Welcome to the world little ones!

Goodness I have a lot of friends having little ones lately.  Lots and lots of sweet little babies being brought into our world.  I am so appreciative to all my friends that call on me to make gifts and clothing for their special occasions. I love making these cute adorable hugable squeezable outfits and sets.  Your mommies and grandmommys and aunts really love you!

Satisfaction...Appreciation....Pride

Well...I've had one of those "milestone" birthdays and I'm just not liking it! Not one bit. I can't change the aging process but I can take satisfaction in the fact that time stops for no one (except for that crazy Joan Rivers loon) and that we are all growing older together. Thankfully, I have my health and the ability, albeit not always the will, to exercise regularly and eat right.  Darn you Exeline's Pizza, a good dry chardonnay and Fudge Stripe cookies!

For my birthday, my sweet husband pulled one over on me and had my mom and my 86 year old grandmother "Graneane" show up at our annual family beach vacation in Gulf Shores, AL.  After the shock of them showing up, on our doorstep totally  unexpected wore off, I realized that there were four more hands to help retrieve juice boxes, make sandwiches and hand out cookies! Score one for mommy getting to read a book! 

A little later in the evening as we had gathered for a nice dinner together, it dawned on me that my mom and I had never been on a vacation together. Now, I'm not counting the too many gymnastics meets or cheerleading competitions, I mean a vacation to the beach or to a theme park.  Not that she didn't want to or didn't care but more like being a single mom working sometimes multiple jobs, we just didn't have the means to do so.  Tough choices had to be made and over the years, I have really begun to  appreciate more and more the sacrifices she made for me.   Not so ironically, very much like I make for my two boys today. Hopefully in 25 years they will appreciate me as much as I appreciate my mother for everything she did. 

I have great genes!

I am so blessed to have had the opportunities I've enjoyed in life.  Loving mother and family. Wonderfully supportive husband and two beautiful boys. I have a mediocre level of artistic talent - just enough to be dangerous. I paint, I sew, I build things.  Over the years, my determination, studying, patience and practice have paid off pretty well for my sewing hobby/business.  I love it and I love making things for my friends.  I take so much pride in seeing those birthday photos of your little boys and girls in their special day shirts or wearing a personalized crab shirt in the family beach portrait. It means a lot to me that my work is being recorded in your memory albums for years to reflect and remember.

Dylan aka "Sweet Bottom" (above) is a great model if you have a high speed camera!

This weekend...More sewing photos and a blog about taking shortcuts in some designs.........I promise no more monologues.

Being an "in the moment mommy....."

I read this article recently about being an "in the moment mommy" and I want that!  Between the stressers of daily life and the grind of work, "mommy" at the end of the day, is more like "having a moment".  I have a found a passion for this sewing stuff and have been fortunate to be able to do it in addition to my other responsibilities. As I have mentioned multiple times before it is my creative outlet for stress.  I love making gifts for people to give and love seeing those memories being made. And I have made some great new friends along the way!


As I approach another birthday and re-read the email that came a few days ago about PreK4 graduation for my sweet little Reece, I realize more and more just how important being that "in the moment mommy" is.  Tears well up and I get that thick choking feeling every time I think about this milestone, the graduation not the birthday (well maybe a little of both).  I so want to be this mommy for my own mental well being as well as for my two boys.  


This post is not about sewing. Not that anyone really read this to begin with. It's about professing to seek out a balance and strike a chord of personal fulfillment.  This is the mommy I want.  It's about finding that job that fills my heart and soul not just my wallet. It's about being the person that I know I can be inside and being a good friend to those around me. Finally, it's about showing my boys just how much a mommy's love really is.  This is the "in the moment mommy" I want to be.  

Refresh, Renew and bring on Spring!!

We bought the house in 2003 and started on a journey of renovation that, I hate to admit, continues today. At this point, I never imagined the need for a permanent sewing space but that was way before 4 little grabby hands get into everything you own. This was me trying in vain to cover up the lime and aqua vinyl wallpaper that was attached to the walls in our attic.

After a few years of sewing in another old outdated spare bedroom, we finally got around to
work on bringing the upstairs into this century. Cay you say Goodbye purple and blue Berber and old dark paneling and Hello wood floors and new paint. The birth of a child brings on a whole new world of opportunities. Where the upstairs was once going to be a place "to hang out with an awesome kegarator watching football games" has turned into "Play Land" with comfortable soft seating, reading nooks and great fun colors. The traveling sewing room gets displaced again. I move from a spare small bedroom to the attic (above).

My husband bought me this awesome sewing machine for Christmas in 2006 and from it I have discovered all kinds of new and wonderful talents I never knew I had. This Christmas he bought me a TV for the sewing room. His claim "if your going to be spending so much time in there..." It was a wonderful thought and he was being really sweet. Honestly I enjoy the quiet of my sewing space. This is what happened next. Since we had to move the table to hang the TV and wires and cabling and why don't we......

• add a craft work area and more storage


• Recover that old dirty table and make some new legs for it


• Get a nice cabinet that I can store all my blank shirts and fabrics in


• Make room under the table for out of season stuff like tote bags and beach towels.

Another shot of the "before" that I have been working with for about 5 years.

After of the same section with this wonderful storage cabinet, thread racks, and a place to really get some work done. Thanks Honey for all your hard work.

If you need me - I'll be sewing.........

Falling behind, springing ahead......trying to keep up!

Un-Seasonably warm winter, earlier "Spring forward" time change, lots of remodeling up in the sewing room and two little boys who want to be active all the time have kept me from updating the blog as often as I had ever intended. I have to learn to stop apologizing publically for things that only I see as personal shortfalls! Anyway.....The sewing room is as done as I can get it right now with my workload backing up. You can see awesome pictures of the before and afters here: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.339927876052172.80737.140636292647999&type=3 Thanks hubby for all the hard work!

I try to always update the latest sewing project or customer order on my Facebook Page here:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Sweet-Bottom-Sewing-Company/140636292647999
Honestly, it is where I get most of my customer questions and where most of my orders come from. Probably because I keep it updated, huh, makes sense doesn't it. Anyway it is easier to upload and organize photos albums and send out messages to all my friends and customers.

What does all this mean to you- nothing probably. To me, I'm behind and trying to get caught up as will always be the case I suspect. I have tons of Applique designs on Facebook to browse through and if you still don't find anything you like drop me a note and I will work to find you something special.

Happy Spring everyone and thanks for a wonderful first year @SweetBottomSewing theBlog.

Love is in the Air

Sweets for the sweetheart. Treats for your sweet, however you want to share a little love now is the time to do it. I like to spread the love around our house with little hidden notes to the boys telling them to have a great day and how I will be thinking of them. What else are mommies for?

These sweet hearts with bows are a matching set for a grandmother / granddaughter and I think they turned out beautifully! Boys shouldn't get left out this time of year either. We have special boys themed valentine designs just for you. Try Stitch with a Valentine or the Valentine wagon.

I have been taking this sewing down time to clean and re-arrange the sewing space to make for more function and less chaos. The effort and hard work is paying off and I am thrilled with all the new storage and a clean fresh worktable. Yes it is still and attic and always will be but it is my creative space and I am making it my own! Spring is right around the corner and depending on where you live you might be getting Spring Fever already with this crazy weather. Start thinking ahead for Easter and Spring designs. Based on the the excellent response to the lined easter baskets last year, I am trying to get a supply in early. Stay tuned.....

Happy 2012 Everyone!

I have done some amazing and fun projects this fall and winter and can't wait to show them off. During my break from work, I have been diligently re-organizing my FaceBook page albums to make them easier to browse and navigate. "The Blog" will be next! I plan to arrange the designs into seasonal and holiday groupings so that you can quickly find just the right design for your special little one's special occasion.

Thank you for making 2011 an amazing year for me! I couldn't do it without you.

Christmas Time - Smile!

These are just a few of my favorite outfits and customers orders so far this year. I have really had a blast over the past few weeks sewing and making these outfits for all my friends and family. The wagon and tree set for the boys turned out especially cute and I was really proud of it when they were getting their photo taken. I do have to give it up to David for bringing along a few packages of fruit snacks. Dylan was NOT going to sit on that mans lap! This year Santa was sponsored by Welch's.

I'm not done sewing, so keep sending me your orders and requests. I just don't have the time to post and upload photos along the way right now. Will I get caught up? That remains to be seen. The tree got decorated this year! Believe me that is an accomplishment, last year I was throwing on ornaments just minutes before the big family dinner.

Merry Christmas to anyone reading this silly blog and thank you for your orders and support this year. This has been a great year for Sweet Bottom. Both the baby and the little sewing business are growing up and forming little personalities of their own. I am such a proud mommy of all my babies.

Pumpkin Patch (part 2)

What Goobers they can be sometimes! But I love these little family rituals that we are trying to start. I don't get the best photos and usually, after the fact, I realize that people are walking through the background in most of my pictures. I wouldn't pass this up for anything. Of the couple of dozen pics I snapped that day I will have fond memories forever.

Pumpkins Pumpkins Everywhere

I love Fall.

The smells, the tastes, the festivities. I love it all! Well except for the time change, I hate that part. This year is going to be packed full of fun fall things to do. Both of the boys are old enough to really get into the holidays and I have enthusiastically encouraged the behavior. I have been informed that the front porch MUST get decorated. And we do not have enough big scary birds to hang around the house.

Today, we are taking the annual trip to the pumpkin patch for photos and to pick out just the right melon. I can't wait! Looking back in my photo archives, they are some of my favorite pictures.

Happy Birthday #1!!!

I know I don't update the blog as often as I had intended in the beginning. Honestly, it's just too dang hard. I do so much of my business on Facebook these days that turning around and posting duplicate photos is, well, time consuming and exhausting. I love having the two outlets to showcase my work but it is a task to undertake. With that being said.....

My baby is 4! and we celebrated it at the Zoo. These animal shirts are the party favors I made for all the kids in his class and they were all so cute wearing them together and riding the rides. We love all our classmates at school and hope they had a great time at our party.

Theme shirts are all the rage this fall and apparently from the two festivals I've been to so far "owls" are in this season. Think about your gift giving lists this upcoming season and give me a call. We can make some really great gifts really special with a little personalized touch for a lot less.

Turning to Something New and Fresh (again)

There comes a time when you just have to change it up - again. Things get stagnant and predictable. I get this feeling several times throughout the year and usually let it pass with a distraction. This time, I just don't know if the distraction will come soon enough. Summer is way to quickly passing me by and the thought of sitting up in a hot sewing room making more shorts is, well, depressing and sweaty. I saw this patchwork pillow in a recent mail-home catalog and it reminded me of the love I have for making bedding and soft furnishings. I made the others myself for the boys playroom. It's amazing how the simplest changes of a throw pillow or two can freshen up a whole room.

Instead of looking at the applique designs with childrens clothing in mind, how about looking at it from a room decor view? All of my applique and embroidery designs can be made into throw pillows, bedding, shower curtains, drapes - you name it. Let's face it - that will last much longer than a shirt anyway! Have a theme for a little boys new "Big Boy Room"? How about trains or bugs. I can mix and match all kinds of designs and textures in to make their very own special place.

Ahhhhh....Summer

Hot dogs by the pool, ice cold lemonade on a hot summer afternoon, baseball on a sultry steamy night....Nothin' like Summertime in the South. Here are some suggestions for those little firecrackers in your life to wear for your special Independence Day festivities. Celebrate in style with personalized T's made just for you.



Please remember what this holiday is about and take a moment to thank those around us who have fought to protect what this country is all about! Freedom - freedom to stand up for our own personal beliefs.

Updating and Organizing

I finally got a chance to sit down an upload and organize my last few months of sewing projects. What a chore - but I feel such a sense of accomplishment once I get through. Here are just a few photos of the things that I have recently completed. Take a look at more of my custom creations in the photo album (link) down on the left. You can also find me on Facebook at "Sweet Bottom Sewing Company".