Drooly monster bibs

Every baby goes through a drooly monster stage when their teeth are coming in and my poor William is among the drooliest of all. I'm tired of changing his onesies four times a day to keep the drool off his skin so I started using ultra-absorbent double-sided flannel bibs. They work very well but he's going through two a day, which is far better than having to change his shirts. Still, I keep running out. Today while he napped I made him a pair of choo-choo train bibs. They are sized just right for him and the flannel really does absorb more than plain cotton without soaking his shirt beneath.


I top stitched them and used velcro closure in the back. Two isn't enough though. I'll have to make at least four more to keep up with the rate of his drool flow!


And look who woke up from his nap just in time to model a new bib...

"Surf's Up" quilt

I'm calling this quilt "Surf's Up" because the turquoise reminds me of tropical ocean waters that are so clear you can see exactly where the continental shelf drops off, the white is for the finely powdered sand, and the loud red floral fabric is for the Hawaiian shirts and surf boards that most likely match the tourists' sunburns. I started this quilt one night after a stressful day with the kids as a way to unwind and relax before bedtime. Instead of finishing one of my WIP, I just wanted to sew, sew, sew those quarter inch seams without thinking about much else. It worked like a charm!

I had no plan in mind when I began this quilt...I simply grabbed a handful of turquoise squares I had cut months ago and paired them with some white 4" squares I also had cut ages ago and started sewing. When the quilt top wasn't large enough to be useful after I ran out of turquoise, I started in on the red, which I had left over from the "Lemonade Stand" quilt top I just finished (it's not yet quilted).

The quilt is crib size so I'm adding it to my collection of quilts available for the babies my friends are expecting this year. I like to have quilts on hand that friends can choose from because I'd rather they pick something they like and will use than something I made for them that they don't like or will never use. It doesn't hurt my feelings if someone doesn't like something I make (I don't like some of what I make!) but it does if someone doesn't tell me the truth.



The batting is pieced and the backing is pieced. This quilt used up all of my turquoise, all of my white, all of my white thread, and all of my red floral fabric as well. Ahh, it feels great to run out of something!



From a flat non-textured quilt top...



To a lovely crinkled textured quilt. I LOVE that step!



I quilted it with bright turquoise thread, which was fun. I like using colored thread since I have too much of it. I intended to make a wave pattern but I ended up having another stressful day and just wanted to "quilt" so the pattern is the more familiar meandering. I'm not sure about my color choices, but I think I like it...somehow they do seem to go in a "surf's up" kind of way.

Sneak peak

Here's a sneak peak at my current project:



I'm halfway through quilting it, my favorite part, so I should have the completed work to show soon!

Spring Blooms Mini Quilt Swap - Quilt Received

Look at the beautiful work that arrived in the mail for me today for the Spring Blooms Mini Quilt Swap!



Mini-quilt by Barbara Moore.

I love the traditional quilter's fabrics and the hand appliqued design. This quilt is a nice mix of traditional and whimsical. The sweet blue bird (state bird of New York) is great and I really like the unique shape of the flowers too. Also, I've never seen a quilter sign on the fabric sleeve before but I think this is a great idea that I'll plan to do on my next mini-quilt swap (and as soon as I find my fabric pens). Thank you Barbara! I love it.

Quilting works in progress

I'm so discouraged with my nine-patch quilt that I've been dying to complete it. It is going to charity and the purpose was to use up my fabric scraps before I bought anymore and to make a bright quilt for a good cause. I suppose I've met those goals but I don't like the quilt top very much.



I will probably piece the backing as well to use up more scraps.

In the meantime, I decided I wanted to work on something quick and easy. I'm using some Alexander Henry lemon fabric and a variety of others, mainly from JoAnns in this coin quilt. It's crib size. I'm calling it "Lemonade Stand".



Of course, my clever daughter saw my favorite fabric in it and said,

"It looks more like your lemon poppy seed bread; maybe you should call it "Lemon Poppy Seed" instead."

Maybe I will...

Brown paper packages tied up with string

Today William received a cute crew neck sweater from my friend Jess. It's hand knit in Rowan's all seasons cotton. I love the slate grey and can't wait for the next chilly day to see William in it. I've always been a shoe and sweater girl! If you're on Ravelry, you can look up Jess's other amazing knits under her name "midwifejess".

Jess also remembered big sister who received a beautiful sundress. She was very happy to model it right away. Jess also sent some tea biscuits cleverly shaped like the letter "T" so of course we had to have a tea party in Savannah's new sundress. Jess is also expecting a baby this year so I am adding a baby quilt to my list of projects.

I also received two interesting fabrics from Elizabeth in Holland who sent them as a surprise thank you for the baby fabric squares I sent her last month. She's making a surprise baby quilt for her sister's baby with fabrics from all over the world. Can't wait to see it!

Spring Blooms Mini Quilt Swap

Today I finished my mini quilt for the Spring Blooms swap. I changed my mind about a dozen times when it came to what I was going to make. Partly, I was anxious about having received a professional quilter to create for when my skills are more novice or intermediate level in the quilting department and partly, I was just occupied with other things; work, books, garden, recovering, baby...

In the end I decided to just play around and see what comes of it. I made a quilt that is totally "me", playful and imperfect with Kaffe Fassett and Martha Negley fabrics that I love and to me scream "spring". I quilted it with a meandering stipple.

I did use one new technique - I've never made yoyos before and I made two this time for the funky flower and its center. I also don't use applique very often so I hope it turned out well enough.


My favorite part is the tree. I love trees. This one is fun because the fabric I used had an enormous lettuce or cabbage print on it, so I fussy cut it out to serve as the foliage. There's a hole in the tree waiting for new tenants.



Maybe this bird lives there.



Tomorrow I package up and send out my mini-creation. I'll update this post on Friday with a link to my quilting partner's website so you can see her amazing quilt artwork. Until then, it's still a secret!

Quilt-a-long Nine Patch

I've joined AmandaJean's one a day nine patch quilt-a-long to take my mind off of my slow recovery. While William is sleeping I can sit nearby and do some quilting when I can't rest and standing or activity is too much. I'm using up fabric from my stash and making a charity quilt for Camp Erin, a local summer camp run by Hospice for children who have lost someone special recently and need help with the grieving process.

The patches are REALLY bright. I hope it all comes together. The final quilt size will be 42" by 66", the size requested by Hospice for Camp Erin, and the nine patches will each be 6" finished. I had hoped to use small green prints instead of the yellows and oranges but I didn't have any green in my stash to use up. So far I've got 16 squares complete. The idea is to complete one nine patch a day and at the end of the spring to have a complete set for the quilt top.

**Update:** I did find some green in my stash - a Martha Negley fabric, so I'm now using that up too...

This is my warm-up for another quilt project I've joined - the spring blooms mini-quilt swap. I was really excited about this project and then I was paired to create my quilt for a professional art quilter who hand dyes her own fabric, whose quilts win multiple awards, and whose small quilts begin selling at $500. Now I'm really nervous about designing a quilt for this person since she's a professional and I'm a novice...

A little something for everyone

As well as some double-sided burp cloths with fabric I had leftover from a gift to another mom last year.


Every savvy mom knows that you can't go around making new things for baby unless you make something for the G.O. (genuine original, aka, big) sibling too. So, Miss Savannah got two new fabric belts. One is made from Amy Butler's pink Wallflower fabric. This belt is three fabric layers thick and 3/4" wide and is super cute on her with her new jeans.


The second is an all-scrap belt made with two layers plus batting for strength and is 1" wide. They both do a great job of holding up her pants on her skinny little waist so she doesn't get plumber's butt - a common occurrence when she isn't wearing a belt.


And, I made a little something for Mommy as well. In many countries there is a long tradition of belly binding after birth. The purpose is to restore the body to its original shape as quickly as possible while providing support for the stretched stomach muscles that must realign and tighten again as well as the lower back, which is stressed more with picking up baby at a time when it is weakest (due to those stretched tummy muscles). They also help restore stretched out skin to its original shape and help mothers maintain good posture. Unfortunately, unless you live in LA or NYC, you can't try on a belly binder, you have to special order them and they are non-returnable items, which stinks if you don't get the correct size since the prices range from $60-110. So, I made my own out of a soft washable pima cotton with organic cotton batting for strength (both scraps from other projects). We'll have to see how it goes, I may end up shelling out the dough for one of the expensive ones anyway but I'm eager to try mine out. Belly binders are usually worn for 2 weeks to 2 months post delivery. In Mexico a belly binder is called a "faja" and in Japan a "sarashi". In some regions, women see a special belly binder whose job it is just to bind women or fit them for a binder.


My belly binder has a 2" velcro strip that can attach to a patch of velcro on the other side that is 4" wide. I hope the 4" strip gives me enough flexibility but in case it doesn't, I can add on another 2". It is 9" tall or wide so it will stretch from the top of my hip girdle to just beneath my lower ribs. Usually bellies shrink by 5" after delivery and then very slowly thereafter, although belly binding is supposed to speed up this recovery process and restore the body to its original shape faster.

April showers bring...

...more time to complete our inside projects.

The floor pillows I made for Savannah's playroom, plus the sofa pillows below. The floor cushions are big and soft - 24" x 24" and have removable cotton covers that can be washed in the machine.


And I finished my first Boppy or nursing pillow cover. I used a soft Minky fabric from my stash that Savannah had picked out a while ago in case baby is a girl. This was my first invisible zipper and it turned out well enough for my first try. I must have pulled on the fabric (Minky fabric is maddeningly stretchy) a bit because there is a small pucker around it. I'm so glad I make a 22" zipper instead of the 14" zipper called for. It takes just the right amount of pushing and pulling to remove this pillow cover.


See the puckered edge at the top where my invisible zipper is? All the rest of the wrinkles smoothed out after a day of "use" by a practicing future Big Sister.

Savannah snuggles with her Lovey, Bunny, while learning how to hold baby sister or brother. She also helped me pick out a Lovey for baby on Friday.