Bridge the Bump Now Open for Business!

The official launch of Bridge the Bump was over the Labour Day long weekend and it has already generated a lot of buzz!

Ever since my own pregnancy I've realized how limited the options are for maternity wear.  Unless of course you're prepared to spend a fortune for a cute empire-waist top that will probably be too big for you after pregnancy.

And winter can be hard for pregnancy - heavy sweaters, fitting swollen feet into winter boots, walking around with your warm coat half unzipped and exposing your protruding belly.  I made it through my own winter by accessorizing :)

Since then I've always thought that maternity inserts should be everywhere in stores.  What a great idea - transforming your existing coat into a maternity coat! Then after pregnancy just unzip the insert and go back to wearing your coat as before.  Or better yet - flip the insert upside down and cover your child while wearing him/her in a baby carrier!  I modified my original design to do just that, making the insert something you can wear not just during pregnancy but beyond.

Surprisingly maternity inserts aren't all that common.  I'm joining only a handful of start-ups who sell this type of product (also started by entrepreneurial moms!) and the whole market is very new.  But I'd love to see more mainstream baby or maternity stores carrying the products and I'm going to strive to see that happen :)

You might ask, what about my wool capes? Well that idea is going strong too.  In fact, I've been working on the website on the side (while filling orders for Bridge the Bump) but I'm just not quite there yet.  I need to focus on getting Bridge the Bump off to a good start first.  But be patient...I'll get there :)

Photo Shoot on the East Side

I've neglected this blog for far too long now.  It's time to play catch-up!  

August was a tremendously busy month as I pushed to finish prototypes for a photo shoot that was scheduled in the second week of the month.  I booked a few hours at Working Proof Studios on the corner of Dundas & Carlaw.  It was smack in the middle of a Tuesday and I was grateful for how many of my family and friends were able to help out.  It was a great studio space complete with a make-up counter, a full modern kitchen, lovely seating area, and tall grand windows to light up the room.  After a bit of time tinkering with the lights and equipment we were well on our way.

When I originally made the booking it seemed like 3 hours of studio time for a couple of capes and a handful of maternity inserts would be much more than I'd need.  Turns out that we managed to fill the entire time, all the while working at a brisk pace.  Poor Mike didn't even get out of his photographer's chair for a sip of water or bite to eat!

So you all must be wondering what this second set of photos is all about.  I mean, I've written several posts about my wool capes and shared plans on starting a business but I don't think I've mentioned before a new product line of maternity inserts I've been working on.  The first time they came up was during my own pregnancy when I needed a way to keep my growing belly warm as my clothes seemed to be shrinking away.

You might remember my post here from two years ago or the addition I made here for my winter coat.  The idea is adding an extension panel or "insert" to a jacket or coat which allows you to continue wearing it throughout pregnancy.  The extension panel can then be unzipped after pregnancy (and some recovery time!) and you can go on wearing your coat as before.  Anyway I'll dedicate my next post to talking more about these extension panels so let's get back to the month of August.

So yes, after the photo shoot came several days of photo editing, then trials of different website builders such as Shopify, Volusion, and finally Wix.  I found the user interface and degree of customization with Wix to be far better than the other two options despite it being not as popular as the other two e-commerce solutions.  Wix also doesn't require a specific trial period and allows you to design and save as many sites as you want so I could mock up several website versions for my cape business or maternity insert business.  I'm sure over time I will be come more intimately familiar with all the pros and cons of Wix but for now I'm quite satisfied.

Then what else?  Figuring out site content (featured products, FAQs, etc) and shop policies (shipping rates, taxes, etc).  It meant spending most of the last four weeks glued to my computer rather than my Singer but it was actually a fun switch.  I mean, I did start getting some eye strain and neck pain from poor posture at my laptop but designing my websites were pretty awesome. No, definitely awesome.  And besides, it's not like hunching over my sewing machine is all that different ;)

So yes, it has been an exciting few weeks and I'm thrilled to have officially launched Bridge the Bump last weekend to sell maternity inserts online.  And don't be surprised if you see them popping up in some Toronto baby boutiques over the next few months :)

I leave you with a few more awesome shots we took at Working Proof.

Thanks Vicky, Heather, Charlotte, Meghan, Kelly, Anisha, Freda, Eric (behind the scenes), and Mike (behind the camera!)

Silver Lining

Here I present the third (and potentially final) variation in my series of wool herringbone capes.

I chose another neutral colour, a lovely silver-grey, which I imagine will be stunning in the fall or winter months.  The piping is more subtle because of its colour which I continue to scrutinize. There is a slightly lavender hue to the piping colour which hints at a softer, more feminine look but I keep wondering whether a darker charcoal piping would have been a better match.  From a distance, like in the photo below, it is harder to notice the detailing along the back.

Finding a complimentary lining proved to be frustrating this time around as I had many second-thoughts.  I bought this blushing antiques polyester long before I was ready to start on the grey cape and at a time when I didn't have my wool swatches with me.  I kept circling the rows and aisles of fabric and returning to this one on the bolt.  Fine, I decided to buy enough for one cape and give it a try.

As I sewed my way through the chocolate brown cape I occasionally took out the blushing antiques fabric and laid it against the silver herringbone, examining it up close and from afar. Somehow by the time I finished the brown cape I had convinced myself there was something better out there.  

Another trip to Queen street and another afternoon poring over satins, polyesters, silks.  Feeling the pressure not to come home empty-handed I purchased a dusty wine-rose jacquard from King Textiles but was somewhat dissatisfied on the return trip.  I went as far as cutting out the entire lining and pinning it to the half-finished wool outer shell. Then I took out the blushing antiques polyester again and stared.  Then I stared some more.

Mike helped me to make the final call.  I presented the two linings and he promptly chose the floral without hesitation.  I think when you spend too much time obsessing about a thing it takes a step back, or an outside perspective, to see the right choice.

Now that the cape is in its final form, the silver herringbone and floral lining wonderfully coupled, there's absolutely no more doubt in my mind.  Mike's veto to the jacquard was well-played.

And you may have noticed that this cape has a label!  My labels arrived last week and I have been hand-stitching them into the capes I've already completed.  Going forward I will use the machine and also add a centre-fold label along one of the seams.  Shouldn't be long now before I announce the online opening of Red Herring Road featuring my collection of wool herringbone capes :)

Cobourg Photo Shoot

This week Jenny sent over photos she took for me last month of my red cape at the Cobourg farmhouse.  It was a last-minute "photo-shoot" before I had to leave, a huge favour from an artistic fellow crafter that I had met just that weekend.

I finally have some photos of this cape being worn by an actual person instead of just a dress form. Fabulous.  Thanks again Jenny - lovely pictures.  Too bad I had to model a wool cape in June though! Full-length jeans and leather boots would have paired so much nicer with the cape than capris :)

Wondering how to show off the lining here

Thanks Meg for making me laugh and distracting me so that "modelling" wasn't so darn awkward

Delicious Chocolate Cape

Nope, that's not a typo.  Delicious, you might wonder?  Sure this beautiful wool cape may not be too tasty but it certainly is pleasing to the senses.

Meet the latest addition to my wool cape collection, a more masculine herringbone piece in chocolate brown.  It is a slightly heavier wool than the red herringbone which actually made it easier to work with; fewer wrinkles, cleaner edges, less stretch.

A beautifully feminine jade-green floral crinkle polyester was chosen for the lining to balance out the chocolate.  I was a little hesitant at first to use crinkle polyester as lining but it still feels great against my bare arms and the print is just too gorgeous to pass up.  The pink and maroon tones in the blossoming peonies would actually make this a wonderful lining choice for the red wool as well.

Again I added a loop for hanging up the cape which is situated by the right shoulder rather than the centre neckline.  This allows the cape to hang more uniformly since the opening of the cape is asymmetric.

One minor change in the design of the cape is to the button enclosures near the bottom of the arm slits.  Previously on the red cape I used just a loop with a 4-hole flat button but the attachment was not as secure as I would have liked.  Perhaps elastic cord would have worked better to keep a snug fit against the button but I wasn't thrilled about that option. 

This time around I went with old fashioned buttonholes.  I also switched out the flat button with a shank button.  Much better connection.  

And here's how the Singer makes buttonholes.  No, I can't just press the "buttonhole" option on my machine. Instead I have to switch out the standard foot and screw in this stapler-sized contraption.  I know...pretty awesome.  

Since the needle on the Singer can only move in a straight line, this device clamps down on the fabric and moves that from side to side to complete the stitch.  Same concept applies for the zig-zag attachment I have (I know, a separate attachment for each stitch style). 

The buttonholer comes with a set of cams of different sizes.  The 9/16" worked perfectly for this application.

And here's the result.  I still prefer to wear the cape with the slits unbuttoned at the bottom to show off the lining which is intended to be a feature of this piece.  On windy days though, I can see how these buttons will come in really handy.

Finally, guess what? This cape was made to sell.  That's right, I am in the process of starting a small collection of wool capes that will be up for sale in the not-too-distant-future.  Stay tuned for more details and feel free to contact me through this blog if you are interested. I will be posting photos of a silver-grey cape before this month's end :)

PWB, Lola, and Me

Last month I attended another Purple Workbench weekend crafts event, this time at a lovely farmhouse in Cobourg.  I don't quite remember all the things I've been preoccupied with over the past four weeks but clearly I've neglected my blogging.  Time to play a bit of catch up.

I headed out early with Kelly and Meg to pick up the food that the eleven of us girls would be feasting on over the course of the weekend.  After unpacking our bags at the farm we drove into Port Hope. First stop, lunch at a small pizzeria.  When two very pregnant women want pizza, I've learned not to stand in their way.  Pizza was delicious, olives and all!

Next stop was Queenie's bakery, then the farmer's market, then Betty's for desserts.

So many desserts to choose from!  How do you select just a few? Well, simply, you don't.  You let Nancy sweet-talk you into buying more than you planned on in her totally innocent little way.  Just like a pro.

Kelly posing with Nancy at "Betty's". Confused yet?

I spent the weekend meeting a fantastically creative group of women with energy and spunk that was oh so refreshing.   For those two days women sewed, painted, quilted, crafted, talked, laughed, and ate so much good food.  Kelly, you're a fantastic chef.

I had decided to make another Lola dress, this time in a navy and gold polka-dot jersey.  Sounds like a strange combo, right?  I actually loved the result...at least, the combination of fabrics that is. Unfortunately the dress itself turned out to be too big on me, which was kind of bewildering considering I used the exact same pattern that I assembled for my first Lola.  That one fits beautifully.

I suppose it could be that the jersey is so much stretchier than the micro-suede...but still.    This dress ended up being at least a full size too large.  Perhaps a run through the dryer in high heat will help ;)

I ended up modeling it in the photo below with safety pins tucking the excess fabric in the back.

For fun I suggested that Meg, at 31-weeks pregnant, try on the Lola dress.  She was skeptical about her belly fitting and was concerned the fabric wouldn't bounce back after our little dress-up session.  Well it did, and she looked stunning in it!  Was it an expectant mother's glow?  Breathing fresh air on a sunny afternoon?  An incredibly talented photographer?  Maybe all of it combined.  Either way this is my favourite photo from the whole weekend. 

Meg, kicking off her shoes and enjoying the sunshine

Finally here are a few more photos from the weekend to show off some of the projects completed by the girls.

Hola, Lola Dress!

The Lola dress by Victory Patterns is a wonderfully versatile dress.  Depending on what fabric you use it can be great for summer or fall, casual daywear or cute party dress.  I chose to do something a bit more summery and bright using some leftover teal microsuede from the drop-waist gather dress.

There are many things that are great about this dress.  First, the raglan sleeve.  This style of sleeve which extends all the way to the neckline makes sizing easy since there is no seam along the shoulder.

Secondly I love the extra panels that help shape the bust line, that is, the two seams on the bodice (one on either side) that separate the colourful knit from the microsuede.  The shape is very figure flattering.

Thirdly the dress has an asymmetric seam that connects the top half to the bottom skirt.  Well, at least asymmetric when you look at the profile of the dress; the horizontal seam is high in the front (a few inches below the bust line) and angles downwards to waist-height along the back.  The only problem is that the seam makes it a real pain to take in the sides if you find that the dress is too wide.  That's what happened with this dress.  

According to the sizing chart I could have been anywhere between a size 8-10 at the waist but Kelly convinced me a 6 was probably generous (having made this dress herself earlier this year).  I altered the pattern to go from a size 4 up top to a size 6 at the hips.  Surprisingly it was still too big.  Maybe a size 4 all around would have been better.  I'm relieved I didn't try making a size 10 waist to begin with but at the same time I have no idea why the sizing chart was so far off.

Finally, the other wonderful thing about this dress is the pockets.  Not everyone loves big pockets, and honestly they don't look great on every body type. But I think they are quite fun, plus they are an added detail with the contrasting fabrics.

This pattern is definitely a keeper.  I'm positive I could get away with making a whole rack of Lola dresses that differ enough from each other that people won't even realize they were made with the same pattern.  But of course, now I've let the secret out :O