Beach outfits

I finally got around to doing a shirt for those reversible seersucker shorts that I made for my little man. I had done the Applique Cafe Tree Swing applique to match the green side--and here is the Embroidery Boutique whale to match the blue side:

And here is Embroidery Boutique's Sand Pail Applique:

The shorts are actually a pair of Rosalina shorts--my son has a collared shirt with the gingham piping that match these. I thought--why not make him a t-shirt to match, as well. I started to add a name to this one, but decided I liked how simple it looks without one.

A Couple of Gifts...

Here are a few gifts I've done recently:

I got this super cute beach towel at Target. It already had the pirate ship applique at the bottom--I simply added a name to the striped band. We are a pirate family (the mascot at my nieces/nephews school is a pirate--it's also where my husband graduated from--and I also taught there for my first year of teaching--I'm a lion, but now I'm a pirate, too). And pirate stuff has become really popular--so I'm always excited to come across pirate loot!

I got both of these bags from http://www.jiffyshirts.com/. They have many more bags to choose from. I recently made my first purchase from them (I needed some toddler shirts to monogram--and Walmart no longer has the short sleeve shirts). They ship for pretty cheap (cheaper the more you buy)--and I ordered on Saturday and got my stuff on Tuesday--I thought that was pretty good. I thought the pink one would work good for a beach bag for my mom---I monogrammed a beach towel for her in an earlier post. And the second bag was done in Winfield Pirate school colors for my nephew. I love cinch bags. We probably have about 10 of them at our house that we use for various things: these are great to hold a beach towel and sunscreen--let each child be responsible for carrying their own stuff (I am personally having a hard time finding anything large enough to carry all of our pool stuff now that we have a toddler). I also have one that I keep all my softball stuff in that I can just grab and take with me when I'm running out the door to a game (it keeps my cleats and my glove--I just recently pulled it out for this summer season only to find that it was also keeping a pair of socks that I wore in the last game of last summer---yikes!). Jiffy Shirts has these cinch bags in lots of different colors--I went ahead and ordered a few extra since summer is also birthday season for my family.

It's been a while...

It's been a while since my last post...I have not been able to get alot of work done because I've been really sick. Here are some things that I have got a chance to work on in the past month or so:

These are actually the shorts I did back at Easter. They are reversible with green seersucker on one side and blue seersucker on the other side. At Easter--I did the Applique Cafe Easter Truck to match the blue side. I also plan on doing the Embroidery Boutique whale in blue seersucker. Needless to say--we should be able to get alot of wear out of these shorts! I also have a pair of brown gingham pants that I have made that shoule be able to carry this shirt into the fall--I love being practical!

Monogrammed beach towel--it's always such a nice break to be able to simply monogram something--other than to spend alot of time and attention on applique. I have just made an order from http://www.jiffyshirts.com/ for some shirts and I also ordered some bags--one of which to go with this towel. It's the first time that I've ever ordered from them--so I'll let you know how it goes. They have good prices on stuff and great shipping prices.

Embroidery Boutique Octopus paired with a pair of Garanimals shorts. I thought I would do the orange thread to make the applique a little different and to pop a bit more--there is a tiny orange stripe in the shorts. This one is actually for my little guy. I don't like to always put his name on stuff--because I would like to hopefully reuse his stuff if we ever have another little boy. Even if we don't--it will be easier to consign (there's not alot of Jonahs out there). I'm quite frugal--when I do decide to put his name on a shirt--I usually buy it a little larger, so that we can hopefully get a couple of years out of it.

I love Madras fabric! Maybe I can get a pic of Jonah wearing this one to post.

Embroidery Boutique Surfboard Applique

I also did this little turtle on a onesie for a test design for Applique Frenzy.

Sail Away With Me...

Here is another Garanimals outfit that I've done.

The Walmarts around here have now put out new plaid shorts different from those that were available a couple of months ago--the ones used here can no longer be found. Walmart has also started putting out sleeveless shirts instead of the solid short sleeve shirts. I wish they wouldn't do away with their shirts so early in the season (they stopped selling the long sleeve shirts in December). Luckily I had bought up several shirts to use for my little guy--just hoping I can find some time to work on them.

In other news--Florence is getting a Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft! I am so excited--I've never been in one before, but I always like to have more options when it comes to fabric.

Customer Photos

Here are some pictures of A Whale's Tale creations being worn by some precious cuties:

Monkey Birthday

It seems like I don't get to sew as much as I used to--so it was nice to get back to my sewing machine to make this ADORABLE outfit! My friend's little boy is turning 1 and he's having a Mod Monkey birthday party. She passed along one of the birthday hats for me to match the colors of the outfit with. I knew that I had seen the monkey face applique design out there somewhere--and I am so glad I found it--it's simply too cute!

Here is the birthday hat the mom gave me to match colors, etc:

Here is the birthday outfit:

The mom wanted pockets--and I just love them.

The dad absolutely did not want polka dots--so I went with a gingham instead of just a solid color.

 This is the first time I've added pockets to a shortall--but I think they make the outfit.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HENRY!

Super Heroes have birthdays, too!

Here is a shirt using the diamond patch for a little super hero I know.

Happy Birthday, Super Hero Adam!

A couple of new designs...

Here are a couple of new designs I got today. I hope to post soon using both designs. Both designs are from http://www.appliquecafe.com/. Though April 15th, she is having a 30% off sale. This is a great place to get designs--and most of the designs are simple and easy to do.

Applique Cafe is also on facebook--become a fan and you can keep up with any new designs that are listed: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Montgomery-AL/Applique-Cafe/494536750634?ref=ts.

Sailboat

Diamond Patch

I have seen this design done with 3 initials inside and also a single applique initial.

It's perfect for a little superhero!

Sometimes applique is hard work...

I love applique--I just think there is so much you can do with it. In fact, I don't think I've done a single embroidery design other than applique or names since I've had my machine. For those of you who don't know the difference: 1.) Embroidery just uses thread to create the design 2.) Applique uses fabric to create a design. Each piece of fabric you see in a design is tacked down and very carefully cut around--and then the edges are usually satin stitched over. Some applique designs are very simple--just one fabric piece and one thread color--I love these--they are simple and fairly quick (although I'm sure you'd be surprised at how much time it takes to applique/embroider something). I had hoped to get 3 shirts in during nap time (which is when I try to get my work done)--but this little design took up all of my time. It has lots of fabric pieces and LOTS of thead changes. The finished product is great, but a lot of work went into getting there. Here is the finished product:

For all of you fellow bloggers out there:

I have been wanting to sit down and create a tag to go on my photos. I am surprised at how many people don't think anything about using someone else's photos and posting it on their blog/facebook/etc. without telling where it came from--which makes it look their own work. I follow lots of blogs and look at etsy and other websites often--so alot of times I notice when someone is using someone's pictures--because I can usually track back and find the original one. I know that people put lots of hard work in their creations--and it is dishonest to post someone else's work as your own. If you want to use someone's pictures to show an idea or something you can do--ask permission and give that person credit. I will now get off my soap box.

I had a flashing idea today as I was about to take the above photo--I decided to print out a tag of my logo and tape it to my hanger. It was quick (although I need to print another when I change out my ink cartridge--it was low) and I think it does the trick!

Cute outfits for a cute little boy...

These are some outfits I did today for a friend's little boy who is just about to turn 1. I had told my friend about seeing several different blogs that had used the Garanimals shorts from Walmart to do a coordinating applique on a shirt. It is one of the best ideas I had seen--and you end up with a boutique looking outfit for a fraction of the cost. Here's how it works: get the shorts in the size you need for your child and buy another pair in the same fabric but in the largest size (they are the same price)--then buy a coordinating plain t-shirt. Use the fabric from the largest shorts in your applique for a great looking outfit. I have several more shirts to do for her, but wanted to go ahead and post what I had got done today (during nap time) so she could get a sneak peek.

Busy, Busy, Busy

I have been so busy lately trying to get lots of stuff done--and trying to squeeze a couple of things in here and there for my little guy. I am getting closer to getting caught up, though--and that makes me feel great--even though I have a huge stash of stuff waiting on me that I want to do for my own family. So for now, I'm still not taking any new orders--but I am trying to post most of the things that I am doing.

I recently monogrammed some bags for a friend. She had picked up several things at Mike's Merchandise in Muscle Shoals, AL. I've never been to Mike's, but need to make the trip sometime--because she got some great deals. Mike's gets lots of stuff in, but you just never know what that stuff might be. I, personally, really like to go to places like this--because you never know what you might find. My friend got several bags/backpacks at Mike's for great prices. I did a drawstring bag for her and this L.L. Bean backpack:

She paid less than $4 for this backpack (I just looked and L.L. Bean has this exact backpack for $22.95). The backpack was new--but it did have initials monogrammed on it. I'm guessing they had put the wrong initials on it from an order. I got my seam ripper and took out that monogram (yes, you can do this sometimes--works best with simple monograms and on knits--when you can wash the item afterward, the fabric usually pulls back together--remember this when shopping at consignment sales: you just might get a great buy). You never know on backpack type fabrics how bad the holes are going to be from the previous monogram. Luckily--the monogram came out easily and you could barely tell where it had been--and I simply monogrammed my friend's little boy's initials over it. Love the aqua blue on the green.

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I had been hoping to have time to make my Jonah a marker roll for his Easter basket. I have gone completely overboard with buying stuff for his basket--all of the stuff is not going to fit--I know this for sure, because I've already tried! He is getting a couple of potties, too--not sure if he's ready, but thought we'd give it a shot (and we'll at least have them when he is ready)

I did not use a pattern of any sort for this marker roll--I just kind of used my judgement along the way. I got some Color Wonder stuff for his basket since he is wanting to draw/color more and more lately. I'm hoping this will be great for church. It's kind of hard to tell in the pic, but the red fabric has Mickey Mouse heads on it.

So...here it is:

I made it tall enough so that you can fold the top part down before rolling it up--to keep the markers from falling out.

Summer Fun

My sister-in-law contacted me the other night to ask if I would donate something for my niece's Kindergarten class for their Spring Fling. Her class is doing a Summer Fun themed basket. Luckily, I had just purchased lots of cute summer designs--and I had a couple of things in my stash that I could use.

 So, this is what I came up with:

When I think of summer fun--I think of the beach!

I had a couple of these towels that I had gotten at the Black Friday sale at WalMart for just $2. These are really nice big, thick towels, too. I had initially planned to just do the octopus with green eyes--and I was wishing I had some big blue polka dot ribbon, but no luck. I did have this small yellow, though--so I changed the eye color to yellow and sewed the ribbon along the bottom.

 I sure do wish I had bought lots of these towels---you can't beat the price and the quality is great! I do have one green left--but I'm thinking that I'll be using it to make Jonah a towel just like this.

Time for Time-Outs?

So my little guy is now 21 months old--and he's wanted to do everything by himself from the day he was born. He is very stubborn and independent. Up 'til recently--we've been able to get his attention and let him know when he wasn't supposed to do something--and that was enough. Now Jonah has learned that he has a choice in the matter--he knows when he's not supposed to do something--but he just might like to do it anyway. I just know that all this will power he has is going to be a great assett to him one day in the future--but, for right now, it's just getting him in trouble. I spent a week wondering where my sweet, little baby went--and also wondering why he was trying to break every bone in his body by climbing, jumping, pulling---and ultimately falling on that beautiful face he has. He became a stunt man overnight! And after what was supposed to be a fun day at the park turned into a chase after me because I'm not stopping for anybody--we knew we had to try something. So...welcome to the world of Time-Outs.

I was not sure that Time-Outs would work, because Jonah is still pretty young. I did some research--and it seemed that Jonah was at an appropriate age to try. I felt that it was no coincidence that the day we started Time-Outs I got an e-mail that said, "Is Your Toddler Ready for Time-Outs?"--from one of those sites that I had signed up on to keep my posted on what was going on week by week when he was a baby. Well, so far it has worked. That first day--he probably had about 5 Time-Outs. Fast forward to a week later--and he has only had one since that first day (that one was this morning: he had taken his box of oatmeal and was sitting in the recliner with the whole box poured all over him, the recliner, and the floor--I was only out of the room for a couple of minutes sorting laundry). And he has quickly corrected his behavior with the simple question: Do you want to sit in Time-Out? I'm sure that it won't always be this easy--but, for now it's working.

So...on a whim I grabbed a small rug we had and used it that first day for Time-Outs--and it worked fine: I can move it to room to room with me to keep an eye on him--besides every corner of our house has some kind of toy in it, so a corner was not going to work.

This picture is of the second time-out: he had already gotten the point. Yes, I know--he looks pitiful.

SO---I came up with this idea. I searched high and low for a placemat to monogram to become his time-out mat. I never knew it would be so hard to find a placemat I liked--I found the one below and figured it would do. I simply monogrammed Time-Out on it, but I can also monogram "Jonah's Time-Out Spot"--to make it personalized. And--it can simply be rolled up and put in a bag to take with you (consistency is important--especially when they are first learning). I thought it was a cute idea--

Price would be determined by the price of the placemat--total cost would likely be $10-12

~I hope to post soon on another project using placemats~

Cute Little Easter Truck

Here is an outfit that I whipped up for Jonah late last night. I'm hoping that it will be nice enough this afternoon for him to wear it Easter Egg Hunting.

I just love seersucker fabric. I knew I wanted to do this outfit in seersucker--I have some other summer shirts that I plan to do to go with the shorts. The shorts are actually reversible--they are green seersucker on the other side. I don't have a serger (maybe someday)--but I still want the clothes that I make to look finished--so I almost always fully line them or make them reversible so that they look nice---and they are really practical when reversible. I did not use a pattern for the shorts (I do have a shorts pattern). I recently got a pair of shorts for Jonah and liked the way they fit--so I used them for the pattern.

A side note on the shirt: I always plan out every fabric when sewing for others--but I decided to do this shirt late last night after I got in--so I had to use what I had (fabrics/threads). I still think it came out really cute. I almost always use Heat 'N Bond Lite on all my appliques, too. However, I had accidentally mixed my Lite with my Heavy bond--which you can't sew on: so I did not use any Heat 'N Bond on this project. SO---if you have not tried applique w/ Heat 'N Bond---you just have to! It just makes everything go so much smoother and look nicer, too! It makes it so much easier to cut around your fabric without it fraying. I could not cut too close to the fabric on this project because it was fraying--and I had lots of fabric threads to cut after the project was finished. And to make a long story short--I just couldn't stop thinking about my Heat 'N Bond Lite the whole time I was doing this project! It adds a little more time to a project (and really it's just a tiny amount of time) and it adds a little more money, too--but it's not expensive, either--BUT it makes all the difference!

Happy Birthday, Parker!

One of Jonah's good friends, Parker, is turning 3! I promised his mom that I would make him a birthday shirt--we worked together on ideas--and this is what we came up with:

Instead of buying a mouse w/birthday hat design (I've seen one on Etsy)--I merged two designs that I already had to create the front of the shirt. The back of the shirt is done in 2 seperate hoopings. This shirt was alot of work! It is pretty much 4 different projects on one shirt. In order to do a shirt like this--I would need to charge $30 (for front and back designs) to cover cost and time.

Lucky for Parker's mom---this is his birthday present from Jonah :)

I can also merge other designs if you see something you like. For example: I can do an applique birthday number on the front of a shirt w/something that goes with your theme (monkey, sports, princess, etc.).

Blog Traffic = Upcoming Giveaway

Well, blog traffic has definitely picked up. I started out in December with just a few hits each week--and today alone I've had about 20 hits--which means the blog has reached 1,000 (1, 019 at last count) hits! I will be posting info in the next couple of weeks on how you can be chosen to win something free from my blog--

I have lots of sewing and embroidering to do in the next couple of weeks--I hope to caught up soon so that I can make my son some cute summer outfits. I've always heard that people with embroidery machines almost never get to do something personalized for themselves or their family--I believe it now!

I found this adorable airplane fabric the other day--and I just couldn't pass it up! I hope to make Jonah a shortall out of it. This fabric would also be adorable for a boy burp cloth or bib. You have to grab up cute boy fabric when you find it--because you are lucky if you find any at all!

I also made these shirts for a friend for the Disney Live! Mickey Mouse Rockin' Road Show that is coming to Huntsville this weekend. They just had a new baby--so the grandparents are taking the new big brother to the show for his birthday. The design is on the left chest pocket area instead of the middle.

No New Orders

This message has just been added to the top of my blog:

I am not currently taking any new orders until I catch up with the orders that I have right now. I would also like to take this opportunity to do some stuff for my little guy (who is the reason I wanted to sew/embroider in the first place). If you have something that you would like just a simple name or initials on--feel free to contact me to see if I can work you in, But for right now, I will not be taking any new sewing/applique orders.

I will continue to post items that I'm working on from time to time.

Lots of Designs/Mostly Summer Designs

Here are some of the most recent designs that I have available.

 I probably won't get these added to the side of my blog right away:

EMBROIDERY BOUTIQUE

 (Currently having a half off sale--not sure when it will end)

PLANET APPLIQUE

(Currently has lots of designs for just .99 and others are half off)

I have several others that I want to get from Planet Applique--

but hubby will only let me do so much at a time! Even .99 adds up!