a human sized minky

because people are people too.  and because becca kept threatening to steal the one i made for her baby, so i made her one for christmas.

the only problem is that it seemed kind of cold.  it’s just brocade backed with pseudo skinned baby duck, or whatever that fabric is.  if you lined it you would have to tie it with something and yarn would just not jive.  some kind of cute french knots maybe, but my mind didn’t traverse that far.

i did get around to doing a decorative stitch around the edge.  which took around two hours to complete.  or maybe it just felt like two hours, in any case it was a bad idea.

but some people are so worth it. 

christmas jammies

handmade by grammy.

she says they were easy too.  i would love to have piles and piles of button up flannels for the kids.  with matching housecoats and slippers.  except i’m deathly afraid of clothing patterns.  i’d rather go back to school and take physics.

and that’s why we have grandmas.  check out the sweet, humongous buttons on gideon’s shirt (they’re my favorite).

in other news, i’m sewing a few things myself.  but you can’t see them ’till after christmas.  that and there’s still the whole prospect of me finishing them…  also my faucet broke off today.  so when you turn it on it either shoots you in the eye or hits the ceiling.  and while we’re on the subject of despair, let me mention that the last christmas package i mailed cost $51, the christmas tree has run out of chocolate, and it’s still cold.  i hate being cold.

some privacy around here

yep, finally got new curtains.  sorry for all the funny angles.  my camera would wig out when the light hit it straight on.  so i had to sneak up on them.  i found this fabric for $3 a yard at joanne’s.  i was so excited.  it is a little drab, but i am sure i will find a way to liven things up.

on the whole, they were very simple and easy.  i just sewed plain panels and hung them with clip on’s.  is that cheating?

i was able to get them done over thanksgiving break.  i think i will take projects with me every time we head on vacation.  shouldn’t let all that free baby sitting go to waste.

and don’t you love my mother-in-law’s table?  i understand that at a young age my husband told her that when she died he got her pewter.  now that’s thinking ahead.

i’m becoming a little horrified at the thought of having to do thanksgiving by myself.  i don’t know how she got all sixteen dishes warm and on the table at the same time with one oven.  now i know why people go to chuck-o-rama.  it’s making more sense all the time.

baby and her minky

i finally sewed girl her baby blanky.  i had found it’s good intentions while sorting out my sewing drawer.  i must have bought the stuff over a year ago.  this one has a brocade front and some kind of minky fur back, bound with satin baby bias.  an evil combination if there ever was one.  slick as snot.

fortunately, i remembered someone’s advice from the last go round, and availed myself of my grandma’s pfaff (with the walking foot).  it took it in stride.  previously, i had to pin every inch and it still wadded up.  in other words, don’t try this at home unless you want to say bad words.

it’s weird, but i can tell baby girl already likes this blanky.  i give it to her for her naps and they cozy right up.  it’s also her “going out blanky.”  i made it a little on the small side to fit in her bucket (aka car seat).

something else i learned was to sew your bias on with a wide, decorative stitch.  with bias (as with ribbon) the rule of thumb is to stay as close to the edge as possible (while missing the edge entirely on the other side).  i edged girl’s with little pink hearts and you just can’t go wrong.

the pink shoes are courtesy of aunt becca.  she uses this pattern and claims it is amazingly easy, but i still haven’t tried it.

and the outfit is from aunt meggie who just made a trip to san fransisco.  (because she doesn’t have any kids and does whatever she wants.  i’ve tried to reason with her.)

my upholstery bag

i sewed this for myself yesterday. i am afraid it was kind of a gimpy affair though (only because it was supposed to look like this). but since i have enough of that deliciously ugly fabric to upholster the good part of three couches, i will have plenty of opportunity to try again.

(on the right is the necklace i just bought for my husband to give me. it was on sale for $5 instead of $27. he was still not impressed and said it was a sad waste of money. but i was sure i needed it at the time.)

in other news, i’m taking the tumor to the hospital today (it does need to come out, i insist). i had contractions most of the night and onto this morning. not very impressive ones, but i’m hoping to be able to show you a new baby come monday. i tell my husband that shopping speeds these things up. so does pitocin. i am not a patient woman. not when i’m saddled with what seems like a small shetland pony and the same bladder as my grandma.

one for me

yesterday i sewed a nursing cover for myself. if the baby plans on staying put, maybe i will get around to my new diaper bag too.

people have been asking for instructions on how to make simple chaing pads and burp cloths. all you do is sew two rectangles (one fabric and one terry) together and then turn them inside out and sew around the circumference again. you just need to know the dimensions – the burp cloth (before you sew it) is 10×18 inches and the changing pad is 16×22. sew your two rectangles together with a half inch seam allowance then turn them inside out and sew around again with your foot right against the edge. don’t forget to throw in some ribbons on the changing pad (for tying). i don’t think it’s hard enough to merit real directions, so i do hope you survive.

baby loot

babies are gross, once you think about it. it’s funny how we try to make all their nastiness cute. cute, ugly, little, disgusting things.

i sewed this nursing cover set today for a girl in texas. i also bought the fabric to sew mine (finally).

this is the first changing pad i’ve actually gotten a picture of. it has ribbons sewn in, so you can fold it in half and roll it up when you’re done (with all that nasty nasty).

i wish my gross little baby would hurry up and get here.  sigh.  i bet i could even eat more if there was more room for my stomach.

pink and green

i sewed a matching nursing cover/burp cloth set yesterday, for a girl in philadelphia. at first, i was a little wary of the fabric she chose. but when i was done i loved it.

maybe because i’ve been stashing it in my toxic-waste green, baby cradle. it almost makes me want to do my whole nursery in pepto-bismol pink and sewer sledge green. it’s just lovely. i hope i have a girl.

(p.s. new videos in the sidebar too.)

totes

i counted, and i made 15 of these for christmas presents. it’s nice to have a pattern down, that whips out fast and doesn’t cause you any trouble. but i still don’t want to make any more for quite a while.

i like the idea of attractive, reusable, shopping bags. the dimensions are 17″ wide, 14 1/2″ tall with a 3″ gusset and 11 1/2″ handles.  i lined these ones and made them reversible. by the way, i used this tutorial and it was a breeze.) i had such a fun time picking out the fabric too. the black pair went to my sister violet, and the green went to my sister sarah.

then i made up some green and red ones for my aunt and mother-in-law and a hodge podge assortment of others.

other than that, i’m just kind of glad christmas is over. time to get ready for baby. two more months!

some late night sewing

at 1:00 in the morning one isn’t too concerned with blogging. but i was sad to send my bag off to the mailman without so much as a parting shot. so i threw it on the stove (the only clean spot) and took it’s picture.

i was mostly excited about how it turned out because it was just an old shirt of my mother’s. i used some of the scrappy bits to make a matching sachet with my favorite mix; lavender, spearmint, chamomille, rose buds and a dash of spearmint, essential oil (it’s made of sterner stuff to hold the flavor).

i think it’s fun to have matching sachets for your purse. that way when you reach for your keys, rushing out the door, you get a whiff of something good. purses are pretty much disasters otherwise (a bottomless pit, presumably containing keys, but it’s hard to say for sure. they should at least smell good while you waste all that time looking.)

anyways, now it’s off to another hard day of shopping. i also have to try my hand at a children’s apron for a christmas party tonight. so i’ll show you how that goes tomorrow.

(sigh. i can’t wait to go to my mother-in-law’s for christmas. so i can veg out on the couch all day, crochet and watch clint eastwood while she makes me food. mmm.)