Back To School: Sneak Peek

Wow, it's been a while! We went out of town to visit family for Fourth of July festivities, and when we got back we were immediately swamped with activities, laundry, work, and everything else that goes along with taking a week-long vacation. You all know the feeling, that you need a vacation from your vacation. Today is the first chance I've had to sit and write about what I've been working on for fall and I feel almost guilty that I'm not spending this time sewing up inventory. Oh, and my kids are arguing about something in the next room. Le sigh.

A quick glimpse of our Fourth of July fun:

My daughter turns 6 at the end of this month, so when my family gathers for the Fourth, we celebrate her birthday. This year she requested a rainbow cake, and my sister (who should be a professional baker) helped me make a beautiful cake. It was 12 layers and over a foot tall. It seems unnecessary to say it, but this was a win.

Dylan and I also found a chance to ferry over to Lopez Island and have a nice bike ride, just the two of us. He always makes that face when I try to take our picture. More details about biking in the San Juan Islands here.

Of course there were fireworks, and beautiful moonrises, and cousins. 

What's been going on in the shop since then? Last week I drafted and tested the pattern for two new items. They're both t-shirts (made from the softest rayon jersey I've ever handled) with shoulder yokes. The real star for both of these shirts will be the yoke fabrics; I like the juxtaposition of a simple design and a really spectacular fabric. You can see the sample I whipped up for one of the tees on the left below. The green fabric will be used in the final, but the yoke is just a scrap of Liberty of London floral I had stashed away. The final pattern was altered slightly from the sample (that's the point, right?) but you can get the general idea. The second tee will look a bit different, and I didn't make a sample, so you'll have to wait for the big reveal.

I'll leave you with a sneak peek of the two very special fabrics that will be used for the tees. They are from Art Gallery fabrics, one of my favorite sources for stunningly beautiful fabric. Join the Gee Betty Designs mailing list to be the first to know when our Back To School line is out, and to receive special offers throughout the year!