Sewing for Baby

We don't know our future grandchild's name; that is being kept a secret until he is born.  However, we did find out mid-pregnancy that "it" was a "he", and so I've been able to crank out few things for the nursery which my daughter-in-law requested.

 

First on the list was a crib quilt.  The nursery is painted grass green and the theme is monkeys, so I was pretty happy when I found the green, monkey print fabric at JoAnn's last summer.  Normally, I'm not too excited about JoAnn's fabrics; the quality generally isn't as nice as the more expensive quilter's cottons.  But the sweet, childlike look of the monkeys was exactly what my daughter-in-law was looking for, and it didn't feel too bad, so I bought it.  I paired it with many, other, quality, cotton prints from my stash, introducing blues and browns, because I didn't want the entire thing to be just green.

 

 

The design pattern is my own; a simple nine-patch block alternating with snowball blocks.  Each block is six inches square, and the entire quilt measures approximately 39" x 51".

 

 

I found the most wonderful fabric for the back--a deep brown flannel scattered with bananas!  How perfect is that?

 

 

I have yet to learn how to do free-motion quilting (it is on my list of things to learn this year!), so the layers are quilted together in a simple, geometric design.

 

 

I am quite pleased with how it turned out.  The colors are bright and cheery, just perfect for a little boy's nursery.

 

 

 

Next on my daughter-in-law's list was a ruffled crib skirt, which I just finished up today.  Each ruffle is approximately five inches wide, but is overlapped one inch by the ruffle above.  It is 19" tall and will hit the floor when the crib mattress is set at it's highest setting.  Once the crib mattress is lowered, you will only see the bottom three ruffles.  This was a simple enough project, but very time consuming!  Gathering and ruffling all those fabric strips seemed to take forever!  Luckily, I only had to do one side of the crib skirt.  I could also have done the two, shorter ends, but since these would never be seen due to the crib having solid wood head and foot boards, it wasn't necessary.  Phew!

 

Last on the list (at least for now!) my daughter-in-law requested a diaper bag.  My first thought was "Why?  Just go buy one!" I really had no desire to make one.   But she really wanted one made with my son's Army fatigues, in a messenger bag style, and so I started looking for a pattern.  I finally found a free tutorial on the internet, located here:  http://amingledyarn.wordpress.com/gallery/tutorial-hip-mama-diaper-bag/  It gives all the dimensions for how to cut the fabric pieces, and the instructions were easy to understand.  I pretty much followed them exactly, and I think it turned out well.

 

 

I used a quilter's cotton in brown with tiny white dots to coordinate with the camouflage fabric.  The front flap closes with magnetic snaps at both bottom corners.

 

 

The neat thing about fatigues is that there are random little pockets everywhere!   So I incorporated one of these pockets onto the back side of the bag.

 

 

Both sides of the bag have pockets that close with Velcro.

 

 

It's hard to tell from the photo, but the inside of the bag is lined with elasticized pockets along both long sides, so there is lots of room for storing smaller items.  My daughter-in-law already has it packed and ready with the items she is taking to the hospital!

 

This is a nice pattern, and could be used for other things besides a diaper bag.  My son is happy that he can carry it around and not have it look feminine.  You know, no big, strong, Army fellow wants to look like he's carrying a purse!

 

I'm sure there will be more baby projects in the future...in fact, I have leftover fabric scraps from the quilt that would make darling bibs or burp cloths.  So stay tuned!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Still Alive and Sewing...

I can't believe that almost 2/3 of a year have gone by since I last posted something!  I don't know what happened.  Seriously.  But I did have a great garden!  Here are my younger kids in the corn patch:

 

Some of our bounty:  There is NOTHING like home-grown corn and tomatoes!

 

 

Big news for 2013:  Son #3 got engaged to a wonderful girl!  The wedding is set for May 17th, 2014.

 

More big news:  Son #2 and his wife announced the impending arrival of our first grandchild!

 

Hubby and I celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary with a night away on the Oregon coast.  It was lovely.

 

Our chickens started laying eggs!

 

 

And...drumroll please...we BOUGHT A HOUSE!!!

 

It is tiny.  One bedroom, one bath, a small kitchen, and a huge garage.  But it's on five, wonderful, country acres.  We are in love.  There is remodeling going on.  Lots and lots of remodeling.  We are converting the garage into living space:  two bedrooms, a living room, a front hall, and a laundry/mud room.  We are also adding a master bedroom suite and a sewing/playroom up in the attic. 

 

 

Eventually, there will be dormer windows in the roof, and a large, front porch.  Did I mention we are doing ALL the work ourselves?  Yeah.  I've become pretty adept with the chop saw.  We hope to have it move-in ready by early summer.  We'll see.  Here is a view of the rear of the home:

 

And another shot of the gorgeous property.  (The kids are pretty cute, too.)

 

 

I have done some sewing, and I will post more about those projects soon.  But for right now, here is one thing I completed which I absolutely loved...my daughter's Christmas dress.  The main fabric has retro-looking reindeer on a white background, and I also added white, pom-pom trim for an even more vintage look.  So cute.  I made it a longer than normal, with the hopes that she'll be able to wear it next holiday season as well:

 

Our family at Christmas:  I had ALL my children, plus my wonderful daughter-in-love, present and accounted for.

 

We started out the new year with a baby shower for my expected grandchild (a boy!)

 

I went with a vintage decorating theme. 

 

 

We are now on baby watch.  The due date is February 4, but according to the doctor, it could be any day now!  They live two hours north from us, so as soon as we get the call she's in labor, hubby and I will be heading up.  And trying not to speed.  I will be armed with my camera (or course!) and hope to take pictures right after the birth.  I can't wait to drink in all that precious, newborn sweetness.  Me, a grandmother.  Hard to imagine.  But I am so ready!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Cicely Mary Barker Flower Fairy Quilt

Look what I made in little snippets of time over the past week...a quilt!  (Yes, I do still have a queen sized quilt top that needs to be layered with batting, backing, and then quilted, but we won't talk about that right now!)  The design is my own.  Each square measures 6", and the whole quilt is approximately 59"x 77".

 

On a recent trip to my favorite fabric store, I came across this lovely panel of fabric by Michael Miller, depicting the Cicely Mary Barker Flower Fairies.  I fell in love with the vibrant blues and purples and instantly knew it had to come home with me, especially since it was the last one.  (I couldn't let it slip away and regret it later, now could I?)  I had all the fabrics I needed in my stash to complete the piecing for the top, except I did splurge and buy the white print with pretty bluebirds in the snowball block because it matched so perfectly.  But it really wasn't too much of an expense since the fabric was on sale for only $4 a yard.  I adore little birds, and I figured that since fairies and birds both have wings, they could work together on a quilt.

 

Close up of the sweet, little, bluebird fabric.  I bought 2 yards and still have over a yard left over from this quilt, so I'm sure this print will show up in some future projects.

This quilt has two layers of cotton batting, as all my recent quilts do, because I love how warm and substantial this makes them feel.  I also always use flannel for the backing.  This one matched so perfectly with it's purple and green flower design on a crisp, white background.

I used a simple geometric quilting design across the blocks and borders, but since I didn't want random stitches possibly wandering across the fairies' faces in the center panel, I outlined each fairy with a simple machine stitch to hold all the layers together.

 

Before this quilt was even pieced together, Sophie claimed it for her own.  She was the only one of my kids for whom I hadn't yet made a large quilt.  Problem solved!  She was so excited when I said it could be all hers.  Every day she inquired about it's state of completion, and whether or not it would be ready for her to snuggle up with that evening.  Tonight is finally the night!

 

And just because I don't have enough fabric to keep me busy for the rest of my life, I purchased a second  Cicely Mary Barker Flower Fairy panel.  How cute is it?  Stay tuned...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yet Another McCall's #5793, and a Little Something for Myself

Here we go again with McCall's # 5793!

This pattern goes together so nicely.  I can definitely see making it many more times.

The main fabric was an Alexander Henry print I've had in my stash for quite some time--vintage children that remind me of Dick and Jane.

The upper bodice, sleeves, and apron are made from the same, floral Riley Blake fabric that I used in the Happy Ric Rac dress several posts ago.

The apron is edged in red ric rac and permanently attached at the waist seam.

Yellow cotton ric rac trims the upper bodice and the hem band.

Here's a close up of the ric rac edging the apron...so cute and retro looking!

Yellow buttons close the back.  Sometimes I'll use an invisible zipper, but I really prefer the look of buttons.

The apron has a center pocket, cut from an antique, embroidered table linen.  I love the vintage feel it gives to the dress.

  I realize that I am very fortunate to have a child that's willing to model all my creations, and truly loves wearing dresses.  I hope it lasts for awhile!

And here's a little something I whipped up for myself--a new skirt, based on a favorite, thrifted skirt  I already own.  It has a simple, elastic waistband.  I found the fabric on a super-sale, and just fell in love with the print and color.  I instantly knew it was going to become a skirt.

Okay, here's a dorky picture of me.  Since I always ask Sophie to twirl around in her dresses, I decided to twirl in my new skirt!  The beautiful, warm weather we have had for the past several weeks decided to take a vacation, so today it was quite windy, cool, and rainy at times.  That is why I am wearing leggings.  I hate having cold legs!  But I do love the feeling of moist earth and grass between my toes.  My 16 year old behind the camera was so embarrassed.  I think it's kind of funny.  Hopefully, someday, she'll look at this picture  and joyfully reflect on the memory of her mother acting silly.

This picture has nothing at all to do with sewing.  But I just had to show the fresh radishes I picked straight from my garden for dinner tonight.  They were delicious!  I remember sprinkling salt on them when I was a little girl, and eating them by the handful.  I've trained myself away from the salt, but I could still eat these in large quantities.  Radishes are so easy to grow and provide near instant gratification--they germinate quickly and are ready to eat in less than a month.  I will be planting other varieties throughout the summer, just to taste-test and see which ones I like best.

Tomorrow I'm off to teach the same little group of girls (whom I taught to make the pillowcase dresses a couple of weeks ago) how to make a pair of pants for their dolls.  Should be fun.  I'll be back with a report, and hopefully some pictures.  I don't intend to forget my camera this time!

 

 

 

 

 

Mother's Day, Gardening, and a New Bye Lo Baby!

This is me, at about 3 months of age, with my mother.  Can you tell I'm a child of the 60's?  The bouffant hairdo, pedal pusher pants and smock top totally give it away.  I just love the baby carriage.  Can you believe my father threw it away many years ago?  He is not sentimental when it comes to "stuff", and probably figured that it was just taking up space.  'Sigh'.  I have, however, forgiven him.  He is my father, after all!  This picture is especially precious to me, since my mother passed away almost four years ago.  I can't believe it's been that long since I last saw her smile, heard her voice, and felt her touch.  If you are fortunate enough to still have your mother around, give her a hug and tell her you love her.  One day, sooner than you expect, she won't be there anymore.  And then there will be so many things you wish you would have said.  Trust me.

 

For the past week, we have been having some "too good to be true" weather for our neck of the woods.  Temperatures in the 80's and plenty of sun...enough to make one think that summer has arrived!  Sophie loves helping me in the garden--here she is, working the dirt in one of my garden boxes.

 

This is my compost area.  The bin on the left is finished compost, ready to be used.  The one in the middle has compost partially finished, and the black bin on the right is for our fresh food scraps.  I like that it has a lid so that it keeps out any wild critters that may be attracted to it.

 

I never in a million years thought I'd be taking a picture of dirt, much less posting it on my blog, but I'm just so proud of my finished compost pile!  Isn't it beautiful?  I suppose you'd have to be a gardener to appreciate it, but it just makes me so happy to think that all those food scraps, grass clippings, and leaves turned into this awesome, nutrient rich soil.  My plants are going to love it.

 

I currently have seven raised beds.  One is filled with perennial herbs and a birdbath, but the others are open for whatever I feel like planting this year.  Today I planted one of the boxes with five heirloom tomatoes, nine melon plants, a row of yellow carrots, and marigolds to deter bugs.  Our beautiful weather turned to rain today, so I didn't get to spend as much time outside as I would have liked.  I hope to add some radishes and onions into this bed tomorrow, if it doesn't rain too hard.

 

Here is my version of a mini greenhouse.  I've wanted a full size greenhouse for a long time now, but it just never seems to be in the budget.  However, a few weeks ago, I finally bought a cheap one made of narrow metal pipes and a plastic cover.  I was so excited, but alas, it only lasted about two weeks before it started to fall apart.  So back to the store it went.  I have since improvised, and discovered a system that works fairly well.  The above picture shows a clear, plastic storage box, filled with seeds planted in 5 oz. plastic cups.  I keep the lid on until the seeds sprout, and then I set the box out on the patio with the lid off during the day.  At night, the lid goes back on to trap the warmth and keep the little seedlings warm.  Once the seedlings are big enough, they are transplanted into the garden.  Because they have been spending their time out on the patio, they are already acclimated to the weather and don't need to be "hardened off".

 

Here's a close up of the box.  I picked it up at Walmart for around $5.

 

The seed starting mix and the little plastic cups are also from Walmart.  I believe I paid $1.98 for 100 cups, and the seed mix was $6.

 

Here's a sampling of some of the things I planted today.  The box holds 53 of these 5 oz. cups.  If you decide to try this, make sure and poke holes into the bottom of the cups for drainage before filling them.  I used an awl.  The nice thing about this method is that you can use a Sharpie to write directly on the cup, and then they can be reused next year, if you like.

 

Have you read this book?  It's a great help when it comes to squeezing in as many vegetables into a small of a space as possible.  It's also great for telling you which plants like to be planted with others, and how to make a great garden soil.  I refer to this book a lot.

 

 

Here's my Happy Birthday/Happy Mother's Day gift to myself...an antique Bye Lo Baby!  Ever since I got my tiny, 8" one, I've been dreaming of also owning a large one.  This one measures 18" in length, with a head circumference of 15"--life size!  I'm going to dig through my vintage, baby, clothing stash tomorrow and see if I can find her a sweater/bonnet set.  I think she'll be fun to dress.

 

My husband cooked me a wonderful meal for Mother's Day (salmon on the barbeque, my favorite!), and snapped this great picture of me with six of my offspring.  My oldest son was sick and couldn't make it, and my second son is currently stationed in Colorado with the Army.  He and his wife will be transferred to our area by the end of the year, so next Mother's Day I look forward to having all my children around me again.  I can hardly wait!  Hope you had a great Mother's Day, also.  Now, get outside and plant something!