscribe here, or on the right sidebar of my blog.

Newsletters will be sent at no particular frequency, but will highlight Sales, New Designs, Pattern Developments, Important announcements like Sew Alongs and Give Aways, and other Ohhh Lulu News.  If you are interested, click here to sign up.

Blog Lovin'

I was absolutely thrilled to have my Midnight Camisole featured on the Lingerie Addict.  I love the Lingerie Addict and it's been a dream for me to be on that blog, so this little feature on June 21st was just awesome.  If you are not familiar with the Lingerie Addict, it really is an amazing source for lingerie reviews, latest styles and collections... and beautiful examples of lingerie.  She does such a nice job of featuring so many types of lingerie - handmade, corsetry, lingerie for fuller figures, lingerie for petite women.  Ok, ok, I'll stop swooning... 

Yesterday I received an email from Jeanmarie from Mathewson photography.  Jeanmarie takes the most beautiful boudoir photos, they look like they could be straight out of Vogue.  I was so happy to see that she had featured a selection of my lingerie on her blog.  I really wish I lived closer, I would love to do a photoshoot with her! 

Heart Tee

Remember those heart t-shirts I sewed a while back? The first one I made was for a friend I've known since since Kindergarten, but haven't really seen since High School.  Growing up in a small town, you tend to go through your entire schooling with the same people, which is nice, because you really get to know each other.  However, after high school you don't have much choice but to leave, pursue an education, and you all go your separate ways.  I was so excited when Andrea messaged me on Facebook and asking me about a shirt she wanted to have made.  She posted this picture a few days ago and was kind enough to let me show it off.  I can't believe how amazing the shirt looks on her.  She has the perfect figure for it!

Welcome home Lydia!

Lydia has been with us for four days now and is adjusting pretty well.  She is the smallest cat I have ever had, and I think she must have been the runt of the litter.  

A week ago, we were notified that Lydia had a heart murmer, and the vet was concerned about putting her under for her spay.  She pulled through, and is happy in her new home.  Aside from the heart murmer, she has 1 cloudy eye, but in my opinion, it just gives her character.  It causes no pain, and she seems to see fine. They did warn me that sometimes cats with heart murmers will grow out of it, sometimes it can impact their longevity.  What ever happens, I am just happy she has a home.

She is not quite sure what to make of the dog.  She looks at him with great disdain, and he just wants her to chase him.  Overall, they are getting along quite well, and will even share the couch with one another.

Happy Family!

I had forgotten how low maintenance cats are.  She spends most of her day in the window, bird watching, in between naps in the closet and trips downstairs for food and water.  She's pretty sweet and snuggley.  Oliver gets a little jealous when I pick her up, put other than that, he doesn't pay her much attention.

My Take... Burda Style Dress

I have been eyeing Burda #101, the cap sleeve & tank dress with gathered rectangle skirt.  It's a basic sun dress, with a basic bodice-block top, but I liked the simple style of it.  Basic patterns like these are easy to manipulate, and add small details to make them really unique.

I made a few small changes to the pattern. First, I found the sizing to be quite off.  I haven't sewn a lot of burda patterns, but I cut what was to be for a size 37 3/4" bust, and I was swimming in it.  I probably reduced the whole thing by about 4 inches.  Prior to this, I had found bruda patterns usually fit pretty well.  Maybe I misinterpreted the pattern and cut the wrong size... I am notoriously bad at reading instructions.

Anyway, I made my dress out of a woven stripe that has some serious stretch to it.  Because of that, I was able to omit the zipper completely.  This made me very happy because I hate sewing zippers.  Yep, I'll be the first to admit, I'll go out of my way to avoid installing a zip.

I added ribbon ties to the shoulders. I trimmed back the shoulder seam by about 1/2" on either side, basted and gathered along the raw edge, then stitched my ribbon to it.  

On the back I added a heart cut out, which I bound this time with navy fold over elastic.  Bias binding works just as well.

  

The age-old Etsy Debate

Ah... the age-old Etsy Debate...  What is handmade, really?

Do you make a deliberate choice to shop handmade? Would you be disappointed if you bought something that you thought had been handmade by an artisan, only to find out it was made in a factory? Does it matter whether the factory is in China or New York?  What if the factory consists of only 5 staff? What if there are 45?

As many people know, Etsy has opened the field to allow collective shops, a loose terms that allows a team of people to run an Etsy shop. Collectives allow two or more artisans to run a shop cooperativly, it also allows a shop owner to hire out tasks, like shipping, listing, etc. It stipulates that all handmade items must be made by members of the collective, but what if the collective consists of 15 people, 12 of whom work in a factory? This has greatly clouded Etsy's definition of "handmade."

It bothers me sometimes when I see items that are clearly produced by a larger team of people, being marketed as "handmade."  Handmade is becoming as trendy as Gluten Free and Organic, and has become as diluted as those terms as well.  The problem is, the whole idea of "handmade" is such an innately vague  notion that it is really hard to separate what is legitimately handmade and what isn't. 

I can whole heatedly say my garments are handmade.  I design them, I source the fabric, I cut & sew, I package and mail.  What if I designed, packaged and mailed, but got a friend to cut & sew... what if instead of a friend, I sent them to a workshop in Toronto?  Someone still made them, right? As long as I list the sewers names on my about me page, I can still sell, as a handmade seller on Etsy? At what point does something stop being handmade?

Sometimes it is hard to stay competitive against larger collectives, or smaller brands who produce on a larger scale through factories locally and abroad. It can be a challenge to convey to the average consumer why they should buy handmade by an individual, when handmade often costs more, and takes much longer to produce.

I think the essence of a collective is a great idea, and I actually have a collective idea in the works.  Its the loose definition of the term on Etsy, a site to buy handmade items, that worries me.

I also don't think there is anything wrong with buying workshop-made.  I buy stuff like that all the time. Workshop-made, especially if made in North America is awesome - think of the jobs it brings. I think it's just a matter of transparency.  When you buy something on Etsy, do you expect that the person you buy it from made it? When you buy something from Mod Cloth, you know it went through a series of hands.  Does it even really matter any more?

I almost feel that Etsy should abandon the whole notion of "Handmade" and focus on the craft. I don't really consider myself as much of a designer as I do a craftsperson.  A craftsperson is someone who practices a trade of handicraft. They are skilled.  They have worked years to master their art.  I think that is what Etsy is about, and I think that is what consumers expect. That is, if Etsy even cares anymore...

I'm so behind on the times, I only recently read a Regretsy post about a seller who was chosen for Etsy's esteemed Featured Seller (oh how I'd love to be one, Etsy!) spot.  She sold "handmade" furniture out of reclaimed wood.  What was unclear was how the furniture was being made.  It was being sold not just on etsy, but on websites like Overstock.com. She claimed that wood was being imported from Bali and that she has 4 hired worker  to assemble the furniture.  However, the company she was importing from was a furniture manufacturer and sells the exact same pieces on their website that she is selling as her own.  It was pretty clear that her pieces were being imported.  Etsy stood firm and claimed that this fit within the confines of a collective.  Since the piece was posted in May (on Etsy & Regretsy), the shop has disappeared from Etsy.

The obvious resellers on Etsy don't really bother me, like the ones selling Leg Avenue lingerie.  They are obvious, and they don't even try to disguise themselves.  It's the ones that blur the lines, who have 2 or three staff of "designers" but produce in a workshop.  To me, this is when the idea of craftsmanship gets lost, which, I think, is what Etsy is all about... This is where an item stops being handmade.

Anyway, I would love to hear your thoughts.  I know it's kind of a dead topic, but I'd love to see Etsy shift their focus from handmade to craftsmanship.

In other news, I have been working on a garter belt design, which you can see below. 

Customer Service...

I have two jobs; by day I am an office manager, and in between I run Ohhh Lulu.  In both jobs, I make mistakes fairly regularly.  I forget things, sometimes something might not get stitched quite right, sometimes there are typos, occasionally a customer isn't happy.  This will happen with any job you do.

I've learned that the best way to deal with your mistakes is to be upfront and honest.  Offer an apology, fix the situation, and move on.  I've made so many mistakes in my professional life, I have become Queen at this.  With Ohhh Lulu, I've been fortunate to only have a handful of mistakes, and I have a good policy in place where, if it doesn't fit, I'll remake it, and I make it my priority.

I recently placed an order on a well known fabric website for a few things.  I always liked shopping at this well known fabric website, they have good prices, good selection, quick shipping, never had a problem with them.

Five days after placing my order, I received an email saying a fabric was out of stock.  I chose a replacement that was less expensive and went about my merry way.  Three days after that, I got an email saying that they had received my full payment and that my order would be shipped.  I was a little confused because I paid eight days ago at this point, and I was actually supposed to be getting a partial refund. So, I emailed to confirm... and was ignored.  Four Days after this, I received a notice that a second fabric was out of stock.  I was very confused at this point, because my order was supposed to have shipped four days ago!  So, I called, and requested that the entire order be cancelled.  At this point I had to add a couple other things to the order anyway, and wanted to just start fresh.  The representative assured me the order was cancelled and I would receive a full refund in 7-10 days.

The next day I placed my new order, which included two fabrics from the original, cancelled order.  Two days after that, on July 4th, I received an email that my cancelled order had shipped! I immediately emailed them, knowing that they would likely be closed for the holiday, explained what had happened and asked that someone please follow up with me by Friday.  On Thursday my new order shipped, and of course I have heard nothing from them.  So, now I have double the fabric coming in two SKU's , and have paid shipping twice.  In reality, I will likely be able to use all of the fabric, but I am mostly annoyed that I have now paid $50 in shipping.

I am so frustrated with the service I've received from this company! And by service, I mean no service.  If I were this company, I would do two things.  First, I would check and respond to my emails within 24 hours. Second, I would offer a refund on at least the cost of shipping to make up for the error and complete lack of customer service I received.  Shipping from the US to Canada costs upwards of $25.  Ignoring your customers, especially your angry customers, is probably the worst customer service policy!

In hindsight, I wish that I had insisted that the representative give me some kind of reference number, or something.  How do you think this well known fabric website should have handled this situation?  Have you had any bad experiences buying fabric online?

On that note, where do you like to buy fabric online?

New Member of the Family

I totally forgot to mention what Dan got me for my birthday! We took a trip to the Humane Society and I got to pick out a cat! I chose this cute 2 year old lady.  She is getting spayed on Thursday, and we will bring her home on Friday or Saturday.  She had been at the shelter for a few months, so I am glad to be able to give her a home.  I nearly cried when I walked into the Humane Society and saw all of the cats and dogs.  I love animals so much, it breaks my heart to see them there.  If it weren't for Dan and his sensible nature, I'd probably have left with a few more dogs and cats.

Such a great weekend...

This past weekend was Canada Day and my actual birthday.  I had such a great weekend.  On Saturday, we had Dan's parents over, spent some time gardening, and I got caught up on sewing.  We went out to my parents house for dinner and birthday cake, and spent some time with my cousin.  On Sunday, my actualy birthday, we had breakfast with my parents, then I sewed until about 1:00, then I did something I have't done in ages... I can't even remember the last time I've done this.  I went outside, laid a towel in the grass, suntanned and read a book for 3 hours.  Three hours of doing pretty much nothing!

It was great...  I'd get hot, and dip my feet in the kiddie pool we got for Oliver, then head back to my towel.  I ate the most gigantic piece of chocolate cake, in my bikini.  It was just awesome.

Yesterday I got four more orders out the door and finally sewed this romper that I've had floating around my brain for the last few months.  Isn't it sweet? I wish I'd had this for my wedding night.  Sadly, and embarrassingly, I totally overlooked preparing any sort of wedding lingerie when we got married.  Our first year anniversary is coming up, so I will make up for it then.

I'm back to work today, and will be filling in while my boss is away the next two weeks, so I may be a little more quite than usual.