Abby or Lena... that is the question.

Some of you know that John and I have settled on naming the baby girl Abilene and I had just assumed we were going to call her Abby for short. Well as I was slouching on the couch the other evening John says to me "what about calling her Lena for short?" I had several thoughts run through my head within seconds. "no, were calling her Abby" " where did you get Lena from oh abiLENE" "huh, I never thought of that...what do I think of that" "well it's sooo different from Abby" "I kind of like it". All that came out of my mouth was "I don't know". Some things come with the baby and nicknames are definitely one of them. But I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. Maybe it's my tendency to plan things in advance or maybe it's just because my brain is on baby stuff. Either way I'd like to know what you think. So share your thoughts...Abby or Lena???

I did put together some things last week for said girl. I made two coordinating sheets for her crib. I use Dana"s pattern from MADE, which you can find here. I love making crib sheets and only wish i had know how simple it was sooner. Buying boring or baby looking sheets is just no fun and so for the same price (or way cheaper if you've got a coupon) you can make you own out of cotton, flannel or knit.

Both of these are cotton and I found the fabric at Joann's. They came together real simply. Just a little udder 2 yds of fabric and 80 inch of 1/4 inch elastic.

I also whipped out (..up...out..??) this gauze blanket, mentioned here. I had gotten some really cute gauze fabric from fabric.com in order to make some gauze swaddle blankets. Here is one of the fabrics I got.

I also love how easy and cost effective this was. It only takes a yard and 1/4, or a 45 inch square to be exact. So at $3.99 a yd it only cost about $5 bucks.

To finish off the edges I just did a double fold hem and straight stitched it. When I got to the corners I just folded one down onto the other so I didn't have to worry about being too fancy.

After I washed it up and was so soft and wrinkly I just love it!!! Can't wait to swaddle the little cutie in this cute blanket... 13 (to 15) weeks left and counting down.

Until next time...

Holly

Fat Tuesday's busy Tuesday

Sorry folks, this has been a crazy week leading up to an even crazier week, (i.e. mostly stay at home mom suddenly begins working three full days a week without giving up any of her normal "stay-at-home mom" busyness), so I'm so sorry to say it, but this post is not in the cards for me this week. You'll have to make due with a slightly blurry photo of the Easter skirt in full bounce down the hallway. Ta-ta for now!

Lets Hear it for the Girl!!

So last week I found out I was having a girl and I am oh so very excited!!! Besides all of the clothes I want to sew and freezer stencil for her I am also looking forward to sewing everything for her nursery/blanket needs. If you recall last October, Miranda and sold some of our handmade items at Oktoberfest. One of the things I had made on a whim one day was this precious baby "quilt". I put quotations around that because technically a quilt is fabric sandwiching padding and sewn together. Well I sewed my pieced top straight onto fleece with no padding. I wanted to give it a more comfy baby feeling. When I was done I had fallen in love with it and at the time (not pregnant) wanted to keep it for myself on the off chance I ever had another baby and it would be a girl. But that seemed silly. Well no one has purchased said quilt and now pregnant with a girl, it is all mine!!!

The lighting doesn't do the colors justice, but it is shades of green, turquoise and taupe with hints of yellow.

The design is a basic subway pattern but I added fours scattered square blocks throughout of bigger patterns to help break up the straight lines. Some of the fabric came from fat quarters from Joann's, but a few of the other scraps came from a scrap bag I purchased last summer at the Sisters out door quilt show and just to name drop the scrap bag was from Valori Wells' studio (so I was told). I also have some scraps that came from a shirt my mom made last summer and a blanket I made for a friend last year with fabric purchased from the Stitchin Post in Bend, OR. So there are many cool memories linked to this quilt and I think I was just meant to keep it.

Something else I did differently on this quilt, besides the fleece backing, was to use ribbon binding. I typically make my own binding and hand sew it on, but I wanted to try something new and knowing it was a baby blanket I have always like the texture and look of ribbon edging.

Lastly, this is a photo of some flannel from Joann's I randomly picked up several months ago. Flannel was on sale, I saw this, loved it and bought 2 yards...ha ha. Not only is it really cute and has birds... but the greens and blues and taupe match perfectly with the above blanket. I think my nursery is decorating itself. Now what to make with this.. a crib sheet? a self binding flannel blanket? Something else entirely?

What do you think??

See you next week!

Holly

Darin' to be Squarish...

Last year I picked up this great book on modern quilts called Dare to be Square by Boo Davis. It is definitely a beginner's book, which was great, and after doing a few traditional quilts I was looking to do something different. Most of her stuff is pretty hard core and innappropriate (which I didn't know until after buying the book and googling her) so if you check out her website, fair warning it's crude. Her book, however, has more of a cute, fun approach to block-by-block quilting. Here are the couple that I made:

For my first two kids I had crocheted them baby blankets. Well... ever since stepping into the world of Quilting I have had very little desire to ever crochet a blanket again. I have picked up the hook for a couple beanies but even then I was itching to get back to my machine. So, I decided baby number 3 would get a quilt. I loved the wiener dog and it was so easy! Definitely had this done in a weekend. I decided to back it with flannel to give it a little extra coziness since quilts can take several washes before they have that wonderful worn-in soft, comfy feeling.

My 5 year old (then 4) had been asking me to make her a quilt and she really liked the Robot on page . So we headed to JoAnn's and I let her help pick out the fabric. Disregarding all my best efforts to sway her color choice she picked a green robot with a pink background and purple accents. She was even particular about the exact fabric and shade of color she chose.

I was actually surprised with how it came together and it wasn't as hideous as I imagined it would be. I added the piano key borders because I did want to make it big enough to fit on a full size bed. My daughter was very happy with it and when I finished she said "wow" and promptly asked when I was going to make her another one. HA! Got to love kids!!

I also made the bunnies from the end of the book, two of which coordinate with the blankets.

The greatest thing I learned from making these quilts was how easy it was to take a concept and make it into a design. It gave me some confidence in my ability to come up with something on my own. Since then I have made several quilts that I just sort of drew out what I wanted it to look like and took and block-by-block approach to piecing them. It's always fun to see how they turn out. I will still follow patterns when I see one I like but I definitely have gained some freedom from my desire to always follow a pattern.

Until next week....

Holly

Ahoy!

I'm taking a break from my quilts for a bit to tell you about my newest hobby: sailing.

...joking...

One of my favorite movies is What About Bob?.  You HAVE to watch the "I'm Sailing" video clip.  It's one minute long. Do it.  You know you want to.

"Dr. Marvin!  Guess what! Ahoy! I sail!  I'm a sailor! Isn't this a breakthrough?!  Out on a boat...on a lake...way far away from the dock...with the wind, and the wind, and, and the sky and everything??  AHOOOY!"""

No, really, I am taking a break from my quilts (just finished one last week!) (and I have two more to work on!) to sew a couple little ties onto some onesies.  I had a friend special order a tie with a sailboat theme (hence my reference to What About Bob), as she's going to an 80th birthday party for someone in her family, and there is some sailing significance.  

not sewing the little onesie to itself is difficult

 As soon as I finished her order, she called and said her cousin wanted the same thing for HER baby boy, so ...  fabric shopping, onesie buying, and bing bang BOOM!  Two sailing twinsies in onesies will be showing up to the party in STYLE!

corners are difficult

So my question is...when using a zig zag stitch, how do you make the corners identical?  As I'm turning the shirt, sometimes it looks like I went over it twice (like the top left corner) and sometimes it looks like I completely skipped it (like the top right corner)!  Any help on that one? 

Maybe I can get a cute picture of the 2 boys in their shirts and post an update! I'll see what I can do for you, faithful readers...  

Did you watch the video clip?  :)

Florence and the Diaper Bag

As promised, I not only bring you sewing but a completed project as well. First thing I have completed since before Christmas. This past week or so I have been listening to the Ceremonials album by Florence and the Machine. Let me tell you the album is A-MAH-ZING and totally inspiring. So much so I went ahead and named my bag after it.

Way back in November I bartered for these darling crocheted animal hats for my kids from a friend, Niki, and in return I offered to make her a diaper bag. On a side note let me just tell you how awesome bartering is and I think we should do it way more often... trading your services/skills for someone elses, it just makes sense! Anyhow, my friend didn't find out what she was having until January. It was a girl (after having 4 boys how stoked was she!) and her request was a smallish pink and gray diaper bag that could hold diapers, wipes, clothes and a blanket. I have not felt much like creating lately and while making several purses last summer/fall for Oktoberfest I learned I much prefer making up my own pattern. Well as I mentioned above I have found great inspiration from the Florence and the Machine album, so, I give you the Florence Diaper Bag (tutorial to follow in the months to come):

The front has two pockets and each side has a bottle (or phone) sized pocket. I went ahead and used interfacing on both the outside and the lining (typically I only do the outside) so that way the bag was nice and sturdy and would hold it's shape with nothing in it. ( I like to say it has integrity and will stand up even when no ones watching it.. ha ha. lame joke I know)

On the inside I thought it might be nice if the pockets had some give so you could fit a few diapers or whatever in them. I made the pocket 3 inches larger than the lining piece and then used 1/4 inch elastic encased in the top and a gathering stitch on the bottom before I sewed the lining together.

I hope you like it... I am very happy with how it turned and will probably make one for myself once I find out the gender of number 4.

See ya next week!

Holly

Fat Tuesday does feet

              Adorbs right? And they finally fit! I made these from Anna Maria Horner's book Handmade Beginnings way back when I was pregnant with Missy, (who turned 16 months today- sad and wonderful at the same time),   and didn't know if she was a Miss or a Mister, (pay no attention to the large pink polka dot- good thing she was a girl eh?). They are super charming and easy. It probably took me three hours to make these and that was waaaay back two years ago when I was considerably slower. Cozy flannel on the inside and cotton on the outside- I should have used some sweet "Little Folks" fabric but sadly I didn't know where to buy it at the time. (Which, incidentally, if you live in the San Diego area go by Maisonette for fabric- great selection and darling girls to buy it from. I love them). If I made these again I might cut down the pattern for a newborn and spring for some colored elastic. Go over here and see where I blogged about them before, (or go over there because you can see them on cute baby feet).
           
                  (A word on covered buttons because Melody asked me to share- they're easy and fun, you can buy them over here. They don't take a big fancy machine, just a simple rubber knob that usually comes with the bottons. I like to put a hair elastic thru the loop of the button and use them as last minute presents for little girls or just on any clothing project- they definitely take take handmade up a notch).

Show & Tell Time - My First Projects

Hello friends! 

When it comes to my humble sewing roots, I'm pretty much still a sewing newbie by most regards.  I first set my hands on a sewing machine back in April of 2011, thanks to Melody teaching me how to sew and to Holly for selling me her old machine.  My original goal was to be able to make my own costumes and creative attire for parties, events, and trips.  I have many artistic friends through the Burning Man community who are performers and skilled costume-putting-together-ers, and they inspire me every time I see their clothing & costume creations. In the truest sense, I had to learn to crawl before dance, so I started making some household creations before I ventured into clothing and costumes.  Once I got the hang of it, I soon realized that there's a whole world of things that can be sewn or crafted ~ who knew?!? 

The rest of tonight's post will be mostly visual.  Admit it, you know you like flipping through a magazine to peruse the pictures and skim the captions.  It's ok, me too. 

So, without further ado, here are some fun fotografias.

My first project ever.  A set of placemats with matching cloth napkins that fit inside the convenient placemat pocket.
Oh la la!



2nd project was the matching apron ~ it's reversible!

These plain white dish towels are plain no more!!
 

My first bag!! A bunch of your SUTI (Sewing Under the Influence  - get it???) bloggers all took a quilting class and made the same type of bag. 
I totally fooled some of my coworkers and friends ~ they thought it was a "crafty - looking" purse from a chic boutique. 

The Sewing Mat bag - to carry all my sewing supplies as I travel to Monday Night Sew In gatherings.  It holds  so much stuff and is very sturdy.



 These placemats & matching coasters ended up as a gift to my mother.

Burp Cloths for my coworker ~ she had a little boy with a monkey themed nursery.... I expanded and went with monkeys and other jungle animals

Matching Bib and Placemat for a friend's new baby girl, Maddy


Much love & sunshine!

Nina

Let's Get it Started!!

Let's start a blog, Take 2!  With a little more organization and group-thought, we're on our way to next totally fab, funny (hopefully), and silly sewing blog in the big world of sewing/craft blogs. 

Anyhoo, I'm 'sew' excited for this blog and the awesome gals who are also part of our Sewing Under the Influence posse! I'll try not to use the obvious play on words ('sew') too much, but no promises... I need to work on getting the creative juices flowing a little better.

Speaking of creativity-enhances-juices, I am going to share one of my favorites.  It's Red Velvet from Cupcake Wineries.  Insert speed talkin' commercial guy voice: Cupcake Wineries did not endorse nor sponsor this plug for their truly tasty vino.  I figured it's only fitting to be enjoying my fave vino of late as I'm creating a cupcake-themed baby blanket for my girlfriend whose about to have a baby girl.  She'll be sweet and little like a cupcake, plus that's her nursery theme.  I can't wait for the big day.  I'm secretly hoping she's early and can share my birthday with me this weekend... But, alas, I'm not in control of such timings of life.

Here's the finished blankie... it's so soft!



Pink Cupcake Baby Blanket


Cheers,
Nina