Introducing Baby Clothes!

I love making baby clothes.  I don't make them for anyone in particular, but they require so little fabric and notions and, no matter what, the size makes them automatically adorable.

It was always my plan to include baby clothes in my store, but sometimes plans get delayed.  Well, finally I can say I have a baby section and I hope to add more to it!

The first item is this Animal Crackers dress, based on a vintage pattern.  I used Stof quilting cotton for the shell, a Danish brand--fabric that I picked up from Tabby while in Beaufort, SC, last month.  Stof is just beginning to make its appearance in the U.S., so any use of it is pretty exclusive.  I lined the dress with batiste, which makes it light and airy for the warm summer months we have ahead of us!

The elephant print reminds me of the iced animal crackers I devoured as a kid: dunked in sweet icing and covered in nonpareils, I ate them like there was no tomorrow.  This print is so nostalgic to me and instantly brought a smile to my face!

I only have one of these available and it is sized six months.  I had made a pair of shorts to go with it, but I didn't love the way they turned out; however, they may be sent to the buyer as a "freebie," if he or she is so interested.

I already have plans for many, many more clothes for baby and toddler girls.  I'd love to make clothes for boys as well--what do boys love?  What will boys wear?  Let me know so I can keep an eye out.

Thanks for supporting Eleanor Sews!

Sally Draper, You're the Best

I'm a huge Mad Men fan, but I didn't always love Sally.  When she was a kid, I was annoyed with her lisp and just wanted her out of the way--more Don, please!

However, season five has shown that Sally--and Kiernan Shipka, the actress who plays her--has seriously grown up.  It's 1966 at this point, right?  Sally is mod to the max: go-go boots, minidresses, sequins, bobbed hair.  I love watching this season because Sally has really come into her own, where she's almost a young woman, she's stuck in this world between childhood and adulthood (and moving through it more gracefully than I ever did), and her storyline is much more complex than in the past.

Sally Draper, you are the best and I hope you get a spinoff.

Anyway, so watching Mad Men always influences my style (hello, Joan and Megan!), but seeing Sally's fashion sense evolve has sparked a new urge in me.  The children's styles of the 1960s are on the forefront of my mind right now, and I have plans to add many styles to the shop (hopefully sooner than later).  Of course, they will be updated with contemporary, current fabrics and notions, but vintage styles are classic and will always look adorable on babies, children and toddlers.

Here are some of my favorite Sally Draper outfits.  What are yours?  Or do you prefer a different character?

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Source Okay, that's Kiernan, but whatever--this kid has style!

Dream Stash

There are lots of great fabrics coming out in the next few months.  Let's look at some I'd love to use for the store!

Happy Drawing by Cloud9 Fabrics is shipping now!  I've been really inspired by their marketing and would love to sew up some little kids' clothes in these prints.  How cute would dresses in giraffes and elephants and rompers in frogs look?

Aneela Hoey's "Sew Stitchy" won't be released until the fall, but that doesn't stop me from drooling!  This line is so adorable, and would be great as drawstring bags to hold sewing and knitting projects.

Lizzy House's Halloween collection, "Guising," is just too cute.  Halloween doesn't lend itself to too many projects--too seasonal!--but I think these prints would be adorable in little lined jumpers for toddler girls.  Layer over a turtleneck and head down to the pumpkin patch!

I'd love to get some Christmas fabrics to make dresses and shirts for children too.  What do you think?  If I have to see one more child dressed in faux-fur to look like Santa I'll scream!

Updated Stock!

As promised, the Washi iPad cases are now available in Eleanor Sews!

Hope you like them!

Coming Soon...

I have so much to do for the store!  Here's a sneak peek of what is coming up...

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Maya by Leah Duncan is one of my favorite fabric collections to date.  It is totally Southern to me, without being saccharine: down-to-earth colors, fun prints, summer vibes.  Look for this in clutches!

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Washi by Rashida Coleman-Hale is another stunner!  The bright colors couldn't be any more fun.  I have some iPad cases and clutches just waiting to be sewn together in the full Washi range!

Reunion by Sweetwater.  I have a few prints from this nautical collection already cut out for clutches.  Very Americana, and would be perfect to hold your lipstick and credit card while you tour Cape Cod!

Feathers by Martha Negley.  I couldn't resist making myself a Wiksten Tank in this print, and I had enough left over for a medium-sized wristlet!  It may also be lined with coral slipper satin...bohemian, feminine and practical all at once!

Looks like I better get to sewing!  

The Sewing Community

I've always wanted to post about this on my personal blog, but I've never been convinced that it fits in with my other posts.  I worry that my other blog becomes really sewing-centric, and I don't want to alienate people who may not be interested in what I'm making!

However, because this blog is devoted to my little Etsy store, I think it fits in perfectly!

We're Open!

The day has come!  I've listed a few things in the shop.  Nothing special, but it was bugging me that everything was just sitting here.  I'm not someone who likes to wait!

I hope to add more soon, but at least it's not sitting empty anymore!