Cinderella Sews

I recently cleaned out my boys' closets and was totally arrested in my progress by coming across their baby blankets, so in honor of the wonderful keepsake that is the baby blanket, I wrote this little piece to help me process. I hope you can relate if your babies are growing up and it offers you a pang of recognition.
Mama’s Heart StringsI sit here rummaging through toddler clothes, too small, too stained, being tossed into neglected piles bound for dish rags or to be donated to other children. Coming across you is different.
Your soft threads and dingy color do nothing but force me to bury my face in your familiar comfort. The sweet scent…is it there?
Yes. The unmistakable baby smell lingers as softly as catching honeysuckle on a breeze.
Maybe it’s not really there, but in this case, ignorance truly is bliss, and I am swept into a thousand memories.
I received you at my first baby shower, when I was still  me, before my heart was cleaved into two more beings. When my worries and exhau…

In addition to making some super sweet fabric mushrooms lately (the pattern is finally available here!), I've just posted a new video about how to do the Stem Stitch (your best friend for embroidering in cursive and doodly accents).

I can't help myself when choosing a quote to decorate my craft room or grace the front of zipper pouches--I like'em sassy! Or funny. Or ultra-sugary sweet--there is nothing in between, haha!

If you missed my "War Paint" make up bag (which features the stem stitch), you can find the free tutorial and pattern here.


But I'm getting ahead of myself, the MOST important and exciting thing I've been toiling away doing the last few weeks (besides last-minute summer travels and readying my 5 year old for Kindergarten) has been perfecting and photographing my Enchanted Mushrooms Pattern!

There is something about mushrooms--never mind they are symbols of, and oftentimes, harbingers of decay--I find them absolutely gorgeous.


Their struct…

Sew this sweet little deer softie to prepare for fall decorating! A few simple stitches and free pattern offers a meaningful and fun afternoon spent with kids!

Is there anything cuter than woodland creatures? Deer frolicking, hedgehogs burrowing, chipmunks and squirrels stashing their treasures, and mushrooms pushing through soft earth like frost-weather flowers decorating the forest floor are all reasons I love autumn!  

Living in the Deep South of the United States means that we don't get to enjoy a proper fall like the rest of the US, but what it does mean is an end to what feels like interminable heat!

Summer is more like winter for us, in that most vegetables won't grow because of the heat, animals are hiding and lazy trying to conserve their cooling capabilities, and the sun is blistering to the point of being dangerous for many skin types--not to mention the threat of tropical hurricanes!

When early October finally begins bringing cooler weather, it's how I imagine most…

Oh friends, do you ever go through periods of burnout? The wheel of life keeps turning, but sometimes you feel as though you'll be crushed under it if you stop? As someone who has experienced chronic anxiety her entire life, this is a regular occurrence in my mind.

This is when I chuck every project on my workbench out the window and start from scratch--or simply immerse myself in a personal project start-to-finish. The latter being the more common choice, as I hate to feel like time is wasted in scrapping projects!

I was working on my new Miss Tulip Fashion Essentials pattern yesterday, when I began reading the same sentence four times without being able to register what it said (editing is always such a bore, haha!), I decided a break was needed!



It's been a while since I've made a non-animal doll, so I decided to go for a regency Lizzie Bennet to keep me company on my sewing desk. Going out of town recently, I found a Jane Austen-inspired crochet book at a thrift store and…

**I'm taking a little break from writing about sewing today, since it is "Autistic Pride Day!" This article was originally published on my former blog and was also published on Scary Mommy. I've referenced my son and myself being on the spectrum in previous posts, so decided to repost this article for those who'd like to read our story! 

Current autism research in little girls is greatly limited. Separating the sexes in diagnostics and research is a burgeoning new field, meaning that current estimates of autism affecting 4:1 boys to girls, respectively, may be grossly out of date. After my son’s diagnosis, I began fiercely researching anything I could find about it, and have learned that I, myself, am autistic.

 This past summer, my son was diagnosed with autism. I knew he was different from the moment he was born, but every time I saw him do something “quirky,” I would tell myself (and everyone else), “Oh, that’s normal, he’s just like me. I did that.”

 He was the …