I’m very close to finishing the first quilt I’ve made for myself!! Such a nice feeling :) Usually I only make quilts to give away. We have one that I made for a charity auction… my husband bought it because he didn’t want to part with it :)

My Grumpy Quilt is actually a crazy quilt. A few years ago I decided I wanted to make a quilt to snuggle in when I was grumpy (hence the name), made of tons of red, pink, and orange scraps. The quilt includes pieces of clothing I used to love, and bits of fabric  from other projects I’ve done.

It’s taken me a while because projects for myself tend to take a back seat to projects for other people and purposes. But I sewed a bit here and there. It was a great stress reliever because there is no rhyme or reason. The only rule I made for this quilt is that all my scraps fit into the color scheme. Beyond that, the crazy quilt offered a really nice change of pace. I was able to just sew for the fun of sewing and seeing something come together without worrying about “messing up”.

Then last week, I realized I’d finally made enough blocks to complete my quilt! I pieced them together with bright pumpkin orange and backed it with a shade a bit richer than hot pink. Looking at it nearly makes my eyes burn, but I love it!

Right now I’m busy doing freeform quilting all over the orange areas. Hopefully it will be officially done within the next few days!! But for now, I offer a sneak peek phone-pic for your viewing pleasure!

So far, going through The Crafter’s Devotional has been a lot of fun. I’m on day 19 (I did a few days all at once in the beginning to get caught up), and it’s been quite an enlightening experience. Today’s task was to think about imagery that pops up in your work over and over, and then to brainstorm about possible interpretations. What I learned about myself and my artwork was quite surprising! They are things I knew, but didn’t realize I was expressing when I paint.

Overall, I’ve really loved going through the book. It’s making me explore crafts I’d never tried, and helping me loosen up and try new techniques. A lot of collage is involved, so one of the big things for me has been stepping outside my comfort zone and cutting up “cherished” magazine clippings I’ve been hoarding for ages. I’m finally doing something with them rather than just sifting through them occasionally for inspiration.

This horribly-captured phone picture is an example of a combination of a few of the collage assignments. I glued the images to a photo box top, and painted over it with varnish. The paper came out all wrinkly, which is regrettable, so I need to learn a better way to decoupage. I’d saved these clippings forever: the woman because of the amazing colors and textures in her clothes, the eggs (which came with the bird) because of the colors and because the eggs reminded me of some of my dripped grid paintings, and the pumpkins, birdhouse, and money jar because I loved the imagery. But without encouragement, I most likely would have still been staring at those clippings when I’m sixty.

Often sewing makes me feel like I’ve done something great. I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished, and everything turns out wonderful. But, ugh… sometimes sewing can become a near nightmare. That’s what I experienced today.

I made a mei tai for my sister, because she has her hands full with her newborn twins. In the process I broke three… THREE. needles. Within the space of five minutes. I was sick. After that, I only had three inches left to sew and something with my machine stopped working. I couldn’t find my manual so I had to sew the rest by hand. It was annoying because it doesn’t match and I’m not the best at hand stitching.

But in the end, I must remember that functionality is most important, and that this was a labor of love. I’d do it all over again.

(Photo by GulfCoastCottagePDF)

I nearly died when I saw this shop :) My sister and I LOVED playing house (for far longer than either of us care to admit…) and if we’d had access to this shop then, I’m pretty sure we would have lost our minds :)

GulfCoastCottagePDF sells patterns for adorable felt toys. Each pattern is only $5.99! There is a wide array of imaginative toys for both boys and girls. I want the above tool kit for Dex, and *cough*hint*cough*, Grandparents, Aunts, and Uncles, Dexter might enjoy some of the other patterns for Christmas… :)

I stayed up til almost 2am trying to complete some tummy time pillows for Dexter and my twin nephews. I’m making 2 per boy, because I found that Dex spits up a lot during tummy time. Instead of making him suck on the same puke-covered pillow, I decided it would be a good idea to make a couple so I could throw them into the wash when needed.

I traced around tummy time pillow someone gave us, trying to estimate what size the pieces should be before sewing and stuffing. Mine still came out skinnier than the original, but I think this might be better, since my first one arched Dexter’s back a little too much as a newborn. I used an upholstery fabric I had in my stash, and some wide ribbon to make loops for attachable toys.  Then, last minute, I discovered that sewing the stuffing hole closed created a very rough seam, so I stitched a bit of the ribbon over it. I need to practice my hand stitching… It’s not very attractive.

When I tested it with Dex it seemed to work better than my first one! I can’t wait to see how they work for the Ty and Micah, who are 2 weeks old!

In my hunt for crocheted toy patterns I stumbled across sock monsters. I decided to give it a try, and well… it was extremely fun :) There’s no pattern required, so the possibilities are endless, and you really can’t mess it up! So expect to see a whole slew of sock and glove toys in the future.

My sock monster looks more like a donkey-rabbit than a monster. This one is so cute, but I’ll probably still try to make the next one look more like a fun monster. The ones I’d seen online all had ears (they’re supposed to be horns) but I think I’ll try my next one without them.

I also chose not to use any buttons, only embroidery, so it would be baby-safe. And it paid off, Dexter loved him! In fact, I forgot to take any pictures before he got ahold of him, so the picture above features Dexter slobber :)

And I believe Mr. Sock Monster is going to be quite resilient. Dexter gave him a good going-over.

The sites that inspired me:

http://sockmonsters.woolywarrior.co.uk/page.php?2

http://6ichthusfish.typepad.com/6ichthusfish/crochet/

I love doing projects! I especially love doing small projects for kids. I have great ideas for things I will sew for my little girl… if I ever have one :)

So when I found out our baby was a boy, I hit a creative wall. I’m not about to attempt a button up shirt, and all the little romper patterns I’d seen seemed a little prissy to me (no offense to the romper-loving mommies out there, I’m just more of a skull tee and ratty jeans kind of gal).

I roamed the internet until I found a few great (and super easy) ideas for little boys. One of my favorites is a tutorial on how to make little pants from an old t-shirt. It’s a great way to scratch that creative itch while also recycling. Let’s face, it’s easier to part with your favorite shirt from 20lbs ago if a tiny person you love is going to be wiggling around it in :)

This pattern is so easy, you can practically do it in your sleep. It’s perfect for beginners, or for moms who love to craft, but haven’t quite gotten brave enough to tackle a time-consuming project. I do recommend that you pay enough attention to make sure the patterned side of your pieces face each other. I did not and had to spend more time ripping seams than it actually took me to sew the pants. Start to finish, you can complete a pair of pants in about 30 minutes, if you don’t mess up like i did :) 

The first link gave me the inspiration to use tees. The second is where Rookiemoms got the idea. Handyprojects offers a slightly more complicated variation, showing how to add cute details to the pants, but I recommend referring to that site if you don’t know how to make an elastic waistband.

http://www.rookiemoms.com/make-some-easy-kids-pants/

http://handyprojects.blogspot.com/2005/04/how-to-make-easy-kids-pants.html

I  did my first for practice from a western t-shirt that didn’t fit me. The second pair I made out of a stained polo my husband donated to the cause. I plan to use the leftover fabric to make matching hats or accents on onesies. In the meantime I’m on the hunt for other shirts to cut up (and trying to resist the urge to “accidentally” stain things in my husband’s closet) Happy sewing!

So. Dexter is now 11 weeks 3 days old (well, 4 days as it's after midnight now). Things have started settling down. We're finally getting into a routine, a shaky one, but a routine nonetheless. I've been able to start venturing back into the wonderful world of art. I've completed one painting, a few crafts for my sister's baby shower, and started sewing again.
My most recent obsession is making a baby carrier. I'll post more on that later. Right now I'm using a makeshift wrap from a length of jersey knit I'd planned to use for a dress, but I can't wear it out because I haven't cut it and it's quite unsightly. It comes in very handy around the house though, and Dexter really seems to love it. I can tell he feels very snuggled when he's in it and it supports his back well so he can look around while I do things. I don't wear him all the time, I just use it when I'd be carrying him anyway, like when he's crying right after he wakes up and I'm rushing to fix his bottle while keeping him happy. (For more info on wraps visit Moby. I decided to use the knit I had on hand in order to see if I even liked using it before I committed to one.)

This was the first time I attempted the wrap. This piece of cloth is about 4 times too wide, so it’s much bulkier than a typical wrap would be. As you can see, Dexter seems quite cozy. And it’s very comfortable for my back, which is the single reason I started looking for a new carrier. Tip: Do not get a cheap carrier that you have not researched. I skimped and got a $15 carrier so I could take my time deciding what permanent carrier I wanted to use. Even for temporary use I believe this was a mistake. Using that carrier the few times I have has been torture. I believe strongly in protecting your back anyway you can. You only have one back, don’t take it for granted!