Just checking in

I spent last week mostly in bed due to a nasty stomach bug that completely wiped me out for days. I am *just* starting to feel normal again. There's nothing so humbling as having an ambitious set of New Year's goals and then getting knocked down before you can even start. Maybe it's best just to keep it simple again this year; set the ol' Expectations Bar low and just see what happens.

Hugo got his first haircut last week. I think it's really cute. Can't wait to show you!

My friend Anna of Noodlehead has joined the Cloud9 designer roster! Can't wait to see what awesomeness she has in store for us. Congratulations, Anna!!

I really want to make some pants this year. Seems like everyone is making these Ginger Jeans. Not sure I want to deal with all the grommets and hardware involved in making jeans, but it sure would be cool! Also: none of my pants fit. BAH.

I've been doing a little fabric shopping with the shops that sponsor this blog: I bought a pile of knits at Organic Cottons Plus (the online shop that used to be Near Sea Naturals) a few weeks ago and they are really really nice. Also grabbed some Charlie Harper knit and GeoPop Canvas from Fabricworm as well.

Seems like there's a ton of fantastic new fabrics in shops lately, including the new Cotton and Steel fabrics! And they've got rayon on the horizon.

I started listening to the Elise Gets Crafty podcast. Love it. The episode on focus (Episode 023) was exactly what I needed to hear right now.

I've been enjoying DIY/Design Queen Emily Henderson's blog. She is perky and weird and hilarious.

I like this website from Monterey Bay Aquarium, Seafood Watch, for looking up which kinds of fish are sustainably farmed/caught. They have a free phone app too to make it easy to look them up while you're shopping too.

And, exciting newsflash: the Geranium Dress Sewing Pattern is finally IN PRINT in the smaller size range and began shipping to shops last week. Check with your favorite local or online modern fabric shop to see if they have it yet! You can see a nice photo of the paper copy over in the Fabric Studio's (a Nashville shop) Instagram feed.