Sadie James

Introducing Ridge...

2011-05-05T10:09:00.001-07:00

On Monday, April 18th, I sat down to work on a pair of sneakers for the little guy I was expecting. I just started spring break, and had 1 week before my expected c-section date on April 25th. I made Sadie's coming home outfit, and wanted to make something special for this little fellow. Being busy with school and 2 other kids hasn't left me much time, but I found the cutest crocheted sneakers I thought I could whip up.

I went to work that early evening and finished 1 shoe. I decided to take a break and get my other 2 kids to bed. I went into their bedroom to get pajamas on, sat down on Brayden's bed, and my water broke. It didn't gush, but it trickled steadily. At first I wasn't sure it was my water, so I didn't tell hubby. It sounds silly, but I didn't want to be wrong. I kept going to the bathroom to make sure I just couldn't control my bladder. After the kids were in their pajamas, it became apparent to me that my water did break.

Earlier that day, I decided to pack the baby's bag for the hospital. I still hadn't packed mine, even though hubby told me to again and again for the last 2 weeks. It was on my to do list the following day. I called Stacie, told her what's up, packed me and the kids, and off to the hospital we went.

We got there around 10 pm, and Ridge was born at 12:46 am on April 19th. He was 7 lbs 8 oz and 19 1/2 inches long. He surprised us with light colored hair (our other 2 being born with really long, dark hair).

The kids just adore him! Every morning they wake up and run to give him kisses and are very willing to help when they can. After we brought him home Brayden said, "I think he wants to watch Megamind. He's never seen that movie".

The other day he was in his bouncer and started fussing. I went over to him and Brayden was there. He told me, "Don't worry mom. I'm watching out for him". It may be too soon to tell, but I hope he always watches out for him and that they have a great brother relationship!

Cousins Riley and Nicholas are just as excited about baby Ridge too! Riley asks to hold him all the time, and wants to know when he can go to his house to play!

They are very conscious of him and his needs and have been very patient when I can't help them "right now" because I'm feeding Ridge. We are so excited to welcome Ridge into our family!

Another Giveaway

2011-05-02T17:39:00.000-07:00

Are you tired of giveaways? We hope not because we're hosting another giveaway on facebook. We're really excited about this one, because the winner doesn't win a pattern. Instead the winner wins an item made by us from one of our patterns. So, you don't even have to know how to sew, because we are going to do all the sewing for you! The winner will pick which pattern they want us to make and then we'll let you know what your fabric options are for the pattern. Follow this link to be taken to our facebook page to read about the giveaway and good luck!

A Giveaway

2011-04-25T08:30:00.000-07:00

We are hosting a giveaway on Lil Blue Boo. There will be two winners. One will win 5 patterns of their choice and the second will win their choice of 3 patterns. Head on over as the deadline for the giveaway is April 27th.

That's My Monster!

2011-04-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

In our family, the book series That's not my ..... by Usborn Books are a favorite! My little ones have That's Not My Dragon and That's Not My Lion. I know Stacie has a couple of them as well that her boys love reading. Our older sisters' kids love them just as much. One of their favorites is That's Not My Monster!

Our sister Heidi, doesn't just read them the books though, she makes them their own personal monster. How cute is that!

With the help of my mom, they went to work. My mom did the hands, while she did the rest. I think they turned out so adorable!

Our sweet niece Carly and her monster!

Our nephew Athen and his monster!

While talking to Heidi about her monsters that she made, she told me her kids decided that their monsters needed to see the movie Monster's Inc. So they did. I love kids imaginations and the things they say!

On another note, while posting these pictures, Sadie was eyeing Carly's monster saying, "my monster?" Umm, looks like I have some monsters of my own to make in the future.

Chasing Noah Giveaway

2011-03-30T19:24:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you meet people in the blogging community and you think, "I think I'd get along great with her or we have a lot in common". Savannah over at Chasing Noah is one of these people. She's crafty, she's got a son and she's got a cute blog. She bought our boys tie pattern and asked if she could do a review on it and host a giveaway. Um, OF COURSE! Head on over to Chasing Noah to see what she has to say about our tie pattern and enter the giveaway. There are several ways to enter to maximize your chances of winning.

The Madison 3 tiered skirt

2011-03-26T11:11:00.000-07:00

We've really been working hard trying to get our last few patterns ready because after Stephanie's baby comes, we don't know exactly how that will affect our pattern making. I am really pleased with this pattern. It's another really easy pattern and a great one for beginners who want something a little different than your basic twirl skirt. There are so many different looks you can create with this by making it with all one fabric, or by using a different fabric for each tier.

And we've extended our sale so right now it's only $5.00!

Conquering the collar

2011-03-18T13:33:00.000-07:00

I have to say my greatest sewing fear is the collar. My mom would say, "It's so easy!", but... I have disagree. (Sorry, Mom). I think that's why I don't enjoy sewing boy clothes as much as girl clothes. Most shirts for boys have a collar (um... no thank you), or you make him pants, but to make them real cute and different, I would want them embroidered, which is very time consuming. Whereas a girl, you could whip up a skirt or dress, in a day or two.

I don't know what about a collar shirt that makes it so difficult. I think it's a combination of the instructions and the pictures. They're just not speaking my language. My mom sat down with me about 3 years ago, and I made a collard shirt for Brayden. Then I did another one right after that by myself, for practice. It turned out ok, buy that was the end of collared shirts for me.

I wanted to try again, but knowing I wouldn't be able to put another one together without my mom right by my side, I decided to try the Carly C. Designs shirt pattern. I've used her patterns before, and her instructions and pictures are the best. She is so thorough in her patterns, I knew if anyone could teach me, she could.

Her pattern didn't disappoint at all. There are so many options for the shirt. She also clues you in on some secrets to make sewing a collared shirt, dare I say.... easy and painless!

I'm so happy with the shirt. I only feel bad, because I wanted to learn how to make a collared shirt for Brayden, and then I made one for Sadie instead. I should go make one for Brayden now.

The Emery Pintuck and The Jezebel Skirt

2011-03-11T13:56:00.000-08:00

We are excited to announce that we have two new ebooks available for purchase. Both skirts are great for the beginner seamstress as there are no zippers or buttons to sew. Both pattens come in size 12 months - size 8.

The Emery Pintuck skirt is easy to make and great for sewers who want more than a plain twirl skirt. This skirt features pintucks and a darling bow that gives this skirt lots of character.

The Jezebel skirt is also easy to make and has a sweet bow that can be worn in the front or back. This skirt can be made using several different fabrics giving you many options.

You can get both of these skirts on sale right now!

Coloring Book & Crayon Tote Winner!

2011-03-04T08:07:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all who participated in our giveaway! The lucky winner of the coloring book & crayon tote is Jewels, who said "Absolutely adore it! Pick me!" But what fun is it having just one winner, so both Jenna and Allsewnup have won a free copy of the coloring book & crayon tote ebook! Congrats to all!

An Anniversary Sale

2011-03-03T15:37:00.000-08:00

To help celebrate our anniversary on Etsy, for one week only,we have slashed the prices of our ebooks. If you've been on the fence about buying an ebook, now is the time to buy! Don't let this sale pass you up.

Coloring and Crayon Tote Ebook and Giveaway

2011-02-25T16:11:00.000-08:00

We are excited to share our latest ebook with you! It is a coloring book & crayon tote. It holds 32 crayons and a full size coloring book. It's a great pattern for beginners and is great for on the go.

Do you like the Dr. Seuss tote? It can be yours! All you've got to do is leave a comment. We'll have a drawing in one week for this tote. If you don't win this one, you can get your own pattern here.

Testers needed

2011-02-23T12:50:00.000-08:00

We are almost done with a new ebook and are looking for a few people who would like to test it out for us. This is a way for you to get the pattern for FREE! It's an adorable pintuck skirt with a sweet bow in the front. If you are interested, hop on over to Sadie James sewing patterns on Facebook and leave us a message. You'll find pictures of the skirt there too.

Sewing for me

2011-02-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

We're working on two ebooks right now, hoping they'll be ready for you next month that we keep pretty busy. Still, every now and then it's nice to take a break from all that and sew just for me. Our mom came up for a visit and one of our favorite things to do with her are go the fabric store and sew. This last visit didn't disappoint. We went to our favorite fabric store Strawberry Patches, and found a really cute purse pattern we all had to have. Then over the next three nights, I put together my purse. I have to admit. The handles were hard to attach and the quilting was tedious, but I'm loving the results and think it was totally worth it.

What do you think and what do you like to sew when sewing for you?

Something New

2011-02-18T12:48:00.000-08:00

Well, we finally have done it. Yes, we have broken down and gotten a facebook page. We'll be the first to admit that it's tough keeping up with just our personal facebook account, but we thought it would be a fun way to keep you updated with the little things we have been doing. We'll also have specials going on just for our facebook friends. We have several new patterns in the works, and hoping to debut them at the end of this month or early next, and you'll receive first looks at them. In celebration of our new facebook account, anyone who "likes us" will be put in a drawing in 1 week. The winner will receive their choice of ebook for free. Check us out here.

A Wilderness Adventure

2011-02-16T10:21:00.000-08:00

It's that time again, when both my babies have their birthday. I should probably stop calling them babies, because their 5 and 3 now. Not so little anymore, but they'll always be my babies. Maybe when they enter High School and ask me to stop calling them that, I will.

For their birthday this year, we went with a Wilderness Explorer theme. I wanted something that would be fun for boys and girls, since we'd have both here. I told my husband that I wanted a tent in the backyard for decoration and something they can play in, as well as a fire pit. He went to work and amazed me with what he built. I told him I wish we could have someplace the kids can sit on like a log instead of the ground. He said he didn't have anything, then last minute he and his dad made benches for the kids. I don't know who loved it more, me or the kids.

When each kid got to our home, they got all the necessities to be a Wilderness Explorer. That included a Wilderness Explorer vest, binoculars, and an explorer hat.

The vest was made out of felt. I chose felt because it doesn't fray, so you don't have to worry about hemming it. After you cut out the vest, you sew the sides and the shoulders and you're done! The binoculars were made from TP rolls that we and several family and friends saved. I stapled construction paper around them to give them color, then stapled two rolls together. I used a hole punch to create a hole so that I could tie yarn around the bincoculars. Another easy and fun project that the kids enjoyed playing with!

After they got suited up, they were sent to the table to decorate their bug jars.

Decorating the top of the bug jars was a very last minute decision. I thought they would be cute though, so I went to work making ladybug and bee jars out of construction paper and googly eyes. The jars themselves were mason jars.

Once everyone finished their bug jars, we gathered around the fire pit. After pictures were taken, we went on a bear hunt, then had Brayden and Sadie's Grandma read them a story around the camp fire.

I wasn't sure how well the kids would sit doing these two activities, but they didn't have a problem with it at all.

We then went on a bug hunt (for plastic bugs, of coarse!) that were hidden all over the back yard.

The kids big surprise was new bikes for their birthday. I absolutely love Sadie's bike! I don't they get any cuter than that! I wonder if they have one in my size?

Our good friend, Janelle and her husband Joe, made the cake and did a fabulous job! Sadie could wait to dig in!

Before the guest left, they got a pet spider of their own. These were more time consuming than I thought they would be, but still a lot of fun for the kids. They were made out of 3 inch pompoms. Each one was attached to elastic thread and a wooden dowel. My kids have gotten these before and had hours of fun playing with them!

With as much work that goes into a birthday party, I'm grateful my kids birthdays are so close together I only have to plan one. Even with as much work that goes into them, it's worth it to see the smile on their faces. Happy Birthday Brayden and Sadie!

A New Year!

2011-02-02T17:50:00.000-08:00

With a new year, comes new year resolutions. I prefer the word goals myself. That way if you fall of track, you don't have to wait a whole year to start all over again. We have several goals that we want to accomplish this year. A few personal and a few that we have together. One goal, is to keep this blog up. We love sharing the things we've made with you. Another goal is to come out with a new pattern each month. Whether or not we can do that, we'll see. We have so many ideas, it's just finding the time, or managing our time, so they get done. One of my personal goals is to have healthy baby #3 in late April and still continue to go to and pass my medical terminology class which ends the 2nd week of May. Again, we will see if that one can be accomplished. I feel positive that it can! What are your goals for this year?

In terms of ebooks, we have had 2 new ones come out. The first one is a simple twirl skirt. If you ever wanted to try and make a twirl skirt, or even try to sew, this is a great ebook for beginners. Another thing that makes this twirl skirt "special" is there is 4 variations that you can choose from. My personal favorite is lace on the bottom. Lace gives an outfit a delicate touch. I just love it! But you'll love the simple instructions and how fast and easy it sews together.

Our second ebook is also great for the beginner and contains no sewing at all. It's a fabric garland with lights. We love to decorate our home with these for all the holidays! I just love the way it looks on the mantle. It would also look great coming down a staircase, which we do not have. Makes me wish I had a two-story house just so I could decorate it with one.

You can find these new patterns as well as our other patterns in our etsy store.

Make sure you stay tuned, because as I am expecting baby #3, I've had some fun projects in the works for the little guy. Yes, it's a boy! I am sad not be making more dresses, but still excited and have found some other fun "boy" things to make.

Another ebook

2010-08-23T20:18:00.000-07:00

We finished another ebook and we're pretty excited about it. Our tuxedo headband ebook is great for infants and toddlers. Go ahead and make one for yourself while you're at it. After all, who says bows are just for babies. You can get it here.

A Small Vacation

2010-08-16T14:30:00.001-07:00

Before school starts up again, and we are home bound for good, I thought it would be fun to go on a little vacation. We headed up North to the Sacramento area. I haven't really been there and didn't know of all the fun things to do. I found this awesome kids park called Fairytale Town. Apparently it's been there for years, because all the adults there were talking about how much fun they use to have going there when they were little. It was so much fun and perfect for my 4 year old and 2 year old. Even better, it's cheap!

It's pretty much a big playground. They take the nursery rhymes and stories we grew up with, and make slides and things to climb on out of them. Tons of fun!

I felt like the biggest tourist ever while there. My camera was going off every other second. My kids were so excited to go from one activity to another and here's me, "Wait. Wait. Let me take your picture with it first". I took SO many pictures! Here are just a few I wanted to share with you.

On their website they have a list of activities to play on. They call the old woman's shoe the tallest and fastest ride there!

Cinderella's coach was a favorite of theirs! They only had one horse that actually bounced, or I should say hardly bounced. The kids loved it though! It makes me realize how much their imaginations have grown!

One thing that wasn't lacking at Fairytale Town was slides. They had so many. Jack's beanstalk, a visit through Owl's house, and then a slide down, The barn slide. A kid can never have too many slides to choose from!

Brayden saw the Little Engine That Could on the Website, and couldn't wait to play on it. It was probably his favorite, and probably every little boys favorite.

I realize this isn't the cutest picture of Brayden, but I think Sadie looks so sweet it in it! I can't remember the name of this nursery rhyme, so if someone can help me out, I'd appreciate it. It has something to do with the holes in the cheese.

The castle was very neat. You can have birthday parties at Fairytale Town, and they are held inside here. How fun would that be?

The other BIG hit was the crooked mile. It's a paved area that curves and winds all around and is anything but flat. The kids loved running through it. When they got to the end, they'd start all over again.

Sadie playing in the crooked house.
Just finished walking the crooked mile.

Yeah! We made it!

I know this is just a water fountain, but how cute it is? They had other character water fountain as well, like a water well from Jack and Jill, but I liked this one the best. So took a picture of it. How could I not? I was a tourist.

This was such a fun place to go to! We only stayed 2 hours because Sadie was getting tired and needed a nap. Brayden would of stayed longer if I would have let him. I would highly recommend going if ever in the area. It is right next to the Sacramento Zoo, which we also went too, as well as Funderland.

3 Winners

2010-08-10T19:52:00.001-07:00

Thanks for all who entered our giveaway. The 3 winners are:

The green Sadie Twirl skirt - Scasmflops
the Sadie Twirl ebook - Eris
the bitty bow ebook - Janelle

Congratulations! Email us at neverenoughbows@yahoo.com so we know what address to send your ebook to. Scasmflops, shoot us an address with your email and we'll ship that skirt off quicker than my two year old can polish off a plate of cookies.

We can't be models all the time!

2010-08-03T13:44:00.000-07:00

There's a pattern, called Macy Giggles by Izzy and Ivy that I've seen several times. It's really cute but I haven't bought it because I didn't know what fabric to use to make it. One day while visiting Strawberry Patches, they had the Macy Giggles dress showcased, made out of blue and red Flora and Fauna fabric by Patty Young. It was adorable! I then knew what fabric to use, so I went to work. (Don't judge me. I know, I copied. Hey, I can't be original all the time).

It was a really great pattern, that sewed together nicely. I love that it was different. The sleeves are gathered at the top of the bodice, and the back closure has two buttons. I haven't seen anything like it before. The only thing that I thought was a little misleading, was on the bodice front there is a flower on the pattern cover, and you don't get that included. Not to worry though. I found out that the flower is from Izzy and Ivy's Jack and Jill Hat, which I just happened to already have. (I haven't made it yet though, but am excited too).

While at Strawberry Patches, I saw they sold clothes tags there. I had to get these for Sadie's clothes.

Sadie looks so adorable in the dress! I just happened to already have matching hair clips and I found shoes at Gymboree that matched perfect! Unfortunately Sadie doesn't always want to model for me when I need her to. Umph!

Remember to check back on Tuesday to find out if you're winner of our give away!

2 new ebooks and a give away

2010-07-21T08:44:00.001-07:00

Sorry about the hiatus. We've been so busy and are so excited to let you all know what we've been up to!

First off, we are thrilled to let you know that we have 2 new ebooks out. Our first ebook is the Sadie twirl we showed you a couple months ago. We love this skirt so much. Everytime Sadie wears hers, she gets so many compliments on it. And we love even more that Sadie loves wearing it. She will bring Stephanie the skirt and ask to put it on! We've pain stakingly sewed and measured and resewn to come up with sizes 2T - size 6.

Our bitty bow ebook, is the first bow we came up with. It's the perfect size for babies and toddlers, and if you use wider ribbon, would be great for older girls too.

We are busy coming up with other ebooks, so stay tuned for more.

Secondly, we are so excited about our new ebooks, we thought we would share some with a few of our wonderful readers. We are giving away 1 grand prize of a Sadie Twirl skirt. It is the green one pictured with white ruffles. It measures 13 inches long and will best fit a size 3T - 5T.

Our 2nd place winner will be getting our Sadie Twirl ebook

and our 3rd place winner will be receiving our bitty bow ebook.

To enter our giveaway, post a link on your blog or facebook and then leave us a comment. Feel free to use any of our pictures in your link.

We will draw our lucky winners August 10th.

fabric bookmark tutorial

2010-05-10T09:53:00.000-07:00

Recently I bought a few sewing books that I'm really excited about. I thought I'd make some bookmarks to mark my page in the books and thought I'd take pictures while I go along.

Supplies
2 coordinating fabrics cut 3" x 8"
heavyweight pellon cut 2" x 7"
coordinating thread
pins
scissors

Take your two coordinating fabric pieces and place them right sides together. Then iron one end of them back about 1/4 inch so that the very ends will show the right sides of the fabric.

Sew along 3 edges, pivoting at the corners. Do not sew along the edge you turned out. Cut your corners like so. This will be helpful when you turn your bookmark right side out.

Insert your heavyweight pellon. This was the hardest part, but I found that if I folded in half and then inserted it, it was much easier.

This is what your bookmark will look like once you've inserted your pellon. Now topstitch close to all four edges, pivoting at the corners.

You're done! Wasn't that easy?!

My take on the twirl skirt

2010-04-25T21:47:00.000-07:00

One dream of mine is to design girl clothing. The junior college where I grew up had a fashion design program, which I would have loved to take. I checked our college here and unfortunately it doesn't have one, so I'm teaching myself as I go.

I love creating little girl clothes. I've got a sketch book full of ideas. If only I had the time to make them all come to life. Stacie and I have a couple patterns already out, but I get more ideas for clothing faster than I can complete the pattern.

One of the first clothing I learned to sew was a twirl skirt. I'm constently checking etsy or youcanmakethis for new designs. Unfortunatley, I'm seeing the same stuff being done over and over again. I decided I wanted to make a twirl skirt that I hadn't seen before. Something a little different. I knew I wanted it to have ruffles. I also wanted something that could be worn for play or to church, depending on what you wore with it.

I came up with this.

(I love how Sadie is sitting with her legs crossed and pointed toe!)

I started with a drop waist for the skirt. This allows for extra twirl factor instead of having the main skirt attached to the waist. I decided to have several ruffles going down the skirt for a fun, whimsical look.

I'm totally digging it! (Well, except that Sadie's skirt needs to be ironed a little better.)

I think I want to add an underlayer with tulle, to help it really puff! What do you think? Do you like it? If so, maybe one day I'll have the pattern done just for you!

Wardrobe Malfuction to Spot on Skirt!

2010-04-15T19:23:00.000-07:00

I live about an hour north of Los Angeles and had the opportunity to go to the fabric district there. It's an experience I recommend all Southern California seamstresses experience at least once. While there, we hopped on over to FIDM. They have a scholorship store where they sell Forever 21 type clothes and have a section where they sell some with defects for super cheap. I scored this dress for a mere $2.50. I was totally digging the tulle playing peek-a-boo underneath. A few obvious problems. First, the most obvious was the outer seams on the bodice weren't sewn together. Secondly, I don't wear strapless dresses and even if I did, my girls weren't big enough to hold the dress up.

(picture compliments of my 4 year old)

Easy enough. I unpicked the bodice from the skirt.

Then I cut a piece of knit fabric a few inches shorter than my waist and stretched it out as I attached the knit to the skirt. There was a zipper that went up the back of the dress. Not a problem! I used the existing zipper and sewed my knit where the skirt ended then tucked the zipper onto the back side of my knit waistband.

I was going to do the modeling, but I had to show off my new toy. Doesn't she look just like me?! And she's not camera shy.

...and here's what I'm going to pair with it. I'm so glad I spent the $2.50 on this dress!

A Refashion

2010-04-09T14:09:00.000-07:00

I am so excited for Summer to come. I thought it was going to feel like winter forever! I was getting really tired of wearing my sweaters and long pants. I love it when it's warm. I may take that back when it gets to be 110 degrees, but I love the 75 degree weather we are having today.

I'm real excited to start making Sadie some summer dresses and skirts. I saw a pattern on-line for what I thought would make a cute dress for her, so I bought it. Then I found some really cute fresh summer fabric and went to it. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but was not impressed with the pattern or instructions at all. I feel like if I made it again, I could alter the pattern and make a cute dress for her, but the one I originally made was too short and too straight.

I didn't want to throw the dress out and waste the fabric I got, so I decided to refashion it into a pillow for my entry way bench. If I would make the pillow again, I would use larger ric rac and put piping around the edge of it, but overall I'm pretty happy with it and glad the fabric didn't go to waste.

hello, peeps

2010-03-30T22:51:00.001-07:00

Dana has a cute bunting tutorial on her site, but I decided to take it in a different direction. I'm all about applique at the moment, so using my trusty embroidery design software, I downloaded the pattern, and turned it into an applique design. I'm loving the result. Sadie? Not so sure how she feels, but Feets, our 7 toed cat loves it too. You can see him totally eyeing those delicious bunnies. Down Feets. It's just eye candy.

Chair covers

2010-03-23T11:33:00.001-07:00

We apologize for the short hiatus. There was a craft fair that we participated in, so we were up to our elbows in bows. But, with the craft fair over now, we can again split our time between our crafts according to how we see fit.

In our church, the children attend Primary, and there are different classes based on a childs age. I was asked to make chair covers to place on the chairs so the children will know where to sit. Currently, they are using signs with pictures on them. Sewing the actual chair covers was going to be easy. What I was more concerned about was how I was going to differentiate between the different classes. I knew I wanted to embroider on the chair covers, but there isn't much out there in terms of LDS machine embroidery, so I knew I had to make my own design.

This is the sign that was being used for the children who are 3 years old going on 4. I took the picture and scanned it into my computer.

Then I opened it in Photoshop and redrew it using the the original as my guide.

After that, I uploaded the picture into my embroidery design software and turned it into an embroidery applique design and added some text.

Then I stitched it out. This was my practice stitchout. I actually made a few minor changes to it, which is why I stitched it out on a scrap fabric first. But overall, I'm thrilled with the result. Now I just have to stitch the design out on the chair cover I made. I'll post a picture of the designs on the chaircovers when I'm all done. Nearly one down, only 4 more to go.

A Crafter's Haven

2010-03-01T20:05:00.000-08:00

This past week, I've had the opportunity to sit in my craft room, and sew. Not just sew a little here and there, but really put my time and effort into it. I'll tell you what, it was so much fun!

It all started here, while blog surfing earlier this week. I was on Disney's blog. Disney is a brilliant seamstress and crafter. I think I want to be like her when I grow up (lol). She had this really cute and simple skirt that she made for her daughter, that I just had to make for Sadie. This is where it all began. I used some fabric I had intentionally set aside to make Sadie a Valentine's Day dress with, but never got around to. Besides dealing with the tulle, it's probably one of the easiest skirts you'll come across to make.

After I was done with the skirt, I remembered I just recently bought the cutest Girlie Girl Bag pattern by My Sew Sweet Studio Designs. The fabric I got for it just happened to match the skirt I just made. Besides, don't all new skirts need a matching bag? So, I was off again sewing diligently away in seamstress heaven.

When I was done with both, I put it on her and tried to take pictures while waiting for Brayden to come home from school. I have to say she is not the most willing model. I paired the skirt with the T-shirt turned peasant top and a white sweater. I thought it was too much white though, and she didn't have any thing else that would match it, so off to the sewing room again....

this time to make a matching sweater in a lightweight jersey knit. To save time, I used my serger and did a rolled hem around the edge of it, instead of a traditional hem. This also gave it a ruffled look that I like.

To top it all off, I made matching bows. I just love having a little girl, let alone one that lets me dress her up, do her hair, and will wear the things I make for her. Thank you Sadie!

My go-to gift

2010-02-19T14:51:00.000-08:00

I had a hooded bath towel when I was young and each of my siblings had one. I remember how I loved to be swaddled from head to toe in it and sit in front of our old wall heater after a bath. I also remember tying a belt around them at the waist and using them as costumes to reenact the birth of Jesus at Christmas. I really do have fond memories of these simple hooded bath towels.

And even now in our house, we are not in short supply of hooded bath towels. Each of my boys have a few. I made this one in the event Riley was a girl. He doesn't seem to mind that there are ladybugs on his towel.

I find that these hooded bath towels are my go-to gift when I have a baby shower. They're easy, gender neutral and are waaayyy better than the ones you can buy. I always use the Thomas O'Brien towels at Target. They are soft, thick, fluffy, absorbent and most importantly within my budget.

My mother was the first to find this ribbon. It's a French Jacquard woven cotton and very hard to find. She found in at a store in L.A. and I immediately fell in love with it. After looking on every website I know of, I finally found some on Etsy.

And it goes perfectly with the Thomas O'Brien Yellow Springs towel.

Our friends had a baby girl 6 months ago and we had our chance to meet Grace for the first time last weekend. I couldn't wait to pull out my ribbon and towel, which have been waiting in the wings for me to use them.

Grace or my boys may not grow up with the same kind of memories that I got from these, but I still get that same nostalgic feeling every time I sew one together.

Cupcakes

2010-02-11T13:37:00.000-08:00

I have been blessed to have my two children born 2 years and 4 days apart. When we first found out that we were expecting our 2nd child, and that she would be due right around Brayden's birthday, I was a little bummed. I didn't want them to have to share a birthday in the same month, let alone so close together. Since then, I've thrown a few birthday parties, and I've found out how much work actually goes into them. I now consider myself blessed as we just have 1 party for the both of them. It's like killing 2 birds with 1 stone.

This past week we celebrated the kids birthdays. I was really nervous about making anything for them as the temperature on my stove doesn't work quiet well, but I didn't want to spend the money to go buy them a cake. After about 30 minutes of playing with the temperature on my stove, I got it to where I needed it, and made these...

Not to toot my own horn, but didn't they turn out so cute! Even better, they were so easy to make. To create the flowers, you take a large marshmallow and cut in into 5 pieces using kitchen shears. Add your sprinkles to them and place them onto the cupcake overlapping each other. We used skittles for the centers.

For the butterflies and centipedes, we used jelly bellys, skittles and necco wafers. I wanted to add antennas with licorice rope, but couldn't find any at the store. There are a lot of different candies you can use such as jordan almonds, candy necklaces and M&M. Best of all, the kids loved them!

Conversation hearts

2010-02-02T07:46:00.001-08:00

Riley's preschool class has a Valentine's Day party coming up and instead of offering the kids a cheap paper card that has a lion on it and says something like "I'm not lion...I like you", that they're just going to throw out, I thought I'd make the kids something that would last a little longer...from Riley, of course. For the girls I made Valentine hair clips.

The clips were very easy to make. After cutting out some hearts from felt, I made a small cut in one of the hearts. Then I put the end of the barrette through my cut and sandwiched my barrette between two hearts. I tied a knot at the end of my crochet thread and embroidered around it. At the end, I made another knot and I was done.

My friends daughter wore her's and even had people commenting on them. Make some yourself, and see how many conversations they start for you!

Now I just need to come up with an idea for the boys.

T-Shirt to Peasant Top

2010-01-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

When Sadie was about 1 month old, I bought her a really cute sweater from Baby Gap in a size 18 - 24 months. I could just picture her running around as a toddler being so fashionable in it. It had a white blouse to go with it, but I was trying to not spend too much money, so I decided against it. I thought, "how hard would it be to find a blouse later when she is old enough to wear it." Well, apparently it's really hard. I think it's one of those things that when you need it, you just can't find it anywhere. She is turning 2 this February and still hasn't worn the sweater. It makes me so sad. I don't want her to outgrow it without ever wearing it.

I've heard about people making T shirts into peasant tops and thought that I would like to try it. If anything, maybe Sadie could wear it with the sweater I bought her.

Here's what I started with.

I cut the t-shirt like this.

Then I used the rolled hem on my serger and serged the neck and sleeves. Then I shirred the neck and sleeves. I didn't want the bottom of the shirt to hang straight, so I cut of the hem, and did a rolled hem around that as well. I stretched the shirt out while doing the rolled around the bottom so it would give it a cute wavy look to it.

Here is how it ended up.

Over the sweater.

Gift card winners!

2010-01-19T09:23:00.000-08:00

Congrats to Pacokaco who won the $10 gift card to our bow shop. But what fun is it to just have one winner? So congratulations to Ko, who will also be receiving a $10 gift card to our bow shop. Email us at neverenoughbows@yahoo.com (so we know your email address) and we will send you a voucher for a $10 gift card with a free shipping code as well.

The accidental comedian

2010-01-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

My son is at that age where half the things that come out of his mouth are funny. Here's an example:

Setting
At the kitchen table, just after breakfast.

Background
The night before, we hired a new babysitter for the kids.

Players
me: Stacie
Riley: my 4 year old son

Scene
me: Riley, did you like your new babysitter?
Riley: (without hesitation) YES!
me: Did you have fun playing with her?
Riley: No, she is not a toy!

Do you have a child that has said some funny things? We want to hear! Leave us a comment telling us your funny (short) story and we'll have a third party pick a winner on January 19th! The winner will get a $10 gift card to our bow shop (with FREE shipping).

Another Great Giveaway!

2010-01-14T14:22:00.000-08:00

We really quickly wanted to let you know of another great giveaway. Our older sister, Heidi is having an awesome giveaway on her blog. You can get a FREE years subscription to the Disney Family Fun Magazine. This is a great magazine with fun activities and receips that you can do with your kids. Hop on over. There is a couple days left on her giveaway.

We have a winner!

2010-01-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

We can't believe the response we've had to our giveaway. We want to thank everyone for the kind words. But, we'll talk more about who won later...

My friends daugher, Parker, just turned two, and for her birthday I thought, "every mommy to be needs a baby to practice with". I made her a doll using this pattern and then made them matching outfits.

To make the capri's, I refashioned a pair of khaki's I don't wear anymore and used my son's jeans as a pattern. I've never done this before, but read about people doing it all the time. To any of you seamstresses that have done so, I need to ask a question. I wanted to save time, and used the existing side and leg hems. So, when cutting out the pattern, do you use the front of the pants as a pattern, or the back? The back of a pair of pants is a little wider to accomadate the rear end. The front isn't as wide. This sounds like an easy no brainer, and I should use the back, but I was afraid of extra fabric in the front. Needless to say, I used the back of the jeans for my pattern. It would have been even better had I remembered to allow for a seam allowance. Oops!

just before cutting

Parker knew just what to do with her baby! After giving her lots of loves...

...she did her hair, of course!

I made her doll a change of clothes and hairbows to match. The bows are attached with velcro that goes around the dolls pig tails so her baby always matches.

My bobbin ran out of blue thread in the middle of sewing, but the black thread, which was the next color on my bobbin somehow managed to pull up and continue where the blue thread left off. I've never had that happen before, but thought Parker wouldn't be too critical of my mismatched thread.

I'm glad Parker likes her doll. It looks like she'll make a great mommy!

Back to the winner of the Minnnie mouse apron. Congratulations to
Email us to confirm what name you want on the apron @ neverenoughbows@yahoo.com. And congrats to everyone else, who tied for 2nd! Doesn't it feel good to not have come in last? For anyone who wants an apron, but didn't win it, we have some in our etsy store. There is a limited supply, but we will get more up as needed.

Minnie Mouse Apron

2010-01-04T20:54:00.000-08:00

Last year, Disneyland was letting guest get in for free on their birthdays. Since Stacie and I just happen to have the same birthday, November 26th, (kind of happens like that when you're a twin) we thought it would be fun to go just the two of us. We'd shop all we want, have lunch without anyone spilling milk or entertaining babies while waiting for food, and go on some big kid rides. I was mostly excited about having a relaxing day without kids! Don't get me wrong, I love them to death, but a day without them is needed every once in a while. And it had been a while.

We mostly shopped. While there, Stacie decided to redo her kitchen in a Minnie/Mickey theme. She got a bunch of really cute Minnie/Mickey kitchen utensils and other fun stuff.

While shopping, we saw this really cute minnie Apron. I looked at the price, and said, "I could make this"! I say that all the time. I showed the apron to Stacie, who also agreed that it was way cute! We also thought that we could make it even cuter! I told her I'm going to make one for our mom for Christmas next year in 2010. She then said, "Good. I'll make it for her for her birthday", which is 3 weeks before Christmas. I laughed because we're always trying to one-up each other, and she beat me.

Well, while on the way home, I was thinking about what to get Stacie for her birthday. I hadn't gotten her a gift yet and then the thought came to me. She got a bunch of really cute kitchen stuff while at Disneyland. Won't she need a matching apron?

So, I set out to make it for her. It was actually really easy to make. I didn't want to put the ruffle around the pocket, because I thought that would be too girly for Stacie. I got a minnie mouse embrodery applique on line, and put her name on it for that personalized touch. The only thing I wish I would have done differently is made the minnie bigger. She got it on Christmas, ony a month late, but she loved it. My mom also loved hers that I gave her for her birthday this year! (Ha ha beat that, Stacie!)

For those of you who want an apron like this for yourself, you're in luck. I made an extra one! Well, I didn't finish the pocket. I don't know your name yet! Just post a comment on this blog and then post a link on your own personnal blog regarding this apron. That will get you one entry in the drawing. If you want to up your odds, if you sign up to follow our blog you will receive another entry for a total of 2. 1 winner will be picked on January 13th.

Tis the season

2009-12-30T08:02:00.000-08:00

People get ready for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. Department stores get ready even eariler. With the next (Hallmark) holiday approaching in a month and a half, I've decided to change up the blog a bit. I hope everyone likes it. We'll see how long I can keep up with keeping the blog in theme with the seasons and holidays. I get tired of things easily, so hopefully we won't have a Valentine themed blog all year long. We're pretty excited for a give-away and our first tutorial coming in the next week or so. Check back in a few days, or better yet, just google reader us, so you don't miss out on this one!

Photo shoot

2009-12-14T11:21:00.000-08:00

We've been working on our own boys tie pattern and after finalizing one of the sizes, wanted to take some pictures of Riley in one....He didn't.

Church ties

2009-11-30T09:26:00.000-08:00

I made ties for the boys. The baseball one was the first one I made, so don't look too closely, because it's not even at the point. Oops!

Don't look at the knot too closely either. I don't know how to tie a tie, and Jim wasn't home to do it for me. I was lucky Nicholas let me put the tie on him, I wasn't going and try to chance my luck by changing him into church clothes as well.

Grandma's little helper

2009-11-16T11:20:00.000-08:00

Every time my mom comes to visit, or the kids visit her, they make cookies. So, for Christmas, I made her chef hats; one for her and one toddler size for when she makes cookies with one of the grand kids. On this occasion, my mom came up to watch Riley and Nicholas while Jim and I were both working. Of course, they made cookies.

Falling Behind & Fall Dress

2009-11-09T13:30:00.000-08:00

I know it's been a while since my last post. Between school, having appendicitis, and moving into our first home, there just hasn't been much time to sew. It makes me sad because I've missed it so much. I have got so many cute patterns that I am anxiously waiting to do. Then to add to that, there are tons of totally cute patterns that have just come out or will come out that are TDF! I feel so behind! But not to worry. My craft room in all put together now, my class at school is almost over, and I will never have appendicitis again!

When my mom came up a while ago to visit, we did a lot of fabric shopping. One of our favorite places to go is Strawberry Patches. It's such a fun quant little store with awesome fabrics. While there, I was in search of fabric to make Sadie a fall dress. We were in the store for probably an hour trying to find the right color combinations of fabric. I'm so happy with the fabrics we chose.

This pattern is made by Pink Fig, who is really becoming a favorite of mine. She has some new designs that just recently came out that I will definatley be getting. I love the bell sleves and the sheered bodice. Instead of making it into a top, I made mine longer, into a dress. Sheering in a fun and easy technique to do (as long as your machine doesn't act up, which mine tends to do when sheering). When I sheered, I used brown thread to help it really stand out.

I had to share a couple pictures with you that I think are just cute. This picture is one of them. Now I'm not one of those mom's who thinks her kids are cute 100% of the time. I realize that her smile is "not so cute". That's not why I like it. If you ask Sadie to say "cheese", this is the look she gives you. She doesn't say cheese yet, but she knows that you smile, and this is her cheese smile. She'll give it to you everytime you ask her to say "cheese", and that's what I think is so cute.

Sadie has a big personality. She loves her brother and wants to be just like him. She wants to be a "big" girl so bad, and thinks she already is one. For instance, she stopped sitting in her booster seat a long long time ago, because no one else sits in one. It doesn't matter that the table goes to her nose when she sits in a big chair. She also observes everything we do, and is constantly mimicing us, mostly Brayden. Whenever he has to go to the bathroom, she insist that she needs to sit on the tolet too! So when I went to buy Brayden new underwear, I picked her up some, just too see how she would like it. As soon as she saw Brayden putting his on, she had hers on. She loves it and will wear it over her diaper. That's why I like this picture. You can see her underwear in it. This may be one of those "ok, you just think it's cute because you're her mother" times, but I do.

Go USC!

2009-11-02T11:28:00.000-08:00

I've had some towels and ribbon sitting around for a while, and thought that hooded bath towels are pretty low on the thinking radar, and I have been meaning to make one for my friend's daughter now for months. I guess now's a good a time as any to make one.

My friends husband, and his entire family, are huge USC fans, though I don't quite get the hype. No one in his family even went to that school....at least go to the school. Regardless, because he's such a huge fan...so is she.

When I saw this USC ribbon, I immediately thought of them. So, I made their daughter a hooded bath towel using this ribbon. I hope Parker (and her dad) like the bath towel.

Thanks A Million!

2009-10-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

Some may know I recently had cataract surgery. My eye sight was getting so bad, I felt like my life was being compromised. The cataracts magnified the brightness of the sun, I couldn’t go outside, and when I did, it affected my vision greatly. If I was talking to someone face to face, I couldn’t make out the details on their face. They were a big blur. As much as I wanted to, I wasn’t sewing very much before the surgery. It was hard for me to see the stitches. When I did sew, I couldn’t see to change the thread, so my husband would change it for me.

Since the surgery, I feel like I’ve been given my life back. I can’t get enough of sewing these days. Probably because I have 2 kids to take care of as well as all the other motherly/wife responsibilities. My favorite thing to sew is girl clothes. I’ve just recently started sewing purses though, and have a new found love in making them. I think purses are like shoes. You can never have too many!

My parents and in-laws were so helpful during and after the surgery. Because of my parents, the surgery actually happened. If we would have waited for my insurance to cooperate, we would still be waiting. My in-laws were there to take care of my kids while I recovered. I could never repay them for what they have both done. Well, I guess I could my parents, but you’ll have to wait quiet a while to get it. I wanted to do something to show my appreciation to them both. Even though it is just a small token, I hope it shows how much I appreciate all that they did.

My mother-in-law showed me a purse that she really liked a while ago. It’s called the frilly dilly bag. If interested, you can get it HERE. She actually bought me the pattern some time ago. I was thinking of making it for her for Christmas, but then I had the idea to make it while I was recovering and didn’t have any kids. The purse itself was easy to make, but the rushing took a great deal of time. I gave it to her when we picked up the kids and I’m glad that she liked it.

I wasn’t sure what purse to make for my mom, but I saw this one recently and fell in love with it. I think it’s the shape that I like so much. My mom loves polka dots, so I went on the search for the perfect polka dot fabric. I wanted black and white, and for some reason, it was a lot harder to find than I would have thought. After looking for some time with no luck, I saw that my sister-in-law made a skirt for her daughter out of the perfect black and white polka dot fabric. After asking where she got it, and looking there to no avail, she sent me some. Thank you Brittny! I really enjoyed making this purse. It’s not a large bag, but it’s the right size for when you need to carry your wallet, cell, and a few other essentials. It was easy to put together and I think it turned out great. I really hope you like it mom! You can get this purse here.

As for the dads, I don’t really know what to make for you. If you a see a purse you like, let me know. Maybe cookies will suffice.

Life with my boys

2009-10-19T11:22:00.000-07:00

You know how you start to get suspicious that your kids are up to something when it's just a little too quiet in the house? I wish I had that excuse. I'm always so happy when I hear them playing together, especially when I'm not in the room to enforce sharing. This time, I heard little whispers and giggles, apparently, about the mess they we're creating. Walking into the loft, I noticed that one of my ribbon drawers was open. Nothing to be concerned about, because the boys like to take my ribbon out and wind it up the lamp pole or something. A little closer, and I notice it's empty.

Where'd it go? I ask Riley. He says he doesn't know. I told him he needs to help me find it and he gives me a cheery "okay" and bounces down the stairs. That's when I got suspicious. Starting to follow him, I stop halfway realizing he's going into the living room,. I go back to the loft and peer down into the living room from the loft.

It could have been worse. I actually think it's a little funny, but I don't let him know it. As I cross the loft, to head downstairs, I notice my pin magnet is empty.

My thoughts race as I envision all my little pins scattered among the living room, hiding in the crevices of the couch. I run downstairs, and step on something. I'll clean up whatever that was later. I have more important things to do right now. Then as I get into the living room I turn back around, and notice a dining room floor full of shiny pins. The dining room floor, that I just crossed. is full of pins...87 to be exact and what was it I stepped on? A pin that was sticking straight up from the floor. I'm just grateful it was sharp side down.

The Kern County Fair

2009-10-12T15:39:00.000-07:00

This past Thursday was schools days at our local fair. I thought Sadie would have a fun time looking at the animals, so we packed up and went. I thought it would only be appropriate for her to wear her cow jumper I made her. I love jumpers! They are one of the first clothing I learned how to sew really well. This is only my second jumper I’ve made for Sadie, and I'm not sure why because I love them. I will definately be making her more soon.

I’ve had the cow fabric for a while waiting to be inspired. While I was looking through my stash of fabric recently, I came upon it again. Looking to see if I had anything that would match, I found the cow spot fabric that I had just enough to do a ruffle with and the pink gingham which I thought would be adorable together. I love the small details that go into the jumper. Ric rac is becoming a favorite of mine. I added it to the straps and below the bodice. I also made my own buttons out of the gingham, which if you have never done before, is so easy! To finish off Sadie’s “on the farm/superstar” look, she wore capri length leggins, sunglasses, and her hair in pigtails. She got so many compliments! If you want to try a very easy jumper pattern, the one that I learned from, you can get it HERE.

I’m very sad though. I didn’t get very many pictures because I had the wrong memory card in my camera. Here are a few that I did get.

Riding comfortably in her red wagon.

Waiting for the pig races to start.

Nicholas' blankets

2009-10-05T11:29:00.000-07:00

My mom made Nicholas a blanket that he loves. One side is minkee and the other satin. I love this blanket too. Something about the different textures on each side, and both textures being pleasing to the touch.

I found some similar fabric while shopping with my mom, and I decided I wanted to try and make one too. I started, taking pictures as I was going, with the intentions of doing a tutorial, but halfway through decided I just wanted to finish the blanket and ditched the pictures. If I do another blanket, I'll post a tutorial.

I thought my hang-up would be the corners, but they really weren't hard.

He loves to pull the blankets over his head and play Peek-a-boo with them.

I was curious to know whether he would prefer one blanket over the other or one color over the other. I'm glad he doesn't. He's perfectly happy with either....or preferably both.

Projects

2009-10-01T17:42:00.000-07:00

It's a twin thing

2009-10-01T11:49:00.000-07:00

Stephanie and I do everything together. We got engaged a week apart and got married 5 weeks apart. We had our first child 3 months apart, and our second 3 weeks. Those, however, were not done on purpose. We live 120 miles apart, but will still buy the same outfit at the same store in our own cities. It comes kind of natural for us to do things the same, or even together. Yes, we have that twin thing going on. So, when we each started our own craft blog, and started helping the other one out on the other's blog, we decided, and can't believe we didn't think of it before, to combine them. After all, we already shared an ebay and etsy account along with a website. Why not this too?

Why Never Enough...

2009-10-01T11:48:00.000-07:00

Our first "Never Enough" came when Stephanie had her daughter. She got this frenzy inside of her, and bought TONS of bows for her. Then she bought even more. She couldn't get enough of them! Hence, Never Enough Bows came about. But "Never Enough" doesn't stop there. We both enjoy crafts. In the begining, mostly scrapbooking, with a little crochet or kniting here or there. And despite our mother's efforts when we were younger, it wasn't until after we both had our first baby, that sewing really became an interest to us. It was then that we both bought our first sewing machine, and with time and experience, decided we HAD to have a serger and then an embroidery machine. We both swear we won't need another sewing machine, but honestly, you never can tell (please, don't tell our husbands). With each new craft we start, we always think, "this will be the last one", but it never is. After you add in everyday living and life, it always feels like you just never have enough time, hands, projects, or sleep. So, Never Enough just kind of fits us. We have been known as Jack and Jill Designs, Never Enough Bows, and Sadie James, depending on where your looking. Confusing enough? We hope not.