Random.org has picked the winner for the giveaway! Even if it’s not your lucky day today there’s still a great deal to be had and you can check it out here.
I have got to get off here and jump in the shower, just gave Jim a haircut and I’m itchy as all get out. Couldn’t have him and his sasquatch hair roaming the neighborhood anymore. Another 1/4” of growth and he would have been snatched up by the game officials and put back in his natural habitat.
Have a fantastic Thursday!
I almost forgot, today is the last day to enter the Giveaway for the Silhouette accessories bundle! You have until Midnight tonight to enter so go here if you haven’t already. Remember you don’t have to have a cutter to use it so it’s a great giveaway for everyone.
Good luck!
I’ve been meaning to make a nursing pillow for the last 5 months but just couldn’t commit. I don’t usually nurse but really want to this time so spending $$ on one seems dumb when I have a ton of fabric just staring at me and the pillow might not see more than a month of use. The problem with making one is that I have a small chest and a long torso. By the time I put a normal nursing pillow on and hold the baby he’s all the way down there and the food is all the way up here, so it’s just another big bulky thing around my waist. As if I need more dead weight waist level postpartum and that’s the only kind I know how to make. I’ve seen a few other alternatives but without trying them out on the spot I can’t be sure they work, and I’m pretty sure no one wants me opening packages in the middle of the isle of the store and giving them a test drive right then and there. Then it hit me- I don’t have time anymore to try to figure it out.
I told my sister I needed to make one still and she got right with it and just got me one. No messing around with her. I have one now and can modify it if I need to when the baby gets here. It’s a lot less pressure to make do and fix what you have than to start from scratch with no ideas and commitment issues! I wanted it to look like I did something for myself so I made my pillow an extra cover last night.
Trying to conserve fabric I cut it out facing the wrong way on accident. Pretend I’m not an idiot and paid attention to the direction of the fabric before cutting- duh!
I’m still bound and determined to find a solution for those of us that don’t have anything to brag about on the top half and don’t want to sell our firstborn for a possible solution. I’ll get around to that after baby gets here and I know how high I have to jack the little guy up ;).
Have a great Wednesday! Off to churn out more baby stuff I probably don’t need but want anyway.
My most favorite thing to make for upcoming new babies are burp cloths. Really. It’s because they’re so fast to make, way cuter than the store bought versions, and I pull them out every time I burp my baby so they get maximum exposure. Literally, I go through a couple a day. Having tried a million different burp cloths made from every material under the sun and in every shape you can think of in the last 11 years these are what work best for me and my little spitters- a 9” x 17” knit 3 layered burp cloth made cute with a fabric panel or patch on the bottom front.
-Here’s how to make your own-
For a burp cloth with fabric along the bottom front you’ll need-
1 rectangle flannel 1o” x 18”
1 rectangle soft knit (cotton interlock or jersey- not ribbed) 10” x 18”
1 rectangle soft knit 10” x 13.5”
1 rectangle 10” x 5.5” of your favorite fabric print.
To make a solid white burp cloth with a patch at the bottom cut 1 layer flannel and 2 knit rectangles 10”x 18” and skip the fabric print.
First lay your fabric print right sides together on top of your 13.5” long piece of knit along the bottom edge and sew along the bottom using 1/2” seam. Press flat so it’s now your front piece that measures 10” x 18” like the other pieces.
If you want it embellished now’s the time to make it pretty before you move on. Add ribbon, ric rac, patches… whatever makes your heart pitter patter. If you’re making a solid burp cloth and want a patch on the front here’s where you add your patch to the right side of one of your knit pieces.
Continue… (said in a French accent).
Lay your pieces out so your flannel layer is on the very bottom, your solid knit piece is right side up on top the flannel, and your knit and fabric front piece is facing down on the very top like so.
Sew around the outside edge using 1/2” seam leaving a hole at the top about 3” wide for turning. Turn your fabrics right side out between the 2 knit layers so the flannel layer is on the inside.
Tuck the edge of your 3” gap towards the inside and pin. I didn’t pin mine so pretend I’m a pro and pin my stuff like I should. Do what I say, not what I do ;).
Sew around the outside edge of your burp cloth. I used my presser foot edge as a guide. When you get to your gap just sew along the edge and it will close it up for you as long as your seam along the outside is less than 1/2”.
That’s it!
Here’s a close up of the patch and reverse appliqué I did. Of course I had to use my new Silhouette heat transfer material, it’s too fun not to apply it everything I own. I used the yellow for the star and the white to make my own diamond patterned fabric for the number 1, to add stripes to the blue ribbon, and to write “little” on the green ribbon.
Here’s how you add the transfer to ribbon. I used grosgrain, satin, and twill with perfect results. You just cut out the design you want and the clear backing is a little tacky so it sticks to your ribbon making it really easy not to shift your design and screw it up.
Throw a pressing cloth over your ribbon and transfer and heat with your iron on the cotton setting (no steam) for 60 seconds or so. Great way to put whatever you want on ribbon without shelling out the big bucks for customized stuff.
Have a fantastic Monday. I’m off to make more baby stuff. Not much time left!
We’re so hard up for friends out here in the sticks that my kids have resorted to playing with rocks. Rocks make the best toys. If you lose it you can always get another in 2 seconds and it’s really really hard to break them, not to mention they’re cheap ;). I figure if the kids are going to collect them and try to bring them into the house I should at least make them presentable.
All you need are a handful of clean rocks spray painted white and temporary tattoo paper. Yep, I tattooed rocks! I really stink at painting so the tattoo paper served as a decal which is perfect for the painting challenged like me. It’s a great easy craft to do with the kids and you can make them into whatever you want.
From this-
To this-
Each rock only took a few seconds to do. You just print any image you want- I chose some from my silhouette software because they are stinking adorable but any image you want to print will work, follow the directions for adhering them, cut them out with scissors, and then apply your new friend. I’m not sure how long they’ll last but that’s kind of the fun of it. When the tattoo wears off we’ll add a different image! I’m sure you could try to seal them if you really wanted them to last longer.
I don’t know what’s more fun- tattooing the rocks or telling everyone “I’m tattooing rocks today, what are you doing?”.
If you want to find out more about the tattoo paper and even win some for yourself go here!
Have a fantastic Friday!
I promised you last week that I had an exciting giveaway to share and today is the day! I love giveaway days. I’ve had so much fun and really want one of you to have just as much fun as I have so go check it out.
If you love making stuff, I assume that’s why you’re here ;), or want to try your hand at it you won’t want to miss this.
One of my favorite traditions here is the elementary school costume parade. It’s so fun to watch all the classes line up and walk down Main St. dressed up and strutting their stuff.
These little girls didn’t really care about the kids or the costumes, they were just waiting for it to get over so we could walk around some more. Walking is a luxury my hips can’t afford right now. They weren’t too happy about that, but suckers help.
I gave in and bought the kids’ costumes and recycled a few of them. I know it’s blasphemy especially since I also bought stuff to make their costumes this year but I just didn’t have it in me to actually pull them together. What I do have in me is a big chubby baby that’s due any day now so I’m using that as an excuse. All that orange stuff I posted a few days ago… next year my friends. Next year I’ll have six handmade costumes to show off and no excuses!
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I’ll tell you what else I have, a bunch of stuff lined up! Finished stuff so no excuses ;). I have all kinds of things to share over the next little bit and a giveaway that you won’t want to miss. Yep, I said giveaway! It’s been a while since my last one. I can’t wait… great stuff, so don’t forget to come back next week for new stuff!
See you soon and have a Happy Halloween.
What a weekend! My sister in law and brand new brother in law are wed and it was awesome. Not the 12 hours of driving or trying to get comfortable in a hotel bed that doesn’t have trenches worn into it though, but nothing a little cookie dough ice cream didn’t fix.
There are 12 nieces in the immediate family so to spare any little one from having a melt down by not being chosen as the flower girl we all made our girls dresses or skirts in her wedding colors so they all felt like they were flower girls. They turned out amazing. I have really talented sister in laws that I’ll have to brag about another day since I don’t have a picture to show you. Cody was kind enough to take pictures for me while I became a part of a marble bench for a few hours so all I have is this little gem.
Her colors were gray and orange, loved it by the way, so I decided to make Very Biased Skirts from No Big Dill. They were already gray so my pregnant brain didn’t have to think and exactly what I would wear myself if I could. I made her matching headbands to. Kennedy’s (or Frankenstein?) skirt is twisted but you can kind of see how it bustled in the back. Way cute.
What’s not so cute is Jeremy’s grandpa pants!?! Where did that high waist come from? I guess he felt left out since the skirts were kind of high. Or he was taking Kennedy’s lead from the hotel room-
It’s normally mom’s job to take the pictures and pull up the tights… this is why ;).
I still have costumes to start and Cody is gone all week so I have to get off here and get sewing. Have a fantastic Tuesday!
