Growing up

Turns out I made a few bibs before Christmas and completely forgot to take pictures of them and list them in the shop. Silly me. They are there now, waiting for new homes. This astronaut one makes me smile - I love the retro feel of this Michael Miller fabric. I've been working in "the studio" (you know I'm talking about my kitchen table when I say that...) on some prototypes of new products, which is super exciting! When I started Junie None Designs I was in the baby phase of life, what was wonderful and necessitated lots of bibs and little blankets and things like that, which is why I was so drawn to making and selling them. Now I am easing into more of a "big boy" phase of life, and am hoping to start selling some things that are useful for what we are doing these days. Of course I won't stop making quilts and bibs - just hoping to add some new stuff to the mix. I'll keep you updated. And now I'm off to take my nap - a luxury that I reserve for
Sunday afternoons.

Tags are here!

Hooray - today my new tags arrived in the mail! I had to order special tags for my bibs since they are not 100% cotton - the velcro attachments add nylon to the mix. I have a growing stack of patchwork bibs waiting for tags and then binding. I'm hoping to get some of them finished up and photographed in the next few days and then into the shop. I'm making a lot of "boy bibs" since I always have trouble finding cute things for my own boys - hopefully you like them!

As promised:

These coasters are in the shop, with more to follow a bit later tonight. I just ADORE Anna Maria Horner's new line of fabrics, Innocent Crush. I am definitely going to make my long-awaited throw quilt out of these fabrics. (Yes, a quilt for my very own self!)

Midweek business

Happy day-before-Thanksgiving everybody! I'm excited to start cooking, how about you? Yesterday I listed a few new sachet sets in the shop (think stocking stuffers, teacher gifts...) and tried my hand at a festive new banner (let me know what you think). I also bought two doll patterns, one knitting pattern, and some yarn in preparation for making Christmas gifts. I think I might have gotten in over my head, but what the heck. I'll keep you posted on how those projects go (except for the ones that are for people who read this blog... those ones I'll have to save for after Christmas). And in case I get too wrapped up in cooking brussels sprouts, chatting with family, drinking cider and figuring out where on earth to put our Christmas tree, I'll wish you an early Happy Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for!

Lavender

The please-finish-me pile is growing smaller, and the shop is being restocked. Go check it out!

Let's Talk Shop

I've put another few garlands in the shop. I finally forced myself to cut into the gorgeous yard of Japanese fabric I bought a long time ago for a custom order. This stuff is so silky and beautiful I was tempted to horde it away, but it looked so perfect with the unbleached muslin that I couldn't help myself. There are two of these garlands in the shop, one more to come.

I tried taking some "better" garland pictures this time, but may not have succeeded. I wish I had a well-lit area in my house to show you how adorable these look hung over a window or doorway. Maybe I'll borrow someone else's cute house to take those pictures...

Here is what it looks like hanging on something... not that you would hang this in your back yard on a tree. (On a side note, this Japanese Maple tree grew from a tiny sprout Brett pulled out of his parents' yard. Pretty awesome.) Brett is going out for some "man time" with a buddy tonight, which leaves me with hours of guilt-free sewing time. Hopefully I'll finish up that last garland and have a few cute bibs to show you soon. Happy Monday everybody!

As promised:

Here's the first of a few play mats I'm working on. More pictures in the shop...

Happy Friday (night)

Wow, this week went by fast for us! I remember being in 5th grade and complaining to my mom that the days were SO LONG. She reassured me that every year of my life time would seem to pass a little faster until one day I would wish things would slow down. She sure was right (though I have to admit I'm glad this rainy cooped-up day is coming to a close!). We're looking forward to a fun weekend, starting with my brother's birthday breakfast (genius idea!) with a bit of shark fishing thrown in. Maybe. I'll keep you posted on that. Hope your weekend is fun!

PS - new play mat in the shop. Pretty darn girly with a lot of my Grandma's precious vintage cottons in it. Love. (And named after my favorite dessert which I can't eat due to lactose intolerance. sigh.)

New Coasters in the shop

It has been unseasonably warm around here, the trees are blossoming, and I've been wanting to have a tea party. Not a mud-pie tea party, but a real one with other adult girls there, drinking some sort of wonderful iced tea... Of course, it hasn't actually happened, but my dream has translated into a few new coaster sets in the shop. Check them out!

Garlands!

I'm so excited to finally have these in the shop and be able to show them to you. I've been working on these fabric garlands for a while, and spending even more time trying to take good pictures of them. I LOVE how they turned out, plus they are really fun to make. My entire hutch is buried under a huge pile of fabric strips waiting to be turned into flowers.

I've finished a few garlands in different colors and fabrics but haven't had enough good outside light to photograph them. As soon as the sun comes out I'll get them listed in the shop! Can't you picture one of these hanging in a little girl's bedroom? (I, of course, can only imagine what it would look like, since all we have around here are boys, boys, boys.)

I hope you like them - lots more coming soon!

Cutest. Fabric. Ever. !

One of my favorites so far. I want to wallpaper a child's room in this! (Hop on over to the shop to see more pictures of this little blanket.)

New Minis in the Shop:

I snatched a few shreds of real sunlight the other day to photograph a few mini quilts for the shop. They can be found here - this is the girly-est one of the bunch. :)

Happenings

A lot has been happening around here, including our first real bout of sickness for the season. (No, don't worry, we didn't get THAT.) We're also entering birthday season - Titus and I get to celebrate next week. I can't believe it's already been a year since I celebrated my 28th birthday by coming home from the hospital with a tiny baby boy. Pretty crazy.

As for the shop, I've signed up to do another craft show (and if you remember my last experience with craft shows, you probably think I'm crazy. I know my husband does.) so I'm sewing whenever I get a free moment and buying lots of new fabrics. Here's the stack that is currently cheering me up - a new play mat and a bunch of darling fabrics from this excellent fabric store. I'm off to work on another play mat - just wanted to do a quick update. Lately blogging is like working out - if I go longer than a week without doing it I might just throw in the towel. :)

Sewing Update

There are a few more coaster sets in the shop. This round was frustrating because something kept going wrong with my sewing machine. We now have a few new sets of coasters at our house with little mess-ups in their quilting. It is nice having some more for myself, though!

And this year I'm actually thinking ahead - here's a sneak peek at what I've been working on:

Lists

With my upcoming trip to Montana looming, I have been making lists like crazy. Lists of what to pack in what bag, lists of what to do before I leave, lists of questions I have about traveling with a baby cross-referenced with which friends to ask these questions, lists of what I need to buy... and all the lists are rattling around in my brain (usually writing them down helps, but this time it isn't) distracting me from everything else I need to do. Like keep two children alive, for instance. Hopefully we all survive tomorrow so Titus and I can get on the plane early Friday morning and put us all out of our misery.

PS - New little quilt in the shop.

Fall snuck up on me!

Last week I was lamenting the fact that I was still wearing shorts, and today I'm in a sweater! That happened fast. Oh well, the Indian Summer quilt is in the shop anyways. :) I was really tempted to keep this one to use as a wall hanging, but decided it would go better with a baby and lots of snuggling.

Oy.

Today felt like a doozie. There was a whole lot of this (that's dirt, not Oreos). And more than enough of this (insert screams of anger to complete the picture):

And daddy is out of town getting some much-needed rest, so I am on sole mucus duty. BUT, as of right now everyone but me is asleep and all I have to do is choose between painting my toenails and sewing a blanket. Rough life, I know. :)

I also managed to get a few new creations in the shop. Here's one of them - Moses' favorite fabric. I think he felt very generous when he "allowed" me to use it for the shop, stating proudly "I think they will like it when they see my baseball fabric in there." What a nice guy.

Mission: Lavenderize

I've decided that I want my entire house to smell like lavender. It is possibly the best scent ever - so clean and out-doorsy. Plus, it reminds me of my grandma which makes it even better. I recently received a new batch of lavender from Popko, who sells the greatest stuff in her etsy shop, and I've been making sachets like crazy. I'm putting them in my linen closet, hanging them in my own closet and putting them in my drawers. I'm working on a new batch of dryer sachets too - have you made yourself some yet? You'll be glad you did - they're pretty great! There are some new sachets in my shop - I saved the really pretty ones for you. :)

More bibs

In the process of making these bibs I actually uttered the phrase "... if it's the last thing I do." Sheesh! Sometimes the smallest project can take me so long!

BIBS

Bibs are finally in the shop! I'm working on more as the boys' napping schedule allows...
I really do love these bibs - I use them on Titus and they are nice and big to cover his shoulders and neck, the two places that all the other bibs miss. (Those are prunes, in case you were wondering.) A quick run under the sink to wash off the food before it dries, lay it out flat, and it's dry by the next meal. Pretty great!

And he doesn't mind the flowers. In fact, I think he likes them. :)