New Stash

Hello Everyone, I hope all of you who celebrate the holiday had a happy Easter!  A little package finally arrived in the mail the other day…a little spring to brighten my week!  This is my new Anna Maria Horner Good Folks stash.

Settling on bedding for my little one has been one of the hardest decisions for me so far (yes I know, compared to all the questions about how to be a good parent/how to raise a child, this might seem like a very small dilemma…).  You know that I finally chose colors for the baby’s room, and I thought these fabrics went perfectly!  My plan is to sew a fairly simple quilt, that is bordered in little triangles of this colorful fabric.  Something like this:

I love the little triangles, and I am going to echo that design by making triangle fabric flags out of the scraps to hang around her room.

Originally, I was planning on using the fabric that I designed to make bedding for my little one, but I was really getting stuck on the color and trying to make the pattern “just right”.  I decided that instead of stressing about it, I would use fabric that I already know I love, and use my fabric design as an art print for the wall.  Luckily, my fabric has little triangle flags on the hot air balloons, which I think will tie in perfectly with everything else in the decor.

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Boys Kimono PJ’s

After my mixed experience with the “Easy” Empire Waist top pattern by Amy Butler, I was a bit wary of trying any more of her patterns.  I kept looking through the book, though, and could not resist giving one more pattern a try.  I made a promise to myself before I began that I would trust my instincts, and if the instructions did not seem right, I would do what I thought I should do instead of blindly following.

I am so happy that I tried out this pattern for the Kimono PJ’s.  It was much easier to follow, and I only had to rip out one seam (my fault, not hers)!!  What is even better, is I was able to complete this project in one day.  It was very exciting!

I chose a rich, soft, brown linen for the main fabric for these pj’s.  I wanted to use a natural, breathable material that could be worn in multiple seasons, since I have no idea how big my friend’s baby is going to be, or when he will fit into this outfit.  The trim is an Echino cotton double gauze (mine is the blue, not the purple, but I could not find the exact fabric I used online).  I have used other prints in the double gauze and I just love how soft it is!  Perfect for lying against a small baby’s skin.

I loved sewing this pattern so much, that I am already planning on what fabrics to use for a set for my little one.

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Bronson Lace

Bronson Lace is another block weaving pattern, like summer and winter.  Because of this, it is an easy design to visualize.  When I picked out the colors for this piece, I must have still been thinking of the colors for the baby’s room, because I came home with yellow, purple and pink (though I decided to nix the yellow later).

This is the pattern I designed:

You can easily see the pattern in the finished piece:

One thing I didn’t realize when designing this is the lace can be seen easier if there is more than one block together.  With the way I did it, the actual lace is a bit hard to see because the blocks just kind of collapse on themselves.  If I had put blocks next to each other, you would see more spaces.  Luckily I still really like how this piece looks, and I plan on making a longer one to use as a sash/headband.  Maybe I will even reconsider using the yellow…

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Summer and Winter Hand Towels

Another week means another weaving project for me.  Actually, I have another one on the way, because I’m a little behind on my homework!  This time around we were given a Summer and Winter project.  This type of weave is called Summer and Winter because the finished fabric is opposite on each side…one side is light, and one side is dark.  My teacher told us that this first became popular in America when families did not have enough money to buy two bed covers for the warm season and cold season.  They would buy/weave bed coverings in the Summer and Winter pattern and use one side for the warm months, and the other for the cold months.  Traditionally, white yarn is used for the background, and a dark color like navy is used for the foreground.  Since this was my first time attempting this type of weave, I decided to go with the classic look.

Another characteristic of the Summer and Winter weave is it is usually a fairly firm weave, making it great for towels, handbags, and bed coverings, but not so good for clothing and scarves (unless you use teeny tiny threads).  I opted for a set of hand towels because they are small and easy.  I used 100% cotton thread for optimal water absorbancy.

What I loved about Summer and Winter is it is really easy to design a pattern.  Basically, with my loom, I can make two different pattern blocks, A and B, and put them together in an almost unlimited number of combinations to make a pattern. 

Up next?  Lace!

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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.

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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.

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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!

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A New Advent Wreath

In keeping with my desire to form some family holiday traditions, Mike and I are following Advent this year.  Each week, for four weeks before Christmas, we light a candle.  Each candle reminds us of a different, important aspect of the holiday…Hope, Love, Joy, Peace .  There is a fifth candle that goes in the middle of the wreath that we light on Christmas Eve and burn through Christmas day.  The Advent Wreath helps us reflect on why we celebrate Christmas, especially as Christians.  It is a chance to take a break from the stress that the holiday can create and spend time together in peace.

The wreath is made of a styrofoam ring.  I carved out four holes at equal distances for the candles to fit in, and wrapped the wreath in colorful fabric and ribbon.  I hope that Advent will become a tradition we do each year when the little one is born.

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Curtains

First off, I want to say thank you to all of your sweet comments about my news.  I am so lucky to have you all!

This weekend I finally completed the task that has been hanging over my head since we moved…I finally made curtains!!  Like most projects I tackle, this went fairly smoothly, and the hardest part was actually starting it.  I don’t know why, but I always have trouble getting started on a project (oh, and I guess I also have trouble finishing them…). 

Luckily, a friend of mine needed to make curtains as well, so we jumped into the project together.  This time it was easy for me to finish because my family arrives for Thanksgiving today!  I am so happy to have a “completed” living room and dining room for them to hang out in (I say “completed” because it seems there is always something to change or improve on, and it is always hard for me to be satisfied with things, but this is the best it has been yet!).

Another project Mike took care of this weekend was painting all our side tables black, to match the strip of black fabric on the curtains.  I think this really tied everything together nicely.

I hope all of you enjoy the holiday this week…spend lots of time with your family and eat as much as you can!

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Finished Upholstered Chair

I used the rest of this week to finish up that upholstered chair I was working on over the weekend, and it looks amazing!  I love the fabric, and it goes so much better in the room!  The living room now has the grey loveseat that I recovered a while back, and three yellow chairs.  I feel like I am getting closer and closer to having this place just right.

Next on my list is to make pillow cases to cover some bright red pillows I currently have on the loveseat.  Now that I have recovered this red chair in yellow, I don’t think the pillows go with the room anymore.

When I think back on the two upholstering projects I have worked on, I realize that maybe I should have started with this one instead of the loveseat.  This project went so smoothly, as the upholstery is very simple and basically a “slipcover” to begin with, so there was no stapling, hammering, or changing padding involved.  If you ever consider re-upholstering any of your furniture, I recommend starting with something small and basic, it will help boost your confidence for your bigger projects!

Have you ever done any re-upholstering?  What was your experience like?  Did you start by dipping your pinky toe in the water, or did you dive in head first?

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