the last of the sapphires

oh dear sapphire nelle...

you have by FAR been one of the biggest hits of the daydream believer line. and why not? your beautiful maize color paired with sapphire buttons and lace just make you irresistible. but as i sit to sew my very last sapphire nelle today (let's count them...19 yards of fabric for this beauty, phew) i hope that somewhere in there my sweet louisa has one since i just cannot stand how much i love this dress on her.

so, tonight is your last chance at a BG sapphire nelle. i will be uploading them to my big cartel store this evening around 8 pm CST.

need a refresher on the sizing info?

so, once again...the last of the sapphires going in the cartel tonight at 8 pm CST. be there.

oh, and for those of you out there that love to sew BG...you should be excited. i will be sewing my last sapphire with camera in-hand. what that means to you is that there WILL be a pattern to come soon. not in the next week though, as my head is currently spinning with all that needs to be sewn for daydream to get all the inventory out so i can play with my new fabrics. :)

and for those that may not grab a sapphire...no worries. the girl behind BG happens to love the nelle so much that she might end up a staple on the lines. :)

i have more daydream believer to come. stay tuned for more info. also, i wanted to give the option for those of you shopping tonight, if you want more of the daydream and don't mind waiting...you can shoot me an email to HOLD your order and ship it all at once so you don't have to pay shipping multiple times. or, if you are like me and tend to be an instant gratification kind of girl - it will be going out tomorrow. :)

my inner dorkiness

today i had to run to the fabric store as i had run out of thread for my current project in the wee hours last night. story of my life. and although that was ALL i needed, i still couldn't help myself from roaming around the rest of the store. i need more fabric kinda like i need a hole in my head, but you see - i have a slight problem when it comes to fabric. there isn't much self control to be had. (okay, we can be honest...what self control?) granted, i did leave with my thread purchase, plus some other fabric...BUT in my defense, it is all for either me or louisa - which we all know means it will probably sit on a surface in my sewing room while i work on all things brownie-goose and then get covered in the mess otherwise known as my creative-sewing-disasters and i will find it in about a year and wonder why i had bought it. sound familiar?

anyways, back to the point of my blog. while i was roaming i came across two girls that were looking at clearance fabric. i was probably looking scary as crizzidy since when i look at fabric i actually cross my eyes so that i can see it in a blur to know how i want to use it and how to match it. yep, sounds crazy as hell...but one of those methods to my madness. and somehow, even my crazy cross-eye-stare-trance didn't scare off the amateurs. one of the girls looked at me and asked if i minded answering a question. i told her of course not, but there were no guarantees that the answer would make sense (coming from the cross-eyed crazy lady). she laughed and then asked if i sewed. hehe, why yes. every now and then i like to dibble my hands in it. so, i tried to help.

and 30 minutes later, the two girls walked away to the check-out with all of their new purchases and grins from ear to ear. it turns out they both got sewing machines for christmas. one had a grandmother that sewed and the other just wanted to learn. i answered all of the questions they had (well, that i could...) about fabrics, threads, notions, buttons, patterns, etc. i am not sure how the girls didn't run away screaming since i was probably way more excited about the lesson than i should have been. but they didn't. instead, they listened, i could see the excitement in their eyes and i was beaming. not because i had helped them (for there is a mighty fine chance that i passed along some of my fondness of my way vs. the right way) but because...here we go:

sewing is cool again.

and somehow that single fact makes me happier than a clam. call me a dork, whatever...you can. but you are wrong. haha. but it is. and i think that is awesome. aside from these 2 girls, i know of 2 other people that got machines for christmas. sewing is the most fun. and the fact that people are catching on to this is awesome.

yes, kinda random i know. but exciting. now if only i can get those amateurs trained well and take them under my wing and open a workroom in my garage so i can get inventory out faster. haha. maybe i am getting ahead of myself here. :) or maybe i should have gotten their numbers.

anyways, speaking of inventory. i need to get back to my machines. you see, there are more sapphire nelles going up in the cartel at the end of this week (the LAST of them) and this is where they stand right now.

must get to work.

Betsy's Dress Upload

here ye, here ye.

haha, not really. but the nerd in me took over my blog for a sec. okay - the fabulous betsy's dress. so cute and so adorable that it even got it's very OWN page in the South Magazine. can you even believe it? do you wanty? well, here is the skinny on how to get.

i know i said that i would have one more upload in december with everything, and then i changed my mind. imagine that. i started to work on the betsys and realized that christmas is coming a LOT quicker than i am prepared for it to, and i need to go ahead and get inventory out and available to all of you as quick as i can.

so, these dresses will either SHIP ON FRIDAY or be ready for local pick-up on friday. ready to ship i think is the fancy word for that.

i also think that the upload may not be as crazy with christmas being so close. i may be wrong...but if there is any leftover inventory, i will be putting up in my etsy shop.

enough talk. here is the info. tomorrow, THURSDAY DECEMBER 8 @ 10 AM CST this dress will be available for purchase in my big cartel store. here is the direct link.

for the rest of the uploads, i will work as quick as i can to get things up in a timely manner. i have petals to the medal and am busting it whenever i can. i have had some people ask if there will be other opportunities for more daydream after all the uploads, and the answer is yes...well, kinda. the pieces that i have fabric left over will be made up into designs and placed for sale when i make them in my etsy store for those that aren't ready yet, need to wait for some christmas funds, or whatever the reason. hope this helps!

once again...if you must have a betsy's dress (and you really must, trust me) go to my big cartel store tomorrow at 10 am CST to snag one!

thanks again kiddos - keep on rocking the daydream believer!

welcome, welcome

hello to all the new faces from the south magazine!!! i am so glad you stopped by brownie-goose and hope you love it all as much as i do!

and for those that have the condition that i suffer from as well and may be thinking right now, "hmmmm...what did i miss?" no worries. it happens to the best of us, PLUS facebook is being super crazy now-a-days and hiding all sorts of posts from BG so you cannot see me. grrrrrrr. methinks facebook might be a BG hater.

anyways - i was EXTREMELY honored to be asked by a designer who is working as a stylist (who is also a project runway designer, i was slightly star-struck on the phone and was glad when he quickly realized how dorky but cool i can be and tried not to be too mortified when i asked certain questions, haaa - mitchell, ONE day i will laugh about it all) if he could pull some things brownie-goose for a photo shoot for the south magazine. ummmm, HELLS TO THE YEAH. i was super excited, but also very nervous. and so i got quiet and shady. and we all know by now that i am super obvious and when i get quiet - i am most likely up to something. :)

and so i sent lots of BG goodies to savannah and to my absolute shock and surprise, i saw yesterday when the issue hit the stands that MY DRESS MADE THE COVER. oh my word. when i saw it, i immediately thought i was gonna cry. and then i laughed, and kinda did a half cry in which i had a small snort with tears coming from my eyes. then my ears got all hot and i felt dizzy. and then i giggled again, and then the tears came. you see, this is HUGE for itty-bitty old me. i put so much into brownie-goose and pour every single bit of my heart into it, and to see a dress that i designed staring back at me on a cover - simply took my breath away. to me, at that moment...it had all paid off. this was me. this was my brownie-goose. this was my heart and soul of design. whether i decided the next day to quit it all (i am kidding here folks) or go big-time, i DID it. i am not one to pat myself on the back too often, but i did. yay me. and now i am chomping at the bit to see the rest of the magazine! and for those that are wondering...that dress on the front - well, that is a small sneak of what is to come on my next line, dock of the bay. just so you know, i LOVE teasers and sneak peeks.

so, now on to what i sat down to write about in the first place. you see, for all of you that are new to BG (what i lovingly nick-named brownie-goose) - i am a very wordy person. when i blog, you are lucky if you actually see a sentence that is pertaining to what i sat down with in mind the first time. my mind runs wild. you can read more about that here. but just to warn you. :)

if you want to purchase some of the frocks you saw in the magazine, this is how it goes. i am the only girl sewing and my demand outweighs my supply something crazy. and until i figure out how to fix that silly issue, this is how i roll. i sell my collection in uploads. i have already had 2 for my latest line daydream believer. i have one more that i want to do that will have bits and pieces of the entire collection in it. i ALWAYS post to my blog/website in advance of an upload sizing information, time, place, etc. for the past 2 uploads, i have used big cartel. i *may* and *may not* use it again, i may just use my etsy store for organizational purposes to make the control freak in me happy. so, in essence....stay tuned on here and also on facebook and you will be informed. promise!

so thanks again for loving brownie-goose, welcome and glad to see you! stay tuned and i will keep you posted!

happy birthday dear brownie-goose...

wow...what a whirl-wind again. once again, you girls rocked my daydream believer upload like no one's business! thank you, thank you, thank you!

on a whole other note. brownie-goose turns 3 this month. oh my goodness. i remember quitting my day job like it was yesterday. i remember sewing in the guest room which is now louisa's room. i remember almost jumping up and down every time i heard my blackberry chime for my brownie-goose hotmail account meaning someone was interested in me. i remember ordering fabric by the yard, and maybe 4 at the most. i remember moving my sewing room to the dining room when i out-grew my space in the guest room. i remember taking orders all.the.time. i remember building my sewing room and realizing that maybe taking orders all the time wasn't such a good idea as i sat chained to my machines. i remember moving into my sewing room and doing a holiday line. first and LAST that BG will ever see. i now have an aversion to holiday clothing because that christmas line almost broke me. i remember doing a lottery system for orders and getting some of my very first hate mail. all of this seems like yesterday...yet here i am.

crazy. humbling. and grounding. sometimes enough to make my head big, but thankfully i get knocked back down by murphy and his law in my sewing room.

so, here's to you brownie-goose. you've come a long way baby. where will you be this time next year? i honestly don't know. but it is awesome to think that BG has come so far in this time. it is awesome to think of everything that i have put into it. and so far, it has all gone over well. knock on wood. there have been bumps in the road for sure, but those speed bumps have just given me the time to slow down and re-evaluate the path i am on.

i have some really, really exciting things going on behind the scenes at BG lately. nothing i am quite ready to share just yet, but i can say that i am blown-away by it all. it creates so much excitement and pride for me, but at the same time puts me between a rock and a hard place with a decision that i cannot make to save my life. i swear i am not trying to tease here by any means, but i wanted to let you know that all of this couldn't be possible without the amazing support i get from all of you out there that love brownie-goose and spread the word. you all rock, but i think you know that.


on another note....ohhhhh brother.

i mean, really. meet my newest addition to the BG family of brothers. pepper. she is my new coverstitch machine. as you can tell, i have quite a fondness for brother machines. the only one not pictured is thelma, who is still on disability because of a certain seamstress who thought she could moonlight as a sewing machine repair lady. hmmmmm.

anywho. pepper has earned her name. she is spicy and fiesty. and she makes me say very, very bad words. i bought her one day on a whim and in the midst of a knit-induced temper tantrum. i have yet to figure her out, but then again...i have also not spent quality time with her. i am hoping this week to take some time from daydream and spend it with pepper, sewing for my hooligans so that maybe nash will have more than one thing to wear, and also getting cleaned up and organized in the sewing room...which means there will be a destash coming. and this one is going to be LOADED with blanks. i am no longer going to be stocking blanks (shirts for appliques) and want to unload all of the inventory that i have since i do not want to move it with me to georgia. stay tuned on facebook. and, if the inner hoarder in me doesn't take over, i may just destash some fabric too.

so again, thank you always. i always credit my unbelievably loyal fans for everything that BG is today - and today is no different. you all are the bestest and my faves. daydream believer will be having a 3rd and final upload in december. stay tuned for info on that one.

let's all raise our glasses, diet coke cans, coffee cups, etc. to 3 AMAZING years of brownie-goose. and here's to many, many more. :)

daydream believer upload TWO

okay ladies...the second upload is tomorrow! wahoo!!!

4 of the designs from daydream believer will be up for grabs tomorrow, friday november 4th at 12 noon (central time).

yes, that is friday november 4th at 12 noon central.

tune in to my big cartel store (http://browniegoose.bigcartel.com) for the upload of the goodies.

up for grabs this upload are the butler britches (with matching shirt), the plum hattie (oh be still my heart), trudy's picnic dress and the lucky star pants (with matching shirt, it is a slate grey...pics make it look purple, that isn't the case). here are all the details.




CORRECTION - FOR THE LUCKY STAR PANTS, I ACTUALLY HAVE SIZE 18 MO SHIRTS FOR THE 18 MO PANTS.

(PS - if it helps any...lou is wearing a size 2-3 hattie and trudy's picnic. she is about 37" tall and weighs like 28 lbs.)

okay - last time it all went quick. and it was crazy. in fact, big cartel oversold a few items and got the shipping all kinds of confrused - but i am giving it another try because SO MANY people (shop owners) love it. so, here is another chance for the hearting to happen between BG and big cartel.

the difference this time is that all items will ship by next friday, november 11th. i have the majority of the construction done, but many of the details still need to be added. time in my sewing room lately has been really hit or miss since i cannot seem to keep my kids well. so, i still have some work to do - but as i said...your order will ship by next friday. with that said, some people said that they were never asked for shipping or for a code, and so it may get crazy again. so, if you can...please make sure that you have the correct shipping address with big cartel and if you are local, enter SHIPFREE for local pick-up.

thanks girlies, and again...thanks for rocking and being such loyal customers! and don't forget, brownie-goose on big cartel at 12 noon (CST) on friday november 4th.

look at me...

i'm sandra dee!

introducing the newest help in the sewing room, my dress form, sandra dee. here, she is modeling one of the two patriotic penny lanes that i am so proud to say will adorn one of two sweet little girls when their daddy returns home from overseas. swoon.

i have been wanting a dress form for quite some time. however, i have been holding out trying to find an adjustable (chest, waist, etc) toddler form and i just have not been able to find one. of course in 5 minutes after i post this blog i am sure to have someone email me that they know of someone who sells them, but it just wouldn't be the same without my good friend murphy (as in law).

so, i now have help in the sewing room. i no longer have to lose my patience with a sweet, tow-headed little mess that refuses to stay still when i ask and wiggles and squirms and squeals when she sees the pins when i am working on pattern drafts. sandra dee will take lou's place in that regard - making that a fore-mentioned tow-head quite happy.

i will say she will take some getting used to. i have her in my sewing room and will admit she keeps freaking me out every time i walk by and she catches my eye. i keep thinking there is someone in my sewing room (and that is quite possible considering what a disaster it is at the moment, yikes). but none the less, she skeeeeeeeers me right now.

hi-ever (i used to have a teacher in nursing school that always pronounced it that way and it makes me giggle), i have no worries...sandra dee and the girl behind BG will be BFF 4-eva soon. real soon.

PS - you can make this dress. promise. this is the tutorial that spawned the idea of the penny lane. http://icandyhandmade.blogspot.com/2011/06/tutorial-three-part-harmony.html

i shouldn't sweat when i sew

now, the title of this blog post has absolutely nothing to do with the temperature (although i will say we turned the heaters on for the first time yesterday so the house is still in that 'heaters on for first time of the season so it smells like the house is on fire' phase) NOR should it be confused with 'i shouldn't swear when i sew' since we all know better than that.

it is what it is. i shouldn't sweat when i sew. but i do. and i did for REAL this morning when i was working on a knit that has since been chucked out the door and halfway (well, as far as my arm can throw) across the backyard.

i notice that the last few blogs have mentioned sewing issues. truth be told...i am trying desperately to get out of a sewing funk. it happens to the best of us. my problem right now is mostly that i have toooooooooo much shiz on my mind. when i should be focusing in daydream, i instead am thinking about the next line, whether or not to take the plunge and order some fabric from overseas, where i see BG in the next few years (this one is weighing heavily), putting my house on the market, cleaning my house, packing, real estate in athens and of course my sewing shop in athens (hehe, remember to never give up on something you cannot go 24 hours without thinking about). oh, and sick chirrens. i mean, i simply cannot sit down and sew daydream believer. what is wrong with me??? that is a rhetorical question in case you were wondering. ;)

well, this week i have allowed myself to have a 'catch up' week to hopefully get me back in the mood. so, i have been working on auction/donation items, birthday gifts, personal gifts, new ideas for lou, etc. and everything was going great...until this morning.

i sat down to some knit this morning for a project for a personal gift. nothing that i will profit from (of course...those always seem to be the worst times!) and nothing that i gain anything from. the fabric was brewtiful. usually with knits, i order a swatch before i jump (if it is online since i cannot feel it) but this was a piece of vintage fabric that i could NOT live without. i 'needed' it. it was pricey (of course) but i simply had to have it and i knew exactly what i would do with it. so i ordered, and then fell head over heels when i got it, imagine that.

i should have known after it giving me a fit just cutting it that it was going to be a bad experience...but i kept on with my stubborn self. i put it on louise, my serger and it all but jumped straight off the side. so, i made some adjustments to all my settings and tried again. it still acted a fool. i thought, maybe i should take it to myrtle (my machine) and sew my seams first and then serge over so that i have a little more stability. well, i put it on myrtle and it all but chomped and chewed the side and made that AWFUL sewing machine noise that sends chills up your spine. so, i decided i needed my walking foot to keep it from going down into my feed dogs. well, i put my walking foot on, made sure i had my ballpoint needle in and tried again. chomp, chomp, chomp and CHAAACHHAAAAAACHUUUUUUUUNNKKKKK (that is my best attempt at putting letters to the sound of your machine eating fabric). i was speechless, i have NEVER had my machine act up with my walking foot on. i mean, it is like the equivalent of the best seamstress ever holding your hand while you sew.

well, the sweating (and swearing) began and i got mad. i ripped seams, tried again, ripped seams, changed settings, ripped seams, changed needles, ripped seams, turned all machines off and re-threaded, ripped seams, etc, etc, etc.

i was FURIOUS. i was sweating, and i shouldn't sweat when i sew. this is supposed to be fun. so, i decided i need a break. i got up, turned off my machine while talking sweetly to it for i know it wasn't her fault and then turned to the fabric and had a come to Jesus meeting with it. then, i came to the computer, and treated myself to some retail therapy with some new amy butler i had been eying to make a skirt for myself. i then got a styrofoam cup and filled it with diet coke and finished off the rest of a bag of chips.

with a new outlook on life (diet coke in a styrofoam cures all disasters) i walked back in the sewing room to try it all again. i thought surely everyone just needed a break and a breather. well, chomp, chomp, chomp and CHAAACHHAAAAAACHUUUUUUUUNNKKKKK later...i opened the door to the backyard, grabbed the fabric and used every bad word i could muster up while stomping on it on the floor and then hurled it across the backyard. i am convinced that the fabric itself and the components of it have somehow dry-rotted over time. bless it's antique heart. or at least, it is making me feel better knowing it is a flaw of time. ha! i can honestly think of no other reason that it acted the way it did. i have sewn with some pretty hairy knits, but this one definitely took the cake.

so, i am giving the stink eye to my sewing room at the moment. i need to get in there with some good old-fashioned quilters cotton and get on with it. but in my tempered tirade (who me with a temper? never...) i also made a big ole mess. gargamels...and the sewing funk continues.

humor me sewing buds - what makes you sweat in the sewing room?

gargamels, fiddlesticks and other PG bad words

wow, 3 blogs in 3 days. can you even believe it? this is a sure sign the wheels are spinning.

unfortunately what happens when the wheels spin is that i kinda become this out of body personality that has a hard time focusing on anything BUT what is going through my mind at the time. you can talk to me, but there is a very good chance that i don't hear a thing.

bad, isn't it. yes...but from what i have heard from other creative folks - it is completely normal. this is the time that i call my 'manic state.' i get this odd headache that doesn't really hurt, but makes me unable to focus on ANYTHING but textiles, fabric, designs, lines, etc. it is kinda crazy.

when i should be focusing all of my energy on finishing up inventory for the second upload of daydream believer, i am instead dancing in la-la land designing my next line. crazy, i know. but i cannot make it stop. i have visions. (haaa, famous last words) kinda weird, huh?

are you still there? or are you thinking, hmmmm...now may be the time to give up on this crazy lunatic known as the girl behind BG. well, if you stick around...i promise it will be good.

i just cannot help all the turning wheels. mostly because i got my hands on some amazing old patterns that were my grandmother's. and then i got one of the most delicious (and expensive) fabrics in the post. the texture on it brings me to tears. and all of these fabulous buttons that keep coming from Little Red Cottage in the most fabulous of colors. and then the songs. shame on me for listening to my golden oldies, they make my head spin. and now i cannot help but to look in my sewing room and find color and fabric combos that i never thought of before. ooohhh, it is dangerous.

but yesterday, i MADE myself get in the sewing room and work. on daydream...and not just daydreaming. hehe.

well, to say that i ran into a minor snafu with the boys shirts would be an understatement. i now have half of the shirts that i ordered, am so fed up with the supplier that i canceled the rest of my order and am now trying to find substitutes. gag. so, to burn off some negative energy i headed to the sewing room to create. singing along to tommy james with crimson and clover, i drafted, cut and sewed some lucky stars pants. i was feeling good. then, disaster occurred when i went to measure.

you see...i could not stop those wheels from spinning all the while i was working. and i tend to be one of those personalities that cannot do more than one thing at a time. so, while daydreaming about opening a small fabric store and sewing school when i move to athens...i somehow did not pay close enough attention to the super-organized measuring charts that i have. see below, count them.

yes, 1...2...3...4. one would think i would have compiled them and organized them by now for when i go to draft patterns, but i haven't. and i made a big mistake. now see this...

yep, that is 4 yards of out of print fabric that is gone. all of the pants i constructed yesterday have the wrong inseams. bad, bad, bad words were said. and pants were thrown. buttons were flung and scissors speared into the cork floor. and then i did what needed to be done. i turned off the lights and shut the door and walked away from the sewing room before it got worse.

well, i have managed to beat myself up pretty bad about it all. but i am just having the HARDEST time focusing right now on the task at hand. i need to go and draw out some of the next line that is in my head and put it away for just a while. then, i need to stop thinking about this fabric store/sewing school that probably wont be (but i have heard that you should never give up on something you cannot go 24 hours without thinking about) when i return to the beautiful state of georgia. but oh my word, how fun? i mean, i already have the design planned out and how i can bring my doggies to work and have fun tunes playing and open sewing nights, etc. sigh...

i told myself this morning that i would focus and get my work done. i would go shopping for substitute shirts and get a move on. well, of course the shirt shopping didn't go as planned, but instead of being bummed...when i got home, i smiled. a big, fat girly grin. know why? not only did i have two of the most fab-a-lous pairs of jeans sitting on the porch in the post from an amazing boutique, and really...i am a girl that can have a complete change of heart with a good pair of blue jeans.

but i also had a happy (a sweet one at that) from a customer.

and then, 14 yards of joel. swoon. i cannot show a picture of that because a girl does have to have her secrets. :)

and on that note...i will go into my sewing room and first things first - get my measurement chart organized. then, i will redraft all of those pants and get started again. i cannot guarantee my mind will stay where it should, but i guess tis better to have a wandering mind that a wandering eye?

cheer up sleepy jean. :)

going once, going twice and SOLD

Okay, this is about to be the most fun.

Here at BG, I love to contribute items to auctions when I can. So, when a sorority sister of mine posted on facebook about a live auction, I jumped.

Want to know why? Well, you should meet Heather. I know her as Heather Kaney, but she is now Heather Burge (funny how we girls always remember the maiden names) the owner of two FABULOUS boutiques in my hometown of Savannah, Ga. You see, she has always been uber-stylish. In fact, when I lived in the ADPi house with her in good ole Athens, Ga she was my GO-TO for style help. Unfortunately, I have always been S.T. Rugglin' in the fashion department. Super ironic considering my choice of hobby/home-business, haha. Anyways, I would walk down to Heather's room and she would give me the hook-up on clothes, what I should or shouldn't wear, etc. And she was always so nice about it although I am sure there were times when she probably should have just laughed at my ensembles. :) And, I will say one night she did my make-up (for I S.T. Ruggle there too) for a formal and I all but fell out when she told me that yes, eyeliner goes on the top lid too! One would think 4 years at an all-girls school and 2 years in all-girls living I would have caught on by then...

Anyways, the girl is awesome. Not only is she uber stylish and has the cutest stores (if you are ever in Savannah, Ga you must check out Bleu Belle and Bleu Belle Bridal) but as long as I have known her she has also been super helpful. She is now a celebrity in the low country and will be one of the dancers in the upcoming Dancing With Savannah Stars, an event that benefits the non-profit organization of Savannah CASA (an organization geared towards the health and well-being of children that have been neglected or abused). This is where the auction and BG comes in.

Tonight she is hosting Fashion For the Kids. It is going to be a fabulous event with a runway presentation and a live auction. Enter the BG.

This is the beauty that will be on the blocks (towhead model with a sour face not included):

A BG Original that knocks my socks off. The top is made of a super soft knit (it almost feels like a bamboo it is so soft) and features a curved boat-neck with a strip of mustard corduroy and fabulous buttons (but of course...you did see my last post, right?). The sleeves are full and sort of 'winged' (I have NO clue if that is the correct design term or not, but that is what I call them...they are full, flared and flowy) with an empire waist and gathered skit. The pants are made of a cross-hatched denim with the signature BG ruffle on the bottom and button-tabs on both legs. This pant is super close to the Sleepy Jean that sold out like crazy in the first Daydream Believer upload. The top is a size 2-3 while the pants are a 3T. I mean, love it. In fact, I may have to bid to get this one back for Lou!

So, here are the details...this is how you can have a go at this super fun outfit.

I will post the photo of the outfit on my brownie-goose facebook page and will open bidding at 5 pm CST. To place a bid, comment under the photo with your bid amount. At 6:30 pm CST (since the auction will start at 7:30 EST) this BG Original will hit the auction blocks at Fashion For the Kids. This is where the fun begins. Heather will start the bidding in Savannah at the amount it is on the Facebook page, and people in the audience at the auction will place bids live, and Heather will enter them as comments on the photo (most likely coming from BleuBelle Boutique). This is where the bidding war commences. Remember...ALL proceeds go to benefit children. After a minute has passed and bidding has stopped (no one has commented in over a minute) Heather will close the auction and the outfit will go to the highest bidder.

So, who is excited?? Let's show our support for the sweet kiddos out there!

my newest love

it is no secret that the girl behind BG can fall madly in love with some sort of a sewing notion. it is the inner sewing nerd in me. whether it is fabric, trim, elastic, thread, lace, etc. when i find something i like, i fall fast and hard. and once i have fallen, i stay very loyal. take for instance my sweet joel. as in dewberry. yes, i feel as though we are on a first-name basis even though he has no clue who i am. i have emailed him once, but granted...i never heard back. sigh. oh well, i still love just about anything that comes with his name on it. however, i have been forced to get creative with joel lately. you see - one of the reasons he is my fave designer (other than his brilliance) is that no one used his fabrics often. at least, not in the arena of children's clothing. however, that has changed all too quick. his latest lines of modern meadow and heirloom have been so spot on and amazing that people have picked up on him. so now, i find myself getting creative and coming up with ways to incorporate joel with a little spin. but that still makes me happy, mostly because it is who i am here at BG...adding my own little twists.

well, my newest fascination/obsession/border-line hoarding beginning is buttons. i prefer the vintage variety (check out the lovelies in the mason jar here that a friend surprised me with)

- but found myself becoming heart-broken as i could never find enough of the ones i loved, mostly because they were vintage finds. well, one day i stumbled across a girl in california that has just about knocked my socks off lately.

you see...i really, really, really was going to keep her as one of BG's dirty little secrets, but the more and more i look at this lovely right here...


i realize i need to share. because it is right to share, right?

well, girls...meet michele. she is the fab lady behind little red cottage. phew, secret is out. she has recently become my favorite enabler. you see...she hand dyes buttons. i have no clue how in the world that happens as it is above my chemisty-lacking-brain, but she does. and let me tell you...i squeal when i see that there is a package with her happy little red cottage sticker in my post. the colors and the variety, all of it just makes me smile. and then, the brain goes into over-drive thinking of all of the ways that i will use these beautifully colored buttons.

if you aren't head over heels for buttons yet, but maybe you have a love affair with trims...still go meet michele. she has the hook-up on that too. you will not be sorry that you did. she is sweet, she is fast and she brings all sewing nerds like me happiness.

go visit her little red cottage. and smile. :)

daydream believer upload ONE

wow...so, here we go.

are you as nervous as i am?

okay kiddos. daydream believer's first upload happens TOMORROW. what is that?? oh yes, tomorrow, meaning

Wednesday, September 28 at 11:00 am CST

head on over to brownie-goose on big cartel (http://browniegoose.bigcartel.com) to get you some goodies.

up for grabs in the first upload are the sapphire nelle, the sleepy jean, the rusty nina tunic and the mocha penny lane. all of the sizing info you need on these 4 designs are below. the sapphire nelles will definitely make another appearance as will the sleepy jeans, but the sleepy jeans fabric is on back-order until november...so grab these while you can! as for more appearances from the mocha penny lane and the rusty ninas...we shall see...

UPDATE ON WAIST MEAS for sleepy jeans - the measurement is for relaxed elastic, like for instance i just stretched the 5's waist to 26"...does that make sense??

i am SO stinking excited about daydream believer you have no idea. it makes me so proud to see it all come together so well to know that months of planning, designing, grading, textile matching, etc. paid off. rock on BG. i have no idea how i will ever up-stage this line. but, i will damn sure try. :)

thanks again for always being so awesome and so supportive of me and my family and my little-bitty clothing line. knowing that so many amazing people have my back means the world to me.

now, back to the sewing room to start on the second upload...

and again....

Wednesday September 28 at 11:00 am CST check it, BG on big cartel. Don't be late. Or Square.

PS - don't forget, if you want local pick-up, enter SHIPFREE at check-out to avoid shipping charges.

the old switch-a-roo

okay, so since the last post i figured out how i am going to work the uploads of daydream believer.

no more etsy for daydream...i have nothing against etsy. in fact, sometimes i think i love etsy a little too much. this is one of the reasons i am still holding out on pinterest. i mean, i can lose hours on etsy...i can only imagine how pinterest will rot my brain. :)

all of daydream believer will be uploaded to my new store on big cartel. bookmark this one NOW.

http://browniegoose.bigcartel.com

the main reason i swapped over for the uploads of DB is for you guys. unlike etsy, big cartel will hold something in your cart for 30 minutes. if you haven't paid for it after 30 minutes, it will be dropped. but...this allows you to add in a sapphire nelle and go back and grab a pair of sleepy jeans too without losing that nelle - which unfortunately is how etsy works.

now, this may be a disaster, who knows. i just really want everyone to have an opportunity to get what they want. i lost out on some vintage buttons on etsy one day after i put them in my cart and went to shop in the same store to see if there was anything else i 'needed.' i still dream about those buttons...i don't want the sleepy jeans to be your vintage buttons. :) i will continue to sell on etsy mostly patterns and such, so don't forget about me there. etsy really is such a great place for all things creative!

so, on the first upload...which will be this week sometime you will see the mocha penny lane, the sapphire nelle, the sleepy jean and the rusty nina tunic. i am going to put up on the blog pictures, descriptions and sizing info for all 4 of these the day before the upload so you can plan what you want and what size works for you. i had HOPED to have this to do today, but a certain little sweetness decided against napping yesterday and then another certain little seamstress chose the bed over her sewing room last night. whoops. so, keep an eye out and i will let everyone on FB know what is going on. remember...facebook is kinda acting a fool right now. you may NOT see me post, so you may want to click on there every now and then to make sure you aren't missing.

i know for sure that there will be more sapphire nelles down the road. i hope to have more sleepy jeans too, but the fabric is on back order until november and i have already used one bolt. i will not be getting in more of the brown/oatmeal stripe knit, so penny lanes may and may not go back in stock...just depends how much of the fabric i use for skyline tanks and butler britches.

sound good my dears?

how DOES it work?

okay, question for you etsy-savvy BG-ers out there. i know you are out there.

i had a customer email today and ask how the whole daydream believer upload would go and if etsy let you keep things in your cart while shopping for others. and you know what...i have NO clue and had honestly never thought about this until now. i know that you can leave things in your cart, but since i will only be putting up a certain quantity, if you don't check out and it is sitting in your cart it is still available (i lost some FAB vintage buttons that way, sad) for others to grab and checkout. did that make any sense?? so, hmmmm.

i had thought about doing uploads by size. so one day upload everything 6-18 months, the next day 2-3, etc so that no one has to spend time searching through the sizes. here i was thinking this was brilliant, but i never thought that while someone put a sapphire nelle in their cart and went back to grab some sleepy jeans if that nelle would still be there...

so, now i am thinking that i need to do uploads by outfit maybe? and then hold off on shipping (and refund if people paid shipping more than once) until the uploads are done???

what do yall think? help me here girlys!

speaking of being technologically sub-par...brownie-goose has joined the world of twitter. follow me @brownie_goose - but until i figure it all out i cannot guarantee i will do anything. hehe.

let the assembly line begin...

okay, so phew...the design and implementing phase of Daydream Believer is finally done. man - i worked my poor creative brain to the BONE this time. with the exception of the Rusty Nina Tunic (pattern by Nina Bonita Designs, this girl is brilliant), each and every design is my very own. that makes me uber proud, and exhuasted! i need to find something mindless to reward that brain for a few.

as i said before, this is by FAR my fave ever. i mean, i just adore it and am so proud of it and hope that you all like it as much as i do. i can almost guarantee that if your kiddo is sporting some DB, there will not be many kids out there dressed the same - and THAT my dears is my whole vision and goal behind BG. keep it small, and keep it real. :)

so, now that all of the designing is done and everything has been worked out on fabric (not saying i didn't have some pattern fails...which is very frustrating, but allowed me to come up with even better designs i think) it is now time for me to turn my attention to the assembly line part of it. confession...this is my least fave part. but, it gets the BG from my sewing room to your kid's closets.

off to the cutting board i go...but just some love in case you haven't seen it on facebook yet.





(ps - these rust leggings will not be on DB...i am sorry, i LOVE them and would love to share, but i simply cannot wrap my head around assembly-lining these yet...but, if you sew check out Lily Giggle for the pattern!)









and i realized something quite important this morning that i completely FORGOT in planning DB. i never made arrangements for a photo shoot. oh crap. and we all know who BG loves as a photographer, but her awesomeness keeps Mary Moment Photography busy and booked so prepare to see louisa's probably unhappy face (she told me the other day she was 'ober being a super model for now') over and again, whoops! but, i will post photos of the complete collection in plenty of time before i upload to etsy (BG on etsy) just so that you can see it all out in front of you and decide what you would like. i plan to do more than one upload to the etsy store. i will make a certain number of each item and put up for sale, and then later re-visit the assembly line and produce more. so, don't fret if you don't score anything on the first upload...there will be more. :)

in the meantime...sing it girls,