squirmy

Is "squirmy" a word? Not sure, but my little guy was thwarting all attempts at pictures this morning in his new Oliver and S playsuit. (You can see how interested he was in the camera, though.)


This cute striped fabric I got super-cheap, the piping was a remnant from an apron, and the buttons are vintage, from my collection. Perfect for an 87 degree day here in the humid Midwest. And it's only June 1st! We're having some portraits taken in July; I'm leaving frame-able pictures to the professionals, at least until he's a little older!

I wasn't an art history major for nothing

DH and I are somewhat wary of all the baby toys out there; we neither want to clutter our house with a bunch of stuff, nor give our baby things that will overstimulate him. So, I've been making some simple toys, including these art cards. We've learned that Baby loves to look at pictures and "read" books, so I made him a set of laminated cards of great art. This is the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist set; perhaps there will be some Renaissance and ancient art in years to come! Baby seems to like them, although his greatest interest in them right now is to try to eat them:)

Origami Birds Quilt

When it comes to quilting, I am an amateur. I don't really know how to quilt, so I don't realize that some things are too difficult for me, a beginner, to attempt. Instead, I jump right in, and then have to fix whatever mistakes come with unknown territory, and unacquired skills. This is the finished baby quilt for my soon-to-be neice, and I am happy with how it turned out. As I pieced the bird blocks, I sewed 1/8" seams. Once I got the top together, some of those small seams were starting to come apart. I took it into the local quilt shop for some help, and they sold me this great invisible thread. It is clear nylon, and worked like a charm for zigzagging over the offending seams for reinforcement. While I was there, they asked me if I had paper-pieced the birds. Paper pieced, what? I guess this is one more thing to add to my list of things to learn!

Oliver + S Playsuit

There are not many cute boy patterns out there these days, but some of the cutest ones can be found at Oliver + S. I'm making a series of these little playsuits for summer to keep Baby cool and free his knees for crawling! The print on this playsuit is "Robotic" by Alexander Henry in honor of his science-minded dad.

Baby's Easter Bonnet

You know how in the movie Easter Parade, Judy Garland and Fred Astaire get new Easter hats for the parade? I like to think of this sweater with hood as Baby's Easter bonnet. Having a boy makes Easter outfits a little trickier, but I think I will knit him a new sweater for Easter each year. This little hoodie is from designer Anny Purls, who has two little boys of her own, and she designs some of the cutest things suitable for boys. The blue marled yarn is wool, next year I think it will have to be cotton, as Baby lasted about 20 minutes in it before fussing from heat. Just about long enough to get a couple of pictures!

Summer Sewing

I've embarked on a mission to sew some new clothes for Baby and I for this summer. Mainly because I haven't seen much I like in the shops, but also because we have a lot of specific requirements: must be very cool so we don't get too hot, must be accessible for diaper changes, must be accessible for nursing, and must look good! Needless to say, patterns that meet all such requirements are hard to come by, so I'm trying my hand at adapting some to suit our purposes. This first project is the Amy Butler Anna Tunic Dress, with buttons on both shoulders instead of at the back, for nursing.


This dress is very baggy, so I had to make some adjustments so I don't look pregnant! Overall though, it's a good start, and should keep me pretty cool in a light seersucker. The pink buttons on the shoulders are vintage, and hopefully they will promote easy access for nursing. We'll see. What patterns are you liking for the summer?

Intense

Last week Grandma was here visiting Baby (and me!), so I got in some great sewing time. I started and finished two Amy Butler bags (pictures to follow soon). DH was out of town, and when he came home I was close to finishing the second project; he said I seemed very "intense." Well, yes, I was. It was the first time in a couple months that I had been able to start and finish a project in a day. And it was great! But I wouldn't want to do it everyday, I much prefer cuddling the little one, who has become very entertaining, "talking" and cooing, moving his arms and legs all around. He loves music, partcularly Raffi, who I grew up with. Do any of you remember Raffi? I have the old cassette tapes; fortunately you can still get him on CD. Baby Beluga is our favorite collection.

Part of my sewing frenzy included some fun purchases, like this "Sweet Box" from Moda. Talk about great marketing. Who could resist a cute little package like this, with enough fabric to make two fabric pouches, seen above. And talk about instant gratification, they make up in literally twenty minutes. A great way to satisfy your sweet tooth if you're foregoing other goodies this Lent!

Baby Quilting

My husband's brother and sister-in-law are pregnant, so you know what that means: I get to craft them something! Their nursery is going to have a birdie theme, so at first I was considering this mobile, but it needs to be ship-able, so I decided to make a quilt. The quilt is going to have 12 birds, in red, yellow, and green prints, with a blue print for the sashing to match their nursery.

I hope they like it; you always take a chance when you give a handcrafted gift, because some recipients don't value such things, but I always try and hope for the best. I like to give handcrafted gifts because those are the kind that mean the most to me.

What kinds of gifts have you handcrafted recently, and any suggestions for cute handmake-able baby items?

Sneak Peeks: A Finished Object

This...


Plus this....


Makes a surprise for my Cozy Domesticity swap partner!

Kneaded

Making bread yesterday, I contemplated how much I am needed these days. My little one needs me for everything (a very beautiful and rewarding experience, albeit a little tiring at times), and DH needs me, not for his basic survival, but for other things. And the dog needs me (and chooses the most inopportune times to be demanding, like when I'm nursing!).

It made me think about the purpose of kneading bread: to develop the gluten in the loaf, which is what holds it together. Kneading also helps to create a loaf of bread that is light and flavorful.

Perhaps this is my role in our family; to hold everyone together by caring for them, and to make our home and family "flavorful," with love, variety, and beauty. Although the bread gets a bit of a workout with all this kneading, and can get a little tired at times, the end result is delicious and worth it all! Such are my hopes for our family.




(Am I pushing this analogy too far?)

Waiting

Two weeks and counting...I hope Baby gets here sooner! We are (I think) ready with everything at home. Since this baby is coming in January in the Midwest, I was trying to figure out how to dress it when we go places. This knit bunting is my solution. It's made with thick chenille, from the Jil Eaton Minnowknits, Too book. The picture is kind of dark, but the yarn is a blue, deep purple, and magenta variegated, with a turquoise zipper. I figure I will take a bunch of baby clothes and the bunting to the hospital and the nurses can help me dress it appropriately.

How do you bundle up your little ones for winter?

The Baby....For Now

Booklet Ornaments

We had a fantastic weekend with family and friends and were given a baby shower with lots of handmade lovelies and everything we might need (more later)! Last week, before we left town, I finished this little trio of Christmas ornaments. They are slightly larger than the brooches, at 2 1/2 x 3 inches. They have mulit-colored and printed paper on the inside for you to add your own Christmas memories by writing, collage, drawing, etc. These are for an ornament swap, but contact me through my shop if you'd like some for your own home!

How my life has changed...Or...Pondering the intricacies of cloth diapers

Well, last week I was overcome with a desire to make wool diaper covers. Browsing Ravelry I found lots of great knitted covers, but decided that I didn't have the attention span to knit 5 or 6 diaper covers. Reading articles on the Internet about frugal diapering (frugal is my new mindset these days), I learned that you could make diaper covers out of felted wool sweaters; makes sense right?



Just happening to have half of an L.L. Bean wool blanket on hand, I figured that would work just as well too. So, using one of my two purchased diaper covers, I make a pattern and started sewing. Overall it was pretty easy, and now I have 4 additional, almost free, diaper covers.






Pretty cute huh? Two have this brown binding and two will have a bright green with ladybugs binding. Now I just hope they work! Couple more months before they'll be put to the test! Because I was too lazy and frustrated to make my own tutorial, check out the great one here.

Another One...

This is the second BSJ, because the first was pink. So I think this one will work for either a boy or girl. If it's a girl, then I'm going to make a cute little red dress to wear underneath, and if it's a boy, he's going to get some red pants. Hard to tell from the picture, but the stripes are teal and light blue (not white).

February Baby Set

This little set is for a baby girl coming in February. It is my for my partner in the Ravelry Oh My Baby! swap, who just found out she's having a girl. And...if I end up having a girl, there will be more where this came from. These two patterns are from my best-loved baby pattern book, Simple Knits for Cherished Babies, by Erika Knight. Her patterns are simple and practical, and can easily be dressed up with a few embellishments, or not, as desired. Hers are the only baby booties I knit; I don't think they can be beat!

And, on another note, I finally figured out how to insert hyperlinks into my text (I know, I know, pretty basic!)!

Surprise Baby

My finished Baby Surprise Jacket! So much fun to knit, especially with my very own handpainted yarn (plus it was a stash buster!); and I even figured out how it went together before completely finishing. The vintage buttons are from my great-grandma's collection.

This sweater will only work if it's a girl of course, so I'll be soon starting a companion little boy version!

Crafting Fool

Last week, I had two major projects due for my Masters program, so of course, all I wanted to do was craft. But, I restrained myself, and waited until the weekend when I was surprisingly productive. First, I made the Sketchbook Wraps for the shop shown in the last post.

Then, I tackled my first project for Baby; a Five-Hour Baby Sweater.



I think it turned out really cute, perhaps a bit too large for a newborn though. Now I just need to hunt down some sweet vintage buttons. Since we're going to be surprised and wait to find out whether it's a girl or boy, I'm going to bring a pink and blue sweater to the hospital.

And lastly, I made the pile of cloth napkins above as a wedding present for a friend of mine. She registered for red, yellow, green, and blue Fiesta Ware for her everyday china, and I though some re-usable napkins in complementary colors would be nice. They're really bright and cheery, I hope she likes them!
All in all, I'm pretty proud of my productivity (how's that for alliteration!)!

Oh Baby!

We're going to have some new excitement around here in January with the birth of our first child...(maybe I can blame the pregnancy for abandoning the blog the last few months)...so I've been contemplating all things baby-related. One of the great Dover publications, a book full of clip art from the 1920's has been sitting around waiting for some inspiration. Inspiration found, with new Baby Books in the shop! This is the first one I made, with more to follow soon with blue pages.



Aren't these vintage illustrations the sweetest!