Oh, I should be sleeping. It's late and my baby girl will no doubt be up early tomorrow. The problem is, I got a new laptop and I just can't leave it alone. Our old laptop is an ancient 6 1/2 years old! It took forever to load photos, made creepy creaking noises, and streaming video was absolutely out of the question. Did I mention several keys were missing and the 's' key was always sticking?

I think it's safe to say I'll *finally* be making more blog posts now that I have a faster machine. 

Here are a few pics from our annual trip to Oregon to visit my mom.

Sale!!

Trunk show this Saturday night! I'll have cosmetic bags, reversible cloth napkins for kids (great for the lunch box) and kids' aprons. Custom order welcome. Or, just come over for a beverage and a snack.

3652 Harriet Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55409 US

When: Saturday, June 6, 6:30PM to 9:00PM
Phone: 612-41-8749

Unfinished Business

Ugh. I think I have crafting ADD. Here's a list of current UNFINISHED projects languishing in my sewing room:

1. Kimono outfit for GC (see previous post)
2. Oh, Fransson! quilt-along. 95% of my blocks are done
3. 20-some boxy zipper pouches just need side seams reinforced
4. Need to make 2 straps for a large tote, then finish it up
5. Another bag is cut, but no sewing done yet
6. I cut out a blouse for myself, but made it too short and trying to decide how to salvage
7. Currently working on a new product - kids' aprons. Prototype is in the works
8. Fabric is washed and ironed and ready to cut a pouch sling


Aaack!!!

Raise your hand if you read blogs for the photos

Me, me!!! I must admit that I love "reading" blogs - well, ones written by fellow crafty types, anyway - but mostly for the photos. Anybody else? Coming soon - an all photo post of recent projects.

Speaking of photos... I've been trying to capture my daughter's black eyelashes. This is a big deal to me because I come from a long line of eyelash "challenged" people and I'm thrilled that Gwendolyn will not have to be a slave to mascara. So this is the best photo to date. I'm going to work on capturing her brothers' lashes, too, and will post soon. Anybody else obsessed with long, black lashes?



Finally, a shout out to Knittymama for lending me her baby swing. Gwendolyn takes long, delicious naps there which gives me time for luxuries such as SHOWERING, and yes, SEWING! Three cheers for the swing!

Fabric Mania

Check out this gorgeous new Moda fabric. The line is called Wonderland - designed by MoMo. I found it this weekend and I also scored some wide whale olive/lime green corduroy to match that was 40% off. I'm envisioning GC wearing a cute Japanese-inspired top made from the circle fabric, a corduroy skirt and tights. For the first day of kindergarten, maybe?? Now that I think about it, I should have gotten enough fabric to make a "mommy and me" version. Lordy, what's happening to me?





I went to my favorite local fabric store on Saturday, Treadle Yard Goods, to get half a yard of lime green gingham for a skirt I'm making (for myself!). Nina, a very nice woman who works there, swooped in and grabbed GC. She held her while I shopped and even changed her diaper!! Can you believe it? Talk about service. No wonder it's my favorite store in the whole world. I left with 6 1/2 yards of fabric. Ugh.

Fussy

First baby clothes project
Originally uploaded by Lemonade Bags

No, not my baby girl, but rather this kimono outfit (see photo). It's not quite done, but close.

Please don't think I'm complaining. My sincerest gratitude to the designer, Tina Givens. Drafting a pattern is no easy task for sure, but ugh! I knew I was in trouble when the directions read: "Sew piece H to piece F", but there was absolutely no piece H!! What the heck?

I ended up making a number of changes to the original pattern and probably should have made more. I omitted the big collar because I imagined my babe trying to latch on to it the whole time. Eventually, I dumped the sewing instructions altogether and just did it my own way. And there's a reason why the front and back of pant legs are not identical. Where is my baby's butt going to go?? Not to mention the rise isn't high enough to make a waist band. Okay, enough griping.

Sewing this outfit has been a good learning experience. I made continuous bias strip for the first time and that was super cool. I also feel more confident making changes to patterns and I have a new appreciation for what goes into drafting a quality pattern. Regardless, the outfit is really cute, no?

GC is frowning because I've dressed her in blue. The other photo captures Paul on the rebound from illness.

Baby girl is 4 weeks old today. While I'm wickedly tired, I'm also sad that the newborn phase is quickly fleeting. Isn't it funny how the firstborn seems like an infant FOREVER, but subsequent children grow so rapidly it makes your head spin?

My wonderful homebirth midwives came over today to do the well baby check. "GC" weighed in at an amazing 12 pounds 1.6 ounces. That's my girl! It's no wonder my back and shoulders are a little sore.

My boys have been quite sick during the last few days. Alex had strep (caught it from me), days of high fever and then some nasty cough thing. Paul had a radically high fever and some projectile vomiting. Great weekend. Well, it wasn't all bad. I managed to get two patterns traced. Amy Butler's Lounge Pants from In Stitches for me and a kimono outfit by Tina Givens for GC. I'm so excited for both projects and will post photos when finished. Seriously, I've been waiting my WHOLE LIFE to sew clothes for my daughter, just like my mother did for me and her mother did for her.

In other news, I took the plunge and purchased a postal scale today. The last time I sold something on Etsy, I ended up standing in line at the post office for 20 minutes with a 3 yr old and a 2 week old in tow waiting to ship the package. I promised myself, never again! It's so liberating. Yes, it's the little things in life that give me joy...

Important News

I have two important things to share!

First, a sweet little baby girl joined our family at 2:16 a.m. on February 3, 2009. She weighed an amazing 9 lbs 7 oz. Her big brothers love her so much that they just can't keep their hands off of her (especially her face). I'm still adjusting to life with 3 kids and those long sleepless nights, but at the same time I can't believe how fast it all goes by. How can my baby be 2 weeks old already??

Second piece of news is that my website and e-mail (annik@lemonadebags.com) are down. I just figured it out today. My stupid web host went out of business but didn't bother to share that information with me. I wonder if he bothered to tell any of his other customers??? So, I'll be down for a few days until I find a new web host. You can contact me at miller.annik@gmail.com in the meantime if you're desperate for a new bag or pouch.

Happy 2009!

Wow, the last month just went by in a whirlwind. Thanks to everyone who attended my trunk show or placed a custom order before Christmas.

I don't know about you, but I'm so relieved 2008 is over and I'm excited about hope and change in 2009. There will definitely be plenty of change around here when our new baby arrives. Only 4 weeks to go until my due date. I'm anxious to find out if this baby is *really* a girl. We keep calling it "she" and working on a list of girl names (but still no concensus). Paul, our 3 yr old, wants to name the baby "Yoke Eggs" - his name for eggs over easy.

We have so much to do to get ready for our new arrival and for some reason I seem to have saved it all until the last minute. There are baby clothes to wash, homebirth supplies to collect (should have been done at least a week ago), rooms to clean/organize, yet what I really want to do right now is knit! I made my 3 yr old a pair of mittens while we were in Nebraska visiting my husband's family for Christmas. Now I've got a hat and a pair of mittens going for myself. Meanwhile, the basement needs to be organized, meals need to be prepared. Ugh! Let's hope those nesting hormones kick in soon, because I feel tired and slow. Couldn't I just hire somebody else to nest for me???

Meanwhile, the sewing machines are collecting a bit of dust. While it's nice to take a break, I'm itching to get back to it.

Here's a photo of the very last Lemonade Bag of 2008 and some family photos from our trip to Lincoln, NE: