hello, yellow fabric roundup!

this post went up today on the blog "made" for part of celebrate yellow! thanks for the kind words dana - you made my month!


hi everyone, i'm shannon from the blog luvinthemommyhood! we luv a good roundup in our friendly neighbourhood - in fact i like to round things up once a week. i secretly like to call myself an internet cowgirl, one who sports the sweetest pair of cowgirl (boy) boots who actually manages to find the best dang fit for a pair of jeans, and who always, always, looks fabulous dirty, with no hair or makeup on. now we all know that's darn near impossible but a girl can daydream right?

when dana mentioned to me about coming on to do a roundup of yellow fabrics the first thing that came to mind was "yes, of course i'll come"..hello??....easy question...and then this.................


hello, yellow............
nice to meet you, let's get acquainted. now, i have to admit i haven't used a lot of yellow fabrics in my time of sewing, this internet wrangler isn't scared of a bright, hard to match color - no way! ok, yes, maybe a little - we all have a teensy bit of anxiety for bright colors right folks? ok, maybe i'm alone...haha, sometimes i feel like i'm the only one displaying my personality in prints instead of bright colors. what about you? do you lean towards graphic patterns instead of bright yellows, reds or oranges?

well fear no more. i went galloping around the blogosphere to source out some fun & wild, demure & soft, crazy & bright and just plain pretty yellow prints to hopefully fit the taste for just about any sewer. throw some of these into your next project. brighten up that quilt, add some sunshine to your little girls dress, add some pop to your living room decor, heck, why not make your next purse for fall out of a gorgeous saffron print? perfect. yummy. fabulous. or as we say around luvinthemommyhood - shantastic!

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go on....don't be nervous....i'm right here with you, in fact i think i have some spare pairs of cowgirl boots kicking around that have your name written all over em'. let's go round up our machines ladies! it's time for "hello, yellow fabric roundup"!

1. bird seed in yellow 2. castle peeps flags 3. yellow tossed cupcakes 4. yellow packed taxi cabs
5. yellow chili peppers 6. diamond mine
7. strawberry fields 8. birds yellow 9. river view yellow 10. cafe toasters 11. trellis stripes
12. huevos
13. splashy rose 14. pears in summer 15. lulu 16. chirp wide 17. farmer's market corn yellow
18. lemons & leaves
19. bananas cream 20. faux fur luxury shag 21. happy butterfly 22. flashy wheels circle 23. cotton lemons 24. juicy lemon

1. hello, yellow in your dreams 2. pale yellow dots 3. yellow baby grid 4. poodle
5. treetop morning yellow 6. yellow sleeping beauty
7. roses gold 8. moon stars 9. martini yellow 10. happy butterfly 11. oval dots
12. welcome road stripe yellow
13. 14. chipper 15. barber 16. texture yellow 17. fabric pearl 18. sandpiper

1. yellow tossed apples 2. yellow tossed owls 3. yellow garden movement 4. number on yellow
5. ele 6. gisella
7. gnoming around 8. lambs in citron 9. flowers & girls 10. 11. urban circus dots
12. woodland friends
13. paris scooter 14. charms bee yellow 15. cat in the hat 16. yellow tossed machines
17. playday in summer 18. bird play
19. little birdies in yellow 20. ducks 21. whales in garden 22. citron zoology 23. honey bee
24. chicken & egg

1. yellow packed floral 2. yellow line dance 3. majestic oak 4. wallpaper roses

5. green vintage floral 6. vintage fabric 7. paisley yellow 8. orchids yellow
9. lemon grass 10. washing day ticking yellow 11. rose bouquet 12. little honey meadow
13. picnic bouquet 14. lemon grass 15. sunflower yellow/white 16. splashy rose in garden

1. darla 2. dots & loops in gold 3. vintage floral 4. crafty wonder bus
5. vintage sunny flowers 6. daisies on yellow 7. jumbo daisies 8. vintage fabric
9. hello yellow flashback 10. hello yellow funkadelic 11. hello yellow flower power
12. yellow large whimsy doozie
13. mustard daisy dot 14. yellow laughing leaf 15. honey bloom 16. floral yellow

1. hello yellow old school 2. yellow stripe 3. yellow rick rack 4. yellow blocks

5. tangerine hop dot 6. monotone stamp 7. lites & brights yellow 8. honeycomb
9. dimple dot canary 10. butterfly 11. rectangle silhouettes 12. yellow dottie grid
13. yellow mints 14. yellow cufflink 15. yellow picnic 16. pindot white on yellow

i hope to see you out there in the wild, yellow west! thanks for having me dana, it's always a pleasure. you know how fab i think you are...and i know you all know how fab dana is, so i'll just say - you rock dana! i'm now addicted to yellow fabric and can't way to try out your dyed elastic trick. is there anything you CAN'T do? luv ya girl. chat with you in the late night blogging hours :P

plum project studio giveaway winner

ok ladies, the winner of the fabulous plum project studio giveaway is.........

debojo said...

I also just subscribed! Would be so excited to make some cloth diapers for my 1 year old :)

September 27, 2010 5:04 PM

debojo - janice will be in touch. happy diaper making!

congratulations and thank you to all of you who entered and to plum project studio for such an awesome giveaway!!!! if you haven't already been over, make sure to check out this awesome store that is totally filled with organic & sustainable materials & notions for knitting, sewing, crochet & embroidery - it's a breath of fresh air!

sewing area revamp part two - blue for me, blue for you

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ok, so we all know i went to ikea and literally had a serious case of retail therapy. my total wasn't too bad but i did use up my whole budget for my sewing wall revamp. it was exciting, but then again, you all know ikea is exciting, especially when you have to take a ferry and drive to get to the closest one.

i'm now in the nitty gritty of the revamp (read part one of the sewing area revamp here). things need to be assembled and they need to get organized...the right way...haha. the hubby has now learned his lesson about not reading the instructions. i've got fabric everywhere, notions, boxes, scraps, batting...etc that all needs a home. i ended up getting the following items (some extras & of course more fabric) and now have to decide what to put where. i'm thinking of the following:

my question for you all is how to display the fabric? how do you organize your fabric? folded, piled, stacked or on mini bolts? i'm thinking of using all the leftover cardboard from my ikea purchases to wrap the fabric around like bolts and then organzie them on the shelves. what do you guys think?

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as for the desk, i'm feeling very torn. here's what my desk looks like now...


one part of my gemini personality wants to be daring and paint it my fave color of blue while the other part thinks that painting it all white is the way to go. maybe a comprimise? blue desk - white top? or white desk - blue drawers?

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what do you guys think? share your tips and wisdom...this diy stuff is proving to be trickier than i thought. i can see what i want visually in my head but i need your guy's help to actually make it a reality. are any of you revamping your sewing area as well? link up, share a pic, comment below, i need inpsiration :)

Stitch by Stitch Blog Tour with Guest Deborah Moebes & my bad hair day

(sorry to jolt you all first thing in the morning with my scary no make-up face..muahaha)

do you ever wake up looking like this in the morning? you know that scary, bed head, tangled mop of hair that usually results from a good night's sleep? do you have the kind of kid's that don't always let you have that morning shower leaving you with hair that you just don't know what the heck to do with? the kind of morning look that makes you jolt back in shock thinking "is that really me????"! well, if you do, and you need a fun solution that doesn't involve hair products and straighteners here's the solution - the book "stitch by stitch" by the charming, funny and uber talented deborah moebes.


i Heart this book and i don't say that lightly. i am a book hound. i adore books and used to work in the book industry. i've loved them since i was a little girl hiding under my blanket with a flashlight staying up way too late to finish a new fave read. i still can be found hiding out in old book stores breathing in that delicious book smell and dreaming of the day i might have a book of my own. i like to think i have a good eye for books and an insatiable appetite to read (when i have time nowadays that is...hehe).

during the the last year or so my baby/parenting and fiction/literature books have been replaced with sewing books. my local library is sadly lacking in a great selection (sorry gvpl) and so i am always on wait lists and always stalking bookstores to flip through sewing books. my own sister has to help me come to the library to help me carry my books out to the car - it's true.


i guess i have been on a search so to speak, for someone to finally make that light bulb go off when it comes to some of the little things about sewing. someone to take the time in a lovely, inspiring book to not make me feel inadequate or silly for not knowing the right terminology, or the right tool or technique but instead someone to explain it to me like a friend. this book did that for me. i sat staring at the images going oh.....that's what that is....or ohhhhhhh, that's how you do that. little lightbulbs dinging around my head while my poor hubby sat thinking "what the heck are you doing now?". i even made my poor 3 1/2 year old come over every time i learned something new so i could gush about it even though she has no idea what the heck i was talking about - poor kid.

"stitch by stitch: learning to sew, one project at a time" has filled my sewing void. it's become that "thing" that i've been trying to find to help glue all the pieces of knowledge i have acquired together. the last piece of my sewing puzzle. the friend to show me the things i couldn't figure out, that last helping hand i needed to gain the confidence and courage to push my sewing further and to forge ahead into the land of button and zippers.


in the book deborah walks you through sewing timelines, history, the nitty gritty of your machine, tools and notions all the way to to fun, modern projects that while fun to make, are also teaching you those things you may not have had time to figure out yet or had been too scared to try. you can hear deborah's voice throughout it all. that funny, loving girl who has a passion and a love for sewing whose joy is addicting. i felt as though she was sitting along beside me telling me to suck it up and just bite the bullet.

so how the heck is a sewing book going to help us with our hair you ask? by teaching us how to make fun and fresh hair accessories to cover up our nasty bed head. the author of stitch by stitch is here on luvinthemommyhood today to help us deal with 2 very scary things. eek. firstly, our bad mommy hair days and secondly our fear and anxiety of buttonholes (if you have a zipper fear like me as well, don't fear, deborah deals with that in her book too). yep, you are going to join in with me (if you want to) and try really, really hard to ignore the sweaty palms, nervous twitching and fear of ruining our lovingly sewed garment to make a .....(shudder)......buttonhole!


how is a buttonhole going to fix our ratty, flat hair you may ask? it's going to help us make a customizable headband. something soft & comfy, that doesn't give you a headache that you can make in any cotton fabric print that your heart desires. you could make one to go with all your outfits. whip em up to your hearts content. i think i found a new addiction folks but first i have to conquer that darn buttonhole....ok, grab my hand ladies, let's jump in. whether you are a newbie sewer (like me) still learning the tricks of the trade, an old pro with a fear that lingered or just someone wanting to spruce up their headband collection, deborah's going to show us how to make a simple and cute fabric headband.

let's all welcome deborah.....

Super special thanks to Shannon of luvinthemommyhood for hosting today’s stop on the Stitch by Stitch blog tour! I love Shannon’s outlook and bubbly voice in her blog, and am so grateful she was willing to let me move in at her place for the day. We’ve been chatting back-and-forth by email about sewing and what it feels like to be new at it and not feel as though you know “enough.” She asked me to put together a tutorial project using buttonholes, and I’m delighted to do it! (Plenty more info on buttons, buttonholes, and buttonhole feet is available in Stitch by Stitch, BTW.) Thanks, Shannon, hope you love the headband!

Buttonholes and zippers seem to be the most fear-inducing sewing projects around. At least, they’re the skills I most frequently hear from folks that they hope to avoid because buttonholes and zippers cause so much anxiety. My mother hates zippers, and would always prefer to put in a buttonhole over a zipper pretty much any day of the week. Myself, I prefer zippers, because for years my buttonholes have been notoriously mediocre. At least, they were until I learned that there were sewing machines that make lovely buttonholes. Say, what?!? Yes, it’s true. And with such futuristic technology, you, too can make pretty buttonholes.

To give us some practice on the task, a simple headband project with a button tab closure. Because what’s the point in learning a new skill if you can’t use it right away?

if you want to join me in conquering your fear of buttonholes...c'mon you know you wanna....click here for the rest of this comfy headband tutorial. we can all hide our bad hair days together ladies!

if you need some modern and fresh fabrics to turn into headbands check out deborah's wonderful fabric shop whipstitch, both online and brick & mortar. you can also follow along with deborah on her fabulous blog (one of my fave reads) and you can find "stitch by stitch" here.


a big thank you to deborah, for stopping by our little neighbourhood to help us all not scare our neighbours with our nasty bed head and to help me to stop cringing everytime i find a project i love that involves a zipper or a button. i owe ya deborah and thanks so much for being part of the mommyhood.

Stitch By Stitch Virtual World Tour 2010

• Monday, Sept 13: The Long Thread
• Tuesday, Sept 14: MADE
• Wednesday, Sept 15: Lizzy House
• Thursday, Sept 16: Fat Quarterly
• Friday, Sept 17: Made By Rae
• Monday, Sept 20: Motherhood Uncensored
• Tuesday, Sept 21: Sew, Mama, Sew
• Wednesday, Sept 22: Mod Podge Rocks
• Thursday, Sept 23: True Up
• Friday, Sept 24: Simply Modern Mom
• Monday, Sept 27: Miss Britt
• Tuesday, Sept 28: luvinthemommyhood
• Wednesday, Sept 29: Bari J
• Thursday, Sept 30: Attack of the Redneck Mommy
• Friday, Oct 1: Grosgrain
• Monday, Oct 4: Wardrobe Refashion

have you read "stitch by stitch" yet? are you a fan of "whipstitch"? what sewing technique are you scared of and how did you conquer it?

ikea hangover

ok folks, i made it back home from ikea alive, with baby in tow and a whole lotta loot! only thing is instead of getting home just after dinner we got home a lot later and i am pooped! shopped out, ferried (sp?) out and ready for bed. so as i type this my lovely hubby is now assembling my new babies for my sewing wall makeover at 10:04pm...so excited, and i'm gonna save my posting till another day and snuggle up in bed. hope you all had a great weekend!


don't forget to get your entry in for your chance to win Cloud9 forest friends flannel fabric (I LOVE), organic wool and all the other sustainable material you need to make your very own cloth diaper and wool diaper cover! the giveaway ends monday at midnight (pacific standard time). this is a kick ass prize ladies....i seriously want it for myself! if you don't cloth diaper and know someone who does, please pass the word along. and while you're at it make sure you check out plum project studio's fabulous online shop filled with the most fabulous organic & sustainable goodies for sewing, knitting, crocheting & embroidery - tell janice i said hello!


what did you do this weekend? anyone else more tired than they were before the weekend started??? have you been to ikea lately?

weekend wishes

to get my hands on this quilt block...........

image source via meet me at mike's

to start whipping out some new handmade scarves...and then sport a scarf bow this fall.....

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to find some material to match this color scheme......

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to finally get my hands on some antique lace....

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to have a heckuva lotta fun at this place on sunday.....

and then find some of these to put on my inspiration board....

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ok, no wish for this pic except to hear you all chuckle.....

(sorry, can't find the link)

to share one of these with mackenzie......

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to freak some people out with this.........

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the hairdresser in me wants to figure out a way to get my hair into this hairstyle.

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hi all, how's your week going? any fun plans this weekend? i'm super excited about mine! i'm off to ikea!!!! ahhhhhhhhhhh! we've got a van, we've got some girls, one cute baby and we're going on a super ikea sized adventure! it's gonna involve girl chat, coffee, ferries, shopping and lots of fun. i'm so excited to get the revamp of my "sewing wall" in gear! i still haven't decided on the desk but i will keep you all posted on that. i'll be posting pics as i go through the process. anyone suggest a fave ikea fabric while i'm there? i haven't been in ages - what's your fave?

this week has burnt me out so i'm gonna go curl up on the couch with my baby girl, who is currently singing to us (imagine gizmo from the gremlins in a cute way) and my hubby and enjoy all the good tv on tonight. bring me some big bang theory, bad haired donald trump and some funny 30rock and i'm a happy girl. then i am going to attempt to go to bed early. i always say that and it never happens, but tonight i'm gonna try. oh ,and if any of you have sent me emails this week and are awaiting replies, bear with me. the inbox has taken over and i'll be trying to catch up soon.

what are you trying to catch up on this week? any fun plans this weekend? fave new tv show you caught? (did y'all hear netflix is finally in canada - super excited!) let's have a chat over...hmmmmm.....maybe a pumpkin spice latte? yeah.....that sounds delicious. get out your fave mug....and come on in, i've got one here for you too.

moments in the mommyhood - the unicorn has arrived

the unicorn has arrived (you all remember the post about the unicorn fairy princess horn i made). who knew that unicorn fairy princess costumes actually existed and not just my paper towel roll makeshift horn. i sure didn't. but man am i glad they do, cause how cute is this???? seriously! i can't stop making her put it on and run around in it and yes, i will openly admit that i put the head on and ran around with it on as well - how could you not? i think every little girl must have thought about being a unicorn at least once in her life.

it even has fairy wings, a mane and all! only request from mack is for a my little pony style applique of a flower on the body - no problem! gotta love a girl who asks for applique!

i've been feeling the need for some stillness and time to just sit and stare at my girls. harper is growing up way too fast. she's changing by the day and has the best laugh ever. this girl has got a chuckle squeal that could entertain me for hours. she also loves to sing. in the car, in her bed, on the boob, doesn't matter, she sings. we also found out she love michael buble - who knew?

this week has a been a very long one in our house. i've been working on the side lines for a fun post that will be up next month on sew mama sew!!! yep, that's right! can you hear me squealing with delight! i danced a jig and called about 3 people when i found out that i get to guest blog over on sew mama sew. oh, and did you see my pretty new button on the sidebar...the one that says "sew mama sew board member"? ahhhhh, joy. i'll fill you in on the reason for that another time, but for now, i'll just say that i am one busy momma! you'll also be seeing me later next week on "made" for part of dana's "celebrate yellow" as well. fun!

so how does one momma take care of a 3 1/2 year old who is starting preschool, ballet and a few other activities, a 4 month old, a hubby, laundry, chores, reorganizing the house, her blog, extra posts for others and stay sane??? i do not know....could someone tell me? when do i find time to sew? to sleep? i would love the inside secret. too many late nights for me. i've still been feeling not so great so fighting everything and staying up late working has been taking it's toll. i need a vacay :) or an iv filled with coffee hooked up to me first thing in the am...haha.

how's your week been? any of you fighting the new routines that september brings? what are your kids dressing up for this halloween - i love hearing costume ideas!

plum project studio cloth diaper & giveaway!!!!

“What is more mortifying than to feel that you have missed the plum for want of courage to shake the tree?” Logan Pearsall Smith (1865-1946)

you ladies ready? i'm super excited to introduce you to one of our newest sponsors - plum project studio. let's just say "i luv plum". FABULOUS! plum project studio is "an online shop and design studio offering resources for organic, fair trade and sustainable diy projects." the lovely owner, janice, started plum project studio after the birth of her daughter when she "began to investigate organic and natural materials". this crafty momma "found these materials were scarce, finished organic goods were often expensive and it was sometimes difficult to ascertain what was more relevent, local or organic." thus plum project studio was born.


this online & brick/mortar shop is near and dear to my heart because it's canadian, in british columbia and in my old stomping grounds of vancouver! i swear if i still lived there janice would not be able to get me out of the store. heck, she would have to drag me out all wrapped in those yummy yarns and lovely bolts of fabric. how could you not want to hang out there? plus you can sew there, or knit, or embroider or crochet and take classes! are you kidding me? wanna meet me there later? i'll just take the ferry over. you'll find me in the corner, drooling and wishing i had free range of my small budget to spend to my hearts content. yeah....like that's ever gonna happen.

so in the meantime let's pretend...here's a peek at plum project studio...come on in....

nice hey? since some of us can't go there, let's all hang out together at the online shop instead :) you should see what she's got over there! wow! talk about sustainability from start to finish - plum project studio has got you covered. from organic clothing and hankettes made locally, sustainable notions, buttons, yes buttons & even thread! there's fabric, yarn, needles & tools too! some of the fantastic designers she carries are cloud9 fabrics, daisy janie, birch fabrics, FLUF design and mod green pod. patterns from oliver +s, sew liberated and many others for knitting, embroidery, crochet and sewing! you can also purchase stylish project packs. talk about easy shopping -that's how i like it! you can also find schedules for classes, book studio time and customized sessions.

sounds great right? well it get's even better! plum project studio is doing a giveaway for us! yippee! the giveaway is based around the free cloth diaper and wool cover patterns from www.ottobredesign.com.

***THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED***
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ENETERED :)

what's the prize:

ohhhhh, i'm drooling....

0.6 m of Cloud9's Organic Cotton Flannel in the new Forest Friends line in winner's color choice. Cloud9's flannel is 100% certified organic cotton printed with low impact dyes. It is minimally processed with double brushing on the face and single brushing on the underside, and uses no chemical whiteners and brighteners, softeners or finishes. As such, each printed or dyed fabric can have a slightly unique hand/feel and shrink rate. Flannel's open weave construction allows for greater than usual shrinkage. Through tests, they've found that theirs can vary anywhere between 3%-5%, depending on the print. If shrinkage is an issue and/or you are grouping various prints, it's highly recommended that you pre-wash and -shrink the fabric before cutting.

0.6 m of organic cotton terry 13oz, 55% Hemp / 45% Organic Cotton Towel Cloth and 60" wide.

Craft size organic cotton batting is just as thin as the 100% organic cotton batting (1/8" thick), but the scrim binding allows for machine or hand quilting up to 10" apart. This batting comes with complete washing and care instructions. Extremely clean with normal shrinkage of 3-5% comparable to other battings. The organic cotton in this batting is grown and certified in the US. 36" x 45.

1 m of Foldable Elastic, sold by the metre, 15 mm (5/8" inch) foldover elastic is the softest fold over elastic! It can be used on diaper covers to form a supersoft binding that allows for gentle elasticity without being scratchy or uncomfortable for the baby. The elastic has a foldable centre which allows you to fold it in half over fabric and sew it onto the fabric while gently stretching it to allow for a neat fit.

ottobredesign.com wool diaper cover pattern (free online) with one skein of o-wool, organic, bulky weight yarn. Legacy Bulky is big and beautiful. It has a lovely, billowy loft but remains sturdy. Legacy Bulky is made from soft and beautiful 100% certified organic merino wool.

how to enter:

1) pop on over to plum project studio and let me know what yarn or fabric you're craving!

for extra entries:

2) subscribe to luvinthemommyhood & comment you did.
3) follow us on google connect & comment you did.
4) tweet about plum project studio and comment you did.

rules of the giveaway:

- you must leave a contact email address to enter or you will be disqualified.

- giveaway is open until september 27th, midnight (pacific standard time).

also, all luvinthemommyhood readers can enjoy 15% their purchase until the end of september. all you have to do is use the code "mummyluv15" at the checkout. also plum project studio always offers free shipping on any orders over $100!

ok, my drool has now flooded this post! you all better relish in this one for me cause this is a great prize!

i have also seriously learned so much from her blog. have any of you felt a bit overwhelmed before about all the differences in all the new types of organic and sustainable products available out there now? i have! well fear not, janice has got some great posts on the studio blog to help us all out. here's the ones i bookmarked that helped me out tons!

"fabric selection", "fibre 101: organic, sustainable, fair trade", "bamboo, corn or soy fibres", "dyes", "eco-interfacing", and "fibre care".

so start dreaming, get those creative juices flowing, head on over to the plum project studio and take the next step in your crafting journey - sustainability. i'll be there right alongside of you.

you can also find plum project studio on facebook, twitter and their blog.


thanks for the awesome, kick butt giveaway janice! you rock! you just may have convinced me to whip up some cloth diapers of my own. i mean what baby wouldn't want to be wearing cloud9 organic cotton flannel??? have any of you made your own cloth diapers? what's your fave pattern to use?