RoyalBottoms

Getting Ready for Baby Part II

2010-01-06T14:36:00.000-08:00

Another fun Malabrigo project.

Getting Ready for Baby

2009-12-28T20:31:00.000-08:00

With the holiday craze behind me I started working on baby stuff for our own bundle of joy coming in January.
This set is made with a gorgeous cherry red Malabrigo merino yarn. Very soft and cuddly.

Hooded Sweater

2009-12-10T20:42:00.000-08:00

This was a fun weekend project, I combined Cestari's Thistle Pod solid colorway with one of my own hand dyed yarns. The sweater is really warm and cozy and Elliot loves it.

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12 Days of Christmas

2009-11-12T16:47:00.000-08:00

The congo I belong to is getting ready for the holidays with a very special 12 day stocking ending on Thanksgiving. I have a few very special hand knit sets I'm going to be listing.

First is a Cestari and BFL mix kimono and longies set. The sweater is a Mosaic Moon Pixie Dust colorway on BFL, and the longies are a Cestari solid black.

The other set is a newborn combination of longies, hat, and a matching reversible organic bamboo velour top.

I've got babies on my mind

2009-10-10T20:53:00.000-07:00

With January peeking just around the corner I've had a lot of newborn knitting on my mind. Here are a few of my latest projects.

Knee Patch Longies

2009-09-14T20:01:00.000-07:00

Finished up another set this afternoon.

This is one of my own colorways, Fernwood on cestari. I added the knee patches for added durability in a stop that can be a weak spot, especially for crawlers and toddlers.
Comes with a matching American Apparel shirt with owl applique.

Every good pair of pants needs a dress

2009-09-14T20:00:00.000-07:00

I felt the pants needed something more... So I made a little matching dress.

Birthday Girl

2009-09-05T15:25:00.000-07:00

I took a little break over the summer, mostly focusing on knitting my own newborn stash (pictures soon), learning how to dye interlock, and just enjoying the amazing weather!

I have to admit, I think I have outdone myself this time. I was thinking what to do with some of the yarn I have sitting around here and this is what came out of it.
Black fine merino cestari, with Mosaic Moon's Birthday Girl ruffles and hand embroidered flowers.

Dyeing Cestari for the First Time

2009-06-05T12:50:00.000-07:00

My big bag of wool finally came in and I got right on dyeing some new colorways I've been thinking of. Cestari is becoming one of my favorite wools to work with. It is perfect for kids and babies, durable, soft, and thick; what's there not to love!

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Rainbow Fun Skirtie

2009-05-14T19:48:00.000-07:00

Well the skirtie is almost done, but I just couldn't wait and had to take pictures of the work in progress. I love how the yarn turned out.

A time to dye

2009-05-05T20:59:00.001-07:00

I am really excited about my new hobby. I really hope I can perfect my dyeing skills and expand the offerings of Royal Bottoms.

Red white and blue, and a little brown too!

Rainbow fun

Cestari Love

2009-05-01T20:55:00.000-07:00

Cestari is my new favorite yarn to work with. It is so soft, and non scratchy. Perfect for little kids. The yarn is minimally processed and is made from humanely raised sheep in the USA.

Birthday Girl

2009-04-02T13:53:00.000-07:00

Birthday Girl colorway on BFL. How I wish I had a little girl!

Yarn Love

2009-03-24T20:52:00.000-07:00

Picked up my first batch of Mosaic Moon yarn. It is to die for!

Halter Dress

2009-03-12T23:45:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about this creation. I knit this dress without a pattern and it came out gorgeous! The waist band features a linen stitch with a drawstring waist and a drawstring halter. The yarn is the same as the one used for the fire girl longies. One day I hope to write up a real pattern for this dress.

Back detail

Shabby Chic

2009-03-05T19:20:00.000-08:00

A gorgeous spring set, made from Cherry Tart's hand spun and hand dyed yarn. I really like the flower detail on the drawstrings.

Flower detail

2009-02-25T14:34:00.000-08:00

A fun color combination I had custom dyed just for me. I was hoping for the orange to be more red, but its still very happy and vibrant.

Something new & fun

2009-02-15T20:30:00.000-08:00

I decided to try out a new pattern to create a really cute and delicate wave pattern for pants and capris. I think its a great half-way between plain seed-stitched bottoms and ruffles which some feel are "too much".

Rainbow Fun

2009-01-28T14:37:00.000-08:00

I had a lot of fun knitting these capris for miss Lydia. I also listed a custom size slot at my store.

String is adjustable, for example here it is loose on left leg and tightened on right

Chevron detail

Sweet Valentine

2009-01-14T18:40:00.000-08:00

My first shot at knitting a dress. The pattern is 100% original. I hope to do some lace work for the next dress that I make.
100% Peruvian kettle-dyed wool, single-ply, amazingly soft

We are a year old!

2009-01-10T19:57:00.001-08:00

I can't believe I missed my own birthday! I filed for a business license on 12/31/2007.

Fire Girl

2009-01-10T19:50:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to buy local, and that means scouting every yarn shop in town (and we have plenty)
I was able to buy yarn that was all dyed locally!
These are by far my favorite longies to date, the color combination makes me think of the fiery planet Jupiter. This 4-ply superwash merino was hand dyed by a local artisan, the yarn is very soft yet sturdy. The colors range from dark brown, to light brown, yellow, orange, pink, salmon, and burgundy.

Boxing Day

2008-12-25T13:54:00.000-08:00

I did some stalking today and snagged this super soft BFL in a rainbow colorway. I can't wait to get started on it.

The Portland Hat

2008-12-10T19:45:00.000-08:00

Bright colors that will warm up the dreariest of mornings in a beautiful Northern Lights colorway. The rolled hem has great size flexibility, and will fit heads 17-22" in circumference. The fleece lining is hand sewn and ensures softness and extra warmth around your child's head.

Scrappy Hat

2008-11-12T19:50:00.000-08:00

Something quick I knit up on a free afternoon.

Pacific Longies & Hat

2008-11-10T19:37:00.000-08:00

I am in love with this yarn. It is single-ply, hand spun and hand dyed. The color combination is gorgeous, thank you Kristie for making this!

I found a new addiction

2008-10-10T19:32:00.000-07:00

With the cooler weather, and long dark evenings I pulled out my box of yarn and dusted off my needles. I have been getting more efficient at sewing and getting orders out the door that now I have a bit of time to sit down and knit.
I have been knitting for a very long time, for as long as I can remember. Knitting is my meditation.
Here's the set I just finished up for Elliot. He wasn't cooperating with the camera unfortunately.

MIA update

2008-09-01T22:29:00.000-07:00

Well the past month was a whirlwind of events. First my husband got a job offer, quit his old job, and took a 3 week break. We went backpacking, and visited our favorite places around Oregon. Needless to say I did not get much work done. But with our routine back in order I was able to start making new things for the upcoming fall and holiday season.

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. So I have been working hard on different themes for appliqué. One of my favorites is the black cat.

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I have also been working on a collaboration project with the rest of the gals on our congo. We are going with an elephant theme for our mid-September stocking. I don't have the images on hand, but I am making some very cute pink, green and grey elephants.

Shorties are now live

2008-07-23T13:19:00.000-07:00

Well sort of... The congo has been stocked but I haven't had the time to stock Royal Bottoms yet.

Here is my favorite action shot!

My latest find

2008-07-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

Just when I thought I wasn't going to be buying fabric for a while the local store just had to run a 40% off sale! And of course I had to stumble upon the cutest fabric in the whole world. It is from the Alexander Henry collection, and is called Juicy Jungle, how can you go wrong with a name like that.

I was very excited to put the fabric to good use and make a custom order. I apolgoize for image quality.

This is a double sided back, one compartment for clean diapers and one for dirty. It even has a pocket for a spray bottle.

Inside of the bag is a matching striped fabric.

Growing up Green

2008-07-09T13:18:00.000-07:00

Check out this amazing collaboration of some very crafty women. It all started as a random thread on a message board, but it grew into a whole community and a new idea was born. We started Growing up Green a congo on Hyena Cart, specializing in hand made items for mom and baby.

Fabric Galore

2008-06-27T13:21:00.000-07:00

I took a trip to the fabric store, and we all know what that means!

Mod Flowers

Dainty Damask

Ginger Blossom in Lime

Sock Monkeys

Show off your red, white & blue

2008-06-15T13:25:00.000-07:00

Just in time for the 4th of July, a start spangled banner theme wetbag collection. Red, white and blue starts on a navy background. A few silver stars add sparkle to the mix.

Big Hit!

2008-06-05T10:39:00.000-07:00

The owl fabric is a huge hit!

I am making six more bags, hoping to have them finished tomorrow.

The shorties are going really well, I have quite a few pieces cut out and finished. Still afraid of making the plunge, I want to order some sweet Maiden Mills fleece but the upfront cost is pretty high.

I have been playing with some wool as well, I bought lots of really nice used sweaters and make shorties and wraps. Here's Elliot showing off the latest design.

Royal Bottoms is now local!

2008-05-23T15:02:00.000-07:00

We dropped off our first order at Zoom Baby Gear http://www.zoombabygear.com/ When you're in the neighborhood you should check the store out. The collection of diapers, covers and accessories is incredible. We left with a few organic bamboo flats and a hemp fitted.

More Fabric

2008-05-10T14:59:00.000-07:00

The flow of fabric is never ending around here. Two new prints are joining the family. The Orchid Feeling Groovy, and the Earth Groovy.

One lucky mama will be getting this bag in just a few days.

Shorties

2008-05-01T15:04:00.000-07:00

I'm always working on new ideas. Recently I became enthralled with fleece, I made quite a few pairs and sent them out to test mamas. I really hope I can get my pattern right and start carrying them at my shop. Shorties are a lot of fun, especially in the summer. Elliot wears them right over his diaper, the thick fleece works wonders at keeping moisture in. And the best part is that I don't have to worry about putting pants on him. I envision matching shorties, embellished prefolds and tees.

The obligatory baby in shorties shot

Labels are here!

2008-04-25T15:51:00.000-07:00

Things are slowly coming together. I finally decided to take the plunge an order labels. I am very excited about the quality, they look really great. Should have finished product photos soon. Now on to sewing them and making a large stocking.

bumGenius order

2008-04-20T15:52:00.001-07:00

Placed my first wholesale order with CottonBabies. Cannot wait to get my first case of diapers.

Fabric Fabric Everywhere

2008-04-04T20:59:00.001-07:00

Scored an excellent deal on sherpa. The super awesome wipes are going to be even better now!
A friend dropped off some fabric leftovers from her projects. Specifically there is a jungle & safari flannel print. I see some limited edition wipes in the future.

BumGenius here we come!

2008-04-02T19:48:00.000-07:00

After several weeks of waiting to find out the status of my wholesale account I finally got the exciting news that RoyalBottoms has been approved for wholesale purchases. I was literally jumping up and down as I ran down the hall to tell my husband the news.

Major Fabric Purchase

2008-03-15T20:14:00.000-07:00

I made a large fabric purchase today. I am so excited about the new prints. Here's a snapshot of some of the fabric I got. I am starting to develop a minor fabric addiction. Now off to start sewing!

First Purchase

2008-02-27T18:20:00.000-08:00

I am tickled pink. Within a few days of going live I have already filled several orders. Now the waiting game begins, I cannot wait for customer feedback.

Website Design

2008-02-17T20:18:00.000-08:00

Zen-cart is up and running. I am learning PHP and web design as I'm getting my site off the ground. Slowly but surely www.RoyalBottoms.com is becoming a reality

Liftoff

2007-12-31T10:18:00.000-08:00

Well things are now official. I just got an email back from the state of Oregon to let me know that we are registered and everything is done! I could not be more excited. I have thought of starting my own business as far back as 2002 so I am thrilled to be here.