um, hello

This is the long, rambling catch-up post that is ridiculously overdue.  I just noticed that my last post was back in February!  How pathetic!

Not that I haven’t had anything blog-worthy to post.  I have been sewing like a maniac for the past couple months.  Enough projects there for a dozen blog posts at least. 

So, where to start?  How about babies?  Let's start there.  

With both Abby and Hannah pregnant at the same time, due within days of each other, I started working on their babies' nurseries in earnest probably three months ago.  Hannah has a bona-fide nursery for Jeremiah, so that planning was relatively easy.  Abby wasn’t sure how much room she’d have for Ellee’s nursery, so we did the pared-down, abbreviated version for her.  Hannah needed everything from curtains to bumper pads, to changing table cover, quilt, wall-hanging, diaper bag, and other stuff I’m likely forgetting.

Abby’s essentials were quilt, diaper bag, a couple crib/ bassinet sheets, and a smocked dress for Ellee girl to wear home from the hospital. 

I must pause here and inform you that Miss Ellee decided to surprise everyone by arriving a full two weeks before her expected due date.  If you want to read that story and see some exquisite photos, check out Abby’s last blog post if you haven’t already.

So, yes, busy-busy with sewing and quilting and getting all-things-baby-boy made for Jeremiah's nursery.  All-things-baby-girl were packed off to Africa with Lacy, who left on May 27th to stay with Abby and Jonathan for two months.  Incidentally, the smocked dress did not make it in time for Ellee to wear home from the hospital, but it did appear in her newborn photo shoot.  Precious!

More to come about all the baby items, but for now, I'm going to finish with what I've been up to the past couple days.  You see, I was just a little stressed about getting all the parts and pieces in place in time for both babies.  Just when I'd finish one thing, I'd start another, switching back and forth between babies like a good Lollee.  A bib for Ellee, a bib for Jeremiah.  Piece Ellee's quilt top, piece Jeremiah's quilt top.  Make Ellee's diaper bag, make Jeremiah's diaper bag.  You get the picture.  To top it off, the girls kept thinking of additional items they needed.   After Abby issued an SOS for burp cloths, I was literally sewing burp cloths for Ellee the day before Lacy and I headed to Charlotte for her to catch the plane.  (And I won't mention that Hannah just brought me the cushions from Jeremiah's rocking chair, needing a fabric upgrade.)  It's been fun.  It's kept me busy.  It's been rewarding.  

It's been stressful.

So when I finished Jeremiah's crib quilt the other day, I decided to de-stress by doing the most random sewing project I could think of.  It involved digging into my blue fabric scraps and sewing together whatever two pieces I came out with that were relatively the same size.  Over and over and over I did that until I formed a slab of fabric in all shades of blues and aquas.  I kept going, making it bigger, and crazier, and funkier as I went along.  Anything in the blue scrap bin was fair game.  It had to be predominately blue and squarish or rectanglish, but other than that, there were no rules.  I broke all the rules.  

It felt great.

The whole time I've been sewing blue scraps together, I've been listening to a country music CD.  That might not sound like any big deal to you.  That just shows you do not know me very well.  I don't like country music.  At all.  I avoid it whenever possible.  Look over there on the side-bar at my favorites.  Do you seen any mention of country music?  Didn't think so.

But,  you see, my eldest son has turned a county boy, for lack of a better description.  His favorite show is Duck Dynasty.  He has grown a beard and drinks tea from a Mason jar.  And he bought Jeremiah some overalls.

Yeah, I know.  But, it gets worse.

He now likes country music.  Hannah got him started on it.  Thanks, Hannah.

Not only that, he was sure he could convert me.  He and Hannah put together a Country Convert Mix and handed it to me grinning from ear to ear.  I, being the sweet mom that I am, accepted the challenge--twenty songs carefully chosen to win me to their side.

So while I sewed blue fabric, I listened to that CD on my computer, over and over and over.  I'm willing to concede that they did a pretty good job.  While I'm far from being a country music convert, I do admit to some toe tapping and humming along.  I even caught myself once or twice singing along to the lyrics.

This is what it looked like last night when I stopped.  Since then, I've sewed the last piece in place.  I'm ready to get this thing quilted.

That's where you come in.  If you made it to the end of this long, rambling post, you deserve a chance to win this dubious piece of artwork, if you want to call it that.  Think of it as a sort of Picasso of quilting.  You might sell it one day and become rich.  But I wouldn't count on it.

I call it Quilting the Blues.

It's a good-sized lap quilt.  If you'd like a stab at winning it, leave me a comment here or on Facebook or email me at:   thomas temple @ bell south .  net  (remove spaces).

 I'll get a finished photo up here in the next day or so.  Then I'll draw a name and announce the winner.

Love,

Laura Lee

life will be changing! {travel changing pad tutorial}

 With two grandbabies due in early June, what is a Lollee to do?  

Why, buy cute fabric and start stitching, that's what!

I had an idea for making a couple travel-sized changing pads that would fit neatly into diaper bags.  I wanted them to be washable, but most importantly, wipeable, for after those messy changes that inevitably occur when you're far from home.  My first thought was to order some of that adorable laminated cotton that I'm seeing all over the internet.  Cute prints abound, but the price is steeper than I want to pay, around $12 or $13 per yard.  So for the wipeable surface, I went with another idea--flannel-backed vinyl for tablecloths.  

At Joann's there were not many choices of color, other than white, which seemed completely impractical for obvious reasons.  The only color that remotely worked for babies was a fern green.  I purchased a 1/2 yard of that, at 52 inches wide, which would back two changing pads.

Then I ventured off to the nursery prints aisle to find something suitably boyish for Jeremiah (Brad and Hannah's baby) and girlish for Ellee (Jonathan and Abby's baby).  Hannah had told me that she's thinking of using a Noah's Ark theme.  She may or may not go with that, but I couldn't resist the adorable "All Aboard" animal print.  Abby said she just wanted sweet, cottage-y, and girlie.  I couldn't pass by this sweet pastel safari fabric for Ellee, who will be born in Africa.  

I decided to do a tutorial on how I made these.  Mine are a little different from the ones I've seen online, so I figured, why not?  You can buy yardage or fat quarters to use for the outer fabric.

{I'm just going to warn you-- working with vinyl is not like working with cotton.  That is why quilts and heirloom baby garments are made from high quality cottons, not cheap flannel-backed vinyl.  It is difficult to be a perfectionist when working with vinyl.  Just do the best you can and don't worry if your seams aren't perfect.  This isn't an heirloom.  It IS practical and wipeable, though!  These can be washed in the washer, but should be air dried.}

Travel Baby Changing Pad Tutorial

What you need:

• approximately 15 X 22" piece of print fabric for the outside
• approximately 15 X 22" piece of flannel-backed vinyl
• same size piece of polyester batting to go between the layers
• about 2" long piece of sew-in velcro
• basting spray (optional)

Trim all your fabrics (including batting) to the size you want.  Really the size is up to you.  I was striving to make mine fit out of 1/2 yard cuts of printed fabric and still have some left over to make coordinating bibs, etc.  

Spray basting the batting to the flannel side of the vinyl works really well to keep it all together.  

Layer the batting, then the vinyl (right side up), then the print fabric (right side down) 

Pin through all the layers in the seam allowance.  You don't want to make unnecessary holes in the vinyl, so pin parallel to the edge of the fabric. 

Don't forget to round the corners like I almost did.  

 Stitch through all the layers, leaving about 4" open for turning.

Carefully turn...

 ...and press with a warm (NOT HOT) iron.  

Topstitching around the whole pad gives it a nice finish and serves the purpose of sewing the opening closed.  

Now lay the pad out and fold it where you like.  I wanted mine to fold in thirds lengthwise, then fold in quarters the other way.  I folded it first to get an idea where to mark.   

DISCLAIMER!   

I used a Vis-A-Vis marker.  You DO NOT want to do that!!!  I thought the wash-off marker was a good idea but it bled to the white side when I applied a damp cloth to remove the marks.  The marker washed out, no problem, but you don't want to make that mistake.  Exactly how you should mark it, I don't know.  Maybe a fade away pen would work.  I'm not sure.  

Now it's going to fold the other way, both ends toward the center.  I left a little space in the center so it will lay flat when folded. 

Here are all the marks.  It really isn't rocket science.  It's pretty difficult to mess this up.

While you're marking your lines, go ahead and pin your velcro down, so you can do all the rest of the sewing on one trip to the machine.  I just pinned to the printed fabric and not through the vinyl.

Now sew on all those lines, from edge to edge.  This is where you apply what you learned about not being a perfectionist on this project.  The vinyl is likely to slip a little as you sew.  It's ok.  Mine did, too.

Stitch the velcro down really well.  This baby is going to get a lot of use! 

Ellee's finished pad--pretty side....

...and vinyl side, where the baby will lay.  

Folded and velcro'd.  

Two sweet!!!  

But not as sweet as they are!

love,

Precious Cargo-Part 2

Nothing speaks newborn baby to me like white batiste.  Maybe it has to do with the fact that we brought Brad home from the hospital in white batiste, trimmed in baby blue.  Anyway, this outfit was a delight to put together and just makes me smile.  As cute as it is, it will definitely be cuter in a few days when it is all wrapped around baby Kyle. 

So, with that, I will make like a baby and head out!

Love,

           

Precious Cargo

Stepping foot into a high-end children's boutique is not a smart move when you're living on a tight budget.  Lured by the siren song of soft fabrics, adorable applique, and delicate embroidery stitches, that is just what Abby, Lacy, and I did yesterday.  While on an unrelated shopping mission, we took our little detour and spent a few minutes ooo'ing and ahhh'ing at the abundance of exquisite babywear.

Abby spotted a certain little white batiste baby boy outfit, piped in blue, and embroidered with a little train-load of animals.  I could tell from the gleam in her eye that all previous plans for what Kyle would wear home from the hospital just went flying out of her mind.  The only hindrance to her new vision was the hefty price tag, obviously.

Wheels quickly began turning in my head.  I remembered that I had pattern at home that could easily be altered to duplicate this little dream.  So, once our primary shopping mission was completed, we motored over to the fabric store and laid down a whopping $7.25 to buy the necessary batiste, buttons, and elastic. 

This one really is going to work up quickly.  It's been quite a few years since I did any shadow embroidery, so I'm having to dig deep into the recesses of my brain, but thankfully, it's a small piece.  I'm about half-way through with that part.

My plan is to construct this today and tomorrow, which means my plans to complete Caleb's wall hanging today are now on hold.  Again.  My poor son may or may not have a finished room to come home to. 

But Kyle will be styling, that's for sure.

I'll post pics of the finished product pronto.

Love,

Grandbaby Bedding

 

January is trucking right along and before I know it, my grandbaby Kyle is going to be here!!  His due date is February 26th, just over six weeks away!!  Yikes!

Abby and I hit the road a couple weeks ago and found the cutest fabric line (Lollipop, by Sandy Gervais for Moda) for his nursery ensemble.  After purchasing a fabric panel for his wall hanging at the retail fabric shop, we came home and ordered the rest of what we needed online from a discount source to save some serious cash.  Our plan was to buy the fabrics for his crib quilt, bumper pads, tab curtains, diaper bag, and wall hanging.  We fancied these fabrics and didn't even realize the name fit perfectly until after we purchased them.  You see... I will be Lollee and Tom will be Pops.

Lollee and Pops.

Lollipops!

We purchased a couple "charm packs" for the quilt.  Charm packs are precut five-inch squares of the whole line, or most of it, 42 squares in each.  Abby liked the idea of just these bright, adorable prints sewn together Granny-square style, for a simple, playful blanket that will grow with him into childhood.  Never one to be interested in sewing before, she enthusiastically agreed to help sew these squares together for her baby's quilt!

The diaper bag is also constructed from the five-inch squares, quilted, and monogramed with Kyle's initials.  The tab curtains are already hanging in his room, which is painted a soft green.  Here is the fabric panel which will become the wall hanging.

 

Her sisters are working on the most creative artwork for the walls.  Holly has used acrylics and painted "Peek-A-Boo" animals on canvas, while Maggie has been painting fish in watercolors, all coordinating with the themes in the fabrics.  I believe Lacy has a crocheted animal in the works.  Oh, my goodness!  It's all coming together and the big reveal will be a little over a week away, after her baby shower on the 22nd of January.

I have a little over half the quilt hand-stitched.  These cold afternoon and evenings are perfect "quilting by the fire" days, and Bella is obliged to keep me company.

Meanwhile, our little boy Caleb's room is falling into place.  This working on two rooms simultaneously is challenging to my A.D.D. quilter's brain, but I think it will all happen.  His quilt top is pieced and his furniture is painted barn red.  We are on a mad hunt to find the perfect child-sized table.  Be looking for his room pics soon.

Love,

Hearts and Flowers

This classic yoke dress is smocked with a plate called Baby Allison from the book Classic Smocking - The Cheryl Lohman Collection.  Her designs are exquisite.

A yoke dress requires a little bit more involved construction than the bishop style I showed you the last couple times.  Yoke style dresses typically have a Peter Pan collar and set-in sleeves.  The sleeves can be smocked and trimmed with lace, or gathered and bound with a bias band, as I chose to do on this dress.  A tiny little touch of embroidery was added to the collar to mimic the smocking design.  These little dresses are all about the details!

I don't care for dresses that are dripping with lace, but I do like a squidge of it.  I heard a phrase a long time ago that I have remembered, especially when I'm tempted to go overboard with froofiness.  (Do you like my word?  I just made that up.) "There are more ways to kill a dog than to choke it with buttermilk."  I think the child should be the focus.  When the garment becomes the focus, well, something is just not right! 

Smocked dresses are expensive to purchase because the handwork is time-intensive.  However, they are very inexpensive to make yourself, if you keep the lace to a minimum.  Imported Swiss laces are a must on these dresses, and that can run into some bucks if you want to trim the collar, sleeves, and hem.  I like to keep the lace near the face, so I just trimmed the collar on this one.  All told, fabric and lace for this dress cost only eight dollars. 

So now I have two maybe-baby-boy and two maybe-baby-girl garments finished.  I think I'll wait now until we find out what Baby Saint is.  We'll find out in a couple weeks!

And by the way, I received lots of guesses and we now have two winners on the name game.  I can't tell you who they are, or what the names are yet, but I'm dreaming up some delicious baked goods for the winners.  Don't worry, I ship near and far!

Love,

Rocking Ponies

I promised it would be cute.  Oh, my goodness!  This one just raised the bar way up there.

I cut out the pieces for this romper umpteen years ago.  Really.  I have no idea who this was started for.  I'm thinking it could have been one of my older nephews.  So this one has been in a state of non-completion for about 14 years at the least, all neatly cut out and tucked into the pattern envelope.  I found it when I went digging through all the baby boy patterns I have in the closet.

This one is tiny--much tinier than it looks.  It's a 6 month size according the pattern.  But I've had babies; I know how fast they grow.  If Baby Saint is long and lanky like his daddy, he won't be in this one very long. 

These rocking ponies make me smile, especially their tails.  This type of smocking is called "stacking cables" or "picture smocking."  Cables are just a basic smocking stitch, but when they sit on top of each other, it is called stacking.  By doing this, you can create all sorts of fun shapes.  So people design these "plates", as they are called, which are just design patterns that show you how to do the colors.  It might sound complicated, but I promise you it isn't.  If you ever cross-stitched, then you have basically done the same thing.

When I first learned to smock, I started with picture smocking, having no idea it was considered difficult by some.  If I made a mistake, I just pulled it out and started over till I got it right.   Ignorance is bliss, as they say. 

Making these baby outfits is a serious addiction.  You know how some people are about potato chips?  Well, that is me with baby togs.  While I'm working on one, I'm dreaming about the next.  Now I'm preoccupied with a yoke-style dress with lace-trimmed collar and puff sleeves, in the palest green batiste smocked with peach, yellow, and cream hearts and flowers.

Oh, and I haven't forgotten you recipe lovers.  I have a muffin I want you to try soon.

Love,