Boys' little bean tees!

After careful consideration, in depth market research & a multitude of samples...(ok, so I just did what I really wanted), the boys' little bean tee icons have been decided! And here they are:

Dino Tee: made from a re-purposed, distressed reverse twill & the new retro red dot fabric with the signature hand stitched detail.

Skull Tee: made from our best-selling boy fabric, the multi argyle with hand stitched detail.

Available online now: www.allthingsbean.com/littlebean

Our winners of their own little bean tees are Elizabeth & Cynthia. Please contact me at: info@allthingsbean.com to choose your size & icon.

Thanks for all your ideas both on the blog & facebook!

Designer's Pick - New Fall Fabrics

I'm so excited about these fabrics, I couldn't wait until the product was done to show them to you! So, here they are - the new Fall fabrics for baby & little bean.

Now, my hands down favorite is the retro brown floral on the top left, but I'm betting money that the ivory exploded tile below it will be the new best-seller for girls. And I love the retro red dot for boys. (Look for that one in the little bean boys' tees, along with some cool distressed, re-purposed fabrics).

We also have the pink & brown filigree (which I think is a beautiful, classic girl pattern), the black & white geo (I have certain customers in mind for this one, and could be persuaded to make it in girl's as well), the turq oval (this one is super cool if you dare) and finally, the new jungle neutral (I love this & already bought into the fabric big time)! The only question is - which is your favorite?

Girls' little bean tees are here!

School is starting, Fall is in the air (ok - maybe not just yet) & the long sleeve, little bean tees are here for girls! We have found the softest jersey & appliqued them with our most popular fabrics. There's a variation on the baby bean flower as well as a butterfly option. These come in sizes 12-18, 18-24, 2T & 3T. (Note - these make great big sister gifts)!

Now, the question is, what should we do for the boys? Post your ideas here & if we go forward with your suggestion, you'll receive a free tee for your little bean! (Remember, icons that are identifiable in silhouette & are relatively simple make the best appliques).

http://www.allthingsbean.com/index2.php#/gallery1/2/

Hey Kermit - it's easy being green

You may dig your heels in on this, but I promise - once you get started, you'll find yourself cringing when you have to throw away a can or buy an "unfriendly" product. (I've been known to carry trash home to recycle it & this is no easy task for us. We have to drive ours 10 miles to a center). I was bitten by the green bug in 2nd grade when I saw a show on PBS about the trash we bury seeping harmful chemicals into our water & killing wildlife. I promptly wrote an editorial to the local paper imploring people to do their part. The passion has grown since then & I've tried to reduce my footprint with things like collecting the office paper at my last job, to using cloth diapers & natural cleaning products in our home.

So, what does any of this have to do with all things bean? Well, I've found the most fun way of being environmental yet. The green bean line. In addition to the things we do as a company (see http://www.allthingsbean.com/index2.php#/info1/2/), now it's part of fashion! While on vacation last week in beautiful Silverton CO, I happened upon a wonderful antique store, Adelaide's. There I nabbed the latest piece for the Fall green bean line - a vintage floral feed sack, circa 1930. (Look for it soon on the website & on facebook when the season launches). This & other finds will be re-purposed in appliques.

Finally - my challenge to you. Choose one aspect of your life & modify it to be a little more green. Here are some quick ideas:

• Switch out your disposable water bottles for a re-usable one. (I personally like the camelbaks with a flip spout & I tend to drink more water this way).
• Wash clothes in cold water - unless you use cloth diapers & then, please, wash those in hot!
• Keep the windows open & fans going all nite & then close up the house in the morning. You'll prolong the amount of time before you need to turn on the a/c.
• Recycle! This is easy - most items can be mixed together now & it's free to drop things at many locations. Google recycling drop off in your area.
• Try switching just a couple of your "normal" cleaning products to greener options - Seventh Generation, Method & Clorox Green Works are all pretty good options & they work.

Feel free to add your suggestions too. In the meantime, I'll be looking for a compost system for my deck & more vintage & re-purposed fabrics for the green bean line.

Take care!
all things bean

holy technology

i know you can all feel me on this one. don't you have days where you feel like the technology that is supposedly saving us all this time while connecting us to countless resources, simply makes you want to tear your hair out? as my dear yuma yoga friend said, "It's time to take out the pen & paper."

i think i have spent a bulk of my "work" hours this week navigating the various websites connected to the business, checking/learning/editing/responding/fixing & generally babysitting them! i need a time out from my laptop, my desktop, my phone, my printer, my scanner. please. i think i'll just go down to the studio & sew.

a how-to from a little lady who loves her jeans

hello ladies (& men if you like),

i must deviate from the expected bean topics to toss out this tidbit on jeans & how-to (or not to) shorten them!

i was at a favorite consignment store this week when i happened upon the most beautiful pair of 7 jeans, A pockets. (if i've lost you, bear with me)....in my size. at a good price. in great shape. i had to have them.

upon returning home i got right to work on hemming them (because i have to hem everything) and discovered that someone already had - but not the "right" way.

ouch.
now, if you look at your jeans, you'll notice that they are hemmed before any of the washing or distressing takes place. thus, the hems of your jeans get washed & worn a bit. when you cut this off to hem them, it destroys the character of the jean! what you end up with is a veeerrry clean edge & probably some uneven stitching in a thread color that is not quite right.

so, what you want to do is this:
put your new treasures on & turn up the material inside the leg, leaving the original hem where you would like it to fall, below the ankle. pin & take them off. then measure to make sure you have a consistent amount all the way around. now turn them inside out & stitch, just below the original stitch line. then tack that extra fabric to the seams (with a hand stitch on the inside).

voila! you have beautifully hemmed jeans & no one can see any stitching. the original hem is intact.

if this is all too much, simply take your jeans to a tailor & tell them to "keep the original hem". but please, please whatever you do, don't create the jean faux pas & cut them off clean!

thank-you.

(i would like to dedicate this blog to the ladies of tommy hilfiger - at least they were at the time. without their guidance, i might have created numerous crimes against beautiful jeans).

Highlands Street Fair

Hello & welcome to the all things bean blog!
Thank-you to everyone who came out & supported us at the Highlands Street Fair. We had a wonderful time meeting each of you. Please visit our new website & email if there is anything we can do for you.

www.allthingsbean.com
info@allthingsbean.com