Inspiration

My grandma taught me how to sew in her cottage kitchen. I was probably ten years old. We made oven mitt covers. I remember the way I felt that day, the awesomeness of making something. I had fabric and a machine, and in the end, I had oven mitt covers. It was magical. From that moment forward, I was a sewer. I am a sewer. I have made many things in the last twenty plus years, and if you pulled them all out and lined them up, in many ways, they would tell the story of my life. The things that I have sewed along the way follow the pattern of my life because they are inspired by my life. Oven mitts, a blue velvet purse for a school dance (a little bit functional, a little bit rocker), a bedspread to cheer up my horrible university bedroom, a red blanket with a giant maple leaf for my then boyfriend/now husband because we just loved that we were/are Canadian....

Then four years ago, something CRAZY happened. My life split in two to make room for another. I became a mama. As my life opened wide and shifted so did the inspiration for my sewing. Inspiration was everywhere.

Adelaide loved to play with tags. She loved to suck on fabric. She was amazed by patterns. I put all these loves into one and made her a soft flannel, highly patterned taggie blanket.

Taggie blanket: so simple and so easy to love

A parenting book I was reading suggested giving your toddler her very own bag to spur on independence. I made Adelaide a toddler sized backpack that could be filled, dumped, filled, carried, dragged, washed and loved some more.

the backpack: a staple for any wardrobe, even pajamas!

When Adelaide turned one, I wanted to make her something really special, something that summarized our first year together so I made her a quilt with fabric from outfits she had worn in the NICU, her coming home outfit, her daddy's favourite t-shirt....

giving Adelaide her quilt on her first birthday

sharing her quilt with a friend

sharing her quilt with dad

Adelaide loved to cook and bake, and would spend hours in her kitchen making us tea. From this came the inspiration to make her an apron, chef's hat and oven mitts.

serious cuteness

My inspiration was overflowing and I was able to pour it into my sewing. As Adelaide started having long stretches of sleep in the afternoon, and my time became more free, my sewing machine got busier and busier. My sewing business, Sew Inspired, was born.

Adelaide is now four. She still inspires me. Her life inspires me. She will say something, play with something, do something, and I think I could make 'that'. I read something, see something, and I think I could make 'that'. In addtion to taggies, backpacks, aprons and dolly carriers, Adelaide has a mama made Christmas stocking, a mama made Easter basket, a mama made Halloween bag, costumes, dresses, skirts....

Now that school has started, our world is changing again. I am stretching in new directions. I am being inspired in new ways. At Adelaide's school, like many, Halloween is "Black and Orange Day". Instead of costumes, the kids are asked to wear orange and black to celebrated the day. There's inspiration in that! I want to make her something, something really cool, something one-of-a-kind, something that screams her. I could make her an orange t-shirt (one of her favourite colours) with appliqued stars (one of her favourite things). Oh, she will love it!

Inspiration strikes, t-shirts bought, fabric sourced, cutting, ironing, sewing, and taaaaadaaaaaaaaaaa! Halloween inspired t-shirts (that are so darn awesome they can be worn any day of the year!).

Really, really, really loving it!

Little cousin loving her's too!

Big cousin loves orange cats and loves her t-shirt!

Skulls and crossbones give this little brother some attitude!

I had so much fun dreaming these t-shirts up, sourcing the fabric (some new, some upcycled) and making them, that I want to make more. I would love to make them for your kids!

Pick one of these that you like, or customize it. T-shirt colours can be changed, appliques (ghost, pumpkin, raven, witch, spider.....) can be chosen so that they are really, really, really loved!

One-of-a-kind, appliqued Halloween t-shirts (that are so darn awesome they can be worn any day of the year!), $22.

Sizes available from 6 months up.
If interested, adult sized t-shirts could also be added to the line-up.

Place an order by leaving a comment here, or by visiting my facebook page and leaving me a message there.

Because I just love these t-shirts and it would be awesome to see one on your kid....the first person to place an order gets a $5 credit towards their purchase.