Project: Pinafore

Apparently my post about the market bag did absolutely nothing to bring on Spring. In fact, we got even more snow. So here's round two of hoping for better weather. But seriously, it can't get much worse.

I bought the pattern from Aliyah's Hope Chest on Etsy. She emailed the instructions but sent the pattern in the mail. She also sells pinafore kits in her shop. The pinafore was incredibly easy to make thanks to all the detail. There was one tricky part but she had a little video up on YouTube that showed how to do it. After seeing how it was constructed, I didn't have any problems. I actually made 4 more of these to give as Christmas gifts but my friends must not have cameras because I haven't seen any photos.

For the pinafore Zadie is wearing, I used awesome Tina Givens fabric (Chandelier Medallion) in chartreuse for the front and a vintage red fine wale corduroy for the inside. I wish I had fussy cut the print because it's so amazing but that's definitely part of the learning process.

It's perfectly reversible -- no weird seams or anything like that. Zadie is wearing the red side here. Unfortunately, my kid is also obsessed with fleece and demanded to wear that ugly hoodie. I will definitely be making many more of these. How cute they will be with little bloomers in the summer.

For more about Project: Project, read this post.

Project: Quilt Top Finished!

I finally pieced together the entire top to my Mod Sampler quilt from the Oh Fransson! Quilt-along. I didn't have any problems adding the sashing between the rows or along the sides. One of the reasons I may have been having problems with the freezer paper was that my pressure was set very low because I usually do a lot of applique. Instead of good control, I was slipping all over the place. You need straight lines for quilting so I moved it up a notch and got much better results.

The fabrics I was choosing from. I got rid of the teal waves and added a light solid in aqua.

After I finished the front, I measured out the larger cuts of fabric I had left over. I have a nice wide panel of the teal linen I used for the sashing, over a yard of the bird fabric (I can't find a link but it's in the "Sweet" collection from Moda), and that awesome embroidered bird that we bought during a trip to Mexico. I plan to map out the back using graph paper so it will have the right proportions. For the binding, I think I'm going to use the fabric with the little red stars. What do you think?

I'm going to take out the finished edges of the bird panel and piece it in to the teal. I'm not really sure how to do that to get the right dimensions so I'll have to do some research.

For more on Project: Project, read this post.

An Etsy Stalker

So people find you on MySpace all the time. Or they do a google search and somehow get your email address. Or a long lost friend sends a bulk email to everyone they know and someone you haven't heard from in years contacts you.

But how often does someone you've lost touch with find you on Etsy? This is a first for me. A couple of days ago a very good friend of mine sends me and email saying, "I found you on Etsy!" I was like, "How did you know it was me?" She writes back, "You live in Morgantown and your shop is full of beans. Plus you have that bit ...always smoke free."

Go figure.

She has a pretty cool blog. She has an MFA in Creative Writing and although I don't like reading books of poetry, her taste in literature is impeccable. Take her up on any reading suggestion.

This is a screenshot of the post she wrote where she talks about how rad Lemon Cadet is.

Contest Alert: I need a slogan!

UPDATE: The deadline for entries has passed. Thank you.

So for the past couple of months, the little tag line underneath my logo banner on the Etsy shop has been, "Wearable art for you and your little ones."

Now, I consider myself to be a little hip. I'm told I'm smart, sassy, fun even. Wearable art reminds me of a crocheted caftan with feathers and fringe (I don't think I'm quite sure what a caftan is...). Wearable art: tie dye and macaroni necklaces. Not hip; Not retro prints and good craftsmanship. My plan has always been to have a variety of cool items in the shop from stickers and plushies to onesies and prints. These little guys are just the beginning.

Anyway.

I need a new slogan. Etsy calls it a "Shop Title." My favorite belongs to TinyMeat: "Sorry, no pie here," it reads. I know I can't get much better than that, but with your help, we can try.

The deal with the contest is this: You'll get something for free from my Etsy shop. You can choose. You can custom order (within reason). You can design your own little guy or devise an ensemble.

I'll post a new blog when the contest is over and email everyone through the list on this page when I've stopped taking entries.

Rules and regulations:
You can enter as many times as you want via email [LemonCadet@gmail.com] or by posting a comment on this blog post.

I will end the contest when I feel like it.

I will notify the winner via email and by posting about it on this blog.

Good luck! May the best slogan win.

UPDATE: Due to the overwhelming response to this post, I will not be responding to each individual entry.

Also, I had lunch with mom today and we were talking about "wearable art." After she lied and said that it sounded okay, she added that the first thing that came to mind was, get this, BEDAZZLING. 'Nuff said. I wanna see a lot of entries.