Break Over!

I had a great holiday and an even better time in January when my husband and I flew down to San Diego to see our son graduate from USMC boot camp. My very own Marine...I have always wanted one! :D He is not really thrilled with the photo...said it makes him look 15 years old. haha


...but now, it is back to work! I am once again open for YDME and custom sewing. I still have a few pocket diapers, cloth diaper covers, and pillowcase dress / pocket diaper sets that are clearanced at 3d ~ deebleDdo @ Etsy, so please take a peek to see if there is something you might have had your eye on. I would like to have all my current instock items sold before I begin adding new items.

Congratulations Ali and Craig!

When my husband and I married in 1989, my Aunt Peg embroidered a set of pillowcases for us as a wedding gift. One has fallen apart from use, but I still have the other...it is threadbare and I have no idea how much longer it will last, but I figure nearly 20 years is a pretty good life for a wedding gift, and I have treasured it all these years.

When my baby sister announced that she was to be married, I immediately knew what gift I wanted her to have and thought I would also make the pillowcases as well as embroider them. Well, I have to say, my skills at diaper making are far superior to those of pillowcases! I know, I know, pillowcases are simple!! but, after ruining several yards of OBV in my attempt to make a set of pillowcases, I decided on a purchased set of Egyptian cotton instead. They aren't quite as nice as the OBV would have been, but still are very soft and comfy.

I chose a simple Rosemaling design because they are dainty and elegant and I thought Alison would like it. :) I don't think Alison looks at this blog, so it is safe to post the photo, but just in case she does, I love you both and wish you all the love and happiness that I have had.

Something more important than cloth diapers

Many of you know that my husband and I hope to adopt a sibling group of three orphans from Ethiopia. At this point we don't know if it is going to be a possibility for the 3 children we have fallen in love with. Our agency and the children's orphanage are having difficulties with a few things. The financial aspect is also a huge one for us.

That aside, my family and I still have a huge burden on our hearts for the children who go to bed each night knowing they are alone in the world and hoping against hope for someone to love them. No child should have these lonely fears. Some of these children also have another struggle in their young lives, being born with or acquiring HIV. In our country, HIV is a manageable disease and children and adults can receive medications to enable them to live long and healthy lives. In countries like Ethiopia, a child with HIV has little hope for life at all.

The AHOPE Bracelets pictured above are designed to honor the children of AHOPE and raise funds for their care. For a $10.00 donation you can wear a stainless steel AHOPE bracelet that features the AHOPE logo, the first name of a child at AHOPE, and the Amharic word for HOPE. We pray that each bracelet will serve as a reminder of a special child and raise awareness of the plight of HIV orphans around the world. By wearing an AHOPE Bracelet, you join our efforts in caring for these children!

If you would like to order a bracelet for yourself or as a gift, please email Marissa and she can let you know how to proceed. Shipping and handling is $2.50 for up to three bracelets in one package. As my own special way to contribute, I will offer a 15% discount on anything in my store (or congo) to the mommas (or daddy's) who order a bracelet and send me their picture wearing it!

The sewing room

With my embroidery machine out of commission over the weekend, I decided to tackle my sewing room relocation. My son recently graduated and left for an extended visit with my dad and brothers in Hong Kong. His sister immediately took over his old bedroom and made it her own...complete with over 200 posters of the Jonas Brothers and Joe Jonas in particular. She is juuuuust a tad obsessed.

With her vacated bedroom I began dreaming of all the SPACE I could have if I moved my sewing room into it...not to mention an abundance of natural light with two windows...one to the south and another to the west. So I went ahead and bit the bullet and moved in! I was chatting with my friend Holly from Momufactured and we were swapping sewing room photos (hers is bigger than mine...and has more stuff!!), but here are a few pics of mine!

I finally have a closet big enough to hold most of my fabric!! Yay! Fleece, Minkee, flannel, and dyed obv up on top, five 14 yard coils of obv hanging on the right with bags of washed obv, obi, and obf behind, my bags of fabric scraps hanging in the center (cause everyone knows I can't part with my fabric scraps!), drawers stuffed full of fabrics and notions, 3 extra sewing machines stored to the left along with all my unfinished quilt tops (which I swear I will get done this winter...no really!).

In my strive for space, and because I couldn't imagine selling this loft bed at a loss when my middle son decided he didn't want it anymore, I turned it into a work center and it does beautifully in the role. Both my Bernina 'baby's' are set up here, my personal laptop, my embroidery machine laptop, threads, stabilizers, snaps...all within easy reach. My UFO's (unfinished objects) are in the laundry basket below, as are a few of my patterns. The left side is my pitifully small cutting area and below that is shipping stuff, trash, and more drawers of notions.

This shelf unit was my Nana's for the longest time and I repainted it a few years ago and it became storage for my other UNfavored serger (it isn't a Bernina and therefore is relegated to the corner!) when not in use, books, PUL, and more fabric yardage and I - Spy quilt charms...yeah I will get around to them as well! My makeshift lightbox is sitting on the chair there to the left...with the remnants of the soap I was taking pictures of today to list at Etsy.
And no, that isn't a real baby sleeping up there with the serger as it's pillow! It is my daughters old Berenger Reborn doll and has become my favorite model for tiny things I sew. :)

All in all, I LOVE the space I have now. I think the room is 14 x 12, so a full 40 or so square feet bigger than what I had previously! I don't love the carpet though and will need to get it cleaned asap. My daughter still holds the record for most gum and candy per square foot according to our carpet cleaning guy! Oh...and ignore my daughters porcelain doll collection up there. She now thinks they are 'creepy' and can't be bothered to move them to her (overstuffed) digs. :P

When and if my oldest son returns from HK, he gets the tiny ex-sewing room! hahaha Good thing he is a minimalist. All his stuff, including his clothing, fits into ONE box!

Whitewater!

This really has nothing to do with sewing or embroidery, but this past weekend I decided I needed a break and my daughter and I went rafting on the Salmon River...the infamous River of No Return. We headed down to Riggins, Idaho with a group of friends, two rafts, and two days to spend. We made one run on Friday afternoon, camped on the white sandy beach and then managed to get two runs in on Saturday. Here are a few pics from Saturday...this one is our first trip of the day in Class III rapids called Time Zone which are just before Time Zone bridge (it's the bridge that divides northern Idaho and Pacific time from southern Idaho and Mountain time just as you enter Riggins).

That's your's truly "riding the bull" at the bow of the raft. Lots of fun...and I stayed on! Wooohooooo!!

Later that run we hit a set of rapids we call Thayne's Folly (after another friend who got sucked under and didn't reappear for about 20 seconds) which dumped out all of our other crew members and terrified my daughter because we got stuck in a "keeper" or hole and the raft was spinning like mad but not going anywhere and in danger of tipping us out backwards over the rocks. I finally decided we were going to have to jump out of the raft to get out of the hole. We shifted our weight in preparation to jump, the raft popped free, and we were able to traverse the rest of those rapids and pick up our lost crew. Whew! We are both bruised and battered, but it was worth it!

The second trip that day my daughter (yes, she actually conquered her fear and got back in the raft, I was so proud of her!) and I were on either side of the rear...you can't see us because we were covered by 3 feet of water. It was over 110 degrees that day and the water was a blissful 50 degrees. Very refreshing! hahaha oh...and no one got launched this trip!

Attached Kids

There is a term used freely today called 'Attachment Parenting' which basically means developing a strong bond with your child through various ways. I have practiced AP since before my first child was born 6,573 days ago...that seems like so long in days! He turns 18 this Sunday. I am the mother of an ADULT...egad! Anyhooo... AP is kind of a way of life around here and it means something different for each parent that practices it.

For me, it meant that I was in tune with what my kids needed and what was best for them at the time. For my youngest child in particular, this meant I carried him. ALOT. In fact I would sew standing up with him in a pouch or ring sling on my chest. I have skills.

What this means today is that he prefers to be with me...AT ALL TIMES. On the same floor of the house, and often in the same room. I am constantly stepping or tripping over him. For example, about 30 minutes ago I tripped over this as I got up from the embroidery machine...

A bunch of PUL, some fabric scraps, and a seemingly harmless pile of pocket diapers. Kendra's pocket diapers sent to me for embroidery. There are 19 of them. Underneath them is a child...if you look carefully, you can see his socks. He took each diaper out of the shipping box and covered himself with them. It's a game he loves to play, 'Can you see me now?' and he plays it all day long. Today, apparently, with pocket diapers. Off to the laundry they go!

At least he was being patient about waiting until I was finished with my work so I could make him some lunch!

A little bit about 3D

It was suggested to me that I should keep a store blog, and since I love blogging, I figured I would go ahead and set one up!

A little bit about me...my name is Sherry, and I have been married to the love of my life for the past 19 years. He is a professional chef and barista, and even though he isn't working in the field at the moment, it is where his heart is. We have four brilliant, beautiful children...our son who is 17 (next month to be 18...sniff sniff) and thinks he is going to head off to join the Marines at the end of the summer :( , our totally spoiled, beautiful princess who just turned 16, a son who is 10 and has given me some heart wrenching moments and also been my easiest child...followed by my baby boy who turns 5 next month (the day after his oldest brother), and has made up for his middle brothers easy going ways by being my most challenging child! He absolutely cannot be alone and is my shadow. He can probably sew better than I can at this point! hahaha But, there is never a dull moment in our house, and I like it that way!

We are also hoping to adopt a sibling group from Ethiopia later this year...as if life isn't crazy enough as it is! It isn't easy as we are coming to realize, and we may not be able to adopt the three we have fallen in love with. Your prayers in this matter would be greatly appreciated! You can read more about our adoption process on our blog, The Journey to Africa.

So, about my craft...my love for sewing began 25 years ago when I was introduced to quilting by my Nana and my Aunt Peg, and it naturally progressed into sewing cloth diapers and clothing when my first child was born in 1990. I added embroidery several years ago and have been enjoying that aspect combined with handmade children's items ever since. I have two venues online where I sell my creations, my main store DeebleDdo, and my Etsy Store. Since I make and sell quite a few different items, I tend to list cloth diapers, covers, and diaper clothing sets in my main store and leave the Etsy store for other craft items like I Spy bags, quilts, stuffed toys, and other cloth diapering related items, though you will see cloth diapers in the Etsy store as well...I shift inventory frequently to get more exposure.

I think every customer at some point has asked me about the store name. When I had my last baby in 2003, his nickname became DeebleDdo, or 3D for short. When I sold my former business in May 2007, I didn't think I would ever get back into the cloth diaper world, and yet I can't seem to stay away because cloth diapers are just so fun to make! But, I needed a unique name and 3D was the first thing that popped into my mind. :)

I will be using the blog to keep my customers informed about the status of their custom orders and to announce themes or new items that I am working on. The comments section is open and I read them all, so please feel free to leave me messages in that way, and of course you can use the email link in the sidebar to get a hold of me.

Thank you for your friendship and patronage!

Sherry