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.

A new quilt

It's Thanksgiving morning at 7am, and I am enjoying a little sewing time.  My hubby and brother are out hunting, Sam is still asleep, and I am working on Sam's "big boy" quilt.  It's inspired by this one from Pottery Barn Kids:

source

I am a big fan of Bonnie Hunter and her thrifty quilting ways, so I took an idea from her and scoured the thrift stores of 100% cotton plaid shirts in reds, oranges, and browns.  My pattern isn't quite as random as the PB bedding; I just alternated 6" squares with 6x9" rectangles.  I'm making a twin size, so I have 16 rows in my quilt.  As of this morning, I am a quarter done with the top:

Those are rows, but they only fit on the design wall vertically.  I was nervous laying it out and when I began sewing, but I think it'll turn out alright.  If I had it to do over again, I think I would leave out the lighter blocks and have it just be the more saturated prints.  At this point, I'm soldiering on and trying to knock it out, because I have a baby quilt, burp cloths, cloth diapers, and all kinds of other sewing and home projects I want to get done in the next couple months. 

Nursery Fabric

I got the big box that was the remainder of my nursery fabric orders today!  It's gorgeous - I'm so excited.  Here are the goodies:

Fabric for pillows (black for piping) for the rocker

 White denim (not pictured, it's just white) to reupholster this beaut

 Buffalo check for a changing table pad cover, and a cow print and hounds tooth for crib sheets

 The fabrics for the quilt - I pulled all from my stash that I could and then got a few more to give it a little extra variety - there's everything from pirates to deer to typography, stars, trucks, and bandanas.

This is from my trip to JoAnn's last weekend (how I miss thee, Christiansburg store!).  It's a flannel to make some pj pants for Sam.

 Also from the JoAnn's trip, a gray chevron and pretty yellow and gray geometric print to make some burp cloths from.  The baby may have hand me down clothes, furniture, and toys, but he'll have a stylin' nursery and burp cloths!