Thompson Family-Life

a stitchy gift

I have been stitching this gift over the past couple weeks (the cross-stitch pattern is available here at Kitschy Digitals!) You might have seen my progress on Instagram? I haven't cross-stitched in a while! But it's totally addictive! So much fun. The pattern was designed by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery. They've created several country themed patterns (you can find Italy, Japan, England in our shop, and they will have more coming soon!). I think doing a bunch of these, especially if you've traveled to these places, and incorporating them into a quilt would be so crazy cute! 

I knew I wanted to make this pattern for my Mother-in-Law who's half Irish (her Mother was born in Ireland!) and is also visiting there this summer. I also knew I wanted to make the design into a pocket on the outside of a tote bag... because I don't know about you guys, but around our house, there are never enough totes. We use them for everything. I was thinking she could use it for all sorts of things, to carry books or keep a knitting or smocking project in (she's a seasoned sewer and knitter!). I tend to have totes the hold all sorts of different projects I'm working on. They're a great way to keep your project all together in one place so you can grab it on the go if you need a project to work on outside of the house.

The cross-stitching took the longest... the bag was super easy and quick! What took the longest on the bag is attaching the binding to create the two pockets. (I used this tutorial if you need a good bias tape tutorial.) And you can tell I was rushing to finish this in time for her birthday party because my bias tape stitching is wonky in places (oops!). I used a piece of a blue floral Liberty of London fabric I bought at Purl Soho while in NYC many years ago, for the other front pocket. 

And speaking of Purl Soho, I used their 20-minute tote bag tutorial to make the bag! What makes it so fast is that you use webbing for the straps and you don't have to make a lining for the bag because you're using upholstery fabric (yes.) (I bought this upholstery fabric at Joanns.) You can again tell I was in a rush to finish it because the bottom corners are uneven (double oops), but you won't be able to tell when it's full. ; ) I definitely recommend this tutorial as an easy beginner project.

Aren't the pens cute? Those are more of my loot that I picked up in Little Tokyo, LA.

I'm excited to start another project. There's nothing like having a project waiting in the wings. We creative types thrive on this, am I right?

What's Happening at Kitschy Digitals

April is almost over and we can't believe it! There are some lovely holidays coming up in May: Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with this gorgeous Frida Kahlo Embroidery Pattern. The felt flowers add such a beautiful and unique touch. You could have a get-together, May 5th, with your crafty friends and stitch up lovely Frida in celebration of this holiday!


And let's not forget Mom! We have some charming printable Mother's Day cards (one with a girl, one with a boy!). Around 25 skin tone and hair color combinations included!


There's definitely something to be said for the classic, simple games, like this very retro printable memory game designed for you to print and make!

Is doesn't get more charming than this "Cute Butt Club" printable garland by Mel Stringer. 'Nuff said.

What makes donuts even better? DONUTS WITH FACES. : ) Donut Shop Journaling Cards: print them out (perfect size for your Project Life Albums) or use the PNG files in your digital art. You could also print these out for gift tags! Coordinates with the Donut Shop Embroidery Pattern.


Looking for a new stitchy project? Look no further than this very kawaii cross-stitch pattern featuring Japan! Or what about Ireland, Italy or England?


Firefly fans unite! An embroidery pattern set dedicated to this cult classic.


Welcome a little Sunshine into your home with this printable garland! Perfect for parties or everyday use.


Looking for a unique take on the classic Pin-the-Tail-on-the-Donkey game? What about Pin-the-Tiny-Arms-on-the-T-Rex?! Dino fans will love it!


We've got another FREEBIE for you! This is from Wild Olive. Springtime Printable Journaling Cards! 

Be sure to sign up for our Newsletter! Newsletter subcribers get the most exclusive coupon codes and discounts. You never know when one might pop up in your inbox! Also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for product updates, project inspiration and more.

my first dress

One of the girls I follow on Instagram (Debsasassykins if you'd like to follow, she has fantastic taste!) posted some photos of an amazing clothing line for kids based out of Denmark (of course!) called Albababy many months ago and that was really the inspiration for making this dress. My first dress! Big moment for me. The girl that has always been skeered of her sewing machine. And you know what I realized? It was the pattern part that scared me the most, not the sewing (although finicky sewing machines make me insane and edgy, but I'm getting more comfortable with using my machine). 

Here's the Albababy line...

OHMAHGAH amazing, right?! What really knocked me over was the bias tape trim on the overalls and jumpers. A perfect blend of nostalgia with modern Scandinavian color - with that perfect contrasty white trim. LOVE.

But yikes, the price tag! I just couldn't justify getting something for Campbell (the overalls!), much less anything girly for my little pal Lenore. So I decided I would (attempt) to make something inspired by the designs. I wanted the basic shape to be vintage-inspired, a classic pinafore shape, and I wanted to add bias tape trimming. I found a modern pattern online, but I ended going with a vintage pattern.

I asked my wonderful Mother-in-Law (who's been sewing most of her life) if she could help me out with it one weekend and once she explained how to read the pattern and how to cut out the pieces, I felt so much more at ease. This is a pattern that she actually used for her own daughter in the seventies! (see photo of pattern at bottom of post) It's only one piece, so it was a good beginner project. Of course, I had to go and make it more complicated by adding bias tape around the entire piece, but it was worth it! Now, this dress is not perfect by any means, being the newb that I am, but I'll take it.

I used a vintage sheet remnant I've had for years for the body of the dress and picked a solid purple fabric for the front double pocket (such a cute element of this pattern!) and the lining. I then picked out a bias tape color. I wanted something bold and contrasty. I ended up using two colors of bias tape by accident. I ran out of the orange, and went to pick up more, and picked up the wrong color. So there's pink and orange together.. which I actually ended up loving more! The buttons are vintage and the little daisy patch is from Joann's.

Isn't Lenore a doll? Oh man, do I ever love hanging out with her. She is a joy!

The ends of the shoulder straps can really go either way, under the "bib" area or over, where they button. I really wanted them to go on top to mimic the Albababy designs more, but the width of the straps towards the ends were very different and it looked very obvious (newbie mistake), so we had them go underneath which looked much better.

I have to say, I'm so in love with how this came out, and it was really relatively easy (attaching the binding was the only tricky part, but once I got the hang of it, it's actually very fun to sew on. I used a tutorial I found online.) I can't wait to make more of these for Lenore. The vintage bloomers were a lucky find at a thrift store a few weeks ago and I immediately thought they'd go perfectly with the dress. You can never have too much pattern, right? The design on these bloomers is a m a z i n g. They are a little big, and on one side the elastic has come out I think, so they're droopy drawers for now. haha.

Now that I've gotten my feet wet with this simple dress, I'd like to try and make some shirts for the boys. Something simple, like this. I love a lot of the Lillestoff knit fabrics, but yikes they're expensive! 25 bucks for a meter? Sigh. Although sewing with knits can be a bit tricky from what I hear? Do you have any experience sewing with knits? I would love to hear any tips. Also, if you can share any good, simple sewing patterns that you like for kids, I'd love to hear! 

I feel like I have this new love affair with bias tape. I kind of want to add it to everything. Something about it feels so retro. And you can't beat the store bought stuff, already folded for you, in so many pretty colors. I go to the fabric store and it's like looking at candy when I hit the bias tape aisle (ha). I know you seasoned sewers out there are shaking your heads.

Here are some phone pics I took of the sewing pattern, etc.

More posts coming this week! It feels good to be blogging more.

Hope you all had a nice weekend.

"Georges" the French Sailor Bear

I knew I wanted to bring along a craft on our beach trip and I remembered this amazing Japanese craft book I bought on Etsy a while back (you can find it here) called "Cute Felt Craft" by Naomi Tabatha. I had high goals of making three (yes THREE) of these dolls for the boys, but was only able to manage one. They are time consuming! But in the best, best way. : ) This little guy was so much fun to make!! I was so happy to see some boy dolls in the book, so I knew I had to make them for my boys. We're in the early stages of redecorating their room (bunk beds!), so Mr. Georges here is going to be hanging out on a floating shelf I bought at IKEA, along with two more dolls that I hope to make from the same book. We named him "Georges" since he was made on St. George Island and we thought he looked like a Sailor.. a very French sailor (the beret being a dead giveaway).

These photos were taken in Apalachicola, about a 20 minute drive from St. George Island. We spent a lot of time there. Such a cute, cozy little town! Definitely recommend. And really fantastic restaurants (such.good.food.) This part of Florida is becoming our favorite beach destination. Both Apalachicola and St. George are still small and quaint and they've evaded the yucky-touristy-Florida-thing that you see elsewhere. That is one thing that is really unrivaled in the States (in my opinion), and that's Florida beaches. There are just gorgeous.

One slight challenge to overcome is that the book is in Japanese! Yes. Japanese. Since I've made a handful of felt dolls, I knew I could figure out the basic construction and there are pretty thorough illustrations in the book. The hardest part was figuring out what pattern parts go where and with what doll. I decided that there MUST be some sort of app out there that could translate the Japanese text. So I downloaded the Google Translate app and it worked great. It's a bit tricky, but if you stick with it, it works. You take a photo of the text and then highlight the text with your finger in the photo, and it translates! Pretty amazing.

He is made entirely out of felt and completely hand-stitched. Since felt can be a bit fragile, especially at the seams, he won't be a doll for playing, but more for display. The boys really like him, especially Campbell. They actually both still sleep with favorite stuffed animals, so they aren't averse to dolls. I think these dolls could be played with gently by older kiddos, more specifically girls (ha), as boys can be a bit rough with things. I remember when I played with my toys and dolls, it was in a very gingerly sort of way. ; ) Setting them up in cute little vignettes and admiring them.

Here are some phone pics of all four dolls (I might skip the monkey, but I'm going to do Piggy next and then the Puppy) and also some work-in-progress shots. And yes you might think me crazy for stitching on the beach, but I kept everything in zip lock bags because I'm paranoid of my wild and crazy beach boys that spray water guns and throw sand. I love having a project to work on while lounging at the beach. Some people read, I craft. I know you crafty folks out there know what I mean! I also did a lot of crafting on the porch at the beach house that we rented. Pure heaven! Needless to say, it was hard to come home to a messy house and a reality check. But that's what makes vacations awesome, right?

You can find more of Naomi Tabatha's amazing felt doll craft books here.

Edited to add: Upon further observation of the photo I took of the book up there, I just now realized that A) I forgot to stitch his eyebrows on and B) it seems that I cut out the wrong pattern for his head. It seems to be the shape of the pig's head and not the bear's. O_O 

Oh the trials and tribulations of using a craft book that is written entirely in Japanese. Sigh.

We'll just keep this bit of info to ourselves, mkay? ; )

A Downton Abbey Tea Party

Styling/Art Direction/Photography: Danielle Thompson // Downton Abbey Embroidery Patterns: April Heather Art
Towel Stitching: Katie Canavan // Models: Amber & Holly
Location: Dr. Bombay's Underwater Tea Party, Atlanta, GA // Colored Tea Towels: Embroider This 

***

Ever since Heather Davulcu took me up on my invitation to sell her amazing Downton Abbey embroidery patterns at Kitschy Digitals, I had the idea that I wanted to stitch them onto colored tea towels and do a fun little make-believe Tea Party photo shoot to show them off. And it all finally came together! I knew from the start that I wanted to shoot it at a place near and dear to my heart (for many reasons I will share in a separate blog post this week), Dr. Bombay's Underwater Tea Party. I also knew I needed a talented someone to stitch these towels up for me and I looked no further than my Palm Springs travel partner, Katie Canavan. Not only is she a gifted crafter (see her beautiful projects on her blog), she is a also a pattern designer and actress! Talk about multi-talented. She being a die-hard Downton Abbey fan, it took her all of two seconds to agree to stitch these up.

I received all of these gorgeous towels in the mail over the past couple weeks and decided that they needed a little crochet trim on the bottom, so I did that yesterday. I didn't make my way through ALL 15 charaters, but I did finish up the "royalty" ; ) I LOVE the addition of the chunky trim. (I used this tutorial for the crochet trim, but the repeat pattern I used was slip-stitch, 1 DC, 1 TR, 1 DC, slip-stitch, if you are interested) 

I love the idea of hosting your own "Downton Abbey Tea Party" (in fact, Dr. Bombay's would be the perfect place to host a "real" one!) or host it at your home! You could give the towels as party gifts, OR you could have a Downton Abbey Tea Towel Craft Party where everyone makes their own. How fun would that be? The only requirement is that you must watch DA episodes while you craft. ; ) Or if you have a loved one that is a die-hard fan, and is having a birthday or other life milestone, you could get lots of friends and family to each stitch a towel, and then give the complete set as a gift.

A big thanks to Amber and Holly who modeled for me. Photo shoots are always funny, especially when you put two people together that literally JUST met and they have to look like they've been BFF forever. ; ) Luckily Holly is a Downton Abbey fan and I must say, I swooned over her gorgeous natural red hair! She has two red-headed daughters that might be doing some "modeling" for me as well in the future. Adorable.

Also a huge thank-you to the owner of Dr. Bombay's, Katrell Christie, who not only shared her charmingly mis-matched china and tea sets for these photos, but who's story I'll be sharing more of this week. It's an incredibly inspiring story so check back soon.