Hooded Towels Anyone?

      Hello friends!  Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Are you stuffed?  We had a nice day today.  Even though hubby had to work, we were able to enjoy an early Thanksgiving dinner with our church family.  I'm writing this post while I wait for him to come home from a looong day :(
      Today I wanted to talk to you about the very first sale I made with my handmade business:  Hooded Towels.  When Lucas was about 7 months old or so he began to outgrow his baby hooded towels.  They were so cute but they wouldn't dry him completely or allow me to cover him up in a bundle like I used to do when he was an itty bitty (they look so cute when they're all bundled up right after a bath...:sigh: they grow up so fast!).  I tried shopping for a hooded towel but all I could find were the baby ones or others that were wider but would only reach down to his knees.  I was gifted my sewing machine and I decided one of the very first things I wanted to make was a hooded towel for my little man.  I found great tutorials online and I got started!  

Here he is the first time we used it!

      I was so excited to show everyone my sewing project so I shared it with my Facebook friends!  I got great feedback and was antsy to make some to sell.  A sweet friend of mine contacted me for my very first order. Ever.  I was beyond thrilled!!!  She has twin boys that were outgrowing their baby towels too so I got to it!  She was so awesome about it too.  She trusted me to pick out the fabrics and colors.  She loved them!!  I was so happy I made my very first sale and I had 2 happy, dry, bundled customers!

      Since then, hooded towels have been my #1 seller.  I've made a few as baby shower gifts, some for a local school auction, and more for babies!  I now make the hoods of the towels to fit smaller babies and also toddlers and pre-schoolers.  Oh and they are personalized of course!

This was my FIRST ORDER!

And then there were more...

 

Ready for the auction!

      

Check out the detailed zig-zag stitching on this applique!

       Soooo..don't you think these would also make great Christmas gifts?  I think so! (duh, he he).  Please keep Tot Sew Shop in mind!  You won't be disappointed :).  Till next time friends!  

Halloween with Mini Master Yoda

      Hi!  It's been a busy couple of weeks for me..sorry for not updating the blog sooner!  We were in Orlando for a Breastfeeding and Parenting Conference (which was awesome and a blessing) and then lately I've been taking care of my sick little man.  He got the stomach flu so there was lots of sleepless nights, clean up, cuddles and comforting going on.  Thankfully he's been feeling a lot better lately!
      
      Yesterday we had a fun night with friends.  We went trick or treating with Lucas for the first time for Halloween.  Being the HUGE Star Wars fan that he is (and ok, maybe he has influenced me too) my hubby has inspired me to dress Lucas up in Star Wars characters.
   
      Last year we had a mini Darth Vader...

      This year we had a mini Yoda...

      I decided to make his costume this year (how could I not?!) and followed this tutorial as my inspiration.  I headed to our local thrift store in search of material.  For under $7 I was able to get all the materials needed to make my little Yoda!  I love it when I get a good deal!  I think it came out better than the store bought Yoda costume that's 4 times more expensive!  This is one of the reasons why I always wanted to learn to sew.  We'll be keeping this costume as a keepsake so one day it can be passed on to future children and maybe even grandchildren!  Thanks to Lucas' Grandma and Grandpa he got a light saber to match and a homemade trick or treat pumpkin bag made by Grandma.  We had a blast showing him around the neighborhood and we made some sweet memories :)

      Stay tuned for another post soon.  I've been getting a few orders for some hooded towels and I would love to share them with you!



   

Learning Something New

      Hi!  Welcome to Tot Sew Shop.  This is my first official blog post.  I hope to be able to keep you posted on my latest projects, ideas and thoughts.  
      I have always loved crafting.  One of the things I had not yet conquered in the crafting/arts world was sewing.  As a young girl I remember my mom taking sewing classes while I was in ballet class.  She made a few things for my younger sister and I.  I always thought it would be cool to learn how to sew but it never did happen.  My mom's machine quit working and life continued.  Fast forward 20 something years and I got married and had my son.  When my son Lucas turned one back in March, I decided I wanted to make him a birthday outfit.  My mother in law is an avid sewer and I always admired her skill.  I asked her to make Lucas a birthday shirt with a "1" and his name.  Being the messy eater that he was, I knew Lucas would most likely need a second outfit as back up.  This is where I challenged myself.  I was going to teach myself to sew.  I borrowed my friend's Singer sewing machine and online I went.  I was totally clueless.  What is a bobbin?  You have to thread a machine?  What does that mean?  Well thanks to Google and the numerous blogs and videos out there I was able to learn the basics.  I made him a tie applique shirt with our Cat in the Hat theme fabric and I even ventured into making him a bib and a diaper cover.  I was pleased with how it turned out!

      So after this I begged my hubby for a sewing machine.  Thanks to him and my in-laws I was gifted my very first sewing machine.  I did all the research and chose the machine I thought to be the best and a good deal.  I am the proud owner of a Brother LB 6800 PRW.  As I began to develop my sewing skills, I dared myself to get a Serger/Overlock Machine to compliment my sewing machine.  I taught myself how to use it and also got some tips from my mother in law.  This would give my items a more professional look and added durability.  Being a stay at home mom on a very tight budget, I thought it would be a great idea to sew Children's items and open up my own little shop.  I then took an official sewing class at my local Joann's Fabrics and now months later I have made and sold a few items to moms in my local area.  I am so excited to share my passion with you.  Please stay tuned for more updates and visit Tot Sew Shop's Facebook Page and "like" us!