Cloth Diapers

With my firstborn, I wanted to do cloth diapers but didn't have much support.  I purchased a few things - some covers in various sizes, a few contours, some pockets, and a couple all-in-ones, but didn't have enough to really use them full-time or even part-time. 

I checked with my sitter earlier in this pregnancy to see how she felt about cloth diapers, and she actually has two babies in cloth right now, so she was open.  Hooray!  And with a few more years of sewing experience under my belt, I feel much better about trying to sew some to use in combination with my small stash of purchased diapers.  I feel like I have better support this time around as well and am more comfortable dealing with naysayers. 

It's not so much that I want to be environmentally friendly as that I am cheap.  I think so far I've spent about $200 on my materials for cloth diapers (not including the tons of fabric I have in my stash that I bought back for the firstborn and never used for anything) and have made 22 diapers so far and still have tons of materials left for lots  more.  At roughly $30 a box and about a box a month for disposables, I'll break even before the baby hits a year old.  And our firstborn didn't potty train until 2.5 years old.  Plus, they are easy to make and so stinking cute!!!

Here's my first - using the Very Baby Fitted pattern (again, phone pics - pregnant lady is lazy). 

I have done mostly Very Baby's with some Cloth Revolutions in there to try something different.  So far I have made newborn sized diapers - my purchased pockets are all adjustable one-size but probably won't fit for a bit since this baby is supposed to be on the small side (bigger than his 4lb 7.5oz brother, but not 8lbs either).  I will get the NB sized diapers made, figure out which ones/fabrics work the best on baby, and then start on some one-size diapers to round out the stash for when baby is bigger. 

So far I have made: 15 pockets, 2 covers, and 5 fitteds, with three fitteds in the works and about 11 more fitteds planned.  The worst part is the cutting out - the sewing goes together fast!  My favorite thing is adding the elastic to the fitteds - I love the way the 3-step zigzag stitch ruffles the fabric!

 

Baby's Quilt

Here are some progress pictures from Baby #2's quilt.  It's actually finished now, but I haven't gotten to take any beauty shots yet.  It was really quick to piece - I was a bit of a maniac. 

The pattern is Scrappy Stars by Carrie Nelson and was featured in the June 2006 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting (and yes, I've had the issue and the quilt on my list all this time). 

 Only picture of the completed quilt so far, and it doesn't show much.

 

An Update

I've been a slacker, but in my defense I am 38 weeks pregnant and beginning to get a little miserable.  This baby is super active and it HURTS when he is kicking me all over.  I am ready for him to get out, and I know I could have 2-3 more weeks of this!

Here's the last picture I took - a comparison of 36 weeks with my firstborn and with this baby:

All in all, I am still doing pretty well (no pre-eclampsia this time and still able to do a good bit/be active around the house), but the constant headbutting of the cervix and backache makes me cranky by 2pm.  Plus, I finished my big projects at work, so I am doing little things and trying to stay busy while I wait for baby (I like to be busy so this drives me bonkers).  I know there are women who have it a lot worse than me.  I'm still hoping for and am good to try for a VBAC, so here's hoping it's sooner rather than later.

And don't worry, I have been sewing up a storm.  I'll try to get a few posts up with the things I've been sewing - I have been lazy and taking pictures with my phone rather than the nice camera (which is all charged and packed up for the hospital), but at least you can get an idea.

Sam's "Big Boy" Quilt

Since he is going to be a big brother and is getting a new room and twin bed, I figured his 36"x42" baby quilt wasn't going to cut it anymore.  So I made my sweet boy a "big boy" quilt.  The plaids are almost all from deconstructed thrift store shirts, a la Bonnie Hunter.  There are two small pieces that I bought to finish out those last few squares. 

The blocks are 6"x6" and 6"x9" finished, laid out alternating.  I originally was just going to outline quilt each one, but it wasn't enough, so I added more, and then more until it felt right.  The quilting is not perfect, and the basting wasn't either.  The backing fabric has a homespun feel to it and stretched some, so there are a couple spots where it bunched when I was quilting.  (Boo!)  But it is done, and I figure being my son I'll have another chance to make him a quilt. 

I do love the backing and especially the binding fabrics - I found them at my local quilt shop.  I took the top in and played with several fabrics against it.  I always end up finding the perfect combos there, and they are always the most unexpected. 

The quilt finishes at about 75"x96" - definitely big enough for his new twin bed.

Mudroom Closet

Last Christmas I did a quick and dirty "mud closet" by our back door - took the bi-fold doors off and installed a rough bench.  Well, it was getting used as a dumping ground for all kinds of random stuff, and with no hooks it wasn't working well.  I originally wanted to ditch the closet entirely and build in a mud bench, but that is not happening anytime in the foreseeable future, so I resolved to redo my first attempt into something a little nicer looking.

I took a day off work and my sis, who was home from college on Christmas break, helped me get the closet demoed, reworked, and painted all in a day.  And although there are now coats hanging up and Hubby hates putting his shoes in a basket, it still is looking fairly decent today.

We added legs as additional support for the bench (it's screwed into studs but I am paranoid).

 Painted the existing shelves that are on the left side . . .

 Added hooks for coats.  One day I'll probably add a second shelf up top - the supports are already there and it would be good extra storage for out-of-season hats and accessories.

We didn't take any progress shots as we worked on some other proejcts as well during the course of the day.  But here's a before and after from when the day we got the keys until now:

Christmas Pillows

Catch up installment #2:
Christmas Pillows & A Potholder

 Drop cloth pillow, 12"x16", Noel image done using iron on transfer paper.  I used the finished edge on the back to hide the zipper closure. 

Noel pillow #2 - printed image out, taped it to the window, and traced with a fine-tip Sharpie.  Then filled in with a Sharpie paint pen, set with a hot iron, and washed to make sure it wouldn't bleed.  Same drop cloth material and zipper on the back.

Double potholder - made using parts of several tutorials, but mostly this one from A Little Gray.  I did use a dish towel purchased from Wal-Mart, Insul-Bright, and batting as layers.  And regular double fold bias tape.  I quilted around each shape on the two hand pockets and quilted straight lines on the middle portion.

Catch Up

I'm a horrible blogger, but whatever.  I'm 30 weeks pregnant with a house in chaos, a 3-yr old, a husband who is either at work or working on our family farm, and a month of holidays just behind me. 

So let's play a little catch up with what all I've been doing since Thanksgiving:

First up - Christmas Presents:
Doll Clothes for American Girl Dolls

Fleece hoodie from Simplicity 4297 - definitely need a stretch fabric for this - I had to add some contrasting fabric for the cuffs and waistband (didn't want a double layer of fleece there), but I think next time I would just lengthen sleeves and shirt to eliminate the extra pieces.  And I had to modify the front neckline to get it over the doll's head - so that was not great.  But it ended up looking cute.

Also with the hoodie - jeans from Simplicity 5333 - made from dark wash stretch denim - these fit great and were super easy to sew up. 

Raglan sleeve top from Simplicity 5733 - I would cut everything a hair bigger than printed, it was just a tad tight.  I used an old tank top from my clothing stash for the fabric.

Drawstring Dress from Heritage Doll Fashions found on Liberty Jane.  Very easy pillowcase-type dress made up in a seersucker. 

Ring Collar Dress from Doll Duds found on Liberty Jane - would not recommend silk shantung and taffeta . . . it was a bit of a pain.  And I'd make all the pieces a tad larger just to give more ease.  I definitely want to make this again in a regular cotton instead of tight and slippery fabrics.

Close up of the bodice - it's not perfect, but it's done.

 Next catch up installment coming soon . . . promise.