Easy Empire Waist Top

 

I received Amy Butler’s Little Stitches for Little Ones this past Christmas from my sister-in-law, and have since looked through it nearly every night, planning projects for our little one.  One of the first pattern’s I tabbed was this Easy Empire Waist top.  I love that the top is obviously a girl’s top, without being too frilly.  When I stumbled on some Anna Maria Horner Little Folks fabric at my local fabric shop, I knew it was time to start working on this.  I bought the contrasting blue fabric at JoAnn’s a while back.  It matches the blue in the Little folks fabric perfectly, and I love the contrast between the geometric and floral patterns.

I would not exactly call this pattern “easy”.  The directions were a bit confusing to me at times, though I suppose I am used to seeing patterns in more of a “tutorial” layout with pictures as well as descriptions.  I had to rip out a few seams, but all in all, I am very happy with the way this little project turned out.  Also, I’m not sure I would call this a top…it seems more like a dress to me…

The original pattern has long sleeves, which I decided to leave off.  Instead I chose to make some binding from the contrasting fabric to make the dress more summer friendly.  Now that I got the hang of it, I may just have to make a second!

A little bit more about the book…Many of the projects are really darling, and I would make nearly every one of them.  However, there are not as many clothing projects as I would have liked.  Many of the projects are for room decor and toys.  Also while there are a few clothing projects, many of them can pretty much only be used for girls.  There are two dresses and one hat for a girl, as well as another hat, some pj’s, and booties that could be used for either a boy or a girl.  Also, as I said earlier, the instructions can be a bit confusing at times because there are not many pictures of the process, but if you are really experienced in pattern reading this might not bother you at all.

Sewing Clothes for Baby

The number one thing people want to know about the baby is, “boy or girl?”  People have been making their predictions since they first found out I was pregnant.  Well, we are about 85% sure our little one is a girl, pending a follow-up ultrasound in a couple of weeks!

I feel confident enough about her, well, being a “her” that I have started my sewing projects.  It has been so hard waiting on some of the things that I want to make.   I have a huge list going of all the fun free patterns that I have found in various corners of the internet, and I can finally tackle it!

I decided on this little dress from Made by Petchy for my first project because of how easy it looked.  Pair that with a June birthdate, I thought it would be perfect for her to wear through the summer.  The fabric is from my trip to the LA Fashion district.  At the time I went, I did not know whether our baby was a boy or a girl, so I just bought fabric that was soft and made of natural fibers.  What is funny is that when going through my fabric again, I noticed that many of the ones that I purchased were “boy” colors, mostly blues and greens.  I must have been subconsciously thinking about a boy at the time!

I really don’t mind using boy colors for a girl, though.  I am actually not the biggest fan of pink, or even purple unless the colors they are paired with are just right.  For the main body of the dress I used a super soft cotton knit that has a subtle dot pattern on it.  I made the binding from a striped open weave cotton.

Body Pillow Turned Sofa Pillow

One of the many pieces of advice I have heard everywhere regarding the pregnancy is to get myself a body pillow.  I heard this from so many people and read it in so many books that a few months ago I decided that I could not live without one and picked one up at Target.  Unfortunately the body pillow was not my passport to comfort and deep sleep.  These people and books all forgot to mention the other thing that comes with a body pillow…extreme heat!  And I already feel like my body temperature is about 10 degrees above normal.

But oh well.  It was worth the try.  I found another great use for the body pillow when I took it out to my living room and found that it fit the back of my sofa just about perfectly.  Mike and I tried sitting on the sofa with the pillow behind us, and it was oh so comfortable! 

I covered the pillow with some fabulous fabric that I found shopping at the Los Angeles Fashion district (yellow, of course, and only $2 a yard!!) while visiting family.  One of these days my living room is going to go into yellow overload, but maybe I can squeeze just a tiny bit more of my favorite color into it…

I made up the pattern for the pillow as I went along.  I measured the length and width, and cut the front rectangle from that measurement.  For the back, I divided the length in 2 and added a couple inches, and overlapped the pieces to make an envelope style closure.

Maternity clothing

As my belly gets bigger, I have less and less clothes that fit me.  Both buying and making maternity clothes seems like such a waste to me sometimes, since I will only be able to wear the clothes for a few short months.  Because of this, I have started planning clothing projects that I will be able to wear while pregnant, and also after I have the baby.

I found the free pattern for this top on Burda Style.  I like the loose-fitting style, and the fact that it is made with knit fabric instead of woven.  To accomodate my tummy, I added about 4 inches to the length of the top so that as I get further along, I will not be showing skin along the bottom.  After I give birth, I will likely bring the bottom hem up again.

I was pleasantly surprised at how easily this project came together.  I was also happy with the fit.  There was only one size given with the pattern but I decided to go for it anyways, and it ended up fitting perfectly.  I also like that it hides the size of my belly a bit…at least when you are looking from the front.  I think I will end up making a couple more of these shirts because of how great the fit is.

On a side note, can you believe that I am wearing a tank outside in the winter!?  The weather here has been very mild.  I think someone must have heard my wish for less snow a couple months ago!

Early Morning Birthday Fun

 

Today is my dude’s birthday, and what better way to start than early morning pancakes, coffee, and of course presents before work?? 

I am not the only crafty one in my family.  Mike is crafty in all sorts of ways, but lately he has been talking a lot about woodworking and making toys for our little one.  I got him the Complete Manual of Woodworking, and Making Toys that Teach to get him started.  The Complete Manual has a great section on hand tools, which is why I settled on this book over the many others about Woodworking.  We don’t have lots of money to buy all the power tools that some people use.  Making Toys that Teach has some great beginner’s projects that will be great for a baby/toddler.

I love the idea of our baby enjoying toys that Mike and I made.  And, I am even more happy that Mike will enjoy making the toys.  Our little one will be born to a great father who is already in love with her.  Happy Birthday Dude!

Weaving Project Deux

My weaving class was cancelled last night, but I was still able to complete my project.  And, even more amazing, I was able to settle on a project in the first place!  I chose to weave a light-weight warm weather scarf/wrap.  I chose fairly neutral (of course!), warm colors in a cotton/linen blend.  The scarf is a bit less soft than I would like, probably due to the linen.  I’m hoping that when I wash it will get a bit softer in the dryer.

One thing I really love about weaving is the relatively short amount of time it takes to complete a project.  When I compare this to knitting, I am so impressed by the speed!  A scarf of this size could take me a couple of weeks to finish (or a few months!)  but weaving I was able to finish it in a couple days.  I’m sure that people who really know their way around a loom could make this even faster.

My only complaint with weaving is the number it does on my preggo back.  I don’t really have a table that is at the right height, so I have to bend over to do the weaving.  On the one hand, those muscles must be getting pretty strong.  On the other, getting out of bed in the morning, not so great.  Anyhow, I suppose its worth it, and I can’t wait for my next assignment!

Baby Sweater

Many of you know that there was another change that I was able to kick off the new year with…the Little One Mike and I are expecting to join us in just a few short (or maybe really long…?) months!  I started a baby sweater out of some yarn that my dear Holiday Gift Exchange partner sent to me.  The pattern I used coupled with the yarn color makes a gender neutral combo that I hope will translate well to either a boy or a girl.

But as all us crafters know, tragedy can strike our creations at any point in the process.  Halfway through I realized that I was using 8.0mm needles instead of the US8 needles!!  The sweater would probably fit a 2 year old right now.  Needless to say, I will start from the beginning, because I just can’t not make this cute little sweater.  One positive outcome of this whole mess is I was originally knitting this in the newborn size, but have since decided to make the next size up.  The baby will be born in June, just before the heat of summer begins in Colorado, so this might be a gift better suited for fall weather.  Besides, maybe then the sweater will last a bit longer by rolling up/down the sleeves.  I would like to get as much use out of this as I can.

Apologies for a Bad Start to the New Year

Hello to all my faithful readers and visitors.  It has been too long.  This poor little blog has gotten dusty in my absence.  I apologize a thousand times for my lack of updating, and crawling into 2010 at a snail’s pace.  Fortunately, my lack of posting does not reflect an absence of crafting in my life, and I have oh so much to share with all of you.  Please bear with me over the next week or two as I try to get back into a regular posting schedule!

The start of the new year brought with it a new craft for me to learn!  I have been taking weaving classes at a local yarn store, and so far it has been wonderful!  As many of you know, with most of the crafts I have learned, I taught myself, mostly by making thousands of mistakes before getting it right.  I forgot how helpful it is to have a teacher guiding my work.  Don’t get me wrong…I still make my fair share of mistakes!  But having a teacher helps me to fix them quickly and efficiently, and avoid making some all together.

So far I have just been practicing some different weaves on my borrowed 4-shaft table loom (with a few fairly hideous color combos), but this week I am moving on to a “real” project!  I will post some pictures for you next Wednesday. 

I have found that the hardest part about starting a new project is being so overwhelmed with ideas, and settling on just one.  I was walking through the yarn store last night, surrounded by all these beautiful bits of wool, cotton, and silk, and it was too much to take it in.  Many of the people in my class went home with their material, but I went home empty-handed.  I think that I need time to gather my thoughts before I can settle on a single project to tackle.

Do any of you have any experience weaving?  What were your experiences like?  What was hardest and easiest for you?

Merry Christmas

Hello Everyone!  I just wanted to say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you!  I hope your holiday is filled with peace and happiness, and lots of time with loved ones!

And for just a small amount of shameless self-promotion…If you get a chance, vote for my fabric over at Spoonflower!  I have entered into the cartoon contest.  My fabric is called “Hot Air Balloons”.

Butterfly Ornament

This year I participated in Sew Liberated’s Holiday Traditions Exchange.  I know that my partner recieved her package, so I can post about this ornament that I made.  It is inspired by an ornament that I loved growing up.  I think I liked it so much because it was so delicate and detailed, which I tried to duplicate with some success.

To make the butterfly, I started with some plain red fabric and embroidered it with many colors of thread.  I then cut around the embroidery in the shape of a butterfly, and cut a second piece of the red fabric to go on the back.  I stitched the two sides together with some orange embroidery floss, and stuffed the ornament with some bamboo stuffing.  I made the little tassle on the bottom with some more embroidery floss.  Finally, I attached a gold thread to outline the butterfly.  It is stitched on with orange embroidery floss as well.