A Little Of This....

...a little of that.   This is what life has been feeling like lately.  There seems to be a theme going on in my last few posts: busy. 

I have been often saying to my husband, "How can anyone be bored?"  We both wonder, as neither one of us seems to have enough time to do all the stuff we want and need to do.  When I see idiots on Facebook with a status about their boredom, I so want to comment: "Only boring people become bored".  But it would not be taken nicely.

There is the busy of the day to day.  There is the busy of being a WAHM.  There is the extra busy with a husband working 70 hours a week and a three year old who is growing and learning leaps and bounds.

And I can't complain.  This is all good.  I have to step back and take a breath and remind myself that busy is good.  For us specifically it means growth.  Bourgeois Baby is now in Whole Foods Market, and they have supported my desire to start up an organic line!  I have my sights set on a few other well known retailers known for high end products and service, and once I get through the pre-holiday and holiday season this will be at the top of my list.  I am significantly behind on a few things, but only because I set my own deadlines.  I guess at this rate I could also say I am well ahead for next season?

I've been educating myself about the retail market from a business perspective and consumerism in our country.  It's really an overwhelming disappointment in how our country is run by just a few very large retail corporations that have decimated small business and local economies.  It fuels my drive to make Bourgeois Baby a successful local business.  As an adult, you tell me something is near impossible, or that I can't do it- guess what?  I'm going to show you otherwise. 

A book worth checking out on the topic is by Stacy Mitchell titled "Big Box Swindle".  And if you are going to get it, may I suggest your local library or independent bookstore?  Read the book, and you will totally get why I say that.


Oh, and I opened an Etsy shop.  I really need to add more of my products, but between time and currently contemplating a restructured selling platform, it remains fairly small.


And because I love to have a good laugh, here is some outtakes for my Whole Foods Market promo so you can have a laugh at my expense.  You're welcome.

This is what working with your husband looks like.

How To Make A Sewn Tutu

It was not originally part of the business plan, but Bourgeois Baby has received many requests to carry girl's tutus.  Initially I did a few hand tied tutus- simple and easy, but there was really nothing special about them that required much skill.  So I began to play around with making a sewn tutu, and finally came up with a method that makes a fluffy tutu with an elastic waistband encased with costume satin.  I find that these sewn tutus give a professional look and are easy to put on and take off.  You can even add embellishments to the waistband like a bow or bling.

Here is a material list:

There were a few informational graphics that are handy to keep.  Standard tutu sizing is here.  You will notice that I mentioned in the video that I was making a newborn size tutu and cut the strips at 10 inches.  That is just a habit of mine- cutting a 2 inches longer than the recommended standard length to allow for some error during ruffling and serging.  You don't need to do that, as typically this also gives me tutus that are a bit longer than standard.

Ok. The Math!  Really, don't be afraid of this.  I came up with these calculations based on the average lengths I would consistently get during my test tutus.  Your machine may differ, so I highly suggest that you adjust this based on what your machine gives you in terms of ruffles per inches.  (And don't hesitate to contact me if you need help figuring this out.).

 

Would love to hear your feedback (this was my first video tutorial) and see your creations!

 

My Little Movie Star

I've been working on more videos for my company, and trying to market our more edgy products.  I would say the most "racy" items is the Retro Tattoo print.  I absolutely love it, and with vintage style tattoos being so popular it seemed like the right fit for our bibs, too.

The video was shot in Nashua, NH at a local tattoo shop.  Tattoo America has been in the southern NH region for ages, so it was a natural to want to shoot there.  The beautiful actress happens to be my little Vera.  She did such a great job.  And she just loved "getting" tattooed!

You can check out the video here.

What do you think?

Where Does The Time Go?

Time, as you get older, goes by so quickly.  You blink and a month goes by.  Age certainly gives a different perspective to time.  I can vividly remember school years dragging by as a kid.  Now, a week feels like half a day.

And so, here is why it's been difficult to get to the blog.  With Vera keeping me more busy than ever, and Bourgeois Baby growing faster than I imagined it would by this point (not complaining by any means!!) I get very little down time.  My work hours are whenever Vera is in bed (typically by 7:30pm) til many nights 11pm.  It is not enough time to keep up the pace.  I do have a sitter who comes 2-3 days a week for a few hours, and Vera has been in camp for a few weeks this summer to give me more time.  And yet- there still isn't enough.  The only reason why I am writing tonight is because my car is packed up with Bourgeois Baby gear for the Boston MommyCon event.  I figured I'd tinker since tomorrow is going to be a long day, and I could get to bed early.

On that note, I bid you goodnight.

Catching Up

Ha ha. Not really.

While I await some business files to come through, I figured I'd punch out a post.  My first thought was to write a post about something that has been swirling in my head for some time- something I've come to of late call "The Mom Conspiracy"- but that would be so long and involved I can't get into it now.  But I will write that post sometime, just not sure when.

Instead, I'm thinking of all the projects I want to get to, but I have come to not be able to sew or knit for myself or Vera or anyone else for that matter.  In other words, all my crafting these days are strictly business related.  This is by no means a complaint- it's great to be busy and getting ready for some large expos and sales campaigns for Bourgeois Baby.  But I do miss doing something just for fun.

For myself, I bought a couple of patterns for winter wear.  Hopefully I will get to them before next winter.  The first is the pattern by See & Sew B5909 in view B.  Someone in a facebook sewing group I am in posted her pics of her finished product and it was just so lovely!  It looks like a super easy pattern to whip out in an afternoon, but I have not found a fabric that I like for it.  The suggestions are a fleece, boiled wool, or berber fleece.  I haven't found one that I like.  Wool would look nice but I am afraid it will make my neck itch.

The other pattern I have waiting is Simplicity 3568 in view C.  I have a lightweight sweater knit fabric with a Nordic pattern with reindeer, snowflakes, etc.  I like the cowl neck line, and the fabric I found on major markdown is very funky.

I also have an apron cut out waiting to be finished.  The fabric is a lovely orange with blue fabrics.  It's vaguely vintage looking.

I've also been working on tutu construction.  There are so many tutorials out there, and so many ways to construct one and I have not found the way I like best.  This started with getting ready for the Bourgeois Baby Photo Shoot, in which I made 4 tutus in less than 24 hours.  Now that I have some time I am playing around with it, I am trying to perfect the best way for me.

And here is a shameless pic of me at my fabulously new sewing machine.  It's so awesome.  And has so many features I've barely touched an quarter of what it can do.



Weeee!!!! Wielding so much sewing power!