Upcoming funness.

Yes--I'm saying funness is a real word. Because it's half my blog so I can.

We are super excited to be working on TWO (that's right kids--TWO) crafty-shows in November. We will be headed back to The Spotted Zebra and a little bird told me we are definitely IN for the next Oh Sweet Sadie! show in November as well. WOOT WOOT!! (check out ohsweetsadie.com for other fun things--seriously the vendors are AMAZING!) We will have tons of aprons between the two shows. Lots of fun fabrics to choose from and we are even adding SIZED aprons to our line up--that's right--no more "One size fits most". We will have S, M, L for the adults and 2-4 and 4-6 for the kidlets (bigger sizes available on the kids special order)

For those that love our "Sassyfrass" style--you will DEFINITELY be able to get those this time around (I typically only make a couple and they usually sell pretty quickly so I promise to have more than 2 at each show) And we will have some fun "Mommy and Me" sets. All this in time for your holiday shopping. So keep an eye out for us--we are definitely making our way into the Salt Lake area.

Just a quick mention of mermaids

So if you've ever browsed our sold orders in our Etsy store, you probably noticed a few mermaid tails.
The mermaid tails were what I initially opened the Etsy store for and it eventually turned into aprons, which happen to be much more versatile in seasons. ;)

But since it's nearing Halloween again, I am making more mermaid baby costumes! I just had to mention them and that you should check them out and tell people about them because they are seriously adorable.

I am due just after halloween with a baby girl and I'm planning on setting aside some fabric to make her a costume next year. That is how much I love this costume. The fabric (which I have only found in 1 place which is out of state for me!) is absolutely perfect for a mermaid fin.

So go check out the adorableness of the baby mermaid costume in our etsy store and tell everyone you know how cute they are!

Winner Winner.....Chicken Dinner!!!

Or at least that's what you could make wearing your brand new apron!! WOOT WOOT!!!

Thanks to all our suggestors! You guys are so good and I had the HARDEST time picking. That's why it took so long. I was soooooo torn on quite a few of them but I *HAD* to pick just one. So the winner of the naming who gets that style (sorry but that particular apron got snatched up at one of our shows so I'll let you pick your fabric colors and it will be made just for you) IS:

Emily (The Lund Five) with "Sassyfrass" I love that it totally fits how sassy the apron is!

And the winner of the second apron (you know--the linking and posting and all that) is:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

11

Timestamp: 2009-09-19 23:45:21 UTC

WOOT WOOT Julia!!

 To all those who didn't win--keep watching (yes you can TOTALLY follow us-hint hint) for more giveaways.  We have more to name and more fun stuff to come.

And to Julia and Emily--email us at booandlou@gmail.com  and we'll get you guys hooked up!!!!

Haven't forgotten the giveaway..

I promise!! We will have a winner announced for BOTH aprons on Friday--so if you have anymore suggestions or still need to post a link to the giveaway--you still have time. 

Boutique Info

Ok--so the print is really really tiny--sorry. Address is 3361 Water Crescent Way in West Jordan and you need to too-da-loo on over. There is so much stuff to see (and buy) Our cuteness of course as well as beautiful pillowcase dresses and bloomers by Bugs and Bees, jewelry, vinyl stuff, gorgeous rag quilts and you get to see the most gorgeous master bathroom I have ever seen. (seriously--I would give up my right pinky toe to have this bathroom and it's closet space AND it's counter space) It's just east of The District in West Jordan (so hey--you can grab a bite to eat before or after and do some additional shopping as well). It's tomorrow (Friday) from 10a-7p and Saturday 10a-7p. Come check it out!! If you do, come back and leave us a comment.

Another Show

We're headed to The Spotted Zebra in South Jordan, UT this week! Jules puts on a great show and we are super excited to be part of it!!  If you are in the area you should totally come check it out.  There is something for everyone there.  You won't be disappointed!!

It's Friday Sept 11 and Sat Sept 12 in a beautiful Perry Homes spec home.  More details (such as an address LOL!) to come as well as the winners of our first giveaway! (we haven't forgotten--just trying to pick a name--you guys all gave such good ones!)

I promised a giveaway....

and so I shall deliver (see--aren't I nice FINALLY fulfilling my broken promises?)

Here's the dealio--we have to name our aprons. Why?? Well because we must! It seems a little silly to be calling them Apron 1, Apron 2 etc etc. No bueno! Would you call your children Child 1, Child 2?? (ok you CAN get away with calling them Thing 1 and Thing 2)

On to the giveaway (Which I know is the only reason you are here) and it's rules:

Leave us a comment with your name suggestion. If we pick your name you get the apron (or that style in a different fabric if you want) Easy peasy right???

Well, because we're super cool we are actually giving away TWO aprons! That's right two! The second apron will go to a winner in a random drawing. Your name gets entered for leaving a comment. If you post a link back here on YOUR blog you get another entry. So you can potentially have 3 chances to win. And could potentially win two aprons yourself. See--I told you we were cool! So--without further ado............. please name the apron!!

Flickr Feed in the works

As soon as I make my way back up to my desktop to upload them, I'll be putting official pictures of our aprons from our photo shoot up in a flickr album. The feed from the album will be able to be seen over to the right under our etsy shop logo.

Until then, you can see them by following this link to our facebook album.

Pink and Chocolate

I just finished the last one in a set of 3 toddler aprons and couldn’t wait to show them off! Apologies for the awful night pictures!

Like I said previously, these are all toddler sized aprons.

The ones on either end with the ruffle on the bottom are single sided.
The middle one is reversible and you can see the fabric that's on the other side folded over. It has the same brown trim on the reverse side.

I loved the adult versions that I made in these colors, so naturally I had to make some girls aprons to coordinate with them. I can't wait to see them displayed together at the boutique next week!

Look what I made today!

I am so in love with this toddler sized apron that I may just put it on my 2 year old little boy tomorrow.
The pictures are not great seeing as it's 11 pm, but you get the idea. :)
It's ADORABLE in person.


I bet you're even more excited to know that when my mom was here we made an adult's size apron just like this one. And that this week I am making 9 more kids aprons in this style, all equally as cute (because the adult sized aprons are pretty dang cute too).

Working

Shh... obviously I haven't cut out fabric yet like I was supposed to.
Excuse: my new apron pattern should be here today! (I've been stalking the tracking number).

And so you get an idea of all of the cutting and sewing that I have to do, here is a picture of the fabric that's waiting for me. That's not even counting the kid's aprons I need to make to coordinate with the 12 aprons I sewed while my mom was here.

I can't even tell you how many yards of fabric are there. A lot. And when that fabric is gone, there will be more.
Did we mention that we are doing four good sized boutiques in four months? Ya. We may be a bit crazy. I'm just glad that it's not just me and Lynsey!

Well, I must get back to the dungeon now. I may just have to run to the mailbox first though...

Sewing Machine Review!

My mom just scored a Viking Husqvarna 1100 used for $140.
In her sewing machine searching she was trying to decide if buying a new Brother from Costco or getting the used Husqvarna would be better. I really appreciated people who had reviewed the machines, so I decided, hey- we should do that on our blog!

So here is a post all about my machine and Lyns and Gretchen will both review theirs in the future. Sweet!


This is my machine.

That is a Shark Europro Intellisew.

What? You mean you've never heard of the Shark brand making sewing machines? Don't they just make vacuums and stuff?
Exactly.

Want to know how I ended up with such a weird machine? Well read on!
(questions taken from Sew Mama Sew's Machine Meme)

What brand and model do you have?

Shark Europro Intellisew 9110

How long have you had it?

about a year and a half.

How much does that machine cost (approximately)?

$300 regularly, $150 for me. It was on clearance at Target. I could do $150.
And it was certainly better than the Kenmore that I had bought off of Craigslist that was frustrating me.

What types of things do you sew?

LOTS of aprons. I've also sewn some home decor stuff and a rag quilt.

How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get?

I've been sewing a lot more in the past year- it probably gets 5 hours per week of use on average.

Do you like/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does she have a name?

I like it. I hated the first one.
I'm not in love with my machine, but I don't really hate it because it works perfectly fine and I haven't had any problems with this one. No name because I just don't love her that much. She may grow on me and be worthy of name eventually though.

What features does your machine have that work well for you?

I love that I can move the needle into any position I want it - it doesn't just have left, right, and center. I love the drop in bobbin and liked the threader when it worked (those always seem to break though). Oh and I like all of the feet and such that came with it. The computerized settings make it easy to switch between stitches and stitch length.

Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine?

Sometimes the decorative stitching isn't totally consistent, if I'm remembering right. It's been awhile since I've done any decorative stitching. They may work totally fine and I could be just making that up. That also may have been a problem on the first machine I had or a problem I had with a friend's machine. The "embroidery" also drives me nuts. The letters may not even be there. You can only do caps and they don't get very big. Oh! I remember- it was the letters I was having problems with on consistency. So ya, not a fan of the letter embroidery. It is also a little loud, but it doesn't really bug me. It's nothing compared to my Craigslist Kenmore! :)

Do you have a great story to share about your machine?

The story of how I got my machine is slightly entertaining.

I brought home my new purchase with glee (I had just scored a $300 machine for $150! That's exciting stuff!!!) and opened it up. I could tell that my machine had probably been opened before and returned, thus the $150. I set my expectations low because there was probably a problem with it if it had been returned and started sewing on it. Not too long after that it started CLUNKING and jamming. At least I had low expectations!
I called customer service and it has a 25 yr. warranty on it, so I could send it in. The man seemed to think that it would only cost $15ish to ship it. Right.
The other alternative was to take it back to Target and switch it for a new one. This sounded much better.
But, none of my Target's had it in stock.
The good news is that Target.com had the machine for the normal price with free shipping!
So I ordered the new machine and boxed up the dud and returned it to Target with the receipt for the new one. Perfect.

I had a very frustrating beginning with this machine and the reviews I've read combined with that experience cause me to constantly doubt my current machine.

Would you recommend the machine to others? Why?

I would only recommend it if you can get it for $200 or less. I've had a good experience with the new one, but the first one was not a good experience and I would have been really upset if that had happened outside of my 90 day return policy at Target.

What factors do you think are important to consider when looking for a new machine?

Reliability, longevity, and price are big factors for me. I don't know if I'll every be able to bring myself to buy a brand new quality machine. I think your personal use is really important. Don't be afraid to start out with something cheaper/used and use it for a while. I also think that you can't go wrong buying older models of quality machines. (Wait until you hear about Lynsey's Bernina!) I started out with a $50 machine from Craigslist and maybe one day I'll work my way up from the Shark that I currently have.

Do you have a dream machine?

My dream machine would be anything made by a quality brand at this point. Bernina, Viking, Pfaff...

12 aprons in 6 days!

What a fun and crazy 6 days it has been! I can't tell you how many hours have been logged at the sewing machine! I used a whole 500 yard spool of thread- plus a lot more in other colors! I was amazed at how much thread we went through!

I never would have been able to sew that many aprons without the help of my mom. She is wonderful to spend her vacation time helping me sew. I know, you're all jealous.


SO- all of the aprons that I have done are going to the Country Caurosel boutique that will be going on during Education Week at BYU in August (at Provo High School).
In the next few weeks I will be working on a few more aprons, plus some kids sized aprons to coordinate with some of the aprons that will also be going to that boutique.
I really want to post the pictures I took of the aprons I made, but we're doing a photoshoot soon and I'd MUCH rather post those pictures instead of the ones I snapped really quick.
I guarantee that you'll love the aprons though. :)

Stay tuned for some great pictures of a lot of aprons! Perhaps I'll take a picture of the fabric I scored at the quilting store to tide you over until then. I got some really cute stuff and can't wait to get some aprons made out of it!

The new Crafty Room!!!

This, my friends, is where I sit and work now.
(on the side opposite the sippy cup)

I LOVE it.

It's not completely done and as cute as I want it to be, but I don't have a lot of time to worry about that right now.

Not only is it well equipped for me, it is also a place where my 2 year old can sit and create with me... and watch movies.
There is already a lot of crayon on the desk, but that's okay. Many creative hours have been spent in his own chair at his own spot with his own art tools. He actually was upset that Grandma was sitting in his chair yesterday and told her to sit on the couch.

So there you have the reason why I've been slow to post updates of my progress... because all of the progress has been creating a wonderful space and not so much sewing. :)

I love my mom!

My parents came down for a surprise visit. Seeing how many aprons I have to sew, my wonderful wonderful mama has been helping me get them all sewn up! I bet you all wish you had my mom for your own now.
She pins and irons and helps me when I get stuck (we just made an apron out of a sundress pattern that required some extra thinking), which is oh so helpful and saves me a LOT of time.
THANKS MOM!!!

So I have 7 adorable aprons all hung in the closet with care and we just purchased fabric to make 6 more.
I realized that with a boutique coming up and trying to entertain a toddler and being pregnant I had a LOT to do. There are only 4 more months until I'm due and we will be at 2 boutiques in those 4 months, so I need to get as much inventory done now so that I don't have to worry about not having enough aprons later!

I'll post a picture of the completed aprons and the new fabric soon!

We haven't forgotten....

Carrie has been super busy being pregnant and moving crafty space and I have been super busy starting the new jobby job at a local airline and having visitors and cleaning up from the great fabric explosion of Spring 2009.

We have also added a third to our little group. No--we won't be changing the name of things. Although my brother did suggest that we call it "Boo and Lou and Who???" Funny man.

Keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming pictures of new designs and fun things. AND get the word out cause we'll be having a fabulous give-away soon.

preview

What could this pile of fabric mean?!

A few weeks of work for me!

That is 5 aprons worth of fabric. Granted, 2 are already spoken for, but I still have to make them.

We are going to be doing a lot of sewing in the next few months as we will be participating in the boutique they have at Education Week at BYU. That's FIVE days of boutique-ness!
We're really excited for it!

So keep a watch out for pictures of new aprons and if you see any you like, let us know!

New Apron Designs...WOOT WOOT!!!

We are expanding our repertoire of aprons. These are NOT reversible but still fun and feminine and flirty and dare I say............................................ sexy. Now--these are NOT pictures of aprons we've made....because let's be honest here...I SUCK at taking pictures (Carrie is fabulous but my talents lay in other areas). We will be having our first honest to goodness professional photo shoot soon but take a look at how cute these are!!! You know you want one!!





(yes--these are the pictures from the pattern book---we will be removing them as soon as we get real pictures--please drool over their cuteness! She is a FABULOUS designer!)

Reduction on aprons!

We just reduced the prices on our aprons in our Etsy Store!
All of the adult aprons are reversible. You are essentially getting 2 aprons, which is one of the things that we love about this pattern and is also why the prices are more than just a single sided apron would be.

Now I am off to get some sewing done. We're doing a boutique right around Mother's Day where we are going to be selling, you guessed it, more aprons. What a great Mother's Day gift! (That's what I'm giving my mom).

Another great idea for a mother's day gift are matching mommy/daughter aprons. If this sounds like something you'd like, let us know and we'll make some up for you.

We have a couple new styles of aprons we're working on as well, so look for those coming soon!

Well Utah was CRAZY for me!

I did some mad amounts of sewing while on vacation in Utah! I also did some mad amounts of unpicking which greatly hindered the amount of sewing that was done.

I had such a great time spending time with family that I didn't get the shirt dresses done and I still have 1 apron to make.

But making 3 aprons was an accomplishment for me. It was hard to find the time to sew with all of the family stuff we had going on almost constantly.
I seriously was sewing down to the minute we had to leave for the airport.

I didn't get pictures of the new aprons, but they will be in Lynsey's hands tomorrow on their way to our first boutique on Wednesday!

To tide you over, here are some of the aprons that I've made.

Please excuse the crappy picture on this one... it was made for a friend and got put in the mail as soon as it was done, so no time for cute posed pictures. :)

I'll have to dig out the picture from Thanksgiving with my friend Amy and I in the aprons I made.
Needless to say, I've made a few of these. If you love this apron style, let us know if you'd like one of your very own in the colors/fabrics of your choice.

Baby Blues and OJ

This apron was inspired by Meg's "Emmaline" at Sew Liberated. I wasn't a fan of certain aspects of the building of it so I played with it and came up with this instead. I'm such a fan of the wider waistband (3 1/2 inches instead of a paltry 1) And I LOVE "D" rings on an apron. Not so much a fan of the whole "tie at the back of the neck and have a big wad of fabric bugging me while I cook" thing. I'm also a HUGE fan of the reversibility (that's a word right?) of this design. 2 aprons for the price of one!!! Not to mention it's feminine.

















I love this smaller print on the reverse. And seriously--It doesn't HAVE to be pink to be pretty.

Made with Cotton Blossoms Fabric by Moda and thanks to Gretch for modeling in the wind--I soooooooo do not have the body for this!

We're Doing--For Reals this time..

So Carrie and I have been tossing around the idea of selling the stuff we make. Ok, not really tossing--we had a few things listed on Etsy and while I can't speak for Carrie, I certainly can say that *my* attempts were pretty much half assed. I'd do a few things then stop. Then start. Poor Carrie. (I will publically apoligize right now for my "efforts") Then our wonderful friend Marie put out the call for some stuff for a show she is doing in CA. I called to ask a few questions and she said "Lou, you should send me some aprons". After discussing it a little while longer it was decided that if I sewed 1 paltry apron per day I could send her 15 and possibly make a little money (who doesn't need that right?) So it began. By the time the package was shippped on Monday (that's right-- today) I had 18 aprons....17 childrens and one adult. I had done it!! I had put myself out there for riducule and mockery OR lots of ooooooo-ing and ahhhhhhhh-ing and cries of "I MUST have that apron for my darling little princess". Only time will tell.

In the meantime--Carrie and I also decided that while there ARE some cute apron patterns out there (which will be shown as we make them) there are sooooo many other ideas out there to put to paper. Which is something else we will be working on. Designing our own fabulous aprons and selling the patterns to those.

Don't forget--Mom's Day is fast approaching!!