what's going on

okay girls - wanted to take a moment to fill everyone in on what is happening in the world of BG for the moment. as you all know - you kicked booty when it came to dock of the bay upload. and i also made another big announcement on this blog about taking some time off to smell the roses. i have had bookoos of emails and facebook posts (when i can find them, timeline is killlllling me) asking about when to expect all of the patterns that will be published for dock of the bay. and here goes.

we are moving out of state in 2 weeks. we aren't moving directly into our athens house since we wont close on that one until the end of may, and close on our jackson house on the 15th. me, my kiddos, my labradors and a striped kitty will be moving in with my mother in law while byron hangs out in jackson to finish out his residency. thankfully, OH SO thankfully, we are having movers pack and move us. HOWEVER, i am in charge of packing my sewing room. smart move on the mover's part! so, this is how i have things planned. i cannot guarantee things will go as planned - but if all is right in the world, this is how it will go down.

this next week i will be doing all the sewing/photographing for the pattern pdf instructions. then, i will pack up my sewing room (sniff, sniff) and get the house somewhat ready for movers to come in and make sense of it all. then, while at my mother in law's, i HOPE to get working on all the drawings of the pattern pieces and construction of the pdfs. if this all goes as planned, i will have the patterns published and in the etsy store before we move on june 2. HOWEVER, i will have to close down my etsy store for a few days while moving and not having internet access.

now, we all know about the best-laid plans, so we shall see. :)

just a little update for you ladies and also please know that if you have emailed me and haven't heard back yet - i promise i am getting there. my email box is out of control right now and i am trying my darndest to tame it somewhat! i never realized how crazy it all gets before a move!

thanks girlys and i will put any/all updates on patterns on here or facebook!

blaze of glory

OH MY WORD. you girls seriously kicked some booty in the dock of the bay department this week. today, when i pulled up my products page of big cartel to see that everything listed said "SOLD OUT," i cried. i am not an overly emotional person (unless i am pregnant...those hormones are strong - and PS i am NOT preggo) but this morning, i just sat at my computer and bawled. and then i realized how silly i looked. WHY was i crying? i did my best to blot my tears (since i had JUST self-tanned and i certainly don't need stripes on my face, no matter how much i love stripes) and figure out why i was crying.

this is what i came up with. mostly because i am exhausted. i totally miscalculated the amount of time i would need to get everything done for the uploads. i have literally BUSTED it in these last 2 weeks and i have about 3-4 more days of busting still ahead of me. so yes, i am tired and probably delirious. i also realized i was absolutely amazed at how everything went so quickly. take the sadie today...i honestly thought i would have a ton of sadies laying around that i would have to get rid of after the uploads. i didn't think people liked them like i did, and BOY was i wrong. those flew out of the shop like a flock of geese. this humbles me to no end. i've said it before and will probably say it again and again, it brings such joy to me to know that the things that i piddle with in my sewing room, that the things that keep me up at night, those things i get so excited over, and those things i pour every ounce of passion and heart and soul that i have into are so well received by the most amazing group of customers and supporters i can ever imagine. i honestly cannot put it into words how it makes me feel, but while i was grasping for the words i realized that more than anything...the reason behind my tears was none other than PRIDE. brownie-goose is a huge accomplishment for me. and to see those words "sold out" on my computer screen made me realize, i can finally pat myself on the back. it was then okay to cry, and so i did. those tears of joy took me straight over to cloud 9 (and creepy streaky-faceville, but whatevs).

so this is when the title of blaze of glory comes in...

this is when BG is supposed to go big. this is when i am supposed to schedule trunk shows and hire keepers and put BG into more hands then before. this is when i am supposed to hire help so that i can keep up with the demand for BG. this is when i am supposed to sign contracts with the boutiques that have asked about wholesale. this is when BG is supposed to rock the house.

but, for those of you that know me...you know good and well i march to the beat of my very own drum. and that drum is telling me once again, that is NOT my BG. in fact, my drum is beating the tune of an old fave, the lovin' spoonfull's what a day for a daydream. these lyrics in particular sum it all up...

And even if time ain’t really on my side
It’s one of those days for takin' a walk outside
I’m blowin’ the day to take a walk in the sun

and on that note...BG is taking a break to take a walk outside. blowing the day to take a walk in the sun. i have no plans for a fall line. i have no plans for a spring line. i simply have NO plans.

well, that's not completely true, but it fit for the cheekiness. i do have some new patterns to publish. and let's all be honest - designing to me is like running, i NEED it. it helps me to keep the crazys at bay. so, while i am not going to disappear off the face of the earth, i am going to take a few steps back and take it easy for a while.

you see...i've been going 90 to nothing since 2008. in the next month i will move back to georgia. i have a new house to decorate (and renovate, but that is a whole other story), a town to learn again (as i am sure athens wont be the same place it was to me as a wild & crazy college student), a new life to start...and MOST importantly, i have a little girl that starts kindergarten in the fall. i want to spend every last minute with her. and i cannot forget about that sweet baby nash. i want to play outside, i want to garden, i want to cook, i want to learn to bake, etc. i have a lot that i want to start doing again...and now is the time.

i will still be making pieces to sell, just not in the masses. i will still be designing patterns when i have the chance. i will still be sewing, but for the first time in almost 4 years...BG will no longer be my priority. that's why i think of it as going out in a blaze of glory. if it all went away tomorrow - i couldn't say i have a single regret. :)

phew. and now it's public. i made that decision a few months back. i've toyed with the idea for so long, and when i finally made up my mind and saw how relieved i was, i knew it was the right decision. but, i've been nervous about telling everyone, i am not exactly sure why...but needless to say...nervous.

so, in a nutshell -

YES there are new BG patterns to come!

YES i will still be sewing and designing!

NO i will not have a fall line.

NO i will not have a spring line.

YES i will keep blogging and sharing on FB.

and most importantly...

YES, i couldn't have made it here without you.

the best customers a girl could have. more loyal than i could have ever hoped for. more supportive than i ever imagined. and hopefully, more understanding than i fear.

now, for those of you that rocked out my cartel this week - i will be starting to go through invoices, refund extra shippings, inquire about shipping info and send out info about local pick-up this weekend. keep an eye on your email. :) ALL goodies will go out by next friday, if not before...and all goodies will be ready for pick-up by next friday, if not before.

and again, i cannot say it enough.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU...from the very bottom of my heart. i love you all. cross my heart.

xoxo-
amy (the girl behind BG)

DOTB: friday upload

last, but not least...whoop, whoop! you girls have TORN up this dock of the bay upload like it is your business. nice work!

okay, today up for grabs is the allie oop dress and the sadie.


the allie oop is a sweet little dress with a curved yoke, keyhole opening and button tabs that flap over on the back. she was a LOT of work to draft and construct, but i love, love, love how feminine she is. i cannot hardly even stand those green buttons on the back! the sweetness of this dress just is out of control.

then you come to sadie...and speaking of out of control. haha. color-blocking the BG way. blues, whites, yellows and BRIGHT pops of red make this little number a big hit. i had originally planned on her as a top. HOWEVER, on the day i was putting it on lou to take pictures, she was acting silly and when taking it off said, "mommy, look...i'd rather wear it as a skirt." brilliance, dear louisa! so, make this sadie right up your little one's alley - skirt or shirt, depends on the mood. it has an elastic back so there is plenty of room to grow. i played around with the straps trying to make them detachable, etc. for when worn as a skirt - but to be completely honest...the BEST and easiest way i found for it to work without lou complaining about something itching her or poking her was grabbing a good, old-fashioned safety pin and pinning those jokers down. keeping it simple, :).

now, here is sizing info on these beauts:

remember, TODAY is the day. today, is the LAST day! be there at the cartel at 10 am CST for your chance at the allie oop and the sadie. in case you are just tuning in, read this blog for all of the upload details. UPDATE: i am now offering shipping to all you fabulous australian & UK ladies too! thanks for asking and being interested! also, don't forget the code SHIPFREE if you are local or have already snagged something this week and would like to combine shipping!

there is a time and a place for everything...and it is this week at 10 am CST at http://browniegoose.bigcartel.com.

and for everyone that has ordered already this week - thank you a bazillion goondocks! you are all super awesome and i will be sitting down to sort all invoices this weekend, refund extra shipping, confirm shipping addys and all that fun stuff!

DOTB: thursday upload

as i said on facebook this morning, you ladies are QUICK. i almost giggled when i saw 3-4 weeks worth of work gone in 4 minutes. you sure know how to make the girl behind BG smile! love to each and every one of you!!

now on to tomorrow's upload...which just might be what most of you have been waiting for...that blue tilly and those gorgeous linen lily capris!



i totally didn't think it through when naming these two that they would be all cutesy-rhymey-rhymey. my bad. but, their whimsical take on names surely doesn't take away from the beauty of these two pieces. simplicity at its best...but a jaw-dropper still.

the blue tilly is summertime simplicity at its best. each and every yard was hand tea-dyed by me to get this gorgeous color to match her personality just so...simple, yet sophisticated. a square neck top with a gathered skirt made out of the softest cotton crinkle you can imagine. and just because it is BG, a breath-taking blue button topping off the open back. (we can once again thank michele of Little Red Cottage and her dyeing genius for this one) this button is merely there for looks as the back is sewn together (the neck allows plenty of room to slip over the head). please note - this top was tea-dyed, not commercially dyed so there are variations in the color...something i was intentionally going for. :)

paired with a personal fave of mine...the linen lilys. this linen capri will steal your heart away. the sides are detailed with a second curved ruffle of linen topped with a lace (that the tilly was dyed to match) and finished with 2 (the 12-18 month lilys only have 1 button) cream buttons just to give that extra little bit of swoon-factor. plus, i am slightly obsessed with buttons. this is a summertime MUST have. promise.

here is all the sizing information for the two.

remember, tomorrow is the day. be there at the cartel at 10 am CST for your chance at the blue tilly and the linen lilys. in case you are just tuning in, read this blog for all of the upload details. UPDATE: i am now offering shipping to all you fabulous australian & UK ladies too! thanks for asking and being interested! also, don't forget the code SHIPFREE if you are local or have already snagged something this week and would like to combine shipping!

there is a time and a place for everything...and it is this week at 10 am CST at http://browniegoose.bigcartel.com.