WAHM Spotlight- Pumpkin Pie Baby

Angela of Pumpkin Pie Baby makes beautiful crocheted wool longies and soakers for cloth diapered babes. She has been stocking at the Bed and Breakfast Congo , but will be re-stocking her own HyenaCart on January 1st and then continuing to stock on the first and third Tuesdays of every month. She's a licensed seller of the Peppermint Soaker and Morning Glory Longie from Ladybugz Farm. I love her cherries longie set, and it will be available tomorrow at 2pm!!

wooly bounty, maybe

The fabric that I use the most is wool crepe. I've been looking for a source of crepe that is affordable and of good quality, and it seems as if there aren't many people carrying it consistently. I finally found some and have ordered quite a bit. I'm crossing my fingers that it will be as good as the last batch I got. I don't like having to order from different sources every time I need it, which is why I got so much this time. If it's everything I want it to be, I won't have to order again for a while.

Apple fairies!

This is what came from my head and hands and some of the new fabric from last week. I'm in love!! I also want to make a pair of corduroy bloomers to match, the fabric is already cut and ready to sew. But, the kidlets are working on a couple of stuffy noses, so they are being a bit clingy.
Apparently my Underwool design is getting talked about at Diaperswappers and on the HyenaCart forums. I love that! I'm starting to take custom orders, and am having so much fun working with my customers to make the exact item that that are wanting.

Oh, and by the way...

I've been walking without any assistance for two days!!!
My doc gave me the all clear today, and all I have to do is build up more strength in my lower leg and I'm good to do anything. I'll probably have some residual pain for up to a year, but the break is almost completely knitted together. So, I won the race to walk, but the babies aren't that far behind.

New Fabric

I got some adorable new fabric the other day, and I've already got plans for it. Some of it anyway. I've drafted the patterns, and it's currently in the washer doing it's pre-shrinking. I really hope to have lots of time this weekend to sew so that I can get some of these ideas out of my head and into reality.

Pirate Bootie Baby is stocking!

Tomorrow at noon, Pirate Bootie Baby will be stocking Underwool and a super-sweet skull-n-bones t-shirt. I also have re-listed the grand opening Lottery. I had to void the first lottery because someone entered it using multiple email addresses, 5 of them!! Seems that she had been winning lots of lottos that way. I wanted my lotto to have a winner who played fair, so I re-listed it.
I also finished a new weighted Waldorf doll for a friend of mine. She sells baby carriers and uses the dolls to to show customers how the carrier will feel with a baby in it. Check out her store, Sprout Soup. Here's the doll...
I'm really happy with the way it came out. It weighs 11 pounds, but it feels heavier. It looks so cute when it's diapered and dressed.

Yuck!

We've had the sickness from hell for the last week. Puking, poopy babies and sleepy, hungry mama. I've been so busy nursing and changing clothing, sheets and diapers that I haven't been sleeping or eating enough. The mister got it too, but so far I've managed to stay relatively healthy. I did feel absolutely horrible yesterday, but I'm guessing that it's more about lack of sleep than germies.

Walking!!

I walked!
I've been walking with the franken-boot, but without crutches for a few days now. I also have a smaller nylon ankle brace that was supposed to be the next step, but whenever I had it on my ankle hurt. It dug into me and was quite uncomfortable. The physical therapist said that some people have a lot of trouble with that style of brace and find it easier to just go without it. So I did. I am able to take a couple of unassisted steps before it becomes painful, and have the go-ahead to drive. I can also finally carry the kids around, and I know that before long I'll be able to walk normally. It's so exciting to finally see the end of this whole fiasco.
My internet access is still patchy, we haven't yet figured out what's wrong. Hopefully this weekend we'll be able to troubleshoot. Then I'll be able to stay online long enough to restock my HyenaCart.
If you've tried to email through the "contact" link on my website, and I haven't responded, I am not ignoring you. There was a problem with the way the email was being routed to me. I think I've corrected it, but if for some reason you're having trouble getting a hold of me, feel free to just leave a comment here and I'll get back to you.

Internet Frustrations

I've been having issues with my wireless connectivity for the last couple of days. Hopefully I've able to resolve it quickly, and inexpensively. It's so annoying to be replying to an email, hit send, and get an error message instead of the satisfaction of a sent message. Crossing fingers and toes for a speedy recovery.
Thanksgiving with the family was nice. Good food and a good visit. My brother hadn't seen the kids since they were pretty fresh, and my dad hasn't been here in a few months. They had so much fun seeing all the new tricks that they do. The babies had a great time too. Fun for all!

Sewing as physical therapy

I sewed two things for the website today, It was nice to get a chunk of time to do what I wanted without a baby hanging off of me. My sweetie played with the kids and they were happy without me for two hours! I really needed the time to myself, and it was so nice to actually finish something. While sewing, I made sure to use my right foot to run the machine. Pressing the foot pedal is very similar to one of the exercises that I do in therapy, so I thought it might be a good way to work the muscles. In therapy the other day, I took a few steps without the boot. I was wearing a small nylon ankle support inside a tennis shoe. It was really strange to have both feet flat on the floor. I had to stop after just a few steps because it started to hurt, but it's nice to know that I'm making progress. Although I'm not sure that I'll make my goal of walking by Thanksgiving. I'll keep trying though.

I may just walk before the babies do

I'm single-crutching! The physical therapist said to keep working on balance with one crutch and when I'm good at that I can try to walk without them, just with the boot. Then I can start wearing a smaller brace and real shoes. I think that I'll still have to do at least another month and a half of PT before I'm really walking normally again, but I'm getting there. My next doc appointment is in 6 weeks, so he thinks I'm healing fine on my own. He did say that I'll likely have some sensitivity for 6 months or so. The coolest thing? I took some crutch-less steps!!! It was fun, but I did hurt a bit afterward and needed to ice my ankle for a bit. But, it wasn't the ankle that hurt, it was the muscles that I haven't been using. I'm so excited to get back on my feet and to be able to carry the babies again, and clean the house, and drive. My goal is to walk without crutches by Thanksgiving.
I'm feeling winter starting to set in. My sewing has all been with wool and flannel, and I've been wanting to knit the kids sweaters and overalls and hats. I'm hoping to be able to use the woodstove this year, but we first need to come up with a good way to keep the kids safe around it. Learning to walk around a chunk of hot cast iron could be scary. I'm sure we'll figure it out though, and will be all snug and warm with cups of tea and the kids playing happily and safely nearby.

Grand Opening!!

The much anticipated stocking of Pirate Bootie Baby has finally come! My ankle is still healing, but I can sew now. I'm really excited to finally be able to share my one-of-a-kind designs with you
To celebrate my grand opening, there are two lotteries running. One is for a great woolie one-piece that is amazing for layering under your other winter wool, and it's only $5! The other gives the winner free shipping on any item in my store! Hope you love Pirate Bootie Baby as much as I do!!

It's been a while...

since my last post. It's been a busy week. There's been a tooth grown, some signs learned, knitting finished, and sickness gotten over. The girl now has 6 teeth. Three on top and three on bottom. But they are off center, the top three are the 2 middle teeth and one on the right, and the bottom ones are middles and left. It's cute. She also just started to do the sign for daddy. She also does the same sign when I ask her to say mama, so for the moment it may mean "parent". She just started doing it yesterday though, so I'll cut her some slack. The knitting that I finished (finally) is a pair of wool soaker pants that I started when I could still nurse and knit, before the kidlets got grabby. At least I planned ahead and made them really big. They fit now, but also have plenty of room to grow. And, this house now has no one sick living in it!
The weekend ahead is also jam-packed full of activity. We're planning on going to the zoo to watch the elephants jump over the fence, I mean, play with pumpkins. The animals are given pumpkins as a special halloween treat every year. I've never gone, but I've been wanting to. We also are picking up some baby gates, and I'm planning to finish some final touches on a few things for my website. I hope my to-do list is all crossed off by Sunday evening!!

6 lb baby

I haven't been doing a ton of sewing this week, but I did make this doll for a friend of mine. She sells baby carriers and wanted a weighted Waldorf style doll to use for demos and for her customers to use when trying out carriers. It's about the size of a 2-3 month old baby and weighed almost 6 pounds. It felt much heavier when being held though. I did a tiny bit of machine sewing on the body of the doll, but 95% of it was handsewn. Of course, I had to do the machine sewn part before I was able to do the handsewn part, so I couldn't just sit around making dolls the whole time that I've been healing. I really enjoyed making it, it was a great way to get back into sewing. It was fun to watch it's "personality" develop. She asked me to make another one for her, but this time it will be the approximate size of a 1 year old. I'm excited to see how that one turns out.

I moved my foot!!

It just moved a little, but there was movement! The therapist gave me lots of exercises to do at home, and I'll be going there 3x a week. For now, the exercises are mainly stretches to get me some range of motion back, but soon we'll start working on walking. I'll still have the boot and crutches for a while, but I'll be getting the muscles ready for walking without them. It felt really weird to move my foot after so long in the same position, and the bottom of my foot is super tickle-y from not being touched in so long.

Sleepy Saturday

I haven't had a day this quiet in a long while. Everyone is napping, it's totally silent except for the sound of the fan in my laptop and the occasional car going by. Both babies are asleep (at the same time!!), and my husband is feeling sick so he's napping on the couch. Even the dog is in her bed. I just hope the phone doesn't ring. I know it won't last, but it's so relaxing while I have it.

The Big Day

It's finally here, the big doctor appointment where I'll learn if I can start sewing again and what the next step (hee hee) is in regards to my treatment. I've been a bit terrified that I'll go in there and he'll say that there's been no progress and that I'll need surgery. I guess that's better than being convinced that he'll tell me to start running, dancing and jumping. Better to be pleasantly surprised than disappointed and depressed. Updates later...



Well, no walking yet. But, the doc wants me to gradually put a little weight on it, within my comfort level, until I can walk a bit without the crutches. Still no carrying babies though. It will probably be the next appointment (in a month) until I can really walk without the boot or crutches and he stressed that no driving was allowed. I'm supposed to take the boot off sometimes when I'm just sitting around, and after a few weeks he wants me to try walking a little without the boot. I start physical therapy next Monday, and I have absolutely no idea how that is even feasible. I'm supposed to go 3x a week. How that's going to work with no driving and the babies is still to be determined. But, he said that if it doesn't hurt to sit with my leg unelevated, I CAN SEW!!! Now I just have to convince the babies to let me.

A great start to the weekend

My mom and I took the babies to the zoo for the first time yesterday. We had a great time. It's always nice for me to get out of the house, but it was especially nice to spend so much time with my mom, plus it was a beautiful day. The boy seemed to like the fish and turtles in the aquarium, and the girl loved the monkeys. They both napped well, and were happy in the stroller. I rented one of those electric wheely carts, and both kids liked riding in my lap as I zoomed around. There were lots of cobblestones though, and by the end of the day my ankle was a bit sore, but it was worth it to have such a great family outing. Next time my husband will come along. I think that next year we'll get a membership and go a bunch, the kids will be the perfect age.
Last night we went through the kid's toys and bagged up everything that was made in China that had paint on it. There isn't much left. They are young enough that it's not a big deal to take their things away, but I am so glad that they aren't older. I think we purged about 80% of their toys. We kept the HABA, some handmade things, cloth books, 2 Waldorf dolls, and a couple of Tupperware toys. I'm feeling so upset about all the lead paint reports and I don't really understand why it isn't more of a priority of the toy companies to insure the safety and quality of the items they sell. Especially when they are intended to be chewed on and played with by infants and children who mouth everything.
I've been looking for a baby doll for the kids, I haven't found one yet that I like and that I know is safe. I think I have a lot of research to do. Or some sewing :) I don't have a ban on Chinese-made toys, I just want to know that the company and manufacturer has the health and safety of my children in mind. Documented independent testing maybe?

A visit

My mom will be here tomorrrow!! She's coming to see the babies and help do the things that I can't do because of my ankle. I do normally have tons of help, friends come every day to baby wrangle and make sure that I'm eating, and do dishes and stuff. There's just some stuff that only a mom can do. Like hunt down and destroy every dust bunny in the house or fill the fridge with food for a week. I'm always so sad to see her go.
This evening the babies ate pears! They loved them and were grabbing the spoon to shove it in their mouth. We had four spoons, we'd fill one and give it to a baby while simultaneously taking the empty one away. It worked pretty well until the boy discovered what happens when you bang a spoon full of pear mush on the highchair tray. Hilarity and baths! It was a fun night. Their first food was sweet potatoes last week, and while the girl liked them, the boy made lemon face and quickly stopped opening his mouth for the spoon. They did enjoy smushing them around on the tray though. We'll stick with pears for a bit and then try something new next week.

fabric, nursing, teeth, and crawling

My hemp fleece came yesterday. It's so soft, I'm excited to get it washed and start using it. I'd love to have a hoodie made from from it, it would be like a big warm hug on a chilly day. I bet it would look great dyed, too. Hmmm, I'll have to look into that.
We all went to the park today. We were trying to go to the Breastfeeding Challenge, but were late and missed the latch on time. Why were we late? Because I had to nurse a baby before we left so that he wouldn't scream in the car. Ironic, no? But, we had fun at the park seeing our friends and meeting some new ones.
Exciting news. We now are a 5 baby-tooth family. There are 2 in one mouth, and 3 in the other. The extra one popped out yesterday after a very cranky week. The scary part is that there are what looks like two more on the way! We also have a real, hands-and-knees crawl!! The boy has been working on it for a couple of days now, and he's starting to get good at it. He'll still collapse into the sea-turtle shuffle, but he's spending more and more time off of his belly.

Traffic

Someone submitted my website to StumbleUpon and crazyness, I've had as much traffic in the past two days as in the last month. It sucks that I haven't been able to stock items in my HyenaCart store. This weekend is a trial sewing run, though. I'll see if I'm healed enough to be comfortable in an extremely awkward position with my right foot elevated and the left foot operating the sewing machine. It's exciting to think that I may be productive again soon. Stay tuned...

a big load

I spent a chunk of time today uploading photos of fabric to my website. It's a great use of time while my ankle is healing. If someone wants to order a custom outfit, they will be able to choose the fabrics for their order from the gallery. I'll upload any new fabrics that come in, and update them as they sell out. I really like how simple the interface is to use, it will make it very easy to keep the fabric selection up to date.
I'm expecting some fabric to be delivered in the next day or so, some hemp fleece and terry from a coop order. I'm planning to make some mama pads for an arts fair that's coming up in November. Hopefully I'll be selling some clothing and accessories at a friend's booth. That is, if sewing left-footed isn't too difficult to get comfortable with. I've been able to spend more and more time with my ankle not being elevated, so I'm crossing fingers that sewing will be happening soon.

A new day

No sewing yet, but I did get this photo in my email today. It's an outfit that I made about two months ago for a friend of mine to give as a gift. The model is the recipient. There was also a hat, a huge and floppy sun hat that I call The Cupcake Hat. The photo with the hat being worn is pretty dark and didn't take kindly to Photoshop lightening.
In ankle news, I'm still crutching, and am beginning to feel like I'm going to be like this forever. In reality, it will be another month and a half to two months, which will be difficult but I'll get through it.
The babies and I spent the day at a friend's house today. It was nice and broke the monotony a bit. I think the babies liked the change in scenery, although towards the end they got cranky. Me not walking is hard on them and I think they're ready to have their mobile mama back.

Ankle update

I went to the Ankle doc this morning. He said that it looks good, hasn't shifted, should heal fine, and he still doesn't think that I'll need surgery.
He did say that I'll need to keep doing what I've been doing (elevation, boot, no bearing of weight) for at least another month. He'll see me again on the 10th of Oct and then let me know if it's ok to start bearing weight a little (he said that I still won't really be able to walk at that point). Then after a month of that, I'll start physical therapy. According to him, it's at least a 3 month process, sometimes more. So, remember that if you decide to fall in a hole . At least I'm almost off the pain meds. I only took 1 yesterday, and took 1 today before the appointment in case he wanted to poke at my ankle(he did ). I don't think I'll need them anymore unless I bump it or something. I'm thrilled about that, I really don't like that the kids were being exposed to it while nursing.
I'm going a bit stir crazy not being able to sew, but I am coming up with tons of new ideas for when I can. I'm working on a winter bonnet pattern that I think will be really cute.

No Surgery!!

But I do have to wear one of those giant boot things. Mine has a nifty little air-pump like those fancy shoes from the 80's. Only, it doesn't make me jump higher or run faster or reverse the rotation of the earth. It just gives me a little more support when I need to get up and crutch to the bathroom. But it is nifty. I've been in the robo-boot for 5 and a half days now, and I feel like I've been wearing the same sweat sock for about 3 weeks. The problem with that is that I'm not wearing a sock, so I can't take it off. I'm getting much better on the crutches though and I'm relying less and less on the pain meds. There's a light...

Still broken

I was supposed to go to the orthopedic surgeon today to find out what the next step should be with my ankle. I'm guessing surgery, but I'll wait for the expert opinion. Anyway, the doc wasn't in the office today, so my appointment will be tomorrow. All this waiting is so difficult. Plus, the kids are having a hard time with the change of routine.
I have such a great group of friends who are helping me more than I could ever imagine. They are coming over to help with the babies, bringing food, and keeping the house in a state of sanity. Of course you never really plan for these types of things to happen, but it's so comforting to know that if they do, you've got someone watching your back. It really does take a village.
I never thought about it before, but there isn't really a safe way to carry a baby while using crutches. There aren't even unsafe ways to carry twins while using crutches.

And Slower Still

But not because of the website. Because Pirate Bootie Baby is up and running!!!
There's nothing in the gallery yet, or in the store, but I now have a full-fledged, bona-fide website. What's slowing me down is 15 pounds of plaster wrapped around my right leg. While visiting a friend of mine yesterday, I tripped and put my foot in a small hole while holding one of the kids. As soon as I felt myself falling my first instinct was to protect the baby and in doing so, wrenched my ankle and fractured it. Because of the holiday weekend, I have to wait until Tuesday to see the orthopedic surgeon to see if I need pins or anything. For now I'm in a temporary cast and have to keep it elevated and not put any weight on it. It makes taking care of twins quite difficult. Luckily I have a great group of moms that are going to come help me with the babies until I'm back on my feet. Also my mom and mother-in-law will help when they can get here. Trying to see the positive side, at least it happened on a long weekend so that Scott is home all day.

Sloooow

I've hit a slow spot. Everything is set to go just as soon as my website is finished, but it's taking longer than I expected. I don't want to loose momentum while waiting, but I've been so excited to get this going that it's hard to not be disappointed that it's taking so long.
I started working on a really cute pair of overalls tonight and I'm hoping to finish them tomorrow. I've been wanting to use this floral quilt-looking fabric for quite some time, and I think it pairs well with the ticking stripe for the straps and some other details. I'm not sure what the reverse side will be yet, maybe a vintage-looking lavender toile that coordinates with the ticking stripe. How shabby-chic.

Busy weekend

Tonight I'm having a small party for a friend of mine who's 38 weeks pregnant. It's a potluck, and I'm making a chocolate cake and broccoli slaw. The slaw recipe is from my mom and it's great for a potluck, fast to make and so tasty. There's a woman coming to do mendhi (henna) on my friend's belly, and on our hands. We'll also do a belly cast and everyone is bringing a special bead to string on a necklace for her to have during the birth. I'm so excited and happy to be a part of this celebration of her birth!
Oh, my business cards came!! They got here about 15 minutes after my last post. They look great and I'm looking forward to my first opportunity to hand one to someone.

Wool

Here's some of the wool that I had dyed. The one on top is undyed for reference. I love the tangerine color so much!
Now that I've found a better way to dye my wool, I'll be doing it myself. It will help keep costs down and give me more control of the colors. Plus, I'll have the best clothesline on the block!!
My business cards haven't come yet. Every time I hear a truck go by outside, I get a little excited. All for naught so far. They'll come eventually.

I'm Legal

Busy day yesterday. Went downtown and got my business license and registered Pirate Bootie as my trade name. Then I went to the bank and opened a business account and then got a business Paypal account. Got an email today that said my business cards will be here tomorrow. We're really on the way!

Labels have arrived!

The Pirate Bootie labels came today! I had to take a picture of all of them in the box, they look so small and cute and plentiful. So exciting to be one step closer to being a legitimate business.
I also ordered my business cards today, they should be here in 10-14 days. I also drafted a new pattern for a sweet little wool hoodie and started to cut the fabric to test it out and see if it needs any tweaking.

Website work

I've been working on finishing my website graphics so that I can get it up and running as soon as possible. It doesn't help that I keep on changing the colors from one shade of brown to another. I seriously doubt if anyone is going to go to the site and think "wow, that brown should have been the slightest bit deeper, I don't think I can shop here". I still keep fiddling with it though. I think I'll give myself a cutoff date and make sure to have everything finished by then.
I'm ordering care labels this week. Any garment that isn't fully reversible and doesn't have pockets doesn't need a care label that is permanently attached. I didn't know that before I started reading the FTC website. A lot of my designs are reversible, but I'll need some to be labeled.

Labels are approved!!

I just approved my label mock-up, now I just have to sit and wait for them to arrive. I think they look great, and can't wait to start sewing them onto tiny dresses and soakers. And to see them walking around on the backs of the hipster kids in town.

Birthday Dress!

This is a dress that I made for a friend. It's reversible and has matching bloomers. The patchwork stripe that's on the purple side of the dress continues on the leg of the bloomers. The whole outfit is adjustable and will probably fit her until her next birthday. I love getting action shot photos like these in my inbox!!

A happy boy wearing his custom shorts

This little guy loves dogs, it's pretty obvious once you notice the puppy on his shirt and shoes. His mom has had a hard finding shorts that fit him well, and he usually ends up wearing shorts that look like pants on him. For his shorts, I found some really cute fabric with dog bones and balls and hearts and paired it with brown corduroy that hides dirt so well.

Labels!!

I've finalized my label design and a sample will be sent for approval in the next day or so. I'm so excited that this is finally happening!
I also have 10 yards of wool being dyed, I should have it in the next week. Then I can start some of my winter designs.

Here we go!!

Thus begins the journal of my foray into small business ownership. My little work-at-home venture is called Pirate Bootie Baby and I am currently building stock to fill my store as well as designing my website and labels. I hope to be up and running by September 1st.