How do they do it?

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Ahh!  I can’t believe I haven’t blogged in TWO WEEKS!  I’m so sorry for the accidental hiatus, I’ve just been buried in work.

I swear, I don’t know how these people do it.   How do all these bloggers have time to sew, cook, craft, take pictures and write blog posts ON TOP OF raising kids, shopping, eating, cleaning and sleeping?  Do they sleep?  Most of the bloggers I follow have 2-6 children.  How do they do it!??  I wish I knew their secret . . .

I must say, I was completely unprepared for this holiday season.  I opened my shop with only 3 items, sold all three and my shop was “closed” for the season within a week.  Had I been more prepared, I would have stocked the shop with ready to ship items – but maybe next year.

I’ve barely done anything related to the holidays.  We finally put the lights on our tree and decorated it, but I haven’t finished making the tree skirt yet.  I made one yummy holiday treat and FINALLY sent out our cards.  But that’s it.  No shopping, no other decorations, no handmade gifts or party dresses made.  I feel like this holiday is going to pass me before I catch up!

BUT – Hideko and Yuki are off on a mini-vacation with Hideko’s mom for two days and two nights!  That means it’s just me!  With TIME.  No work, no kid, just time.  And here’s how I spent my time today:

1. Made a to do list.
2. Took a nap.
3. Sent out holiday cards
4. Had a hot dog.
5. Watched a gorgeous sunset.

Hmmm . . . I was only able to cross one thing off my to do list.  So, not the most productive day, but I still have the night ahead of me and all day tomorrow!  I have tons of sewing to do and plenty to blog about too.  Let’s see how much I can get done in the next day and a half!

How are your holiday preparations going?

Hope they are going well 🙂

Custom Fabric Photo Book

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**I am no longer taking orders for these books.  Sorry!**

I’m so excited to share this project with you because it is definitely one of my favorite creations thus far.  I love it because my daughter really loves it.  It’s totally one-of-a-kind, made with love for each specific child.  It’s definitely not something you can just buy in a store.  So here’s the story behind the book.

I thought of the idea back when Yuki was very young and a bunch of things kinda came together.  1. Although we loved reading her books, they didn’t stay nice very long.  Yuki would bite off pieces or rip them out with her hands.  Despite our best efforts, most of our books ended up looking like this . . .

Even the heavy duty board books would not withstand the powerful combination of saliva and baby teeth that Yuki would inflict upon it.  Wouldn’t it be nice to have a book that really wouldn’t tear?

2. Yuki loved looking at faces.  She loved photos of friends and family members and even strangers.  Babies just like looking at faces.  We also have family that doesn’t live near by, so wouldn’t it be nice to have pictures that she could look at to learn their faces?

3. I found this awesome color fabric book online at Homegrown Happy:

And there are a lot of other amazing fabric books out there too.  Clearly, fabric books were not an original idea, but I LOVED it.  A soft, durable, unique book with pages perfect for little fingers and the potential to become a treasured keepsake.  The possibilities were endless – a color book, a book of shapes, textures, a peek-a-boo book!  But first, a photo book.

The first book I made was with iron on transfers.  I’d used these several times before to make t-shirts and they seemed to hold up pretty well in the wash (a very important test for anything that will be around babies).  I chose photos of all of Yuki’s family members.  I printed them as 5×5 squares and ironed them onto white cotton.

The rest of the book was just kinda made up as I went along.  I cut strips of fabric and made borders around the photos.  I sewed all the pages together with an embroidered cover and a velcro closure.  It came out exactly how I imagined it to be.  I was so pleased!

The best part about it has been watching my daughter interact with it over the last year.  First she would just stare as we turned the pages.  Then she learned how to turn the pages herself.  We’ve seen the recognition on her face as she saw each familiar face.  Now that she’s learned to kiss, her favorite activity is flipping through the book and giving a kiss to all her relatives.  It melts my heart!!  And soon she’ll be able to start saying their names as she points to each smiling face.  I know that this book will stay with us for a LONG time.  Maybe even until she is an adult and can look back at her family as they were in 2011.

In that bottom picture she is leaned over kissing a picture of Hideko’s dad, who passed away over a decade ago.  She’ll never get to meet him, but she’s so familiar with his face because she looks at this picture of him all the time.  It’s very sweet.

The next photo book I made was for a friend’s son, Julian.  For this book I used printable cotton (instead of iron on transfers).  It’s fabric that feeds through your printer and you can print directly on it.  Then you can iron them on to something or sew them and they are permanent!  I really like the results.  The images are sharp and the fabric is very sturdy.

And that’s the story behind the fabric photo book!  Do you know a little someone who’d like one of these?  If so, this truly unique, one-of-a-kind, and long lasting gift could be in their precious hands by Christmas!  I’m taking ONE more order for a custom book before the holidays, then I’m totally booked like crazy with projects, so if you’re interested, buy NOW!  SOLD OUT!

**I am no longer taking orders for these books.  Sorry!**

you & mie Labels

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Look what arrived today!

I ordered these woven clothing labels to put on the clothes, fabric books and other things I make.  It was a bit of a splurge, but I thought it would add a professional touch to my products.  So anything I make from now on will be adorned with one of these pretty babies!

I ordered these from Linx Corporation.  Overall, I’m glad I ordered them.  I don’t know how their price compares to other companies, but it seems like a reasonable price.  They have great customer service/communication.  I must have gone back and forth with them at least 20 times about the design and they always came back with a new mock up.  Part of the reason we had to communicate so much was because I am a perfectionist and I need things to be EXACTLY the way I want it, but part of it was because I was having trouble with the artists on their side.  They kept changing things I wanted to stay the same and the changes they made, or mistakes, were not things I could look over.  That was the downside.  The entire process took waaaaaaay longer than I had hoped because we had to go back and forth so many times.  But at the end, I’m glad that they were willing to hear my feedback and make the changes I requested and I am satisfied with the final product.

I literally JUST got them so I haven’t had a chance to sew them onto anything yet, but if you buy something from my etsy shop, you can check one of these out up close!

The Etsy Shop is now open!

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It’s finally here!  The you & mie Etsy shop grand opening!  Well, it’s not that grand, but at least it’s an opening!  I had originally imagined I would create a stock of products and a whole line of children’s clothing, but I was being far too ambitious.  When the reality of just how much time I needed versus how much time I actually had sunk in, I decided to just post a few items at a time.

So I’m proud to finally share my first two products, the Custom Fabric Photo Book and the Fabric Color Book.  I’ve spent a lot of time developing these two books and I think they’ve come out really great.  They are definitely wonderful gifts for babies and young kids that will become treasured keepsakes.  I hope you take a look and like what you see!  If you know of anyone who might be interested, please pass on the links.  And remember, I will be adding a lot of other GREAT stuff soon, so check back often!

Thanks!

Sew & Tell: Herringbone Short Coat

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Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!  I hope you are all able to spend some time with loved ones and remember all the things you are thankful for.  As for me, I have so many things that I am grateful for.  I feel extremely blessed to be surrounded by so many amazing, loving, and inspiring people and feel so lucky that I have everything I need and more.  I’m thankful for my beautiful, healthy and brilliant daughter and my too-amazing-for-words life partner who gets me, accepts me and loves me though anything and everything.  And I’m so grateful that I get to do things that I love like sew, take pictures and blog and that people are encouraging me to pursue one of my dreams.  Thank you!!

I have been able to be super productive recently because I’ve had some rare time to myself (another thing that I’m thankful for!).  After working on a lot of things for other people, I wanted to take some time to make something for Yuki.  I’ve had this image in my mind of a simple coat and I finally had the chance to try it out!!  I’ve never made a jacket or coat before because it always seemed so intimidating.  I’m glad I finally gave it a shot and I learned A LOT from this experience.  Although I’m pleased with the way it came out, I’d definitely do a few things differently next time.  Anyways, here it is – the Herringbone Short Coat!

It’s lined with some super soft flannel.

This is my first Peter Pan collar and it did NOT turn out as I expected (more on that later) and a random button that I found in my button jar that I LOVE.

I used a wool blend herringbone fabric that I picked up out of the remnant bin at Joann’s.  It was only 1/3 yard!!  So I didn’t have much to work with.  I love the slightly dressy look, but it isn’t very practical since I can’t just throw it in the wash.  It’s also a very loose weave so it unravels like crazy!

The original design for this jacket had a hood, but I decided to nix that for this coat.  Yuki has so many hooded jackets and she doesn’t even like wearing the hood (plus, I probably wouldn’t have had enough fabric for that anyways).  I’m glad I went for the Peter Pan collar, but it sure was harder to do than I thought.  The collar turned out way smaller than I’d hoped and I didn’t know how to attach it, so that resulted in some creative (sloppy) sewing.  If anyone can help me with attaching a collar to a lined jacket/top, PLEASE share!

The other problem with the jacket is that it’s SNUG on her!  Which means that she’ll grow out of it by next week!  And you better believe she’s going to wear it every day until then!  I definitely want to make this coat again, but with some adjustments.  What kind of fabric should I try next?

Here’s some pictures of the coat in action.  She’s wearing it with a jumper that I also made so she’d have a complete outfit for Thanksgiving.  I’m going to share all about the jumper in another post.

Oh, how we love the fall!  I hope you all enjoy the long weekend filled with delicious food and good company!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Sneak Peek: Fabric Books

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I’ve been so absent from blogland this week 😦  But I’m still here and as busy as ever!  I wanted to show you a couple of things I’ve been working on.

I have two custom projects lined up for my friend Amy (yes, I’m taking custom orders – just email me!) and the first is a fabric photo book for her son, Julian.  She saw the one I made for Yuki and wanted one for Julian, especially he doesn’t get to see his family all that often.  I’m not done with it yet, but it’s coming together pretty nicely so far.  Here’s a few pics of the project in progress . . .

Hopefully I can finish this up by this weekend and start on the other project for Amy.  I’ll share about that one later.

And do you remember this sneak peek from FOREVER ago??  Well I was super psyched about this project back in SEPTEMBER and worked on it furiously for a few days and then it went into my “pending pile” to die 😦  But I’ve dug it out from the pile and I’m determined to give it new life!

That’s right, another fabric book, but this one is about colors!  And if all goes well, this will be available for purchase in the etsy shop!  It’s about half done now, but my goal is to finish them by early next week before the Thanksgiving madness.  Do you think I can I do it??

Tutorial: Double Layered Simple Skirt

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I’m so excited to share this skirt with you!  It’s kind of a Sew & Tell, Tutorial and Repurposed Project all in one!  I wanted to do an add-on to the Simple Skirt Tutorial to show you an easy way to add another layer and get a fun new look.  I also had some fabric laying around that needed repurposing, and this was the perfect way to use it.

I started off with a tank top that had a stain smack in the middle of it.  I was ready to let go of it as a tank top, but I loved the unique scalloped eyelet bottom.

I thought I’d be able to use the material for a skirt for Yuki.  Since it has large eyelets I knew I needed another layer underneath so it would be appropriately modest for my little one 🙂  Luckily I had this old bed sheet I had bought at a thrift store for about a dollar.  I’ve used it to make lining for a pillow case, a mock-up for a jacket, and now this skirt and there’s still tons of fabric left.  What a great deal!  The sheet had a ruffle of eyelet fabric on the bottom that I thought might add some volume and why not add small scalloped eyelet to big scalloped eyelet?  Wouldn’t that be fun??

So let’s make the skirt!!  Like I said, this is variation of the original Simple Skirt Tutorial.  The first tutorial includes more information about materials, measurements, and hemming, which is NOT included in this tutorial, so please refer back to that one if you have any questions.

Materials:
Fabric – You can use two different fabrics, or the same fabric for both layers.  You can also repurpose something or use new material.  It’s up to you!
Elastic – I used 1″ wide elastic and you’ll need it to be as long as the waist measurement plus 1 inch.  If the kid’s (or adult’s) waist measurement is 17 inches, cut 18 inches.

You’ll also need the essentials – sewing machine, iron, thread, scissors, pins, and though it’s optional, a safety pin is super handy.

Let’s get started.

First (and always), wash, dry and iron your fabric.  Then it’s time to cut it.  For more details about measurements, see the Simple Skirt Tutorial.  For this project, I wanted to keep the width of the skirt fabric the same as the tank top so that I wouldn’t lose any of the eyelet and I wouldn’t have to re-sew up the sides (basically, I didn’t cut the tank top yet).  For the bottom layer of the skirt (white) I folded it in half and measured the same width as the top (blue) material plus a 1/4 inch for seam allowance.

For the length, I measured the bottom layer first.  I cut it at exactly the length I wanted the finished skirt to be.  The great thing about using these fabrics is that the bottoms were done and required no hemming!  And yes, you do need a bit of room for seam allowance on top, but you’ll see later why I didn’t add any length to the bottom layer.

For the top layer (blue fabric) I laid it on top of the white fabric at the length I wanted it to be.  Then I added about 1/2 an inch to the top and cut it.

If you are using fabric that needs to be hemmed at the bottom, be sure to add another inch.

Here is my cut fabric:

Make sure the white fabric is folded in half with right sides together, pin and sew up the short end.

If you are using new fabric that is unfinished on all 4 sides, you will need to sew up both short ends on both fabrics.

Turn your fabric right side out and press the seam.  Now you should have two tubes of fabric that are the same width.

Now, with both fabrics right side facing out, you’re going to insert the top layer inside the bottom layer.  So in this case, the blue tube was inside the white tube.  Line them up on the top and pin all the way around.

Sew along the top edge around the entire waist, using a 1/4 seam allowance, back stitching at the beginning and end.

When you are done and you pull the material out from inside, it should look like this.  On the left is the bottom layer, right side up, and on the right is the top layer, wrong side up.

Flip the top layer down over the bottom layer.  I did not want any of the white fabric to show at the top of the skirt, so instead of pressing it open right on the seam, I made the fold with about a 1/4 inch of the blue fabric on the inside of the skirt.  This is why I didn’t add any seam allowance to the bottom layer fabric when cutting the length, but I added an extra 1/2 inch to the top layer – a 1/4 inch for seam allowance and another 1/4 inch to fold over to the inside of the skirt.  Does this make sense??

Press all the way around and pin.  Now we’re going to make the casing for the elastic.  Leaving about a 2 inch opening, sew all the way around the waistline, making sure your casing is wide enough for your elastic.

In the picture above, I was using the elastic to make sure I was sewing my casing wide enough.  After you’re done, you should have a 2 inch gap that is open for you to slide the elastic through.

If you have a safety pin, insert it into one end of the elastic.  This will help you guide the elastic through the casing.

Pull apart the two layers to find the opening for the elastic.  Using the safety pin, pull the elastic through the casing.

Pull the elastic all the way around the waist and back out through the opening.  Make sure the elastic hasn’t twisted at all and is laying flat the entire way around.  Overlap the elastic by about an inch and sew them together.

Finish sewing up the casing and you’re done!!

Now, I don’t know if you noticed this, but in the original simple skirt tutorial, I said you needed about double the waist measurement for the width of the fabric.  So for a 17 inch waist, you need 34 inches of fabric.  For this skirt, I didn’t want to cut any of the blue fabric away, so I left it at it’s original width, which was at least 42 inches.  All the extra fabric, plus the extra layer made this skirt really full!!

This skirt reminds me of something you’d wear to a tea party or something.  But all our lil’ tomboy wants to do is climb things and play with dirt and rocks.  That’s our girl!

Luckily, we live in California where an outfit like this might still be appropriate for November.  But it won’t last long, so I promise I’m going to start focusing on more winter-ish clothes soon.  Fleece, flannel, and sleeves, here I come.

As for this tutorial, I’d really like some feedback.  When I’m trying to explain the steps, I feel like I’m not being clear and that it’s too confusing.  If you have any suggestions for parts that need clarifying, I’d really appreciate you letting me know.  Or asking me questions if you need help.  I want to help!  🙂  I hope you try a Double Layered Simple Skirt.  And if you do, please send me a photo!!  Have fun!

Sew & Tell: Winter Party Skirts

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Our whole house has been sick for over a week, but I think we’re finally getting better.  At least Yuki is better and that makes things waaay easier.  I’m trying to get back into a blogging schedule and this week I have at least two projects to share with you.

This year for my sister’s birthday, I told her I’d make her a skirt as her present.  So we found this tutorial from Creative Spaces for a party skirt and went fabric shopping.  I took her to my favorite fabric store in the city, Peapod Fabrics, and she picked out this gorgeous Japanese fabric that just screamed AUTUMN.  It was perfect.

I like to call this color burnt butterscotch.  It’s such a rich warm color.

It took me forever to actually make, so instead of being an autumn skirt, it ended up being a winter skirt.  But I finally finished it and decided to make Yuki a little matching number with leftover fabric.  Yuki’s has a flat front, elastic waist in the back and ties for a bow that can be tied in the front OR back.  My sister’s has a zipper in the back and a removable sash that can be tied in the front, back or taken off completely.  The only thing I forgot to add is pockets!!  It would have been a great addition.

These pictures are of the kid’s version of the skirt.

Here’s some pictures from our Auntie-Niece photoshoot!

Happy Belated Birthday to my sister, Julie.  Isn’t she beautiful?  I swear, she got the beauty, the brains, and the heart.  She’s absolutely amazing.  Best sister and fantastic aunt to Yuki.  AND she lives close to us.  We’re so lucky!

In shop news, I’m really starting to feel the pressure as holiday shopping season officially has begun.  I think I’m abandoning my “grand opening” idea and planning on just opening the shop with one or two items and adding more as I have them.  I’ll keep you all updated, but here’s a secret – the kid’s version of this skirt (with pockets) will be available in the shop!

Bad Sewing Habits

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Awhile back I read this article called Bad Sewing Habits, which got me thinking about mine.  Turns out there are quite a few.  Well, first let’s start with the things I’m really good about.

Good habits:

1. I am a firm believer in preparing your fabrics, so I always wash and dry them before I start cutting or sewing.  I don’t always iron them, but I usually do, especially if it’s super wrinkled.

2. I do press my seams while sewing.  I agree that this is an important step and will help your projects look clean and sharp (not sloppy!).

3. I always pin before I sew.

4. I do my research and use my resources.  I don’t follow patterns too often and obviously don’t take lessons or have a sewing coach or anything, so when I’m trying to figure things out I definitely spend time looking things up online or reading my sewing machine manual.  There’s no need for me to guess how to make an automatic buttonhole – the manual tells me exactly how!  I don’t need to struggle through hours of trial and error trying to figure out how to make a pattern or add sleeves or line a jumper – brilliant and generous people have already figured it out and then posted free online tutorials, or even videos showing me how!  I am not too proud to ask for help.  Google is my best friend.  Just ask Hideko.

Bad habits:

1. I definitely do not change my needle every time I start a new project.  In fact, I never change my needle unless it breaks, or I’m sewing something super special that requires a different needles (which is not too often, yet).  I’ve heard people swear by it, but it just seems like a waste to me.  I start a new project almost every day!  That’s A LOT of needles!  How often should I change my needles?  How do you know when a needle is not sharp enough anymore?  Where is a cheap place to get needles in bulk?  If I can get answers to all these questions, maybe I’ll try breaking this habit.

2. I wing it.  A lot.  And I’m not convinced that this is a totally bad habit.  I think there is a lot of freedom and creativity that comes with experimenting and not following the “rules” or following a pattern step-by-step.  There have been a couple of times when I didn’t read through the directions all the way through first and ended up having to spend time undoing and redoing something.  That can be a waste of time, so I understand how that is a bad habit.

3. I often eyeball measurements or don’t take measurements at all.  I’m definitely changing my ways here, especially after completing projects only to find out that they don’t even fit.  That’s an extremely disappointing feeling (not to mention a HUGE waste of time), so I try to avoid it now.  The difficult thing is that I really only get to sew at night when Yuki is sleeping.  Once I start a project, I don’t like to wait until morning to measure her or try it on her, because I’d have to wait until the following night to finish it.  But like I said, I’m getting better about this and realizing the importance of taking measurements.  I try to get exact measurements for all people that I’m sewing for.  I’m also trying to figure out some standard measurements I can use for kids clothing.  I read somewhere that you should just measure your child and keep those measurements handy (you know, waist, chest, height, arm length, etc. etc.) and update it every so often.  I’ve yet to do that, but it sounds like a good idea.

4. I stay up REALLY late to sew.  Sometimes this means not being at my sharpest.  It means mistakes get made and I get frustrated easily.  And it also means I’m usually super tired the next day.  Not good.

5. The habit that has recently been frustrating me the most, is that I start too many projects at once and don’t necessarily finish them.   Every time I have a new idea or get really excited about a project (which is quite often), I run out to the store and buy fabric and get started, abandoning whatever projects I had going.  Then when I hit a roadblock, I stall and am often on to the next exciting idea.  Before you know it, I have 8 unfinished projects on hold, 20 other projects brewing in my mind and maybe I’ll finish one every once in awhile.  I love that I have so many ideas but I can’t keep up with them.  And I get bored with them quickly too.  I need to be better about following through with projects.  I should come up with a rule – only 5 (or 3?) projects at a time.  I’ll have to finish one before I can start another.  I’m not sure how I’ll keep track or be held accountable to this, but I can try.

6. I’m messy and disorganized.  My desk area gets cluttered quickly.  I can’t always find what I need.  I sometimes end up buying something I already have because I don’t realize that I have it.  This is one habit that I’m not sure I can break.  Although I am trying to keep my new crafting area clean and organized, it’s just not part of my nature.  Have you ever known anyone super messy who’s been able to change their ways as an adult?  If so, please help me.

7. I need better lighting.

Messy sewing center with piles everywhere.

This entire basket is either unfinished (but started) projects, or projects waiting to be started.  And this isn’t even all of it.

Well, there they are, the good and the bad.  Clearly, the bad habits outnumber the good.  I guess I have some things to work on.  How about you?  What are your good and bad sewing habits??