Hi! So, a lot has happened since our last update and while I’ve kept active in our Facebook group and on Instagram, I didn’t really have anything to update you about. This pregnancy has been a series of complications and absolutely no solid information to report on. The good news is I’m still pregnant and made it to 30 weeks! I was restricted to some very modified activities: no lifting, pushing, walking far, or driving (thanks to roundabouts)… with a side of bedrest. We had a few scares that sent us to the birth unit for monitoring. They are worried about pre-term labor, so at ANY sign we have had to call or go in. My last few scans have showed everything is holding steady thanks to daily progesterone, and the baby is growing well, so I don’t need the constant monitoring any more. Slowly the restrictions will be lifted, and it will be safer for me to move around and do a bit more without help. The irony is that as I get past the danger zone, I’m feeling less of the scary cramping and pressure and more just miserably and uncomfortably pregnant… but as the doctor put it (in the nicest way possible of course)… “As long as the baby is OK, we don’t really care about you.” :P
Bedrest! I’ve run out of Netflix!
Bob says he looks like Batman… Yes, it’s a boy!
So, here’s an actual update. Yay!
What I’m doing now:
Prototyping. I made a cute tote bag that I will turn into a series of blog post tutorials, kind of like a sew-along featuring straps one day, fussy cutting the next. I have sketched narrowed down to 16 styles I have started to play with, so that’s happening, just slowly!
Keeping up. This is huge improvement for me right now and a good day is one with 0 unread emails
Catching up on admin tasks like accounting… boring and not blog worthy, but necessary and dreadfully behind.
A pile of baby sewing: pram liner, burp cloths, and blankets are all on the list! Possibly also some maternity clothes since they all seem expensive or horrible. Birthday gifts and the random bag have also worked their way in.
Photo lights. I can’t write any patterns or tutorials until I have photo lights. I don’t get the right kind of light in my sewing room at the right time of day to use natural light. These have been backordered since February but I’ve been promised they will be in stock this week. (But that’s not the first time I’ve heard this. Customer service over here can be terrible!)
An iMac. Many of you might know my iMac imploded the week before I left Chicago. I managed to pull backups, but the plan was to get a pattern out right after my 90 day hiatus was up and buy a new one. That didn’t happen. I’ve been working off my 11″ MacBook Air, which is great for email and bedrest and Netflix but not so much for sorting out my 600GB Aperture library that corrupted 10 minutes before I got on the plane, or designing pattern pieces in Illustrator. We are waiting to see if new models will be announced at the end of the month, and that’s my time frame for having some new prototypes ready to start drawing.
Dual feed. They warned me that giving up my Bernina 750 with dual feed would require therapy. They were right. My 350 and I had to practice quite a bit to get used to each other, so my first few projects on her were just some very simple zippered pouches. Apparently she doesn’t know how to put her presser foot down when you step on the pedal. Not her fault, but a muscle memory thing that needs to be re-learned or it results in quite a knotted mess. I’m having to pin *everything* really well and use my walking foot for projects I wouldn’t normally use it for due to the wider seam allowance it needs. I did manage a really awesome Two Zip Hipster and an Outta Time Tote, so I think we can get along for a while, which is good. Maybe I’ll get lucky and find a used one, or maybe Bernina would like a non-traditional ambassador. :) (They usually prefer quilters, fabric artists, and garment sewers, but I think bag making really gets taken to the next level on the 7 series! Hey, I can hope, right?)
What to look for:
More of the same style patterns: Detailed instructions that feel like sewing lessons. Functional bags that are fully thought out and tested. Clean designs that teach you helpful techniques. Finished linings that look as good on the inside as on the outside. Tutorials that you can refer to when making any bag. More cross body bags, diaper bags, wallets, medium size purses and totes, and lots of practical bags like messengers and duffles are all in my sketchbook.
More patterns with an emphasis on quick construction and/or inexpensive materials: Before the strictest part of the bedrest, I made it out to a couple sci-fi conventions and a craft show. Several booths had some awesome handmade stuff, and we chatted a bit about their markets. They need fast projects that don’t take a ton of feature fabric. Things like front flaps or panels made in Star Trek or Doctor Who fabric, with straps and main bodies made out of denim or canvas. No one could make a Daytripper in these pricey fabrics ($22/metre in Oz!) for less than $150. I saw several Zip and Go’s, which was incredible! But things like pencil cases, front zip pouches, wallets, baby bibs, and bow ties dominated. After bouncing ideas off group members, it’s clear you also want projects that can be made for gifts or craft shows without clearing your fabric shelf or wallet and taking up your entire weekend to cut and sew. The Outta Time Tote has been super popular, more than I ever would have thought, so I’ll be taking that lead with that and focusing on some simpler styles in between my usual process of inventing zipper installation methods on a monthly basis.
Tutorials… as mentioned above with the sew-along style tote, I’ll be posting some tutorials. I’m also going to explain how I made my zipper display board. As I dive into baby-sewing, who knows what we’ll get! And if you have any special requests, let me know!
Back burnered:
A new website. This was on my list for Q3 but it’s not happening. I know sometimes it’s not easy to navigate, but clicking Tutorials and Pattern Shop at the top should get you to most of what you need. I’m going to make as many minor changes as I can without a full redesign.
So, now that you’ve been updated…
I’m adjusting some of our prices!
If you haven’t heard… Canada, Australia, and a few other countries are being hit hard on their US Dollar exchange rates right now. Australia is at 70c and is expected to go to 60c. Just a year ago they were even. That means a $14USD pattern is currently $20AUD, and will go to $22AUD. To help a bit, I’ve bumped our $14 patterns down to $12, and lowered a few of the others as well. There is also a group discount right now if you join! Take a look in the PDF PATTERN SHOP!
Best ways to follow right now:
INSTAGRAM. I know not everyone has it, but it’s so easy and fast and it’s extremely interactive, so IG is almost always updated first.
The Facebook GROUP. Not only can you get answers right away from someone awake in your time zone, but the conversations are really encouraging and the bag pictures are inspiring! The most common question I’m asked that I recommend asking in the group is about modifying and re-sizing patterns. I haven’t made every mod or used every fabric combination, but I’m sure someone in the group has! We giggle at sewing memes and drool over someone’s zipper or fabric order. The best part is that you don’t need to wait for me to post, like on the Facebook PAGE, to interact. Someone will always tag me if I’m the only one who can help, like a question about an order. And Bob is there to cause trouble and get scolded by the girls for misbehaving. He’s also able to post updates or get a message to me and back to you, if for some reason I can’t do it myself.
Email me: I’m caught up now, yay! If you need anything, it’s erin@dogundermydesk.com. My phone pretty much never leaves my hand so if you’ve got my email address, you’ve got me. AOL has been spamming our pattern receipts containing download links, so I’m here if you need me to re-send or re-set your downloads. No problem, just let me know!
We will get back into updating everything regularly, but those are by far updated the most often (and probably always will be!)
Thank you for sticking by us in this extended hiatus!
Even though none of this is really new to me, it’s just good to see it all coming together and to know that things are improving for you. I’m glad you’re able to enjoy working on patterns, etc., again, even if just a little at a time. Keep doin’ what you’re doin’, because it seems to be working!
Hehe Yep, you groupies do get the most updates. Thank you! :) I thought fewer scans would make me more nervous but it’s kind of at ignorance is bliss level now. 2 more weeks until another scan so I’m just going to sew until then like everything will be fine!
Erin,
Congratulations for making it another day and week! Great to hear your positive attitude shining through. As a nurse who has taken care of many women with pregnancy difficulties I can tell you how you choose to deal with the everyday ups and downs makes a huge difference.
You are doing so well! Grow baby grow!
Pam
ps- love your blog and patterns!
Ahahaha awesome I made it sound like I’m coping. :) No seriously, thank you. I didn’t want to post until I kind of felt past the worst of the daily twinges sending me to the hospital. At this point I’m just to put up with them until my water breaks. Still stressful that I can’t sit forward at my desk without the kid sliding sideways and my nerve endings burning up, but anything is better than the NICU right?!?
So happy to hear all the latest news! Thank you for keeping us in the loop. Also thank you for your excellent patterns and tutorials which have helped give me the confidence to try new things and modify patterns to make them right for me. You are such an inspiration! Baby Gilbey is going to have an awesome mom (and dad!)
Susan :-)
Thank you Susan! More coming soon, I promise. :)
Hi Erin,
I’m so glad your doing a bit better now. I’ve just spent the last hour acting a bit stalker-ish and looking through your instagram account, but on the bight side, I might be able to help. You mentioned having trouble finding good baby and maternity patterns – a couple of weeks ago I found peek-a-boo patterns. They have loads of kids patterns and several of their women’s patterns have maternity add-ons, so you’d be able to use them after pregnancy too.
I hope the next 10 weeks and delivery go better than the last 30 have.
Totally checking that out now! I don’t have a stash of knits like I do with quilting cotton, but if I find the right pattern I’m sure I can find the right fabrics, too. Thanks!
They sell fabric too! And every Thursday they send a discount code for one of their patterns in the newsletter.
I’ve never been pregnant – but – from what I’ve been told you need to rest now as once the little one meets the outside world you won’t be able to get as much sleep as you’d like. So take a nap and then choose a date like Nov. 16 and write on your calendar thar you took a nap on Sept. 7th. I try to do something similar when I need to be working on a project. I’ll tell myself that next Tuesday I’ll appreciate the time I spent on the project today as I know what it feels like to be at Tuesday and wish I had spent more time last week doing some part that would be done if I had. Now I’m going back to my quilt.
I took a nap today! But he keeps me up all night already so I pretty much just collapse without meaning to. :)
Erin and Bob, I am so glad that you are doing well and that the baby is staying put. I am sorry you are having such a difficult pregnancy, it must take away some of the joy of becoming a parent. When you get to hold him for the first time, everything you have been going through will fade away.
I am part of the facebook group and a few of us were wondering if you have registered anywhere. I know some of us would like to do something for you, but I’m not really sure how to send you stuff. So, if there is anything you need want, or have a wish list on amazon, let us know and we can spread the word on the facebook group. I think were are all excited for you both!
Hi Deanna! Thank you so much. :) We did set up a registry but they are very different here, so it’s not as useful as I was hoping. I can give a few of you my address if you’d like, but international shipping is totally crazy, so I really just appreciate all of the happy thoughts!!
A great blog update. I so enjoy reading about your new Life so far away, your experiences and especially happy to hear that you’ve taken the doctors advice to rest. So many of us just enjoy seeing you on IG. Be well.
Hehe well I do, until I can’t stand it anymore. I got SO lucky that I do not have a doctor who insists on strict bedrest. I have very specific restrictions and can do whatever I like outside of that. So basically I can ride in the car and walk slowly to things. :D But I’m thankful that unlike some moms with the exact same problem, I’m allowed more than a 5 minute shower and stairs more than twice a day!
Wow, you really are having a tough time of it.
I’m going to be in Sydney for my nephew’s wedding the first couple of weeks of October. Is there anything you are absolutely desperate to have from here? I could throw it in my suitcase & get it to you sometime between 13-21 October.
Let me know. We have corresponded before – about the dogs. My son ended up moving back to Chicago (thank goodness) so his dogs never made it.
Good luck with all baby things.
Cindy Kuo
Ahh thank you! I might have to take you up on that, but will have to think about what I need! I guarantee it will be food related. Possibly pretzels. :)
I’m so happy the puppies didn’t have to go through the flight and quarantine. It’s changing here and I don’t think for the better, at least not for a little while. A visit for the humans sounds like a better plan!
HANG in there, i couldn’t imagine this BUT its for an awsome cause! good luck and let him cook longer!
Thank you! 31 weeks today. Just a few more to go and I can breathe… except he’s sitting on my lungs. Love the irony.
Congrats!! I am so happy for you! I am a little late reading this, so you are even closer to the homestretch now. My pregnancy went fine for the baby, but I was miserably sick the whole time. So while I can’t really speak as someone with a very difficult pregnancy, I can say that the day I gave birth I was cured of all that ailed me during pregnancy. Of course I had some new fun things, but I really didn’t care. I can also say that epidurals are magical things.
And now I am selfishly hoping to see a diaper bag pattern lol. My two year old still requires me to lug stuff around, so that is why I stopped by today… looking for a replacement bag for the one that is wearing out. And since I absolutely love the Two Zip Hipster and Essential Wristlet patterns, I thought I would take a look at your Take Off Tote and Day Tripper.
Best of luck! And stock up on cloth diapers to use as burp rags… they are the best. And you are gonna need them! The amount of goo that comes out of babies is mind boggling.
Catching up on the latest blog news….I’d read half of your post previously. It’s good to learn of the nuances of Oz life, sadly no mention of Koalas, Bilbies or Kangaroos. Will wait for the toddler edition there. ;-)
Honestly woman…. I feel guilty trying out and showing off new bags that aren’t yours. I’m going to bump up my list of untried others so when the boy is done cooking we can get back to the DUMD bags. ;-) We need that Bob Bag asap! I’ve gotten requests for these from the dudes that adore Magic on our Instagram feed. And a Waist bag! I can’t wait! (See I didn’t even use the F word there.)
Ok now listen to the doctor and make Bob do everything for you.
Love,
Ramona and Magic