babies everywhere!

Somehow it seems like pregnancies come in groups, and this time I have a group of ladies I can sew for, but am not pregnant/with newborn myself! It's actually really exciting and I had a grand time figuring out what to make these growing families. I am just going to round up all the gifts I made for these two special families in one post since most are doubles anyway.

To begin with, each gets a quilt. One is the cat quilt which I already posted about, and the other is getting my cascade quilt since she mentioned loving it, so obviously that is the largest part of the gift. I then made each babe a rattle out of an awesome stripe jersey knit, a teething ring, and a hooded towel. The rattle is from simple sewing for baby, in case you were wondering, and my only issue with it is that it is not washable....and I strongly believe anything for a baby should be washable, particularly if it is to go in their mouth, but oh well. Also, I think hooded towels are my favorite to make. They are so cute and so useful and quite honestly, most of the ones in the stores stink. I know I love the ones I made my little and she is still using them.

One package got robot burp cloths (which go with their very loose theme) and an open wide zip pouch and matching key fob, which incidentally is the first thing I made for this friend and when I was going to get her address to mail it, found out she was expecting.

The other got the most awesome little baby vest! Seriously, almost makes me wish I'd had a boy. This vest is from the pattern parcel that I mentioned last week, and I think it will just fit their style perfectly. I made the 6-12 month size in gray corduroy with a voile lining and it is just the cutest. I decided against real pockets and the back tie since it is for such a little guy.

That wraps up the baby stuff I have been working on. I hope the parents and their little people love them and get a lot of use out of them. Isn't that what we all wish? To know our things are used and loved? Now I am just trying to get a bunch of things done before I start my next big project late next week. I am really hoping to finish my sweater, make good progress on the baby's first year book, start organizing and making my planner for next year, finish a quilt, cut a bunch of fabric, and maybe work on another quilt. I don't know how much will actually get done, but I guess it's better to dream big :)

birthday outfit time!

So, my baby turns one this week. One of the many bittersweet milestones of motherhood, I suppose. It is so hard to believe that a year ago, she was about to come into this world, a squidgy little blob and now I have a little being who is trying to talk, close to walking, and is just so darn aware and intelligent. I am so proud of what she is becoming, but I still miss her little baby self. Naturally, this called for a new mama-made outfit.

I decided against a dress since crawling is still our primary mode of transportation these days, and opted for a cute little shirt and shorts combo. The top is a shortened piece of cake dress, and the shorts are a pair of bubble shorts. I am actually kind of surprised both pieces were things I've made before, but I am happy with the choices.

The top is the 12 month size again, which fits fine in this style, and I just cut at the 0-3 month size to make it a shirt. I have had this AMH print for a while, knowing it would be part of the birthday ensemble, and I used some leftover bias binding to finish the neck. This is such a cute, easy pattern, I wish it went up to higher sizes so I could make more! Thankfully, this should be pretty wearable and will look just as cute with some leggings or jeans and a sweater when it cools off.

The shorts are an 18 month size, and despite the fact that she is wearing that size in a lot of things at this point, these are a bit big. Wearable, but big. Sadly, I doubt they will fit by next summer, so she'll just have to wear them near constantly for the next month or two until it gets cold. The fabric is actually an old curtain that someone was getting rid of. I have lots left and will probably make them each another pair next summer. The high contrast of the white thread was a little nerve-wracking since mistakes are so, so obvious, but I love it. The button is non-functional since it really didn't seem necessary, and I also made them a bit less bubbly by trimming off about an inch on each side and left off the pockets.

I think she'll look really super cute in this little outfit for her party. Both sets of grandparents will be here this weekend to shower her with love and play whatever her 1-year-old heart desires, which should be lovely. Next week, when all is quiet once again, it will be time to regroup and figure out what is left to be done; I am starting to feel a bit lost again. I got quite a few things off the list, some of which I will be showing soon, but it somehow still feels like there is an awfully long way to go.

a few tiny things

I have rediscovered my love of sewing things for tiny people! I mainly sew for the bigger one since the little has the hand-me-downs, but recently I have been making more for the tiny one and it is so much fun! So rewarding and she can't have an opinion about it yet, so it's much easier :) I can't believe that she will be a year old in a few weeks! More than that, I can't believe I am making her 18 month clothes! Still, her strong opinions will be coming soon so I better enjoy it while it lasts.

Right before we went on vacation we decided to do family pictures with my entire family while we were there. And since we were the only ones traveling, we got to pick our outfits first. I am proud to say that we wore 3/4 mama made clothes! I wore my peasant dress, the bigger one wore her birthday dress and I decided to make the tiny one a shirt. I really would have made a dress, but they get in the way of her crawling so I went with a tunic length roller skate dress. I used a peppered cotton for the outer and a purple gingham for the lining. It's finished off with a little bit of pink ribbon for the button loop and a black button. I really love how it turned out, actually. I would have used the fabric for a shirt for me if I'd had enough, it's so soft, but I guess I'll just have to get more (oh darn...).

She also needed some jammies. She just outgrows the feety ones so quickly, and since she is now in my pattern sizes, I made her a pair of alex and annas winter pjs. I made her the 18 month size which is still a bit big, but I am sure she will grow into them soon enough. I used the serger for these almost entirely and it made quick work of them. It is a pretty simple pattern that comes together quickly. And man does she look cute in her mama made jammies!

Now that those are done, I am trying to convince myself to work on some other things that need attention. Of course, I am pretty easily distracted at the moment, but I do almost have a quilt quilted, so that's something. I really need to sit down and make a list and organize myself for what is to come, so hopefully I'll find some time for that soon.

in action

Hey! It's been a while. Between traveling and sickness close behind, I have just not found the time to be in this space. I am hoping we are past the worst and will start getting better soon, but woah, mama and two little girls all sick at the same time, not so good. I am actually finished my cross stitch now and just need to get it all framed up and then I can share that, which means that pretty soon I will start knitting my sweater (!!!) and I am pretty excited. I also have a few smaller things to sew, some cut and others ready to be cut, so things should start picking up soon.

In the meantime, I thought I would share a couple of action shots of the clothes I made for the girlies recently. Each of them wore their little dress on the big ones birthday and looked just fantastic. The baby had a bit of a problem crawling with it in the way, so I guess no more dresses until we've moved on to walking. Also, the babe is blurry because she is almost always blurry in pictures, what with always being on the move. Anyway, here they are!

With any luck, I'll be back soon with some pretty things :)

sweet baby wrap sweater {a first}

Lately, I have been a little obsessed with always having a hand project going on that I can work on while on the couch or bed or wherever I happen to be relaxing with the people I love. I really dislike EPP, so mostly it's been knitting lately (although the current is a cross stitch, more on that another day).

I decided before she was born that the babe needed a sweater. Keep in mind I have never knit a sweater before, but clearly that is beside the point. I have had this book, Easy Baby Knits, for a long time and have made a couple things out of it, but until now, I hadn't gotten brave enough to try a sweater. Let me just say, I think knitting sweaters is scary, a fear I am very hopeful of conquering this year. All that work and it has to end up actually fitting someone! But anyway, I had this yarn that I had gotten from my dad and it seems a perfect match for the wrap top pattern in the book. I had enough to make the 18-24 month size, which will hopefully fit this fall. It was a lot of firsts for me and I am proud that I made it and that it looks like it is supposed to. It only took me a little over a month, which is making pretty good time for me, especially considering this has been waiting to be made for....at least 10 months I think and I had to change the size so it would be for this year instead of last haha. If you want more info, it's on my ravelry page.

With that done, the next knitting item is a sweater for me. Pattern and yarn are already on hand and I am just trying to get this cross stitch done, and hopefully I can join in with the summer sweater knit along at Very Shannon. I doubt I'll get it done in their time frame, but it would be so nice to have a handmade sweater to wear this fall/winter. Anyway, that's my knitting news. Next time: quilting news!!

sweet little piece of cake

I know, I know, a second day in a row! Don't die of shock or anything haha! I just whipped up this little dress for the babe and I had to share it real quick.

When Anna Maria Horner released this sweet (and free) little dress pattern, I knew I had to make one! And since we are pushing the size limit around here, I figured it had better be sooner rather than later. And really, doesn't a little sister deserve a cute little dress to wear for her big sisters birthday too? Am I justifying a bit too much?

Anyway, I used this plaid shirting because it's light and summery and I had it. To avoid cutting what I had left of the fabric on the bias to make the bias tape, I used some that I had leftover, from some piping I think, which was perfect and a nice little detail inside. Super easy pattern, came together in like an hour, and so stinking adorable. I still have to get pictures of it on the model, but that's alright, I will get a chance to try eventually.

And now, happy weekend! Next week, I will finally be able to share the big things I've been working on and I.can't.wait!

sleepy sack

I kind of wish I was here to show you a finished pony club top. Instead, I got stuck on cornerstones and am doing various other smaller things in avoidance. So there's that. I still can't decide between the safe choice (crosshatch) and the more bold choice (dots). I tend toward bold but instagram seems to be trending toward safe. So I continue to debate and ponder and work on other things. I am about halfway done knitting my next project so I'll share my progress on that soon, and I am hard at work designing myself some new knitting needle cases, but for now, a near win.

As the weather warms and the nights aren't so cold, we were in need of some cooler sleep sacks for the little. The long sleeved fleece was a bit much and since it is just about outgrown, we needed something else. We had one aden and anias muslin sleep sack and while I loved it, it was ripping all over.

Since we had a couple muslin swaddling blankets, I decided to have a go at making a new one. I opted for a double layer so it's a bit warmer but still pretty cool, and I kept the construction pretty much the same. I put in the zipper (reused from the original) and then treated the double layers as single layers to put the rest together. It was pretty simple and came together nicely. I made it a bit too big though when I traced it since it really didn't need seam allowances with the bound edges, and somehow my pieces ended up a little wide. Maybe I stretched it too much while I was tracing?? I ended up going back and putting a huge pleat in the back so she doesn't wiggle out of it at night. The neckline is just huge, as you can plainly see haha.

My other problem is the thinness of the muslin. Now if I had been thinking, I would have serged the entire main edge with all the layers together and then bound that, but I wasn't so instead I just bound it and have already had to go zigzag the entire thing to keep it together. The neck and arm holes were just fine, I guess the extra layers were a bit much. It does make a nice sleep sack that I kind of wish I could wear, but we'll see how it holds up over washing and all that. If it holds up it should fit through the summer I think, so that's good. Can't win them all I suppose, but it was a nice attempt at at least it only took a couple hours.  And maybe at some point I'll try again knowing what I know now.


So, that's what I've got today. And one of these days I will really get the chance to go have someone take pictures of me in the clothes I've been making recently. At least I plan to. I hope. Maybe this weekend?? If I keep it up, my knitting will be finished before you see it. So far it is shaping up to be an awesome finish! Have a good weekend everyone!

serge all the things!

Alright, let's try this again. New week. Unfortunately we had to say goodbye to our cat on Friday and while we are terribly upset about it (he was my first baby! I have he pictures to prove it!) at least there is no question mark hanging over us anymore and he is not suffering. We are still not sleeping just yet, but we are, I think, on the right path and I have hope. Maybe just a sliver, but I have it. So I am just going to take that and run with it.

In an effort to distract myself this weekend, I finally got out one of my gifts from this past Christmas - a serger! I had been wanting one for ages and now that I have learned how to thread it and got it up and running, I love it! No kidding, this thing is awesome and makes finishing edges so much easier!

Obviously, I had to get going with this so I made something that has been on my list for a little while, a beach robe for the baby! I had been saving this old towel wrap, waiting for something that I could make out of it's limited fabric and finally, this was it. I used the pattern from Made and made the small 9-18 month size, short sleeve with partial ties. I barely had enough fabric, but I made it work. A couple packs of bias tape, a touch of zebra, and voila! I am so in love with it that I wish it was my size! And even though the towel is a bit worn, it now has a good second life. And finishing the edges with the serger was so much better than the zigzag. In case you were wondering, it does fit her and looks stinking adorable, but I had a pretty uncooperative model. Seriously, going to be the cutest baby on the beach! I can't wait!

Also, I have been working on a big kid wardrobe. I have so many things in the works; some dresses, a couple skirts, shorts, pjs, shirts....we really went through and got it all going. And this is part 1, I still have to figure out the knit things but I should be back with some of that soon. A bit of crochet even happened and I am done one more color, so only 2 colors (10 blocks) left to go! The end is in sight!!! Here's hoping for a better week!

Bend the rules sewing

Have you ever read Bend-The-Rules Sewing? It is one of the first sewing books I ever bought and I have probably made more projects from this book then from any other at this point (Liberty Love is catching up!). It's just got some cute/quirky/simple projects that I happen to love. And recently I got it out again and made two more projects from it.

First up, I made an art smock. I don't know how I hadn't thought to make her one before, but I decided it was time. It is a super simple pattern, only one piece, and it is simply bound with bias tape on the edges to finish it off, leaving long tails for tying on the top edge. It really took no time at all and is just so cute! I left out the pocket since I was feeling lazy and don't think she would use it, but I could always go back and add it if I change my mind. I did add some length, but I'll be honest, I didn't even measure, I just stuck some scrap paper in that was left after cutting out the pattern, but it was something like 2-3" since she is so tall. The fabric is one I have had for ages, you know, one of those clearance purchases that sit around, and the bias tape is ancient from a friend's grandmother that I happened to have. I am all about not having to buy anything. I do wish I'd added a second layer or used a wipeable fabric or something, but at least this is nice and washable and should, for the most part, protect whatever she is wearing. As soon as it's nice enough we will go outside with some paint and give it a test drive. Also, these pictures are the best I get from my little model at this point; please note the tongue sticking out haha.

I went on to make some bibs. I have another little lady who is very very near starting solids (we are going with baby led weaning again, having loved it with the first and found it simple and sensible) and we had no bibs. I suppose they are used a lot and don't tend to last for multiple children very often. Anyway, I went with the instructions and used one layer of cotton and one layer of flannel, using a knit for two of them and quilting cotton for the other two. The flannel is actually from some cut up receiving blankets I held on to. Once again, so, so simple and cute. Came together so quickly and look so nice. I had to wait on the snaps but now they are ready to go! They seem a little thin, but we'll see. I may make another batch with some batting or PUL or something if she needs them.

This book has just proven more useful then I would have guessed even when purchasing it. I have a couple other tiny things to share and at some point in the near future, I hope to finish the placemats I am working on. I've been knitting too, but my shawl has now become large enough that it is hard for me to find the time to do a whole pattern, so it is less often that I can sneak that in. I am hoping I will be done by the end of the month though! Also, I think I am going to finally quilt my penny sampler soon! It is ready to be basted and then I will just have to find the time to do it. And maybe by then I'll have decided on binding.

for the littles

What a week! I feel like I have been going non-stop recently and while it's been fun, I think I could use a break. I managed to make an entire quilt and get it in the mail and make some pony club blocks, both of which I will be back to share in the near future. For now, I continue playing catch up.

Today I am going to show off some of the things I've made for my littles recently.

First up, panties. Did you know that the selection of little toddler panties kind of stinks? Because I can assure you that it does. After coming across a pattern by that darn cat on etsy and hearing such wonderful things about it,  I bought it and collected some fabric. It is such a fun way to use up knit scraps and we had so much fun coming up with combinations! I almost can't wait until she needs the next size! And yes, my 3 year old has pink skull panties :)

Then I made some slippers for both of them.I found this great toms inspired tutorial for all different sizes, so I started with the toddler ones which I purchased the pattern pack for to try to get the right size. They did not turn out well. I mean they are cute, but they are huge! She wears them anyway, but still! The baby ones came out a little better and fit her feet, but the elastic in the center was rubbing and turning her skin red so we discontinued those pretty quick. A bummer all around I would say, but oh well, you can't win them all....

perhaps the biggest and most exciting of all was the suitcase that I made! It is the sidekick suitcase by sew fearless and I love it! The perfect size for her little self and it held all her clothes beautifully while we traveled. It was no easy feat, that's for sure, but oh so satisfying when it was done! The hardest part was pushing through the canvas stuff at the end for stability, but otherwise it was pretty straightforward. I'm a little in love with it, not gonna lie.

Those are the big things I wanted to make note of. I still have a small post of gifts given coming up and then let the new year makes begin! 

booties!

Still no baby, but guys, guess what!! I must be nesting because I sewed something this week! And then I baked cookies, and then I cleared and organized my desk, put all my fabric away...you get the idea. So hopefully that means the little one will be here soon, but either way, let's not lose sight of the fact that I sewed something!

Yesterday I totally made a little pair of booties from Anna Maria Horner's Handmade Beginnings book. I love them and just hope they will fit at some point. I made the 3-6 month size since I figure it will be colder by then and maybe they'll get worn, but they seem so big!

I used voile and flannel for these so they are super, super soft. It makes me think I might try the pattern for a pair of slippers in my size that's in the book one of these days. I do wish I had used thinner elastic, but oh well. They came together pretty easily and I managed to get them done during a naptime, which felt impressive.

In case you are wondering, they do indeed match the receiving blanket I made. I used the same voile/flannel combo and seriously, it is dreamy. Rounded corners and a nice white binding just make it even better in my opinion, and I don't think anyone would be surprised if I just went ahead and curled up under it :)

I am hoping that if this new found energy lasts, I will actually get some posts together with at least all the other baby stuff I've made over the past couple months, but I guess we'll see what the little one has in store. I also finished knitting my hat and started on a baby sweater which may or may not be done in time for her to wear. Fabric ordering has also begun for the Penny Sampler at Stitched in Color which will start up in a couple of weeks, so that's been fun, and I still have a bit more shopping to do once I get these and see them in person. I am really looking forward to this quilt...heck! I am looking forward to getting back to any quilting at this point. Hope everyone is doing well!

a divided basket

Good morning! Thanks to an uneventful weekend, I got quite a bit of sewing done! I guess really I just made a lot of small things, but that's alright, whatever feels productive! I am moving right along and finally decided that I am not going to be able to make everything on my list without stressing myself out, so I've figured out what the most important/simple/enjoyable things are and will probably go buy some of the rest. Which I always feel a little bad about if I know I could make it, but I know that it doesn't always cost less to make it and I need to keep what little sanity I have left, so there you go.

The biggest thing I worked on was this divided basket. I had been eying the pattern by Anna of noodlehead and finally decided it would be perfect to go inside the ikea cart we are using for baby storage. It turned out that if I had made it full size it would have been too long go fit the direction I wanted it to go, so I just went ahead and made it shorter. I took about 1.75 off of each pattern piece and left everything else the same. While it definitely changed the proportions a bit, it worked out really well and I am super happy with it. Plus, it fits in the cart!

I used a dumb dot print for the pocket and the handles, the blue is from peacock lane I think and some yellow pearl bracelets for the lining. It makes me so happy and I can't wait to take over it for myself when baby is done with it ;) I have no idea what exactly I am going to put in it, but clearly that is beside the point. I did use fusible fleece for the exterior pieces, along with some decor bond because that's what I had. The decor bond was a bit much for the handles, but they are certainly sturdy and I love how nice it made the divider.

Another thing off the list! I am actually done the hooded towels, as many wash cloths as I am going to do right now and the wipes, and I have a couple of other things ready to go. I am still waiting on some fabric too so once I get that I will really be in business! There is hope that all this stuff will get finished!!

Some crazy math

Weird, right? :) Alternate title: I'm so crafty.....I make people bahahaha.

So sometime in the second half of the summer, my little lady is going to be a big sister. Not that she has any idea what that really means at this point, but we'll get there. And that, my friends, is mostly why I fell of the sewing/blogging bandwagon for a while there. Not that moving 700 miles helped or anything haha. All things considered, I think I kept it up pretty well, but still.

In any case, I am feeling much better at this point and have a smidge of energy, hence actually sewing/posting more. I felt like I should mention it since I am starting to think baby sewing :) In fact, I am pretty sure my marcell medalion quilt from Liberty Love is going to be for baby. I started it the other day and have the center done, although I haven't photographed it yet. I should get on that. I am really excited about it though and can't decide whether to keep going or work on some pony club blocks. We'll see how I feel about it by naptime.

I guess that's enough excitement for one day :) I'll be back wednesday with my bits and pieces of progress!

A {late} birthday dress

Guess what?!?! I finished something! A small something, I admit, but that makes two finishes in one week and that feels impressive at this particular moment! Yesterday, I finally made a birthday dress for my baby girl. Clearly the fact that her birthday is past makes no difference, and at least she has a party coming up to wear it :)

I fell in love with the sweetheart dress pattern when I saw it on Pinterest (of course). It is from luvinthemommyhood and I knew right away it needed to be the birthday dress this year. Especially since it came with the 2T pattern I needed so I could save the step of drafting my own. I did alter it a little to make the sleeves more narrow, but that was pretty simple.

It was a bit complicated, but I made it through. It is my first lined bodice and I love the way it turned out. I will say it is a bit hard to get on her, but fits pretty perfectly once it is. I don't imaging it will fit for long, but hopefully she doesn't grow too much to wear it in the next week. I think her party theme is going to be circles so this fabric was perfect. And really I was too lazy to line the bodice with a different fabric, so it's all the same which is only a problem for seeing the heart on the back when she isn't wearing it. I love it though and she looks really cute in it. I only have one picture of her in it when I was trying it on for hem length, but that's okay, I'll be sure to get plenty of pictures next week.

Now I just have to really try to get my skill builder blocks all finished up. Sooner rather than later I hope. Hm, I actually have a lot to do in the next week before we head back to do some more family visiting. Here's hoping for a productive weekend!