Double Proud

So about a month ago I was standing in Craft Warehouse, looking through their Christmas fabrics and trying to determine how much I needed to make pajama pants for three little boys. {I had to borrow the pattern from a friend, and I didn't have it yet.} As I unrolled the bolts of Dr. Seuss fabric for Rog's pants and found the perfect print from Moda to go on my honey jars, I looked up on the shelf and saw this book:

I had a major moment of happy pride. My friend, Danielle, is published in this book. I had seen it on her blog before but had never actually thumbed through the book before. It was so fun to see her handiwork published! I felt like shouting at the old lady browsing the embroidery thread, "Hey! This is my friend! Look at this! My friend is published!"

About five minutes later, while I was having my fabric cut, a woman came up to me and asked, "Did you make your bag? It's gorgeous!" My heart swelled with pride again as I replied, "Yes, I did!" And here's why: I am not a seamstress. I love fabric. I love the feel, the color, and the endless possibilities. But I am a total novice. My lines are skeewampus, I don't know the proper terminology for most anything, and the projects I normally take on are insanely easy. This bag (which I tackled right before Carter was born) is my pride and joy. It was the first project I've done with a pattern almost by myself (I had help from my friend, Lisa, and my mom and m-i-l!). So, it's kind of like the first time I made real frosting for cupcakes (on Blaine's first birthday). A huge accomplishment and a new world. So after I directed the complimentary woman to the patterns in the store (Amy Butler's birdie sling), I felt like shouting to the old lady looking at embroidery thread once again: "I made this! Did you hear that?! Me! Little ol' me! I did it!"

So now I get to be triple proud. (Don't worry. I messed up on these really badly so it's totally not going to my head.) Here are the pjs I made for the boys. They got to open them up on Christmas Eve. It was so darling watching them race down the stairs, sleepy-eyed on Christmas morning, in their white T's and homemade pants.
Rog got the Grinch because no one loves the Grinch more than Rog.
Blaine and Carts (the twins that they are) got matching sock monkeys.
The best part was how they squealed and jumped and hugged me as they ripped the packages open. To be honest, after all that work, I would have been crushed if they hadn't reacted excitedly (and I may or may not have communicated that to them as I handed them their gifts that night!).

So now I'm ready to shout again, "Hey, embroidery lady, look at me! I made these pants! All by myself!"