Sunday, July 31, 2011

are there any cuter bloopers out there?


okay, i actually meant to do this forever ago, but i got side-tracked. imagine that.

last fall, the fabulous katie stafford of mary moment photography photographed all of my goodies for my fall line-up. it was fabulous. she has such talent behind that lens.

well, we shot for about 3-4 hours with toddlers. it was hot. i was pregnant and sick and poor katie had to get all over the ground with her 100 lb camera and was such a sport. we had fun. we had wardrobe changes numerous times, a break for grapes and ice cream and so on. she made my fall line look AMAZE-BALLS. if you know katie, that comes as NO surprise.

well, i was going through all the pictures today trying to find a good shot of the jill frock to put on the pattern (yep, i said it...whoop, whoop) and i came across the ones i had tagged and giggled at as bloopers. hehe. i had to share. i mean, you can only hold their attention so long. bless them, it was hot outside, i was making them wear fall clothes, we were making them behave themselves, sit still, etc. i mean, it isn't easy being beautiful. :)

remember, ALL of these photos are property of mary moment photography...do NOT try to copy them. thanks. oh and also, these are pics of LAST fall. BG's Get Your Fall On rocked the house. thanks to all of you!



okay, is this a sign of how she would be with a baby brother?


now, this is how addie kate does fierce...watch it as it evolves. :)




oh dear me, check out the nostrils on my child!


i seriously think i remember katie asking lou to give her a face like she would kiss her boyfriend...not kidding. wow.


haha, no words...


"i am a gopher girl, i only go for guys, but they don't go for me...i don't know why...chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp" and you must really know that old-school song for this one to be funny.


arrrrrrr matey. parlay?


and this is when it started to go downhill...





and really, done...


more done...


and on this note...it's a wrap!


aaaahahahhahahaha! but on a serious note, just looking through makes me remember how much i LOVED all the colors of last fall. oooh, it makes me want to stop everything and go and lose myself in daydream believer right now too!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

the girl behind BG

okay, as usual right before a season begins my inbox is flooded with emails asking how to order, when to order, etc. now, one would think going on 3 years i would have this all figured out by now - but the secret is...i don't. so, i am gonna put it all out there to answer any questions or wonderings of who i am and why BG is like it is.

i am amy. i am blond, i am short and i am fiesty. i am a type-a personality that is dealing with her control-freak demons and i am the owner of a creative brain that never turns itself off. i am haunted all day and night by a mind that constantly puts fabrics together and pieces out patterns and designs. i am a sewing nerd that gets overly excited about buttons, thread, top stitching and inseams. a tailor that finds it soothing to walk into a sewing room and lose herself in design. i am the girl behind BG. that's me.

i am also a mother to these adorable little chirrens and a wife to that handsome hubby.

i have struggled over the last 3 years trying to figure out the balance between the amy, the BG and the family. for too long i let the BG be first. i was sewing for everyone that emailed and staying up late at night and not spending QT with my family. but i was everyone's seamstress. i was making everyone happy. or so i thought...deep down, i wasn't. so, i changed it up again. and here i am now.

this is the new BG.

i am not trying to be the biggest, the best, the busiest, the first or the fastest. i am just trying to be me. i am simply a girl that loves her sweet family, and is thankful to have a sweet family and even more thankful that it wasn't too late before i realized it. i am also a girl that falls victim to her spinning wheels in the brain and is thankful for that creative design that is embedded in my mind. thankful for a passion of design that lets me be me.

and so we have BG. on my time. so, when all is said and done and the family has been first...it becomes my time to walk into the sewing room and talk to those fiesty voices in my head and figure out the designs. it is time to put fabrics together and put designs on paper. and then, it is time for me to create. my fun time when i get to let the amy out. when i am simply the girl behind BG.

as i have said many times before, i honestly have the best customers out there. understanding, supportive and unbelievably loyal. and while it makes me sad that i cannot have all of your kids sporting the BG, i am glad that yall keep coming back. many ask why i don't bring someone else on to help out and to be able to pump out more...and the answer is simple. that is not my BG. i cannot even begin to explain the amount of flattery in knowing that people love what i do as much as i do. humbling, to say the least. and while i think it would be fantastic to see my work out there more as in trunk shows, wholesale in boutiques, etc...it just isn't for me now. check back in a few years if i can keep it all coming and the kids have grown up, but for right now...BG remains me, myself and i. a small-time kid's clothing business run by a sewing nerd on a small budget. :)

so, that is me. i hope it helps to clear up any questions and wonderings. i am not being selective and picking favorites, i am just creating on my own time, which any mother of small children know is very minimal. and as usual, thanks for being the most supportive customers a girl can ask for. thanks for being there through it all. thanks for loving BG as much as i do. :)

and if you are wondering how to get the goodies...bookmark my etsy store for that is where it will be if it comes off the machines. :) http://www.etsy.com/shop/browniegoose?ref=si_shop



Saturday, July 23, 2011

showing some love for the BG originals

okay, confession...if you are looking at the blog tonight, you can see i am trying to catch up. lawdy goodness. so, while i am trying to spruce it all up and have it all fancy and working before daydream believer i thought i would take a moment and post some of the BG originals that have crossed my machines as of late.

the darby short. oh dear me, i just love this one. you simply cannot go wrong with a bubble short in the summertime. and this pattern is available in my etsy shop and has been flying off the shelves! it is shown here with the wednesday tank, another BG original.


oooh, and nelle. i haven't made one of these in a while, but looking at the picture - methinks i need to. i forgot how feminine and old school she is. oh, just loves.


but my ABSOLUTE newest fave and obsession...the penny lane. i think she speaks for herself. :) i even made myself one. swooooooooooon.


now, how's that for catching up. another thing crossed off the list...one step closer to starting daydream believer. eeeeks!

BG originals patterns

these are the BG Orignals patterns that are available for purchase in my etsy shop. i am always coming up with new ideas and adding the patterns...they just take some time. :)




Saturday, July 16, 2011

introducing...topstitchers

okay, this is something i have been wanting to do for quite some time. and i have been putting it off for various reasons, and i realized the other day... i only have a year left here in jackson, and time is going to fly...so i just need to get my feet wet and go with it.

byron has been wanting me to teach sewing classes so bad he cannot stand it. i have been steady holding my ground though. honestly, it overwhelms the snot out of me. i know how to sew, i know how to fix things when they go wrong (ahem, jerry-rig right phoebs?) and i know how to do things the way i want and the way it works best for me. however, those ways aren't always the 'right' ways and i don't always do the best job of explaining. not to mention my patience level is pretty much null and void. so, sewing lessons from BG are still a no-no.

however, i still LOVE to sew with friends. so, how to find a good balance??

with top stitchers

what you may ask? well, top stitchers is gonna be kinda like an open mic night...with no mic. it will be bring your own sewing machine, fabric, project, notions, extension cord, etc. and come and have fun. kinda like a modern-day sewing club...but not really a club. there will be no dues and no rules (unless i have some hooligans up in here, hehe). growing up, my mom had knitting night with her girl friends and i can remember spying on them in the hallway and watching them have so much fun. and i want to do that too. so, here we go.

now, let me just go ahead and put it out there...these nights will NOT be perfect. these are things i cannot guarantee:


i cannot guarantee that...
  • my chirrens will cooperate at all
  • my husband will be home to help with the hooligan/chirrens
  • i wont say bad words or throw temper tantrums
  • my tabby cat wont try to lay all over your fabric or run off with your measuring tape
  • my labradors wont try to snuggle with you and lay on your sewing foot
  • there will be proper lighting...my house is DARK, and the lighting is pitiful
  • that we wont blow a breaker and if said hubby isn't home...i have NO clue what to do with that electrical box
  • i wont teach you how to jerry-rig
  • i wont sing out of tune to a song that may or may not be playing on pandora
  • we will have enough room
  • my iron wont have an 'accident' all over your fabric (it likes to tinkle on things)
  • my house will be clean or that you can walk in my sewing room without making a path with your feet first
  • that i will have showered that day (oops)
  • if you stand still too long i wont try to serge you or topstitch you, tendencies in my sewing methods
  • anything will actually get done :)
  • etc, etc, etc.
so, who's in?

i don't have a date set for the first night yet, but this will all be very informal! either eat before you come, eat on the way or bring your dinner (just remember...those labradors may beg). feel free to bring your own beverage (i will not be providing any food or drink...i will provide a potty, but it may/may not be clean...see 'rules' above) and we will have a good time.

this is NOT a sewing lesson. however, i can almost guarantee you will leave knowing something new. one thing i love about sewing with others is that everyone has their own way of doing things, and when we all sew together...we learn from each other. this will not be organized sewing. meaning we will not all be sewing the same item. bring whatever you are working on and come for the chit-chat and fun.

space is limited, so i will only take about 4-5 people per each night. when i set a date, email me and the first 4-5 to email have a spot. sound good? as i said...informal as they come! also don't know times just yet. it would be great if i can work it on a night byron gets home at a decent time so i can have dinner and kiddos squared away ahead of time!

when you do come, this is what you need:

sewing machine
project & all included notions (scissors, thread, bobbins...it also may be great if you can already have it all cut since cutting space may be limited)
extension cord, just a house-hold one...not one of those big orange ones (unless you plan on sewing in lou's playhouse)

oh my, i am so excited! i am leaving tomorrow to go on a beach/sewing trip with one of my besties and when i get back i will look at my schedule to see when a good night will be and announce on here and facebook. anyone else getting pumped???

UPDATE: i came up with something i thought would make me smile even more than sewing with cool peeps...i may do something like have everyone bring a can of dog or cat food (depending on the need at the time) for donation for CARA. is everyone cool with that? you all know how much i love my 4-legged babes.