I’m not sure how it happened, but suddenly it is Thanksgiving (here in Canada, anyway).
Thanksgiving is my favourite holiday. Maybe it’s partially because I don’t have to cook… in “normal” times we would have my husbands family over for dinner. My mother in law brings the turkey and stuffing and I fix up some vegetables. This year we are having an outdoor gathering with them, which will be different but still nice.
We are able to have a more normal Thanksgiving dinner with my parents this year which will be so, so, so nice. My mom is an amazing cook, and turkey with cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes and gravy and pumpkin pie are all my favourites.
It’s been a bit of a rough two weeks with colds circulating. My poor little Lila has spent more days at home with me than in daycare. It’s always scary when she get sick, even with just a cold. Any illness that prevents her from eating an be super dangerous for her due to her VLCAD. We are so fortunate to have been able to manage everything at home so far.. She is on the mend now and hopefully… hopefully I will be back to regular working hours next week (after the holiday). The cooler, cozier weather seems to have given me a burst of inspiration. It always seems to!
Maybe you feel inspired by the season as well? If so, I’m running a 30% off Pattern Sale! Use coupon code PumpkinPie, or if you’re shopping on Etsy the discounts are already applied.
I’m also running 20% off in my lingerie shop. I did a bit of a fabric inventory recently and have relisted a bunch of sold out styles. Now is a great time to grab them while you can.
If you’re celebrating Thanksgiving here in Canada, I hope you get yourself an extra serving of pumpkin pie. I know I will be shamelessly indulging! I also hope you get to spend some time with your loved ones… and maybe sneak in some sewing!
I’m super excited to show you some of the photos from the wonderful people who shared their time, skill and expertise with me!
Kelly sewed this long sleeve Lilith in a bamboo jersey (which is my favourite fabric for everything). I absolutely love the natural tones and print. Back in the olden days (like a year ago ha!) of the Blended Threads Facebook Group I used to see Kelly’s makes come up a lot, so I was excited to have her offer to help me out.
I often look at all of your makes and am blown away by the skill you all have. Scrolling through the Instagram feeds of these ladies is inspiring and… sometimes a little intimidating, even for me!
I love this detail shot from Brittnay. Her black lace shrug is a classic.
The lovely Poppy sewed two Liliths! A long sleeve and short sleeve variation! I love how the back of the lace variation looks on her especially. This woman does trapeze AND sews her own lingerie! You absolutely need to check out her Insta.
I wish I could give all of my testers a standing ovation! I honestly appreciate that people offer their time and skill to help me through this process.
I’m working on a couple new pattern updates. Kelly is almost done and I am very excited about some of the variations I am including (ruffles + thong). After that I am hoping to update my Evelyn Romper. I want to add more sizes, longer shorts variations, and possibly a two-piece option…
I keep thinking about the future of my little business and what I want to come of it. I don’t know how long my hands can keep making lingerie at the pace I have been… I toy with the idea of limiting the amount of orders I take in my lingerie shop and shifting my focus more to sewing patterns, custom fabrics, and sewing education on YouTube… But making is my passion.
I spoke to a business advisor recently who suggested taking on staff, which I think is the next step. My biggest issue is my location. I live in a rural area and the amount of candidates who would be applying for a lingerie sewing position would be fairly small… I feel like I’m in a tricky situation due to the niche nature of my business and my location, and I can’t quite figure out the best way to grow. I sometimes wish a grown-up would just come along and tell me what to do! HA!
I’m going to share something unflattering about myself… if something doesn’t automatically come easy to me, I tend to give up.
Sleeves are not something I draft much as a lingerie designer, so a shrug was a little outside of my comfort zone (my comfort zone being “things that I am very good at”). I feel kind of ridiculous even saying that since the base of this garment really is quite simple… But I was overwhelmed and uncertain of myself.
But when I came across pictures of this pattern with fresh eyes, I felt inspired again. I sent it off to a second round of testers, made a few adjustments here and there… and now I think I am finally feeling like I can release this pattern.
Ugh… Pattern release day is so excruciating for me. Of course there’s the thrill of doing something new… but for me, what overwhelms that is the fear that I have made a mistake. I’m not sure why that bothers me so much, I am a PRO at making (and fixing!) mistakes. I have made so many mistakes I could write a book about it..
Anyway, I’m sure you’re tired of me rambling. Let’s talk lingerie!
When I came up with the idea of the Lilith Pattern, I was looking for ways to add layers to lingerie I already owned. The lacy or long sleeve Lilith Shrug shows off a pretty bra or bodysuit while adding complexity to an outfit. It is extremely adjustable, so even though it falls into my standard size range, I am confident it will fit a range of sizes above my Size Red.
In my opinion, I think this pattern would be good for someone who is slightly above a beginner; more intermediate level. Sewing and attaching the straps can be tricky in places. But, I do have a video over on my YouTube channel that walks you through how to sew the lace variation.
If you’d like to give this new pattern a try, you can get a copy Here, or over on Etsy!
I’m not a huge fan of summer. My body is the kind that just doesn’t like the heat. I turn tomato red. I sweat. I get grumpy. It’s not my favourite.
So, I’m not one of those people who mourn the symbolic end of summer and start of the school year in early September (for us in Ontario anyway). It’s time to get back into routines, earlier bedtimes, cooler weather and cozier clothes.
This year feels especially pertinent. School and Daycare shut down at the beginning of April. We had 3 months of home school, and just returned to some daycare hours for my littlest over the last few weeks.
Lila also just got the go-ahead to sleep ALL night without having to wake to be fed. If you’re new to my blog, Lila has VLCAD, a metabolic disorder that requires frequent feeding and a low-fat diet to prevent her from going into metabolic crisis, a potentially life-threatening event. Although she is now able to sleep all night, we have to undo 2 years of her being used to be woken up to be fed. Still, I’ve been fairly consistently (except for the last 2 weeks which have been bad) getting about 5-6 solid hours of sleep a night. It has made a world of difference in my mental clarity. I still have a long way to go to make up for the lack of sleep I’ve gotten over the past 2+ years, but I’m getting there. I no longer have an alarm set for 2am, and that feels great.
Me and my crew
I had been feeling so overwhelmed by work tasks and even just replying to an email was so anxiety inducing. I honestly had been considering closing the doors to Ohhh Lulu because it all felt so overwhelming to pick back up again. Being able to have even just a couple days of a break from parenting with daycare, and a little more sleep has really cleared my mind. I can reply to emails, I can communicate clearly (mostly), I can make plans and think ahead. It is crazy how badly a lack of sleep can really affect your ability to function. I still don’t feel like I’m at my peak, but I feel like I can manage now.
My Summer Spin the Wheel Sale really got me motivated again. It was fun to have something to look forward to, and now I’m looking forward to sewing more lingerie for you and finishing up a bunch of new patterns, including some I had let slip prior to going on maternity leave.
I’m running a final End of Summer sale in both my sewing pattern and lingerie shop from Friday, September 3rd to Monday September 6th. No coupon is needed on Etsy, but if you are shopping here, use coupon code ENDOFSUMMER for 20% off.
I know in many parts of the world, life has returned to a relatively normal state. Not so much in Ontario, where I am. Things are getting there, but it’s been a slow, difficult road.
One of the things I’ve struggled with most over the past howevermany months is the lack of anything to look forward to. No family celebrations. No birthday parties. No parades (this may be an oddly specific thing to miss, but we have two parades a year that go right by our house that bring me so much joy). No concerts. Not even a dinner out…
It took me a while to realize but in a world where our regular fun has been postponed, I’ve had to schedule my own fun. This summer I’ve tried to organize at least 1 fun outing a week – a trip to a splash pad, nature reserve, a playground we’ve never been to. It’s given us all a little something to look forward to.
Drawing from this, I had this idea of running a sale every week for the entirety of July and August. I set up a wheel with some of my most popular patterns and each saturday I give it a spin on Tiktok (@ohhhlulu_official) and my Instagram Stories. Which ever pattern the wheel lands on gets marked down by 50%. I’ve never had a 50% off sale!
In my usual style, I am writing this post much later than I had anticipated… but that’s pandemic life for you!
When I use a testing group, I usually like to select just a handful of people. I have found that my brain gets very quickly overwhelmed when I am working with too big of a group. I remember a few years ago I decided to simultaneously test half a dozen patterns with so many different people. I struggled to keep track of everything and I am sure I missed out on important feedback. It is such a gift of a persons time and materials to test out a new pattern, so I find personally when I use a smaller group I can most effectively make use of that feedback.
Anyway, enough about my process! Here are the makes my tester group made for my Cabin panties! These testers were amazing. Quick, thorough and concise! Thank you so much to all of you.
I wanted to send a bit of a special shout out to Erin from Dog Under My Desk, who tested out my pattern just a few weeks before giving birth to a new baby! Thank you so much for sharing your time and knowledge with me.
Tori made these amazing rainbow bokeh print Cabins. If you love sewing lingerie, you need to follow her on IG.
I love Charlenes makes! Through her feedback, we found that fabrics with more vertical stretch like bamboo lycra jersey tend to be the ideal for the best fit. I’m in love with the linen look fabrics she used.
Felicia from Sewing with Rascals (I can relate) used this adorable custom printed fabric for her Cabin’s. One of the things I like about this pattern is that the standard view has no centre front seam. This can really help highlight larger or more complicated prints and patterns as they are not obscured by any seam lines.
I’ve also continued making Cabin Shorties for myself, including my favourite pair made out of this custom printed bamboo jersey. I used a 1″ stretch lace around the waist instead of standard elastic. This can make the waist less sturdy, so if you have problems with the lace rolling or sliding down, you can always run a length of 1/4″ elastic around the inside of the lace to help hold it in place.
I was tidying up my studio before getting to work last weekend and I came across a few sleep masks I had made that either had a small flaw or I had accidentally made with the wrong lining and realized before sending it out… I figured I might as well try to find these beautiful mistakes some new homes.
You can see what is available HERE. I’m going to try to start adding new sale items weekly or as time allows. I sometimes will be making a pair of underwear or a bra and realize I don’t like the placement of the print, or there is some sort of other small imperfection, and I set them aside. After a couple of years these items start to stack up so I really need to go through them!
It has felt good to make these baby steps in getting back to work. Everything feels slightly less daunting. And although I have a couple more months of balancing kids and business, I’m feeling slightly more positive about what is to come.
Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is that it has taken me forever to get here!
I’m obsessed with these, especially during these warmer summer months. They are perfect for under skirts and dresses. I’ve even made some with a bit of a longer leg to prevent my thighs from rubbing together.
But my favourite way to wear these is with a cozy, soft tank top to bed.
I will be releasing a kids sized variation of this pattern, but for now you can grab the adult version Here or on Etsy.
A couple of things have changed about my pattern formatting. First, my sizes are no longer XS-XL. I’ve decided to colour code my sizes based on some great feedback from the Ohhh Lulu Pattern Group on Facebook. Secondly, my new patterns will all have No-Trim Pages. If you’re not sure what I mean by that, I’ve made a short video to show you.
There are two variations you can make: a plain front or mock-fly front. Both sew up super quick!
Hands down, my favourite fabric for this style is a bamboo lycra jersey. I recommend something lightweight with a lot of 4-way stretch. More stable fabrics may require a bit of adjustment to the rise.
I’ve also included instructions on a few different ways to finish the waist with different types of elastic. I really try to provide methods as opposed to instructions so that you can customize the look and finish of your garments.
I’d be lying if I said the last year was ok. It hasn’t been… and yet I’m still one of the lucky ones, having not been directly effected my Covid.
I say not “directly” effected because the pandemic HAS effected myself and my family. In March 2020, the government here closed schools… the reopened in September for a bit… but we experienced frequent disruptions whenever Isabel or another family member got a cold. In December schools closed again, and then again they closed in April and our kids haven’t returned. They won’t return until September 2021. Instead, we’ve been doing “online learning,” which is a challenge when you have younger children. Isabel is 6. She needs someone to help manage her 3-4 meetings a day, motivate and help her do school work, and also organize fun activities. Daycares also have been closed so I’ve been chasing around my soon-to-be 2 year old.
As a mechanic, my partner is an “essential worker” so he has been out of the home 5-days a week. He has managed to take an extra day off so I can stay on top of basic operations and have some sort of an income, but the lack of working, the lack of socializing, the lack of anything NEW has really effected me. It’s been depressing, frustrating, monotonous… creativity crushing.
Dan and I have now both received the first dose of our vaccines as have pretty much all of our grown-up loved ones. I’ve finally been able to comfortably visit with my parents. My kids and I have missed them so much.
I’ve definitely been in survival mode over the past year and a bit, making sure my kids are happy and healthy. Staying on top of education and playtime, which is so important at their ages. At this point, I’m pretty tired. Because of Lila’s VLCAD I still need to get her up during the night to eat so I haven’t had an 8 hour sleep in 2 years. I’m experiencing parenting burnout. I haven’t been away from my kids in such a long time. There is so much truth in the saying “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
I hate even saying “it’s been tough,” because I know we’ve been in a better situation than most, but we’ve still taken our hits financially, mentally, and even physically over the past year.
So now I’m trying to come back, and THAT is scary. When you’ve had to involuntarily drop off the radar for such a long time, it feels so intimidating to jump back in. But here I am.
I’ve quietly posted a couple new videos on YouTube, and some new sleep masks. I have great plans for a brand new lingerie collection featuring some exclusive and unique prints that I have designed and sourced… But it will take time. I am not a patient person, so that is hard for me.
It feels like I’ve been on the longest maternity leave in the history of maternity leaves. What started as a maternity leave morphed into an extended march break, total lock down, and eternal summer break. Although technically I have been working for the past year, I’ve basically been in “survival” mode – trying desperately to just stay on top of the necessities! So many things have fallen to the wayside, but still I am feeling grateful to be where I am. We are all healthy. We are all safe. And slowly, our lives are beginning to return to a relative state of normalcy.
As things fell to the wayside – replying to emails, updating my blog… it became like this unsurmountable obstacle. Every time I would open my computer the thought of checking my emails or my social media sent me into a tailspin of anxiety. If I missed you, I am sorry. All of our lives have been so hectic.
Isabel started back to school last Thursday. School looks a little different this year, and she is no longer taking the bus, but she is so excited every day to go and see her friends. Lila started daycare and is adjusting so well! Having a kid with VLCAD, or any other disorder that requires a specialized diet adds a layer of complexity to daycare, but we are managing pretty well!
We have been so fortunate where we live to have very view Covid cases, but it has still upended our lives. When schools were first closed, there was a panic, stores were empty and we were all pretty much confined to our houses. It was a big adjustment for us (as I’m sure almost all of you can relate), not being able to see our parents/grandparents and friends.
On the flip side, one of the positives of the pandemic is that we’ve made great friends with some neighbours. When we were able to expand our social circles a little, we paired up and now are kids are pretty obsessed with one another. These little things, like hearing kids play, is like music to my ears after such a long time. We were able to spend SO much time outside this summer. A favourite activity was to walk down to the lake and try to catch fish with a net – of course the fish were way too fast for my 5 year old but it still provided hours of fun. We live near a river and we watched the turtles and snakes, herons and swans. We dressed up in costumes and walked around outside to cheer people up. We made a fairy garden and painted rocks. We played A LOT of video games. As hard as it was, I think we also made a lot of good memories and for that I feel grateful.
I sincerely hope that all of you are safe. I hope that your loved ones are safe. And, I hope that you are able to return to some normal activities again. This whole thing has been so complex. The virus obviously has some dire consequences, but I also know personally, the fear and isolation also has its own consequences. Honestly, I’m just grateful I am a lingerie maker and I don’t have to make the difficult decisions the people in charge have to make. After experiencing what my dad went through with the flu two years ago, I never want anyone to experience longterm ventilation. I mean, it saved his life, so I am eternally grateful… but the recovery was so hard.
If you follow me on social media, you may have noticed that I’ve been making cloth masks. In Ontario, masks are mandatory in public spaces for people 2+, and I know it is similar in many other areas. I’m trying to do mask drops every 2 weeks or so. They tend to sell out fast. Going forward, I’ll try to let you know here as well when I have masks ready. They tend to sell out quite quickly.
This is my first full week with the kids in school and daycare. I’m not going to lie. It feels good. I have some silence to think and I can reclaim my house a little bit from the blanket forts and slime-factories. My husband is home this week too which is so nice. For the last 6 months, every moment he has been off of work, I have been working, so to have some time to just quietly hang out together will be so nice.
I have so many things I need to start working on that I hardly know where to start. I know once I get over this overwhelmed feeling that my creative energy will start flowing again. This is a good time to practice some self-compassion. We’ve all been through a lot the last few months.
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