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sarah norwood

New! The Anouk Bodysuit

Design Diary, Lingerie, New Items, Sewing Patterns, swimwear June 5, 2017

You’ll see a few short, but picture-heavy posts coming through today! I’ve been working hard finishing up a couple of patterns that I have been pouring over for months… But, I think my effort was well worth it!

The first new pattern I’ll show you today is my Anouk Bodysuit. The pattern will walk you through how to sew it with snaps at the crotch so you can wear it as lounge/lingerie/casual wear, but you can easily make this into a swimsuit. In fact, I’m going to do a tutorial in the coming weeks to show you how to make that very simple alteration.

This pattern comes with two neckline variations: a simple v-neck and a ballet-inspired faux wrap front. The v-neckline on this bodysuit is a little different form my Abigail Swimsuit, which has a true triangle cut cup. I find the Anouk is more comfortable and flattering on my body type, which has a fuller bust.

The instructions will show you how to line the cups and add supportive underbust elastic.

I really love the shape of the back – it was a spin off from my Romy Bra.

Also with this pattern I will show you how to do a lace overlay. I wanted to show you how to place the lace so that you can change things up and experiment with your own lace overlays. Adding an overlay is so easy once you know how to do it.

I’m really excited to see how you guys interpret this pattern! I am totally loving it, and can’t wait to make a swimsuit out of it.

You can purchase my new Bodysuit Pattern directly from my website HERE or on Etsy!

New Pattern Preview! A Cami and a Bodysuit

Design Diary, Sewing Patterns, Videos May 22, 2017

I’ve been working really hard on two new patterns… one of them (my camisole pattern) is a year in the making! I’m currently just finishing up writing the instructions and am still waffling back and forth on some aspects of the design and construction. I always like to design patterns that can be sewn in multiple ways – I find it to be a fun creative exercise seeing how much variety I can get out of a simple pattern. This can create some difficulty when putting a pattern together.  The patterns I sell are much different than the patterns I would make for my own use, or even for production. I put a lot of time and effort into explaining things so that a sewists of a variety of backgrounds and experience levels can sew my patterns. As with all of my patterns, I try to teach techniques instead of spoon-feeding how to recreate a garment. I love seeing the unique ways all of you interpret my designs!

I made a short video discussing my new patterns that are so close to being ready for release.

I’m super excited to start prepping for my swimsuit sew along! My fabric should be arriving this week, so once I clear a few projects off my table I’ll set a date.

Ohhh Lulu + Mint For You Boudoir Give Away

Giveaway, Lingerie, New Items May 19, 2017

I’m pretty excited about this collaboration. Jennie from Mint For You Boudoir Photography contacted me ages ago and I’ve finally got my act in gear to collaborate on a photoshoot! I love seeing how different photographers style my items, and I absolutely love the model she worked with, Carmina. She just looks so effortlessly confident and beautiful! And my favourite thing is that they are both based out of Toronto – I love to work with fellow Canadian artists. I really love Jennie’s modern, clean aesthetic. It’s obvous to see she puts a lot of love into what she does.

Jennie and I have teamed up to offer a Give Away that is currently happening on Instagram. We are each giving away a $100 gift certificate – so you’ll get $100 towards any Ohhh Lulu purchase and a $100 voucher towards Mint For You photography services! To enter the giveaway, just visit me on Instagram!

I’m in love with this backdrop!

I really love these photos and kind of want to book my own session with Jennie now!

Mother’s Day Sale

Lingerie, Sewing Patterns May 11, 2017

I’m having a little sale over the Mother’s Day weekend.

Take 15% off Made to Order Lingerie and 20% off Lingerie Sewing Patterns with the coupon code YouDeserveIt.  This sale includes my sample sale items!

Shop Lingerie HERE

Shop Sewing Patterns on Etsy or HERE

Offer Expires Monday, May 15th at midnight! Offer excludes custom orders. Current turn around on Made to Order lingerie is 8 weeks plus delivery due to the amount of orders in queue!

Happy Mother’s Day!

It’s gonna be May

Design Diary, Lingerie, New Items, Personal May 8, 2017

What the heck happened to April? And where is May going to so quickly?!

I have so many fun things on my to do list right now, but I’m currently procrastinating. It’s tax season and I’m already a little late (as usual). I don’t do my own taxes, but I do need to prepare my expenses and income, etc, which is always far more complicated than it needs to be… and I really just hate doing paper work like that. It’s not my forte.

Today I’ve managed to make a vet appointment for Oliver, grocery shop, run 5k, have a nice coffee with my cousin, put away my groceries (that is a feat!), clean some old food out of the fridge… and now I’m blogging instead of working on my taxes. Because procrastination, that’s why.

Last week I released a few new items. As I mentioned earlier, I’ve given up on seasonal collections… while my pieces may still have a seasonal feel, I’m concentrating on just creating things I like, when the inspiration hits! I am finding this to be so therapeutic for me. Constant creation keeps my mood up, keeps me inspired, and excited about what I do.

I’ve been playing a lot with my Celeste, Jasmine, Claudia, Ultimate Lace and Ava patterns. They seem to be my “go-to” patterns. They are such a great base for experimentation, and in my opinion, extremely comfortable. Note to self: I should make a pattern bundle for these!

One of the (many) things on my to do list is to create some add-ons for my Jasmine Bra Pattern.  I’ve really loved the look of those bralettes with a cutout at the centre front, but I found with a larger bust it created some awkward gaping and pulling. So, I altered my jasmine pattern so that it has a mesh-insert at the front to mimics that look while still achieving stability between the bust. I’m so, so, so happy with how it turned out. I’ve got some thinking to do as to how I will adapt it as an add-on, but it is on my to do list!

‘Prism‘

 

Look who crashed my photoshoot!

My obsession with lace, especially two-tone lace continues. The black and silver lace I used for my Effie set was actually a bit of an accident. I bought 20yards online thinking it was a solid black. I was surprised when I opened the package… but not upset!

‘Cumulus‘

‘Mimi’

The last thing I want to mention is that I am planning a SWIMSUIT SEW ALONG! I just purchased my fabric this morning (pink flamingo print!). It will take me a couple weeks to get everything in order, but I plan on using either my Cindy Pattern or Jasmine and Ava… I haven’t quite decided yet, but I’m leaning towards Cindy. I made myself a Cindy bikini last year that I wore SO MUCH, and it’s a relatively easy and forgiving sew for an underwire garment. So, if you want to start scouting out some swimwear fabric, now is a great time. Spoonflower‘s Sport Lycra is my current go-to for swim fabric.

On a personal note, life has been so busy lately. My best friend Abbey’s wedding was two weeks ago and it was absolutely beautiful and perfect. Where I live has been experiencing some flooding due to non-stop rain so we’ve been diligently monitoring our basement (we flooded last year). I have a bunch of projects planned around the house (painting the exterior, new soffit and fascia…), gardening to get to, mom-duties, and I’ve got a goal of running 10k by the end of the summer (I’m already up to 9k!).  But I’ve got lots of Ohhh Lulu stuff I want to fit in there too… I’m honestly picking up my Camisole Pattern again that I shared on Instagram MONTHS ago. It will be ready soon… and I have a really wonderful bodysuit pattern that is also almost ready to drop (and actually would also make a great swimsuit now that I think of it…).

But for now… I’ve just gotta focus on my damn taxes!!!

A silk kimono & my mental health

Anxiety, Design Diary, Personal April 7, 2017

My bff is getting married at the end of the month! I can hardly believe how quickly the time has gone. I’m really looking forward to it. It will be Dan and my first night away together without Isabel! I can’t believe we haven’t had a night out in over two years, besides a dinner here or there. We’ve put Isabel to bed every… single… night.

I had fun sewing a little bridal lingerie for my Abbey. She requested the grey lace set (garterbelt not shown), but I wanted to make something pretty for over top. I fell in love with this silk cotton voile when I  came across it at my local fabric store. I just love the print and colour.

I actually used a pattern for this robe! It was Vogue 9218. Not much to say about it really. It was a very simple robe. I added a cotton lace tassel trim to the hem and sleeve.

I am excited but also nervous about our first night away. I’ve found that my anxiety/depression has really been creeping back in over the last month or so, and my mind goes to all of these terrible “what if” scenarios about leaving Isabel in the care of someone else.  Coming to the realization that I’m going to constantly be taking steps to prevent my brain from going to “that dark place” is rough… It took so much work to get out of that paralyzing anxiety I was feeling last spring. I’ve felt myself slipping into that spinning, out of control feeling, which really sucks. But I don’t feel paralyzed the way I did last time. My nightmares have been sneaking back in, but for the most part, I find I can get back to sleep again. Over the winter I wasn’t able to get out running, but I’ve picked it up again over the last couple of weeks. It helps. Talking helps. Writing helps.

I’ve had a couple of things happen recently that brought me back to earlier times in my life when things were not nearly so good or stable or safe. That definitely has shaken the mental stability I’ve built over the last year. I’m so proud of the life I have built and my beautiful brand and my amazing daughter, but it wasn’t always this way. I’ve had situations happen in my past where my safety was seriously threatened and I’m just coming to terms now with the impact that has had on my life. On one hand, these experiences have left me with the ability to feel deep empathy for others, which I think is a strength. But on the other hand, it can weigh you down with a lot of fear and sadness.

This is life! Not always good, not always bad. Sometimes it just chugs along. The good news is that when I feel myself slipping and spiralling downwards now I can notice it and start doing all of those things that I did before to help myself get out of the spiral.  I felt so silly in therapy sometimes. It feels like our thoughts and emotions should be something that comes naturally, but it’s not! Managing them takes practice… and for some of us it takes more work than others.

I wish we could talk about mental health the way we talk about other physical illnesses.  I feel so silly when I say “I have anxiety”. It doesn’t’ sound like a big deal, and until it started actually impacting my life, I didn’t think it was a big deal. I didn’t get why people couldn’t just deal with it. And then it happened to me… all of those experiences in my life combined with an over anxious mind paralyzed me. And now I feel on a constant cycle of checking my stability and taking active measures (along with daily medication) to maintain a sense of stability. I wish I could explain to people who have passed in and out of my life why I have been the way I have been at times…

Just a friendly reminder, if you are feeling overwhelmed by thoughts of anxiety or depression, please reach out for help. Your family doctor is a good place to start, but even talking to someone you can trust like a friend or family member helps!

Sample Sale Time

Lingerie April 7, 2017

Spring cleaning time! I have been hoarding samples. I make a lot of things when designing new collections and not all of them make the final cut. Sometimes a piece is too labour intensive to make it a feasible item for sale at the prices I like to offer… sometimes I’m just not happy with the outcome. Occasionally I’ll also make a custom bra for a customer in the wrong cut or size (doh!).  I also occasionally sew size runs of garments to keep on hand for different events. I’ve decided to clear a bunch of these things out. I’ve listed them in my Etsy shop at 50% off the retail price. A lot of these are last pieces and one of a kind, so don’t wait if you see something you like! You can shop the SALE HERE!

Something Fun!

Lingerie, New Items, Sewing Patterns March 22, 2017

I’ve been busy!

I just finished updating the Jane & Lola patterns, and in the process (on a sick day I might add) I came up with an adorable idea…

Undies with animal ears!

I’m not the first person to have this amazing idea. Knickerocker has been making the most adorable animal undies for a while now.  I don’t plan on making these to order (ok, maybe I will by special request), so definitely check out Knickerocker if you’re in the market for a cute pair of cat-ear undies.

The thing I love most about this pattern is that the possibilities are pretty much endless… after I had made my first sample, Sonja from Ginger Makes gave me the idea of sewing Pug Undies. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it myself!

So… I’ll be periodically providing free add-ons for this pattern. I’ll be posting the Pug Add-On soon, and a Peter Pan Collar Add On as well. If you have any ideas, please feel free to leave me a comment and I’ll see if I can make your wishes come true! Here’s a quick sneak peek of the Add-On’s that I almost have ready…

You can purchase the Miyu Pattern, which comes with instructions for the Kitty and Bunny Ears HERE, or on my Etsy Shop.

Sewing Table Tour

Videos March 22, 2017

I posted a little tour on YouTube of how I have my sewing table organized. I’ve worked out a pretty good set up over the years. Once I get tidied up a bit, I’ll show you the rest of my space! It’s not glamorous, but it works!

Not So Plain Jane

New Items, Sewing Patterns, updates, Videos March 21, 2017

When I first started making lingerie about 8 or 9 years ago, nice knits were really hard to find. So I was determined to develop some patterns that would let me use all of those pretty, printed woven fabrics in lingerie.

The Jane Pattern was first released in 2013. It’s a simple bikini cut that never goes out of style. The best thing about this pattern is that it can be sewn in nearly any woven fabric… but my favourites are silk charmeuse and chiffon.

I’ve just updated the Jane Pattern to include additional sizes, more in depth instructions, and a few different ways to sew them!

The new instructions will walk you through how to add a ruffle ot the hip, how to add a keyhole cut out to the back with bias ties or a simple bound edge. With this pattern, my goal is to teach you techniques so you can apply these design ideas in different ways to this pattern, and other patterns you may already own!

I’ve felt super inspired by this pattern. It’s a great base for adding lace overlays, appliques, or any number of embellishments… or leave ’em plain and let the fabric do the talking.

I’ve added a few new videos to my YouTube Channel to walk you through some of the more complicated aspects of this pattern.

You can purchase the Jane Pattern HERE or through my Etsy shop.

As usual, if you have already purchased this pattern, please contact me with your order number and I’ll send you the updated files.