Baby hats

Okay, I know it's beginning to sound like all I do is sew ... but hey, I'm waiting on this baby and it's summer. No music class. No preschool. No planned activities and it's 100 degrees outside. I have all the boring stuff done, so it's finally time for the fun stuff! Today, I tackled the hat project. Conclusion? Too dang easy!

I surfed around, looking at patterns and tutorials online. This is a good one: Easiest Baby Hat Ever Tutorial. I finally realized after reading a few, though, that I didn't really need more than a simple understanding that you're just creating a square or rectangle. There are other designs that have cute, long "tails" on them, fun animal hat designs, and lots of creative options. I went with the simplest for now.

How does it work? Measure the head, add 1/2 inch. Figure out how high you want it, add 1/2 inch or so. Cut rectangle from fleece, fold in half, sew side seams. Trim corners at top, turn right side out. Fold brim edge under to depth of hem you prefer, stitch. Then, the decorating ... you can pinch the corners, put a few stitches through to hold "ears" in place, or tie up with pretty ribbons, stitch to hold in place, and voila, you are done.

I made the doll hat first and it was so fast I don't know how long it took. I timed myself on the actual baby hat, and it took a whopping 23 minutes! The hardest part was pushing the needle through the ribbon bows and fleece -- ouch. Besides that, piece o' cake!

It's totally addictive

So this morning, I told the baby she couldn't come today. I needed to sew. I made another burp cloth, in maybe half an hour, and love that one. (Shown in the photo below.) I was going to start sewing Miss E's quilt together during the afternoon, but I got caught up playing on Facebook and Etsy ... and by the time Miss E got up, she told me that was NOT what I should be doing. No quilt today. Hmm ... So instead, I listened to her and pulled off another project that I've been wanting to try.

I took the simplest onesie from her Tidoo dolls, traced it onto a sheet of paper, cut it out, determined how I wanted to sew it, and an hour later (or less!) had a brand-new onesie for her dolls. (Saves me a whopping $20. I can't believe prices on doll clothes.) Miss E is in love with the fuzzy outfit. We found the fabric at JoAnn in the remnant bin and have held onto it for a month or two, wanting to use it for "something special" as Miss E likes to say. I have to admit, this was the easiest doll outfit imaginable. I just finished the edges and didn't even bother to hem the neck, sleeves or leg openings. The back closes up with a strip of Velcro, and I added a bright pink ribbon across the chest. Piece of cake, and darn cute, too.

And for grins, here's a look at the bedroom/office/sewing corner before we picked anything up. What a mess! Lucky for me, while I typed this, Miss E cleaned up ALL of her stuff, proudly asking me, "Doesn't it look marvelous?!" Why yes, it does!

Babies babies babies

I'm 38 weeks pregnant, and instead of packing bags for the birth, what am I doing? Sewing. I should be working on quilts for the girls. I have all the strips cut, and they are fairly simple. But no ... instead, I'm making fairies, and now burp cloths, wash cloths and probably bibs. Maybe a small blanket. Oy. I just can't help it! It's seriously addictive, and since my mother-in-law gave me a generous gift card to JoAnn for my birthday, I bought a pile of pink, flowerly flannel, pink and lavender terry cloth, and cream chenille. I also had this adorable kitten print (flannel) that I've hung onto for a year, wondering what to make of it, and it worked out, ahem, purrfectly.

I keep seeing all these cute baby things at baby stores and thinking that I should be home making them, so yesterday I went to work and made this whole pile, plus an extra wash cloth for Miss E (to match baby sis's) and two Miss E-sized burp cloths that she can use with her dolls. We have to match, you know!

I found some great tutorials and then just went crazy. I'll probably fit in a bib or two yet, like I said, but the burp cloths are so dang cute -- and simple, too. Sometime, I'll pack those bags ... hopefully before it's too late!

Blissful bunny

I can't believe I never posted the bunny. I just love her. She was a birthday gift for Miss E's BFF, and I think a big hit. She's made from two cute Sandi Henderson fabrics and a whole lot of muslin. Miss E decided she should have the muslin face, and I went with button eyes for a change. Cute?

Fairies

Around here, fairies are a favorite. Miss E received a very cute fairy book for her birthday, and every time I read it, I think, "Hmm. I could make a doll like that ..." And one day, last week, it hit me. I could NOT suppress the urge to create, so here is Harmony the Peace Fairy, as she turned out. I still need to work on the pattern for face and neck joining to body, but ... Miss E doesn't care. Harmony now hangs out with Poppy, the first fairy I ever made, and they are quite chummy.

She's only about 7 inches tall, and those arms, legs and braids were ... um ... a royal pain, putting it mildly. Turning those was an art form. Or something. But I managed to get it all done, and she's pretty cute.

Still here!

Sorry y'all ... I have not posted much at all lately, though I'm napping less on most days. Of course, every time I say that, I end up taking a 2-hour nap the next day!

There have been a few small projects and a very awesome tote bag in the past month or two, none of which are posted yet. A cute baby project for a friend is in the works. Miss E has snagged some new fabric at JoAnn that we probably will turn into a doll blanket, and I finally used a cute pink bird print for two mini placemats for Miss E's play kitchen. More on that one of these napless days.

However, my time over the last week has been spent starting my very first quilting project. It's a very simple quilt. Well, two of them, one for each girl, from the Amy Karol book. I got most of the fabric that I had cut, though I realized just how big they were (45 x 60 inches doesn't SOUND so big ...) and decided I'd better halt and buy more fabric, much to my DH's chagrin, I'm sure. But ... it's for the girls, right? And before #2 is born, I really want to get them done since I've been holding onto the fabric for over six months now.

So, the next round of beautiful Sandi Henderson fabric is in the mail and should be arriving soon. And then I cut more, the slow part of any project. The fabric, if you're wondering, is what I used for her giant birthday cupcake and more from the Ginger Blossom line. So absolutely beautiful and I can't wait to see the next batch in person. It's that crazy fabric obsession I have ... and Miss E has the gene as well. Another day or two and I get to touch it!

Hang in there; the posts are slow, but I'm still sewing, despite being 33 weeks pregnant!

Chickens

I confess; we love chickens around here. It started last summer with our first visit to Boggy Creek Farm and it has only grown. First it was Miss E, then me. My mom painted a beautiful chicken picture that hangs in our kitchen now, and Miss E has a rooster painting in her room. We have bought a few stuffed animal chickens, but I was poking around on Etsy yesterday and found several adorable ones. I admit; I copied. However, I did have to come up with the pattern on my own and figure the whole thing out. And after about two hours, Miss E got a very colorful and delightful Lucy Chicken, who now seems to hatch eggs every hour, at least. She has put some cheer into our lives, without a doubt!

That fabric has been sitting here, waiting for the perfect project.