Helping Jason & Anna announce their BIG NEWS!

Mid-March I got an email from my good friend Anna. She said she and Jason wanted to commission me for a project, and that they wanted to Skype (talk via webcam) to give me the details. She was curious how busy I was and said there was no rush. Even with that statement, I got pretty suspicious as to what would be so important they would want to see my face instead of talking on the phone, but I kept my thoughts to myself. The evening of Easter Sunday we finally connected, and I was the first to learn their secret news -- they are expecting their first child!!!
They wanted me to help deliver the news to their family. They had design ideas in mind to stitch out on onesies and mail to parents, siblings and grandparents. Because of his Irish heritage, Jason wanted to use some Gaelic text. We worked for a few days to finalize the overall design, and then I got to stitching!

Jason had already picked the Gaelic phrase "Ag teacht gan mhoill" which means "coming soon". We used Embird Alphabet #37 which has a nice Celtic look to it. Jason also found the beautiful shamrock at Stitchery Mall. They picked the thread colors to follow Ireland's flag. I thought it also made a very gender-neutral design!

This is the biggest design I have put on a onesie thus far. Since it took 30 minutes to stitch out, and I had to do it eight times, I decided after the first one to open a side seam to make it easier to hoop. That was a good choice. Even though it took more time to rip a seam open and re-stitch it, it meant I didn't have to hold each onesie open for the 30 minutes it stitched out. I still had to babysit my machine, but could do some work on my laptop at the same time.

This was such a fun project. I rushed to get it completed, and by the next Sunday evening they were packaged up. I shipped them off to Jason and Anna, who re-shipped them to family upon arrival. Now their family knows and they have shared their news with other close friends. It's finally public knowledge and I can share my tiny part in their new adventure!!
So CONGRATULATIONS Jason and Anna! I'm sad that I can't be there to congratulate you in person and watch your family grow. But thanks for entrusting me with your secret. It was an honor!