Sewing for my Baby Boy

Love to Dye Yarn!! My Newest Addiction!!

2012-03-04T17:51:00.002-08:00

So when I learn a new hobby somehow I end up going all in everytime! I couldn't be happy just learning to knit, I really wanted to make my own colorways! Now don't get me wrong, my yarn trunk is now overflowing! I love to BUY new yarn as much as I like to knit. But I thought it would be fun to learn how to do it.

My first time I started off with some yucky yarn that I bought at Joann's that was a lt yellow colorway. I didn't care for it much, so I thought I couldn't harm it! I threw it in the crockpot, added some koolaid on top of it and let it steam. This was what I ended up with. I did it a few times.

The middle one I decided to try and knit a cabled hat for my cousin. I think it turned out pretty cute!

Then I decided to try Wiltons colors and threw them into the crockpot. A little more muted, didn't really get the colors I was going for.

Did Wiltons again but this time I decided to paint it on and then steam. I think it turned out a little better.

Knit up into these!

Then I ordered some marr haven yarns and tried to dye it using wilton dyes. Believe it or not these were all boy colors, but I kept getting pink girly colorways!!

So I went back to a white yarn and wiltons in the crockpot and got this one which turned into these.

Getting close!
So I ordered some more yarn, this one was just a Plymouth Yarn, and I ordered acid dyes from Dharma Trading. Painted this one and then steamed it. I call this one All Boy!

And then yesterday I dyed some cestari fine yarn with acid dyes. I am calling this one Tropical Thunder. I like it and can't wait to see how it knits up!

Lots of Custom Tees Find a Home!

2012-03-03T20:02:00.000-08:00

My very favorite thing to do lately, make custom tees to match longies and shorties! Besides sewing for my own baby boy, I have been doing quite a few for the mamas on hyena cart!

I am very thankful for all the work mamas have given me lately! I really enjoy what I do and am so thrilled that I can do it from home and take care of my kids at the same time!

Here are just some of the tees that I have sent out lately! I will be stocking custom slots in my hyena cart in late March for April customs if you need one!

Oh I have been so busy!!

2012-03-02T16:56:00.000-08:00

I have been so busy lately! Business has really picked up for me and Spring baseball season has begun too! We are little busy bees around here! And my baby boy, well he is now 18 months old and busier than ever!! And his favorite thing to do right now, go into mommy's sewing studio, snatch a piece of fabric off the shelves and RUN! It's funny, but I try so hard not to laugh. Refolding is becoming old really fast!

So much to share! Lots of sewing getting done, lots of knitting too. I am dyeing my own yarns now(not for sale, just for little ole me!) and that is addicting!

I will share just a couple of knit sets with tees tonight and try and share more over the next few weeks! Going to try and pick back up on this, I haven't been a very good blogger lately!!

This was a set that I finished last month. I dyed the yarn myself with the crock pot and wilton food dyes. It didn't turn out how I wanted it, so I threw a little more color in at the end and let it keep going. I was pretty pleased with the colors in the end, and I love the way it knit up. No fighting this one at all! I made a lochness monster tee to go with it, the colors were screaming ocean to me, but I didn't want a boat or something plain. This one is still in my studio haven't decided whether to auction it this month or keep it! It's hard to let go when I make something that will fit little man!

This one was a mystery yarn that I bought off of hyena cart. Single ply so it does pill more than I like, but the colorway I just fell in love with!

And my little man wearing it! He has lost all his chub!!

This was my latest custom out the door this week. Surf wagon tee and longies knit up with Mosaic Moon Coastal Sunset. I adore this colorway. Thank goodness I have another skein to do Tristan a pair,not sure I would have let this go without it!

And these pictures were taken today. Not the best pictures at all. Little man was so interested in the man next door washing out his paint roller that he could only stand there and stare!

This colorway is called "Frankie", not sure who dyed it. I bought it in 2 seperate scrappy lots on hyena cart. I love these shorties! They yarn is cestari fine and I love to knit with it!! The best part is that it is very low pill! Love that the most! And we had a tee that I had bought for winter never worn that matched perfectly! I just cut the sleeves off! I do have another tee in the works for it, mama made, but just haven't had the time for me sewing in the last couple of days!

That is it for now! I promise to share more often!

My Little Rainbow Monster!

2011-11-02T15:42:00.000-07:00

Finished my 3rd knitting project, Tristan's monsterbum longies! I just love how these turned out! I am not close to perfect yet, probably won't ever be, but I am really starting to learn things now! I can now tell the difference between stitches and can now find a dropped stitch! I have tried a few different stitches each time and now can proudly say I learned the bamboo stitch this go around and how to fix the jog on my rounds in my stripes. Didn't learn that until the end though, so we will see how great it works on my next pair!

Made a little tee to match yesterday and put the set on my baby boy this morning. It was the perfect day to wear it, because his little personality today has me running for the hills! He is really into everything now, and is running everywhere, no walking here! Definitely a monster in training today! But I love him anyway!!

I am so glad that I stayed with knitting and didn't give up! It really is so much fun! If you want to learn, please just google knitting tips and watch you tube! It really isn't all that hard to pick up and the outcome is so pretty!!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-29T19:08:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it is already Halloween! This year has gone by so fast. The kids are already pulling out the magazines and looking for toys for their lists!

I have been knitting so much, but have made some time to sew too! Made a couple of fleece sets for my baby boy.

This one has a lap tee that is made with one of my favorite japanese knits. I just love the pow that I appliqued on the butt too! One of my favorite sets to put on Tristan!

I pulled out an old navy tee that I had forgotten about buying! That is the problem with buying ahead! Put together some fleece pants to match and added a BOO to the butt. Great set and I love it on him!

And trying to lift the pumpkins!

I hope everyone has a great Halloween! Tristan is going to wear a lion costume that my mom made over 17 yrs ago for my first born. Each of the children have wore it and this year is Tristan's turn. I will post pics this week!

My 2nd Set to Match Our Shoes of Course!!

2011-10-18T10:44:00.000-07:00

I found these adorable Livie and Luca shoes in a little boutique this summer. Tristan has grown into them now, but I have almost nothing to match them. Found some yarn a while back on ebay and what do you know it was a pretty close match to the blue!

Used the sheepy pants pattern for this pair and they went so much quicker than the 1st pair! No holes either this time to sew up! I think maybe I am getting better!

Made an otto tee to match with a quick hand drawn elephant to match our shoes! We were able to snap a few pics yesterday morning before it became too hot! Baby boy is 14 months old today!!

Now off to knit another pair! Trying a free pattern that I found on ravelry for the next pair!!

My 1st Pair of Longies!! I Knitted!!!

2011-10-11T21:19:00.000-07:00

I must confess that I have a horrible habit of drooling all over everyone's pictures of knitted wool! I love to look through blogs, forums, anywhere and everywhere at beautiful knit creations! If it involves a baby I love it even more!

When I started cloth diapering I tried wool interlock for soakers and I loved them. Then during the hotter months I switched mostly to PUL diapers and I loved them too. Then I decided to order a custom pair of woolie shorties after seeing someones amazing creations and we ended up with our owl set, which I LOVE! Now a few pairs later and I decided that I MUST learn to knit!!

Now, I tried this once before. Right before I had Tristan last year, I went and bought all of the needles some yarn and a pattern. I cast on and started a pair of longies. Not even 1/4 of the way through I realized they were so big they would fit a 4 year old(they were newborn sized!) and there were so many holes(can you say dropped stitches?) that pee would leak right out!! So I did what any rational pregnant woman would do, I threw a fit, sold the needles and swore I would never knit!

Now over a year later, I was a determined! I went BACK to the store, bought the needles all over again and found some wool yarn on ebay. Last Sunday night I started! And this past Sunday afternoon I finished! My very first pair of woolies!! I love them, just because I made them, but there are quite a few mistakes. Thankfully I think I have learned what I did wrong and the next pair will go faster and easier, at least I hope!

I made a tee for Tristan today to match and I am hoping to go to the Pumpkin Patch later this week to get some action shots. Here is a preview though for now!! Oh and I can't say enough how much I love youtube and knittinghelp.com, they were wonderful and really helped when I didn't understand the pattern!

Shorties with a Matching Tee!

2011-09-25T17:09:00.000-07:00

Not much sewing this weekend! I did finally get a chance to sew up a lap tee for my baby boy that matches a pair of wool shorties we received this past week. Gorgeous earthy colored shorties from mylovebugshop on etsy! I just adore these, they are beautifully knitted and the colors are just wonderful!

I thought at first I would do a tee with an Earth on it, but then decided a tree was in order. Couldn't decide what kind of tree, so I just sat down with the heat and bond lite and started drawing, hoping that it would work itself out! It did and I just love it on my baby!

I am really enjoying making tees to match woolies!! I need to send off some yarn to have some longies knit up for Tristan for winter!

Lots of Upcycles in my Etsy!

2011-09-22T04:42:00.000-07:00

I have been busy recycling this past week! One of my favorite kinds of sewing!! I have so many thrifted tees that need a new home and upcycling turns them into new creations!

I love sewing for little boys, but sometimes little boys don't like wearing things that are custom made after a certain age. Upcycling seems to solve that problem! In my experience most boys love a character printed tee! I never cared for them, but once they are upcycled they look pretty cute!!

Here are just a few that are up in my shop! I will have a few more by the weekend. Trying to start stocking a wide variety of sizes from bitty babes to big boys 10/12!

Marvel Super Heroes!

Halloween!

Patrick Star!

Lots more! Feel free to click my etsy ZooTZ link to see the rest! Off to sew now, Tristan is in a good mood this morning so I hope to get a lot done!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ZooTZ?ref=si_shop

Itty Bitty Boy Sewing!!

2011-09-15T08:25:00.000-07:00

I did a few things for my new nephew this past week and boy did it bring back the memories of when Tristan was born! So cute and tiny!

First I did one of my favorite rompers from ottobre. I have modified this one from the original pattern to snap up and not use as much fabric as the original one does. Love these, sz 50! And a little knotty hat to complete the set.

Then I decided to try and modify the romper even more by making it a top and added a pair of matching pants from ottobre too! This material was from Chez Ami a few years ago and it is so incredibly soft! Very baby boy I think. Added another knotty hat too.

And a cute wraparound top with a little elephant to match the cloth diaper that I did. Preemie sized because he is only 6 lbs., we will see if it fits!

A couple of tees for his big brother! And my favorite breast pads from the pampered cheeks tutorial for the mama!

Now I am off to sew up another preemie diaper for a DSD mama and then a new tee for Tristan! I received a pair of woolie shorties last week in the mail and I am dying to do a matching tee for my baby!!

Have a great rest of the week and happy sewing!!

Looking Back 6 Years! AND my Winners!

2011-09-12T19:49:00.000-07:00

I recently had to purchase a new laptop and I am slowly trying to get pictures off the old one and onto my flash drive. While uploading some pics I realized that it was 6 years ago this month that I started my ebay journey sewing childrens clothing. Before that I had done womens diaper bags and totes. I was feeling a little burnt out and enjoyed browsing the boutique kids clothing. Back then there wasn't near the amount there seems to be now. I decided to make the change and have never regretted it. I just love sewing for little boys!!

This is the first thing that I put up for auction. It was a pair of embellished overalls that matched a Janie and Jack line. I can't remember seems like they went for $30 or so and I was jumping up and down that somebody would actually buy clothing from me!! My photo skills left a lot to be desired, but oh my little man!! I can totally see my Tristan in these pics when I look back. Guess its in the genes, they must be related!

And now drum roll please..........Looks like #30 and #24, alison and c!! Congratulations!!

Emailing you now and will send these out as soon as I get your addresses. Thank you everyone for playing along! Look for more giveaways very soon!!

Custom Tees Finished! Moving On!!

2011-09-10T08:15:00.000-07:00

Another customer order finished and ready to mail. I just love doing customs! Three of these were made to match longies that a mama is knitting up. I hope they match and I hope her little boy loves them!

I received a pair of shorties for Tristan this past week from etsy and they are so adorable!! I just love woolies! I can't wait to squeeze out a little time just to make my baby boy a matching shirt!

If you ever need a matching tee for your woolies please convo me on etsy or comment here on the blog. I will do my best to get back to you within 24 hours. It isn't always easy to find a cute matching tee and woolies just aren't complete without one!

Itty Bitty Diapers! So Cute!! And a Give Away!!

2011-09-08T20:09:00.000-07:00

Comments Closed! I will pick 2 winners later today and post!!

Sunday my SIL and her family welcomed baby Mason into the world! He was born weighing about 6 lbs 9 oz and 18"! Reminds me of when Tristan was just a bitty babe!

I would love to convert her over to cloth, so I am sending her a few diapers to hopefully sway her! The cutest, oh so tiny!! They may be a little too small for him, so I think I will make up a few smaller NB and some regular ones too.

These are all preemie diapers that I made this week. Aren't they the cutest? Working on customizing some, hope to have it perfected very soon. Three of the tiniest little diapers all with Babyville Boutique pul fabric!! The monster one even has the little tag and matching engraved snaps. I just love sewing these up!

Owl Diaper-Did this one first, but decided after it was completed I really don't like to topstitch the legs.

Monster Diaper-Turned and topstitched with rolled in pul at the legs.

Monkey Diaper-My favorite! Customized this one a little, but I will tell you more when the Babyville site goes live!

Oh and did you know my local Joann's has started getting in the Babyville Boutique line. They had it all in the back when I stopped by the other day, but I stopped by the cutting counter to ask about it. One of my favorite ladies was working and she said that she did remember seeing it and went back to search for the monkeys pul I had requested. She reappeared in just a minute or two with a bolt of monkeys!! Oh so cute, still in it's plastic wrapping!! I got the very first cut!!

So most stores will be putting the line up in the next week or so, I think Sept. 18 is the official date.

But wouldn't it be nice if you could have some before then???

Leave me a comment below telling me why you need some Babyville Boutique monkey pul and I will select 2 winners at random to each receive a diaper cut(20x20) of this sweet material! I will keep comments open until midnight this Sunday, Sept 11. Please make sure when you post to include your email address so I will not have a problem getting a hold of you if you win!

Good Luck and Happy Sewing!!

Girly Sewing!!

2011-09-04T13:33:00.000-07:00

One of my best friends in the whole world is expecting a little girl at the beginning of October. I was blessed to attend her baby shower yesterday in Jacksonville. What a great time! It was so nice to see all of her family and friends that I hadn't seen in years! I wished the day did not have to end!

I managed to squeeze some sewing time in with my remodeling. Not as much as I wanted too and the cutest thing that I made, I forgot to take a picture!! It was the little ruffly dress from the summer 2011 ottobre. Too cute and tiny! I used Marie Horner's good folks and it turned out very nice. Hopefully very soon I will have modeling pics to post!

I used an ottobre lap tee pattern and made it longer and a lined to turn it into a sack gown. Added a matching knotty hat. Love this material!

Then I did a snap up romper from another ottobre issue. Used all different colored snaps and added one of my beanies. I just love these little things! They turn out so small, hopefully Ms. Tanner will be small enough to fit into it for a week or so!

And Friday, the day before the shower, I baked a cake! Decided at the last minute that it should be a carriage and went with it. Must have tasted pretty good because it was all gobbled up except for a few pieces! I never eat my cakes, I think maybe because when I am making them I sample too much!! Sadly my picture makes it look almost blue and it was a beautiful purple. I guess that doesn't speak highly of my photography skills!

Have a great labor day! I am off to cook dinner and maybe get in a little sewing!!

Sesame Street Birthday and a SUPER baby diaper!!

2011-08-23T20:02:00.000-07:00

Sesame Street was one of my favorite shows as a little kid and I am hoping that this baby will love it too! My other 3 leaned more towards Disney and Nickelodeon shows, but I am really trying for PBS with Tristan!

I decided to just go easy on myself and whip up a recycled tee and diaper set. The tee was made from 3 different shirts that were in my recycling stash and the diaper was made from one of the tees too! The tee is an otto lap tee and the diaper is my first rocket bottoms one size fitted that I have tried. Loved the os pattern, just about as much as my baby boy loved his cake!!

Today I decided to finally try a fitted with the babyville pattern. I cut the size small instead of the medium because of the stretchiness of the velour and it worked well. I think there is a little room for modifications on the next one, but it definitely works!

Now off to bed with me! I am pooped!

My Baby Boy is Now 1

2011-08-18T21:49:00.000-07:00

1 seems like such a big number when you are talking 1st Birthdays. It is midnight now and his day is done. It was a very small celebration, just the kids and hubby today, perfect!

Tonight when I put baby boy to bed, I couldn't help but let him lay on my chest a little longer. I love the feel of his heart beating and the sweet little noises he makes in his sleep. I want to tell him so many things, but I just lay there whispering, I love you sweet boy. Your brothers and sisters love you. Your daddy loves you. You are loved.

I hope he will always feel he is loved.

He has filled a void that I didn't know existed until he was born. God works in funny ways like that. Just when you think you have life planned out and you know where you are going, a curve in the road ahead. Thank you God for the curves!

I look at the clock 9:55 PM.

A year ago, I woke up early in the morning to my water breaking, never happened that way before. After hours of my labor not progressing and baby's heart rate falling, I was rushed to an emergency csection. Expecting a big 8 or 9 lb baby, no ma'am your little guy is doing fine, all 5 lb. 5 oz. of him, born at 9:55 PM. 5 months of colic, never been this hard before. Lesson learned...

Expect the Unexpected and Embrace It!!

Thank you baby boy, for teaching me so much this year. I hope that you will always know that God had a reason for you and that your family loves you so much. Your daddy, brothers and sisters can't imagine a world without you in it!

Goodnight baby boy I whisper as I lay him down in his crib for the night. Sweet dreams.

Countdown! 9 Days to Go!!

2011-08-09T08:37:00.000-07:00

Oh I can't believe my baby boy will be 1 in just 9 days!! I am not prepared for my last little one having a birthday already!! Seems like just yesterday we were rushing to the hospital, only to wait all day and then end up with an emergency csection. This last baby boy has been nothing if not challenging right from the start!!

My other 3 were all such wonderful birth stories, this one not so much, but oh the end result!! Doesn't matter how they get here right? just as long as they arrive happy and healthy!

I will never forget them bringing him in the next morning and placing this little tiny ball, all 5 lbs of him in my arms! He was so tiny, my husband and I weren't sure what to do with him or how to hold him without breaking him!

I think I am going to cry! "1" is such a big number and yet it's not! Hoping to get in a little sewing this week for baby boys big day. I am thinking a Seuss birthday party!!

Here is a new diaper that I finished this past week. It is a PUL diaper made using scrappy pieces. I promise to show a tutorial once I get settled again!

Oh yes, forgot that part! I am in the middle of remodeling our whole 1st floor, so the sewing room is a little broken down at the moment! I will show you just how broken down!! Oh and I have just a "little bit" of fabric thrown in the living room! Hows that for fabric hoarding!!! But oh the new floors!! They are worth everything that "I" have put into them! Thats right this little red hen has done every board right by herself!! Who says women can't do everything??

Everything all ripped out, padding going down!

My fabric! Waiting for me I guess to reorganize everything back into my studio! Yikes!

My new floors!! Love these!!

Now off to organize!!

50 Weeks Old, Only 2 More to Go!!

2011-08-04T04:36:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my baby boy will be 1 in just 2 short weeks. Where has the time gone? I decided to make a special set for him today to celebrate his 50 weeks and with his moods lately Monsters seemed appropriate!

I used the Babyville Boutique monster pul and the cutest little tags! One for his diaper and the other for the tee shirt. The diaper is pul outer, fleece hidden and wicking jersey inner, an ai2 with a lay in soaker, prefold of Bamboo fleece, so 6 layers and a topper of athletic wicking jersey and 2 layers of velour.

The tee is from this summer's Ottobre and features a big ole' Monster eyeball on the front that I drew, cut out and appliqued to the tee. He is a one eyed, really cute, crawling Green Monster Baby and I love him so much!!

2 More BB Diapers and Some Legs!!

2011-08-02T13:02:00.000-07:00

Not sure if this technically qualifies as sewing, but I did add the ribbed band at the bottom!! I just couldn't resist these knee high socks at Joanns yesterday. The best part, it took all of 5 minutes to go from knee highs to babylegs! I even managed to use the bottom part and turn them into no show socks for my teenager!!

A couple of pictures of my monster diaper. Cute appliqued monster on the bum, turned and topstitched with snaps, pul outer, hidden fleece, athletic jersey wicking inner. The soaker is 6 layers of bamboo fleece topped with the athletic wicking jersey. Bullet proof!!

And one more diaper I finished today. Dino pul outer, wicking jersey inner, foe bound with hook/loop tape. I modified it a bit to be like the PPI diaper and added a flap soaker with 5 layers of bf underneath. So far so good!!

Now off to go sew so more!!

Babyville Boutique!! Diapers will never be the Same!

2011-08-01T13:57:00.001-07:00

I am so excited to share with you all a new item being offered at a store near you soon! A wonderful diapering diva has put together a 60 page instruction/pattern book on how to cloth diaper and so much more!

Beautiful PUL prints and solids, matching tags and appliques, foe, snaps, hook/loop tape, oh so much more!!

I was lucky to be able to test some of the products and I am just amazed. The quality is really unlike any other I have sewn with before. And the prints, well see for yourself they are oh so cute!!

I have lots more pictures to take, but we were rainy yesterday and today is more of the same. Doesn't make for good pictures! Here is 1 set that I had time to photograph this morning before Tristan took his morning nap. I will share more in the coming days!

Oh and if you want to follow Babyville Boutique and see when it will hit a store near you here is the link to FB.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/ZooTZ/177482377413#!/BabyvilleBoutique

Here are some quick pics!!

Custom Owl Layette Set

2011-07-31T06:19:00.001-07:00

This little set is all finished and on its way to a new home! I hope the momma will enjoy putting her new little one to be in this darling layette.

I think this owl print is one of my favorites in a long time. I just love the colors and they are perfect for a fall baby!!

Now off to my sewing machines!! I have something really cool happening on Monday! It has been top secret for months now and I can't wait to share it on Monday will all the cloth diaper mommas!! Stay tuned, pics to follow!!

The Sweetest Set!

2011-07-28T14:41:00.001-07:00

Oh I am in love!! With owls, and wool shorties!! No way, I didn't knit these, I can only dream of having those kind of skills! Elizabeth over at Lizards Landing on etsy did these as a custom for Tristan.

I can not wait to get more! We love them and the fit is perfect. Her customer service is awesome and she is just all around sweet!!

These were not off the mail truck for 5 minutes before I had tackled my fabric stash for matching knits. I settled on a lap tee from the summer 2011 issue of Ottobre and a fitted knit diaper.

Love it! Can't wait to show my family this Saturday at my Grandfather's 82 birthday and my uncles 60th!

Happy sewing mommas!

Rooooaaarrr! Dino Dude Custom Romper!

2011-07-26T20:19:00.001-07:00

1 out of 4 sets finished for an etsy customer! I love this set and can't wait to make Tristan one just like it! This one is for a newborn, not yet born! Now off to bed, lots of sewing left to do in the morning!

A Long Boring Process!

2011-07-24T06:57:00.000-07:00

I am so tired of these little tiny pictures that blogger allows me to post! I googled around this morning and found the solution, but it will take a little while to edit all of my posts.

All new posts will have bigger pictures, and the old ones, well I will work on those a little at a time.

If you are having the same dilemma you can google how to get bigger pictures in your blogger and find some helpful posts. It involves replacing some html, hosting your pictures somewhere like flickr and a little more time, but I think well worth it!

It's a Gymboree Blanket, oops, no it's a Romper!

2011-07-24T04:32:00.000-07:00

I have made tees from Gymboree blankets before, but turning them into rompers has me on the lookout for more cute blankets!! I even seriously considered purchasing some boutique really expensive blankets, just so I could cut them up into rompers(I restrained myself, or rather my buy it now finger!).

Super cute and very easy to do. I just love the way they turn out each time!! I have a couple more that I hope to get sewn up in the next week or so.

Here is the octopus one that I showed the other day for Tristan's first trip to the beach. He loved the water AND the sand!! I had fogotten how much fun it was trying to keep a baby from eating sand at the beach!!

Some sandy baby toes, cause I just can't help but think they are the cutest!

And the little airplane romper! I even matched it with cute little engraved airplane snaps!

Tristan is wearing his first pair of real shoes in this one! I have to hide them from him. They are squeakers and even though he can't walk yet, he will bounce up and down just to hear them squeak!! They were his dad's idea!

Hope everyone has a Happy Sunday!! Hubby is off today and has promised me hours of uninterrupted sewing time, yeah!!

Pretty Pure Infiniti Diaper Pattern

2011-07-23T17:20:00.000-07:00

Okay, so some mamas at diaper divas were talking about a pattern that they couldn't find anymore. I was intrigued! Thankfully after some investigating another mama found some info and contacted the pattern's designer. One email later, and a little paypal and I had the pdf in my inbox!! Love the internet!

Really cool pattern! It consists of just one layer of pul and then 2 layers of a wicking material, I used suedecloth. You sew in your soaker between the layers of suedecloth, I used 2 layers of bamboo fleece and 4 or 5 of cotton terry cloth. The foe binds the entire diaper and on the inside acts as a gusset for the inner layer. The pattern calls for a snap on the front of the soaker, but I decided to sew mine in. I love the concept and think I will be making more of these soon!

The embroidery is from urban threads and it stitched out beautifully. I can't wait to start another diaper, but for now I must be a chef and cook some dinner for the kids. I can't believe they want to eat again!

Happy sewing!!

Rocket Bottoms Diapers

2011-07-20T03:37:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of trying out a diaper system over at sewing divas for Rocket Bottoms diapers. The pattern contains a 2 step system, 1 size for smaller babies newborn to 20 lbs and then another step for larger babies 20 to 40 lbs. Tristan was a little less than 20 lbs when I tried it out, so I went with the step 1.

I have made 3 of these so far, with plans of more soon! They fit Tristan great and they are super easy to sew up! I hadn't used foe(fold over elastic) before this, and it was pretty easy. I also had never used a pocket diaper, but found it to be pretty simple to sew and to stuff!

For the 1st 2 diapers I used foe, touchtape(hook/loop), pul outers, fleece hidden and microchamois inners. The system includes directions for snaps to adjust the rise, but because Tristan was on the high end of the weight chart I left those off. I have seen pictures on newborns though, and they seem to fit really well with the snaps and touchtape!

Here is the first attempt, turned out very usable and I still use it now!

And the 2nd one. I didn't have a lot of my skull pul so I just put embellished tabs on this one! One of my favorites!

For the last one I decided to try snaps instead of the touchtape and the fit was still great! I also made it an ai2 with a lay in countoured soaker. Added a sleeveless lap tee from the most recent summer issue of Ottobre. I love elephants!!

You can find the rocket bottoms pdf pattern on etsy and hyenacart! Krista has also came out with a one size fitted and has another pattern in the works!

http://hyenacart.com/RocketBottoms/mt/3401/62105/Rocket-Bottoms-Complete-2-Step-Diaper-System-Pattern

http://www.etsy.com/shop/RocketBottoms?ref=si_shop

Now off to sew!! I just received new beautiful interlocks in the mail yesterday, they are washed up and ready to go! Woohoo can't wait!!

Sew Many Rompers! So Little Time!

2011-07-16T19:03:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure exactly how long a baby can get away with wearing rompers. I have tried to remember how long Noah, our 8 yr old wore them. I think maybe at the age of 2, but not after 3?

Anyway, I plan on putting Tristan in them for as long as possible! I just adore them. So comfy and cute! I am definitely on a romper kick lately. He doesn't have much but rompers I'm afraid. I reach for them as soon as they are clean and when I go to sew, that is usually what I choose to make.

Here is Tristan at 7 months old in a romper that I attempted. It turned out a little big, but totally wearable. He still wears this one at 11 months old!

The other day I did another Jetro romper for him from my favorite punky fabric. I think I showed this one, but I love it so much here it is again!

Then I made an alien romper like the vintage car one. I made some slight modifications to it and it fits better than the other one did.

Next, I decided to make it longer and used a knit that I purchased from spoonflower. (Brief intermission here: The knit is so incredibly soft, the knit was really expensive, the knit washed out horribly the first wash, Spoonflowers customer service was excellent,I would not hesitate to order from them again, but probably not knit).

Then tonight I put together a shorts romper from a gymboree blanket that I have been saving. We are going to the beach tomorrow and it will be the first time for Tristan! I love this one and can't wait to put it on him tomorrow!

Have a great Sunday!!! Happy sewing!

Ankle Biter Pants and a Tee!

2011-07-15T13:46:00.000-07:00

Every once and a while I get the urge to browse the PDF's on etsy. I don't usually buy too many, well except diaper patterns! The other day I came across the ankle biter PDF by Georgia Leigh Designs. Yes, I probably have a pants pattern traced out around here somewhere, but her pictures were just so cute I couldn't resist. I'm glad I didn't. Super cute pattern and fit Tristan very nicely.

I made him the 9 months size because he is a little shorty and they fit him just right! I decided to use my favorite flannel from Nancy Wolff and even added a tee to match. The tee is the signs tee from an older ottobre issue. Here is the link in case you want a looksie at the pattern!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/74579726/moving-sale-ankle-biter-toddler-pants?ref=pr_shop

And here is my baby boy in his new duds!! Thanks for peeking at my blog, now off to sew up some more rompers! Still working on perfecting my raglan romper!!

Snap It Up Baby Sack Gown Pattern

2011-07-14T16:36:00.000-07:00

Finally My Pattern!

It has taken me about a year, but finally I have my "Snap It Up Sack Gown" in PDF form and ready to go! The first 20 flew out of my etsy shop this past week and I hope everyone who purchased one is having fun sewing!

The pattern includes the choice of vneck or roundneck, long sleeves or no sleeves and you can choose to mix and match fabrics to your hearts desire!! I LOVE mixing it up and don't think I have made a plain one yet!! If you aren't into sewing, well I still offer them in my zootzbaby shop. I have a whale one and a surfing one up in the shop right now. I should be adding more in the next month or so.

And while we are talking shop, I haven't said this, but if you ever see something on the blog that you would just love for me to sew up for your baby boy, please don't hesitate to contact me through one of my etsy shops. I love custom orders and enjoy working one on one with mommas!

Here are the 2 that are in my shop now:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/77058358/whale-baby-sack-gown-and-knotty-hat-set

http://www.etsy.com/listing/61688114/surf-baby-sack-gown-newborn-to-6-months

And here are samples of ones that I have done in the past! You really can sew your own sack gown. They aren't difficult and once you get the hang of it, it sews up pretty fast!!

And there isn't a whole lot of things cuter than a newly bathed newborn in a sack gown and beanie!!

Here is the link over at my etsy shop if you would like to purchase a pattern. Use the code BLOG10 to save 10% off of anything in my zootz and zootzbaby shops!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/77423162/snap-it-up-baby-sack-gown-layette-pdf

I hope everyone has a Happy Friday!! I am working on a couple of custom orders before heading to a family reunion on Saturday and the beach with family on Sunday!

Testing Diaper Patterns!

2011-07-14T05:54:00.000-07:00

Testing Diaper Patterns

So every once and a while over on diaper divas, someone comes up with a great new diaper and needs a few testers to sew it up and see if they like it. The other day I got a chance to set up a new one called the witteybum diaper. It's not often I come across a diaper that I really like, but this one has me hooked!

The witteybum looks like most diapers on the outside, but on the inside, there is a sham on top and on bottom, that tuck away your soakers. This one actually snaps them in so they stay in place, but can be removed for quicker drying time, brilliant!

At first glance, I was a little confused. I had never sewn one like this before. After reading over and over the directions, I went for it. Boy am I glad that I did.

This was my first attempt, turned out great. PUL poly knit outer, hidden anti pill fleece and the inner is suedecloth. The soakers are 2 layers of bamboo fleece, each, so when you fold them over x2 that is 8 layers on your little ones bum, and it is still so trim!! I topstitched all around the diaper and in retrospect wish I would have just topstitched the tabs. I like my diapers better that way.

For the 2nd one I used one of my favorite PUL's the robots, added a hidden fleece inner, and the inner touching babies skin is microchamois. So soft! Love this diaper, so I added a fun tee too. The lap tee is from the summer 2011 ottobre and I sketched out a robot from my head and freehand embroidered it with my sewing machine.(Just like the alien tee I showed earlier with the tute!)

For the 3rd one, I was on a roll and just couldn't stop myself!! I took a few scraps of pul, put them together and appliqued an elephant on the bum. This one has a tee too, the sleeveless lap tee from the summer 2011 ottobre. So cute!! This elephant pul is by far my favorite I have used! It is just so bright and fun for baby boy!

What a cute bum!! I think this is the reason why I decided to cloth diaper in the first place. Yes, I like the environment and I am happy to do my part, but it can't hurt doing it in such a cute way!!

I promise to share more about the pattern when the diva releases it! I think you will love sewing this one up!

Off to sew some!

2011-07-13T19:18:00.000-07:00

Long Time No Post

I can't believe it has been so long since I posted. Life has been very hectic lately and I just can't seem to get everything all together. Lately, we are doing better and I have begin to carve out a little me time once again. I love my baby, but I think I had forgotten about how much time in my day would go to just caring for him. He is such a delight and joy, I can't believe how fast the time is passing.

Tristan is such a smiley baby, even at 12, 2, 4 and 6 AM. Yes, you heard me right! This momma gets no sleep, even now at over 10 months old. Somehow my little guy missed the part about having to get his rest. He is on the go, ALL of the time!! No rest for the weary!!

I have sewn some in the last month, I need to go back and check my photo albums and update everything here. I love sewing for the summer!! I just wish my baby boy would grow a little taller so I had an excuse to sew something for him. His height is only about 3% on the charts, which means he hasn't grown a lot since 4 or 5 months old. I'm sure soon he will have a growth spurt and outgrow all of his mama made!

I owe the ladies that entered my drawing a HUGE apology. Life threw me for a little while and I did not get all of the packages out for the beanie scraps. IF you didn't get your package, please know that I will have it out this Monday. I am going through my big bin of scraps and finding fun ones for beanies!! Everyone should have gotten the PDF by email back when the drawing ended. If you didn't please post here and I will see about getting a copy to you.

And speaking of patterns, I am happy to say that I finally released my baby sack gown pdf this past week. It was a whopping success and I have already sold out of the first round in my etsy shop, zootz. I hope that everyone that purchases it will enjoy making baby gowns!! I just love sewing it and can't wait to see everyone's creations!!

Can't post without a pic, so here is a snap it up baby romper that I did for Tristan just yesterday. It matches diapers that I made a while back, I just love this print!

Happy sewing ladies and I hope to blog quite often now!! Oh, and I am trying to respond to comments, but blogger isn't letting me! Very frustrating. I hope that fix it soon, or I will have to find a new blog home!I have added a custom for this romper in my zootzbaby shop! Remember to use the code BLOG10 for 10% off anything in my shop!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/77819351/pirate-skulls-snap-up-romper-custom

2011-03-14T05:51:00.000-07:00

Well That Went Well!

Sometimes I am a dope! I thought I would have my 1st give away and promote my blog so other sewing mamas of boys might get interested. Then I forgot! LOL Well hopefully the next one will go better!

But YAY! for the 4 that are reading my blog! I couldn't pick 3 and leave the 4th out, so you are all winners!! I will email you and get your mailing addresses so I can send you out a little envelope with some scraps to make a beanie!

I think there is one that didn't leave me an email address, so please comment below and let me know what it was. Going to send the other 3 PDF's right now! Have fun sewing ladies and thank you for playing!!

2011-03-09T15:22:00.000-08:00

My 1st Give a Way!!

In honor of my 50th post and my baby(not Tristan) my 1st baby turning 17 tomorrow, I am in the mood to give something away. So let's see. I know! I LOVE scrappy sewing, it is one of my favorite things to do. Whether I am using hard to find fabrics, little scraps left over from other projects or recycled odds and ends from tee shirts and such. My beanie PDF provides a really fun project that even the least experienced seamstress will love to sew. I think it takes me about 5 minutes now from cut to finish! This is probably my favorite pattern for my kids and has gotten the most use. My now 17 yr old loves to wear them, my daughter has wore them in her tween period and Noah my 7 yr old almost always has a beanie on his head. Tristan has a few already too, I guess they are staples of our wardrobe around here!

I will email 3 lucky winners a copy of my Scrappy Beanie PDF pattern and send them a few knit scraps to make a beanie with in the mail! Just leave a comment telling me who you would sew a beanie for(can be preemie up to an adult!) and what kind of beanie that person would like. You could say things like character fabrics, superheroes,bugs, stripes, dots, solids, cars, you name it and I will see if I can find a little something something in the stash! And PLEASE leave your email for me, so I can contact the winner. It's so sad when you win and no one can get a hold of you!!

I will leave the comments open until midnight, Sunday March 13,2011, EST of course! Winners will be posted on Monday, March 14, 2011!

Now let me hear who needs a beanie!!

2011-03-09T14:46:00.000-08:00

The Martians Have Landed and a Simple Tute!

The Munki Martians that is! I had a pajama top that I decided really needed to be a pair of shorts for Tristan. I decided to try out the "aqua" shorts from the 3/2008 ottobre and see what I thought. Overall they are a pretty good fit, I think the next time I would add a tiny bit of rise and maybe give a little on the sides. Cloth diapers can sometimes make the fit of these patterns a little tricky! Tristan is a little over 18 lbs and I traced out a 68 adding seam allowance.

So on to my little, very simple tutorial! I love adding embroideries and appliques to boys clothing. It turns something simple into something very creative and fun to wear! One of my favorite things to do is what I call a "sketch" embroidery. It's freehand and your imagination(and your drawing skills) are your only limitations!

I start off by cutting out the tee front and creasing it down the middle so that I can center the design. Then I cut off a square off iron on stabilizer big enough for the design that I want.

NOTE HERE: I am using this outfit for our own personal clothing. IF I were making this to sell, I would not copy the artwork like I have here. I would sketch out a totally different looking spaceship or better yet a rocket!

Next, sketch out the design that you would like to stitch on the non-shiny side of the paper. It has a rougher feel, you don't want the smooth, slicker side.

Center your design and iron the paper down to your tee on the front side.

Now you are going to go right over your lines with your sewing machine and a straight stitch. For the length, don't make it too long, you don't want the paper not to come off easily. The most important thing make sure you backtack when you start and stop your stitches. The more you do this the better you will get, however, I think imperfections give the tee more character!

When you are finished will all of your stitching, CAREFULLY peel off your paper and you are done!! If you have little tiny bits stuck in the stitches, I wouldn't worry, they normally come off in the first wash!

Now finish up your tee and put it on! I think it turned out pretty cute. Besides the fact that I decided that FOE would make a great collar and sleeve edge! Why would I think it would be quicker than just sewing on cuffs?? It's not, trust me, but it's not a bad look for a baby!

2011-03-08T13:30:00.000-08:00

New Look!

Past time for a new header! Hope this will be simple and easy to read!! Stay tuned for my first give away tomorrow!! #51 post!!

2011-03-08T08:16:00.000-08:00

Tristan's Spring Start and New Diapers!

I have been sewing quite a lot lately, just no time to show! Baby boy is now sitting up on his own and thankfully letting mommy have a little more sewing time during the day! Now if I could just get the little booger to nap on a regular schedule we would be great!

I am making my way down my list of "needs" for Tristan's Spring/Summer wardrobe! In the past 2 weeks I have gotten quite a few done. I originally showed this tee with the Japanese red/blue/yellow knit interlock. I decided it would be fun to modify the tee some for smaller scraps. I also did a vneck style on a couple and I really like the way they turned out. Very simple too do, I just looked at one Tristan had in his closet from G@p and went for it! Now I have it drawn up so many different ways, I can't wait to sew some more!

The shorts are drafted by me, based off of a pair of RTW shorts that Noah wore a couple of years back. I drafted a pattern for Noah and found he really loved them and they are easy to sew assembly style. So I went with Tristan's measurements and I think they turned out pretty well. We call them our "Junk in the Trunk" shorts, meaning they have lots of room for our cloth diapers! Super easy to sew, especially assembly style! This is why having a serger and coverstitcher seperately is so nice!

Then last week, I volunteered to be a pattern tester for 3 different ladies who had developed new diaper patterns.

The first one really intrigued me because I had never sewn with FOE(fold over elastic), never used hook/loop tape and I had never made a pocket dipe before. I have made 2 of these now and I really like them. Not sure I am crazy about pockets though, I really find AI2's to be less messy to clean up. I think I will make the next ones that I do from this pattern that way instead. Great shape though and they fit Tristan pretty well for being at the end of the size range.

This one sewed together very easily too. A pretty basic turned and topstitched diaper. Fit Tristan pretty well too for the first go around. I think I may try it with snaps the next time I sew it up!

The third one is super easy to sew up. FOE around the diaper, hook/loop and then I made it an AI2. Shown here next to a DDU bigger newborn diaper. This one did not fit us well. It was a great shape too, just needs some adjustments I think. The mama sent me the next size up so I am going to give it a whirl here in a bit and see how well it fits Tristan.

I think that is it for now! I am working on a tute for changing a pajama button up adult top/long sleeved dress shirt into a little mans shirt. It uses all existing hems, so it sews up really quickly! I have the collar to finish still. Also, have a pair of ahoy shorts cut out and waiting to be sewn together! I think I will finish those today and see if I like the fit! Happy sewing everyone!

2011-02-19T19:39:00.000-08:00

Baby Boy is 6 Months Old!!

Yesterday, my little chunk of love turned 6 months old! The day came with a great mix of emotions. Tristan has been by far, my hardest baby, out of our 4. The colic was so bad at times, I really thought we wouldn't make it this far! But along with the joy of now having a happy baby boy, comes the sadness of never having a newborn again. So many changes in so short a time. Babies are just the sweetest!

To mark our 6 month Birthday I decided to make a tee to celebrate. My kids did not get the humor at first and now that it has been explained to them they think I am a dork! Well I think I am just fine with being labeled a sewing dork!

The tee is my new found pattern from the Spring 1/2006 Ottobre issue. I LOVE it!! Let me say it again, I LOVE it!!! Fits pretty well with a little room to grow, you can mix and match, which I love to do AND it's a great way to make use of smaller sized scraps. Not great pics, but you get the idea! Tristan has found out how to suck on his lip or tongue or something! I can hardly take a picture anymore without him doing this newly discovered trick.

I decided to do another, this time with some of my hard to find Japanese scraps. I love this print, so vibrant and fun! I picked two of the pictures from the knit and made up my own little patches to put on the tee and pants. The pants are the crawling baby pants from the 4/2006 issue of Ottobre, I love them too! Very fun to make even with knits! I see more of these in our future, but the next time I will add just a little in the rise for a cloth diaper fit.

I also tried out another pattern this week the baby sweat pants from 1/2006. They fit ok, a little baggy in the width. I used fleece and it made the seams a little thick when serging where they were topstitched. Not sure if I would make these again, but all in all they were simple to put together. The tee was a onesie that Tristan's big sister brought him this week. I cut it off and made it into a tee so it would fit longer with cloth diapers. When she showed it to me, I was so happy that I had saved this knit for Tristan!

And then one more tee tonight, same pattern! Also made with hard to find Japanese knit. I adore this fabric! I only had a very small scrap and now I have a miniature sized scrap left! I wish I had a bolt of it! So soft and yummy and cute too! I am going to search the stash tomorrow for the perfect fabric to make Tristan some pants to match, maybe shorts.

Now I am off to bed! I have found that if I go to bed on time at night, then I usually feel like getting up before all of the kids and hubby. I am really enjoying the hour or so I have of calm before the storm! Good night and happy sewing!!

2011-02-16T11:46:00.000-08:00

Owl Diaperbag

I can't believe it has been almost 2 weeks since I posted!! Believe it or not, I have been working on mine and Tristan's diaperbag almost the whole time. Diaperbags are pretty intense, at least I think so. I have made lots in the past and don't ever remember it taking so long to cut out, iron, applique, sew, etc., etc., etc...

So I had envisioned a beautiful owl diaperbag made with the twill that I found at Joann's in the Fall. After deciding to use a pattern instead of winging it, which is what I usually do, I settled on Butterick 4560. Not a bad little pattern, the instructions were pretty clear, the size is a little big for me, but hey, what's done is done! I did substitute magnetic purse snaps instead of velcro like the pattern called for. I also extended my flap just a little in the front because I needed more room for my owl to perch upon his branch. Oh, and I did 2 elastic pockets all the way across inside the diaper bag.

I wanted to use applique and I wanted corduroy fabrics too, problem though, I didn't have one that I loved that matched the twill well enough. So I ran out to the store, bought some dye and went about changing the white fabric that I had to a light shade of bluish turquoise. I love the shade!

So many hours later, I have a diaperbag. And hopefully it will be the last one that I have to make. Well not the last, but I don't want to do one for a while! I also did a simple changing pad that folds into the back pocket and a wet bag lined with PUL for those yucky cloth diapers! I am ready to go somewhere now!!

I started with these fabrics

and they became this!

I will end this post with a picture of my chunk of love that will be 6 months old this Friday!! He has 2 little teeth coming in on the bottom, aren't they cute?? And because this should be sewing related, the beanie peeking out was made by me as well as the minky lovee perched atop his little head!

If you want to check out other bags that I have made in my past life as a bag maker, haha, you can see them on my flickr here.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zootzmomma/sets/72157611735810932/

2011-02-03T04:40:00.000-08:00

Jetro Romper Modification!

I have searched and searched for the perfect romper pattern for baby! I came very close this time with Ottobre's "Jetro" romper from the 4/2008 issue.

I loved that it was simple and there were snaps at the neck and diaper area. Easy to cut out and, and, and, well the good things stopped there. The "placket" they used for the neck area, was not a REAL placket, so it made the binding look either ridiculous or just plain bulky. And the idea of coverstitching binding around all of the legs and the ankle area, well that is just a pain in the you know what! My coverstitcher and I are pretty good gal pals and I had trouble going around all of the curves.

So for every problem there is a solution, here are two that I came up with. Follow these and I think you will love sewing up this romper and it will be your go to for baby!

NOTE: You will need to have the Ottobre 4/2008 issue to follow this modification tute. I did not write the pattern, it isn't mine, just modified it slightly to make it easier to sew.

Option A: Romper that snaps all the way down even through the ankle cuffs.

Option B: Romper that snaps all the way down, but not at the ankle cuffs.(MY favorite!)

Step 1: When cutting out your romper(A or B) you are going to cut 2 of the front, adding a 1/4" seam allowance to the inside of the pattern. Do NOT cut on the fold, but rather cut 2 out.

Step 2: Cut out the back of the romper, gusset and the sleeves from pattern. Your binding will need to be a little longer than what is suggested in the magazine. I cut a 2" wide strip across the whole width of my rib knit for the piece that goes up and back down the front. For the back of the legs I cut another pc 2" wide and about 13" long. Keep in mind, I made a sz 68, so it will vary a little with the size.

Step 3: Cut 2 cuffs out of rib knit for the ankles.

For Option A: I cut (2) 3" wide by about 10".

For Option B: I cut(2) 3" wide by about 8".

Step 4: Go ahead and put together your romper like the instructions say. First the gusset, next the shoulder seams, then sleeves and lastly the sides of the romper. NOTE: The instructions used binding for the sleeve edge. I chose to hem my sleeves for ease, but you could also add cuffs if you wanted to.

Step 5: Bind your romper. Starting at the bottom of one leg with your longer binding piece, go up, around the neck and back down the other side to the bottom of the other leg. With the smaller length of binding you will start at the back of the romper up one leg, gusset and back down the other leg.

You should then have this.

Step 6: Option A only, for Option B skip to Step 10. Take your 2 rib knits for cuffs, fold right sides together(lengthwise) and serge both ends.

Step 7: Turn cuffs out and press. I added a small square of fusible interfacing to each end and tucked it inside my cuffs for extra support for the snaps later on.

Step 8: Serge each cuff to the bottom of your romper, right sides together, flip down and then press.

Step 9: After pressing stitch a small straight stitch on your sewing machine, just to keep those pesky edges from rubbing against baby and sticking out.

Now go ahead and add your snaps! I started at the bottom of the legs(1 snap on each leg cuff) and worked my way up. Measuring my romper and adding snaps every 2 or 2.5 inches. At the crotch where the gusset meets I like to have 3 snaps pretty close together so there is no gap there. I dislike a gappy gusset!

Step 10:For Option B only! After my bindings, I went ahead and added my snaps for Option B. I just thought it made it easier to work with the legs this way. Some may choose to add the snaps last and that would work fine too!

Step 11: Before adding the cuffs, I overlapped my bindings at the bottom and sewed a stitch to keep them together while serging. Trust me, it may be an extra step, but if your binding slides when serging it's not pretty!

Step 12: Now serge your cuff ends together and then add your cuffs right sides together to the bottom of your romper. Just like you would a sleeve cuff. Pulling your ribbing gently, but not your fabric.

Step 13: Flip down and press! Your done!!

Now add your precious baby and you have a happy romper for the both of you!! These have both been baby tested and they work great for diaper changes!! I think Option B is a little less time consuming and was just as easy to take on and off as Option A.

I hope this will help! Happy Sewing!!

2011-02-01T04:48:00.001-08:00

Quick Post, The Stash Game is On!!!

Just a quickie today. I wanted to show that I followed through and not only did I get my sewing studio in tip top shape, I also sold about 20-30 yds of fabric from my stash!! Yeah!! It hardly put a dent in my HUGE tubberware container in the garage though.

AND stash game starts today!! Over on sewingmamas, we like to try and see how much we can sew from our stash without buying anything during the month of February. I have played before, but never finished out the month. Something always got in the way! This month I am making it my personal goal to follow through and at least post my points. I can't wait to get started!!

I did sew some this weekend! I finished 2 katrina soakers that needed to be sewn up. Tristan really needed them too! Unfortunately the argyle one,my favorite, is too small. Luckily I have more of that one! I also got around to sewing the Jethro romper from Ottobre. I love how it looks on my little man, the fit was great, BUT did not like putting it together. I am working on modifying the pattern today and I will post the finished product this week with more details on the pros/cons of this pattern.

OK I am off and running to my cutting table!! Happy February everyone!! I can't believe January is already behind us!

2011-01-29T11:11:00.001-08:00

When Life Gives you Lemons...

Make a diaper with it anyway!

Yesterday I decide to sew up the dino dudes diaper cut that I had purchased off of etsy. A very cute Michael Miller print. I was a little bummed when I received it(my fault totally) because I didn't realize I was buying a woven PUL. I like my pul a little stretchier. Anyhoo, I decided to cut it out anyway, carefully placing my pattern, paying attention to which dino was on the front and how the tabs would look. One of the colors matched my favorite microfleece, so I was even more excited, because it washes up so well and feels just heavenly(well I would imagine it does, it's not on my bum!).

Tristan was in a good mood, he was beside me in his bouncy seat just a playing and laughing. Start putting snaps across the front of my diaper, almost done with them, going well and what? could it be??? how did I??? Attach the snaps through all layers of the diaper???? Surely not! Oh, yes, that was exactly what I did.

No fear, no crying(not at this point), I just cut out another microfleece for the inside and decide this will be a night time diaper, very fluffy!

Sit down at the sewing machine, start sewing, everything is going beautifully, remember to leave a turning spot open, yep, check! We are singing Hello, Goodbye(Tristan's very favorite Beatles song!), we are both in a great mood, go to turn out the diaper and what? could it be?? how did I??? Sew the fleece to the wrong side! Making it impossible to turn out unless I want my beautiful Dino Dude pul on the inside of the diaper!!!!!

So, what do I do? What does every good seamstress do at this point? I cry! I throw a fit! I show my rear you know what!! I'm afraid I said things that no babe should here at this time in their little lives! It was bad. Yes, I am embarassed looking back.

Did I stop? Did I throw in the towel and walk away?? NOOOO! I got back onto my saddle(my sewing bench) and I decided to pull out some of the stitches, so I could get elastic into the diaper and serge it instead of turning it. Does this thrill me? Why no, because there is nothing more I detest when sewing diapers than to sew in elastic in the blind! I am NOT good at it, not one bit! And once again I threw a fit! But finally, after a few fits and crying jags, I did it! The elastic was in! Not even, mind you, but in, so that maybe it would contain poop!

Thankfully serging went well without any incident because by this point my little Tristan was tired of looking at me and hearing me cry!

So here it is. My diaper that almost wasn't, maybe wasn't meant to be, but just is! And wow can it hold some serious pee! No leaks either!!

Here is another diaper I made this morning. Not quite as exciting, but I did use the new Ottobre diaper pattern for it. Not sure that I like it, seems a little too fat in some places and not fat enough in other places. The outside is retro car PUL, with a hidden layer of cotton velour and the inside is microfleece. The soaker consists of 2 layers of bamboo fleece and topper of fleece, which when folded over give you 6 hefty layers. Tristan is sleeping now, so I will have to let you know how it goes. But judging by the thickness of his diapered bum it looked like it would hold pee for a week without needing a change(well not quite that long, but close)! We will see!

Happy Saturday!!

2011-01-20T10:04:00.000-08:00

Organization 2011!

I USED to be very organized when it came to my sewing space. A place for everything and everything in it's place, yep, that was my motto when it came to my sewing studio! BUT, along came Tristan and I seemed to have derailed the organization train somewhere on the tracks! I hadn't thought about it really until another sewing mama had posted about her sewing space. I took one good look around me and realized WOW! where did my tidy little corner of sewing Heaven go to??

I am now determined to take the next couple of days and clean whenever I get the opportunity. I know I will feel so much better afterwards and my creativity always goes into overdrive with a clean studio! So here I go!!

Here are some before pictures to let you know how bad it is. YES, I realize it's probably not the worst sewing studio on the face of the Earth, but for me, it is really bad.

Here is outside of my sewing studio where the scrap bucket has spilled onto the floor in attempts to find great scraps for Tristan projects!

My cutting table, holds scraps that I have coveted for Tristan. Lots of ideas no time to sew them!

And this is a view into my sewing studio.

Here is the floor in front of the wall shelving, too much fleece here. Need to purge some. All of the bins on the floor, well those are supposed to be neatly organized and on top of the shelving unit. Which now has this pile of denims and cords that I have no place for.

This is my current projects rack, also the place where I keep the tees that I find to be recycled. You can see that it has spilled over onto my thread storage. The top shelf holds fabrics that need to be purged.

My chair, now full, no place to sit. This is supposed to be empty so when one of my kiddos needs to talk to me they have a place to sit!

What a mess! Hopefully the next time I post the mess will have dissappeared for good!

2011-01-17T12:25:00.001-08:00

Appliques! Love Them!

I have been sewing for little boys for about 6 years now and I have done an overabundance of applique over the years. Most of the time I opt to draw them out by hand and go around them manually with my sewing machine. Occasionally I go the other route and use the embroidery machine. I think how it turns out really depends on how experienced you are with them or how well the design was digitized if you are using an embroidery machine.

Last night I made Tristan another recycled tee from some of his brother and sister's old tees. The front of the tee has words all over, like Rock Lives and little green rock monsters with electric blue guitars and drums. The tee turned out cute, but I thought it needed matching pants.

I went with simple anti pill fleece for the pants, and the katrina soaker pattern made into longies for the pattern. Instead of plain black pants, I jazzed it up with a hand drawn applique. Super easy, you just draw the reverse image that you want onto heat and bond lite, fuse to the wrong side of the fabric scraps, cut them out and iron them down the way you would like onto your fabric. Make sure with fabrics that aren't pure cotton that you use a press towel so that you don't damage the synthetic material. I used scrap knits for my applique, so that I could straight stitch them without being afraid the edges would unravel. KNIT is my favorite thing to use for appliques. I just keep my scraps in a bag to save for future appliques.

I will have to post a tutorial for applique in the future. In the meantime, if you are doing applique, the most important thing to me is, a good stabilizer for underneath. I used a permanent stabilizer that is nice and soft. After I finished I just cut around the design. With each wash it will get a little softer.

Here is my baby boy in his new duds! Can you believe this guy will be 5 months old tomorrow? Where does time go?

Until tomorrow, happy sewing!

2011-01-16T06:09:00.000-08:00

My Favorite Kind of Sewing!

The kids and I went throught their closets and did a little mini purge for the New Year. I had a nice stack of tees from the boys to bring down. Lots of canvases to create new tees for my ZooTZ shop on Etsy.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ZooTZ

In the past I have only offered sizes 2 to 8, but now that I have a new test subject I decided to give one a try for Tristan. I love how it turned out and will definitely be adding infant tees to the shop! Hopefully I will be able to sew a little more in the coming weeks!

The front of Tristan's tee was made from one of Noah's tees, the sleeves from Skylar's tee and the back from a pair of knit pants that I had fashioned into shorts for Tristan's daddy. So he has a little bit of his sister, brother and daddy throw into the mix! Went perfect with a pair of jeans mommy picked up for $3! Not bad for a rockin' set!

My baby boy has his first cold, so his face is a little puffy in my pics. I had forgotten about the little koi set that I had made for him. I pulled it out the other day and it was almost too small. We managed to sneak a few pictures while he was happy.

And a few pictures of a custom gown that I did for an Etsy customer. I hope that she and her daughter will enjoy the set!

I hope you all have a terrific Sunday with your little ones!

2011-01-06T10:00:00.000-08:00

Japanese Super Hero Raglan

Today's project was an easy one. I decided to sew up a matching raglan for the superhero beanie that I showed earlier this week. I traced the #1 papana raglan from the ottobre issue 4/2010 to see how I liked it. Super easy to sew up and all the seams matched up perfectly the first go around. Great pattern.

I'm not sure about the fit yet, little man decided he would nap for me today! Yeah! I think it will be great though based on Tristan's measurements. Going to change him after his nap and let him wear it when we pick his bubby up from school today.

ETA: I added some pictures after the tee was on little man. Great fit. Not a lot of room to grow though.

I think I will stay with the HTF Japanese fabric theme for now and go pull another fabric from the shelves. I'm thinking VW vans this go around!

I hope you are having a fabulous Thursday!

2011-01-05T11:48:00.000-08:00

Robots for Tristan!

I promised myself that this would be the year to stop hoarding all of the hard to find prints and actually sew them up! What good is buying them if you don't ever use them?? They do make great eye candy on my shelves, but Tristan is so much cuter and will only be this young once! He turned 20 weeks today!

So yesterday I cut into my small piece of robot french terry from Japan. I have to admit that when I received this fabric, I was slightly dissappointed. What I thought was orange turned out to be kind of melon colored and the purple was a little much for me. So I decided to take away from those and used a beautiful turquoise velour for the main print and a green anti pill fleece for accents.

Now for the pattern, I chose 2 new ones that I had marked from Ottobre 3/2004, the autumn issue. IF I were closer to Finland, this is one of the times where I would have knocked on their door and said HELLO, did anyone test this patterN?????? I LOVE Ottobre, but this time they were way off the mark.

The pants are the sweatpants #3. I chose to go with sz 68, but wish I had stuck with a 62 instead. Tristan is right now about 17 lbs, but only about 24" in height. These were way wide, but the other measurements didn't seem too far off. I just trimmed the legs down some before putting them together. Went together fairly easy.

The sweater was #5 and can we say, I think it was meant to fit a really BIG kid! The width was WAY off, the length would have barely covered his tummy. So I kept the width, but added a big band at the bottom to bring the shirt in more. The sleeves I cut shorter, but still they are too long and must be rolled up.

I think I will sew the pants again, they turned out cute. I will just trim the pattern down some. The sweater tracing is going in the garbage. I wouldn't want to waste any fabric on this one again. For now, it's cute on. It would be great for those that need to layer clothing on their baby during the winter.

And here is a picture of my latest moon diaper. Robot pul, fleece hidden, suedecloth inner. Love these!

2011-01-02T20:53:00.001-08:00

Beanies for Baby

I realized tonight after Tristan went to bed, that I had nothing new to write about sewing wise for the blog. The quickest functional thing that I know how to sew, and one of my boys' favorite things, is a beanie. I have made my 7 yr old Noah, so many beanies, I really have lost count of them all. He loves a beanie especially when the weather turns cold.

So I dug out my scrap bin and set to work cutting out a couple of beanies for Tristan. This is my own pattern, one that I have sold on etsy once upon a time. I made it up when I couldn't find a pattern, years ago for Noah when he was about 2 years old. Beanies from preemie size up to adult, my almost 17 yr old son loves them too! You can do the lip of the beanie to turn down, like I have done here or it can flip up too.

The first one I cut from some hard to find Japanese super hero fabric. I have some more of this and now that I see the beanie completed, Tristan must have a whole set made from it. Very cute! And the other beanie, made from a tiny scrap of my now non existent Batman and Robin knit, sewn with the serged golden yellow thread face up. Just to add some funk!

These are so easy to do and I had forgotten how much fun! Seriously both were cut out and sewn in less than 20 minutes. Hows that for instant satisfaction??

For now I have pics on the floor, it's late. Tristan is thankfully still sleeping so I have no model. And my coach is about to turn into a pumpkin, oh wait it's now past midnight, Cinderella must go to bed! Good night all, happy sewing!

2011-01-01T18:54:00.001-08:00

Mosaic Moon Diapers, My Favorite!

I posted last night about mosaic moon diapers. I had never heard of the pattern until a mama over on sewingmamas had it up for sale. I googled it and it seemed like I should give it a go, so I bought it. Boy am I glad that I did. I think it is my favorite diaper pattern so far and very easy to put together. Here is the link for the pattern in case you want to give it a go.

http://hyenacart.com/prod_details.php?vid=9&id=56561

I did change up a few things to make it better fit my style of diapering. First off, I made the back tabs a little bit longer, my guy is a chunker in case you hadn't noticed! I kept the same width throughout the rise of the diaper, but cut my inner suedecloth more narrow to allow the fabric to roll in. And lastly I added snaps in the rise of the diaper.

The first one that I did was a fitted and requires a cover. I don't know why I continue to make these. I love the fit of this one, but I like to be able to put Tristan in normal baby clothes without a cover most of the time. But for my first one it turned out great and the fit was fabulous!

Then I did a few more, PUL for the outside layer, hidden layer of fleece and the inside suedecloth. I did lay in shaped soakers, the top layer matching suedecloth, then a few layers of velour and the bottom of fleece. They work great! I have had only 1 leak in the 2 weeks that we have worn them AND it was overnight, with Tristan setting a record breaker for us, 9 hours of straight uninterrupted sleep! Love that, didn't mind the leak!

Here are a couple of pics. Ending with my little chunker! He was extremely happy the day I took this picture! Can you believe my baby boy came into the world at 5 lb 5 oz and weighed 15 lb 12 oz at his 4 month checkup! What a difference a little time has made! What can I say I grow em big!

Hope your first day of 2011 was as great as mine was!

2010-12-31T18:50:00.000-08:00

Goodbye 2010 and Hello 2011

As I sit here tonight pondering the events of 2010, I am grateful for all of life's changes this year. We welcomed our newest(and last baby) into our family while at the same time grieving the year anniversary of my dad's passing. Life and death, you can't have one without the other, one brings so much joy and the other so much pain and sorrow. I hope that my little guy, Tristan David will grow up to be as great a man as his namesake, Grandpa David. And I find myself hoping all of the time, that like the song, there are holes in the floor of Heaven and my daddy is looking down on all of his kids and grandbabies, grinning ear to ear as he watches over them. I try not to take my loved ones for granted and let them know how much I love them on a weekly if not daily basis. My #1 goal this year, LOVE more and LAUGH often with my family.

I know that I have not been a great blogger lately, I am sorry for that. My #2 goal this year is to blog more often. I still find the time to sew, but haven't found the time to blog about my sewing. Tristan is still very fussy, colic is not our friend right now. He is right over 4 months, so I am praying that time does heal all wounds and he grows out of the pain he is in now. Thankfully he does great at night time, so I am able to sleep, a really sanity saver! I have so many projects that I am working on, so many new fabrics and ideas! I can't wait to share them in 2011!

And my #3 goal this year, lose the rest of my weight and stay healthy! I do not want to be a stick, but I do want to live long enough to see my great grand children one day! I know that means that my diet needs to get even better! My walking trail needs to get longer too! I am down 50 lbs of prebirth weight, yes I was fluffy before becoming pregnant! 30 more and I will be doing the happy dance!! I know that I can do it, I just have to give myself a big push for the New Year!

And now I am off to watch the Rockin' New Years show with my 7 yr old, Noah. He is super excited about bringing in the New year, he has yet to stay up for one! But this year he says is his year!

I hope that everyone has a very blessed New Year full of family and good friends! Lots of sewing too!

And because I can't resist here is Tristan at 4 months. He is wearing an AI2 that I made him from the mosaic moon diaper pattern(I will post more soon), love this one. Love the PUL print that I bought off of etsy too, I wish I had more! Oh and the beanie I crocheted him before he was born. He is my blue eyed chunk of love! Happy New Year everyone!

2010-11-13T22:12:00.000-08:00

Girly Sewing! Oh and Santa too!

Every great once and a while, I love to take a detour and sew something with a girly fabric. This owl knit happens to be one of my favorite fabrics right now! So much so, that I have contemplated making me a tee out of it, but my kids would not approve! I opted not to sew for me, and instead made a sack gown and romper for the shop.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/61723054/floral-owl-baby-sack-gown-set-newborn-to

http://www.etsy.com/listing/61759322/floral-owl-baby-romper-newborn-girl

And then I just had to get a little boy sewing in there somewhere, so I finished up a pair of fleece longies that I had embroidered the other day. Love this candy cane stripe fabric!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/61758679/santa-claus-fleece-longies-6-to-9-months

And now I am off to bed, where I should have been hours ago! Why is it, that when the little one sleeps, I can find a million and one things to do instead of sleep too??Good Night!!

2010-11-13T06:43:00.001-08:00

Sweet Sack Gowns Added to the Store!

Tristan has way too many clothes and way too many gowns. These were all made for my sweet baby boy, but never worn. If you want one grab them quick, they usually sell within 24 hours of posting them!

I hope to have a girly one to add to the store later today

Surf Sack Gown and Hat

http://www.etsy.com/listing/61688114/surf-baby-sack-gown-newborn-to-6-months

Owl Sack Gown and Hat

http://www.etsy.com/listing/61689089/owl-baby-sack-gown-newborn-to-6-months

Ooga Boog Sack Gown and Hat

http://www.etsy.com/listing/61688631/ooga-booga-sack-gown-newborn-to-6-months

Now I am off to put Tristan down for a morning nap and hopefully get some sewing done! I hope everyone has a great weekend!!

2010-11-11T04:37:00.000-08:00

12 Weeks Old and Loving it!

I haven't posted much lately. Seems like I either have a few minutes to sew or to blog and I have been choosing sewing. My baby boy turned 12 weeks yesterday. He has outgrown almost everything that I had made. Weighing in a little over 12 lbs now, he has more than doubled his birth weight. He is our little chunk of love!

I have slowly began sewing a Small size diaper stash, but I am finding that I am not happy with what I have sewn so far. I LOVE the minky diapers that I made, but the Ladida Smalls are really getting too small already! The Darling Diaper smalls however, fit about perfect with room to grow. Makes me seriously consider doing one size diapers the next go around.

My new love, fitting in great with the Fall weather we are having, anti pill fleece longies. So much fun to make and they work great over fitted diapers. I have sewn up a few for Tristan and added some to my etsy shop too. Just in time for Thanksgiving, I have some adorable Turkeys reading to go out the door and to your little ones bum! Link to my etsy is on the left! I have 3 gowns to put into the shop too. Tristan never wore all the ones I made, I think I have an owl, an ooga and a surf sack! Those will go in tonight or tomorrow!

I am also in the middle of reorganizing my pattern collection. Well my tracings mostlly. I was not happy with the way they were stored, so I have a new idea in the works. Just need a few hours of uninterrupted peace to make it happen(yeah right!, like that is going to happen!)

At night time I have been going through all of my ottobre magazines and writing down the baby patterns from each issue. I have made quite the list! Much nicer to reference when I am looking for a certain style without having to flip through magazine after magazine. I will type it up and add it to the blog when I have finished it. Maybe someone else will find it useful.

Here is the first fall outfit that I sewed up for Tristan. My friend from Australia sent me sleeves that had been removed from a tee. They were just big enough to get little sleeves out of a sz 62 ottobre tee! Yeah!! Love this and found cool koi embroideries at DK. The jeans were self drafted going by baby boy's measurments.

And here is a picture of baby boy in his skunk costume this Halloween, very unhappy little skunk! His sister is the ladybug in the middle. I would love to say that I made this, but truthfully it was purchased at it goodwill, brand new for 3.99, can't beat that! Thanks goodness too, because he wore it all of 30 minutes before we took it off.

2010-10-30T20:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween

I know that I usually only post sewing for my baby boy, but I couldn't resist showing you my other baby boy's costume.

Noah my 7 yr old desperately wanted to be a Britsh Red Coat Soldier from the Revolutionary War. I searched for a pattern, but after not finding one just winged it. The coat is based loosely from an ottobre jacket, the vest ottobre, and the knickers were a jogging pants pattern from ottobre. I looked online for a while and finally decided just to do our own version. Probably not historically correct, but close enough for my little history buff! Added a couple of bags with long handles to form the X and some boot covers that I hope no one looks too closely at!!

I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Halloween!! All treats no tricks!!

2010-10-23T11:16:00.000-07:00

Fall Festival....16 Yrs Later

Today was the McIntosh 1890's Fall Festival. My mom, her sister and me would go every year when I was a young girl. Rows and rows of booths set up with so many wonderful crafts! At the age of 19, I took my 1st born. Over the years, it seems that many things have changed. Cross stitch used to be the big thing way back when and now it seems that jewelry and purses may have taken over! For my 7 yr old the rubber band gun booth was a big hit. Gone is the day that a rubber band gun was operated by a clothes pin! Now there are fancy mechanisms that allow you to shoot 7 or 8 without reloading! And instead of one style there were at least a dozen to choose from.

But one thing hasn't changed.

My baby boy wore the same patchwork vest that I had made for his brother to wear to the festival 16 years ago. Dustin was about 9 months when he went and WAY chunkier than Tristan, so I added a little elastic to the back of the vest for a better fit. I also decided that Tristan needed a new pair of jeans to go with the vest and at 7 AM this morning, I thought an embroidered tee was in order for the day too!

So after all the preparation, all the sweat, Tristan slept the whole time and I didn't get one pic at the festival!! What a bummer!

I did take some pics this afternoon at home. Hopefully next week we will visit the pumpkin patch and Tristan will stay awake long enough for some pictures then.

Oh and here is a pic of my now 16 yr old a weekend or so ago. It was his first Homecoming Dance and his first dance taking a girlfriend. Hold on to the memories mommas because they grow so fast!! My chunky little baby is now 6 ft tall and has lost his chunk!

2010-10-22T07:20:00.001-07:00

2 Months Old!!

I can't believe Monday was 2 months since baby boy came into the world. Time sure flies when you are busy with 4 kids!! I haven't been able to sew near as much as I did before baby, but when time permits I am still sneaking into my studio.

Tristan has been extremely colic-y the last month or so. If you have had a baby with colic you know that it is no fun. It's so hard to see your baby scream and know that you can't do anything to help them.

My mom found a pediactric study done on infants with colic using probiotics. The study found that it helped with the symptoms of colic. So we decided to give it a try. We purchased a box of the probiotics at Target and I have been giving him the powder in breastmilk this week, once a day. I am so hopeful! In the last 3 days, we have had no signs of colic, during any period of the day. Keeping my fingers crossed that this is a cure for us. Here is the study if you would like to read up on it.

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/119/1/e124

I did manage to sew 2 tie dye diapers up this week when I should have been sleeping. I guess mommas always find time somewhere! This was a tee that my 16 yr old wore and now Tristan has 2 diapers from it. I plan on making an appliqued tee later on this weekend. The diapers were knit outer, hidden layer of PUL, hidden bamboo fleece and the inner was microterry. Oh, these are so soft and squishy! They work great too! We went 3.5 hrs yesterday with no signs of leakage or wicking, yeah!!

The tee is a onesie that I freezer paper stenciled before Tristan was born. I cut it off and hemmed it this week so he could wear it with diapers. I used acrylics and next time I will buy the fabric paint. The acrylics tend to fade even after just 1 wash, lesson learned!

Another freezer paper stencil tee and the end of a big smile!

This is a set that I have shown before. Safari tee and plaid shorts, both otto, about a sz 56 I think. The shorts were the ahoy ones and the tee was the sign tee, heavily modified because it runs huge.

Oh and here is a sleepy time pic of Tristan in the first gown that I made him. I love this one! I do still have the plans of turning the sleep sacks into a PDF, I just don't seem to be able to get the pattern sized right for printing out. One day soon hopefully!

Off to sew something up while Tristan is sleeping! Happy sewing mamas!

2010-10-21T20:25:00.000-07:00

Recycled Tag Blanket Tute

Today was a long day. My baby boy turned 2 months old yesterday and received his 1st series of immunizations today. Let's just say he was a little fussy this afternoon, but thankfully is dreaming sweet dreams now. After I laid him down tonight, I decided to get in my studio and make him a little treat.

I have been saving tags for a while now. You know, those adorable tags that your kids make you cut out of their tees because they itch. When you have 4 kids, tags are easy to come by!

So here is a little tute that I wanted to share. It's not a new idea by any means, but the measurements are listed to help you get started and I just love the look of the recycled tags. I think it turned out really well and I hope Tristan will love it!

Happy Sewing!!

Materials

(2) 13.5" square fabrics(minky,woven,recycled tee shirts,etc)

tags

1 snap

1 small scrap of fabric for loop

Directions

1. Cut out 2 squares from your fabrics, both 13.5" squared. I used minky because I had it readily available, but it would be really cute with recycled tee fronts too! I may have to try that the next go around!

2. Round your corners on your 2 squares. For this I take a small bowl, place it on the edges and cut my corners with a rotary cutter. Fast and easy!

3. Cut a rectangle 2" wide x 7" long from a scrap piece of fabric. I used a woven for this, but you could use a knit too. Iron the sides in so that they are touching and then fold over again, like you are making bias tape. I then tucked in the raw edges on one end and topstitched with the sewing machine.

4. Now go ahead and pin your tags where you would like them on one of your squares. Pin your strip(the raw edge) to a corner. All of your tags and strip should be pinned inward onto your fabric along the edges.

5. Lay your other square on top, right sides together and pin, pin, pin!! I am a big fan of pinning your work, especially when it stretches like minky does.

6. Take your pinned fabrics and go around them on a sewing machine. I used a small seam allowance because I wanted to make sure that the pictures on my tags showed when sewn. Remember when sewing these kind of fabric, slow and steady wins the race!! Go slow and make sure your edges and tags are all meeting up as you sew.

IMPORTANT: Don't forget to leave about 2 inches free to turn your blanket out at the end.

7. After you have sewn around, leaving a turnout spot, Turn it Out, and topstitch the area closed. I then went ahead and zig zagged around my blanket edges.(this is optional)

8. Add your snap to your loop, one part should be close to the blankets edge, the other close to the other end of your strip.

9. Ta da, all done! Isn't that cute!! You can use the loop to attach the blanket to the carrier, so baby doesn't throw your hard work overboard or you can attach baby's binky through the loop. I don't have a modeling shot of the binky, it's currently in use!

2010-10-10T16:42:00.000-07:00

Baby Activity Gym/Tummy Mat Tutorial

The other day while playing with Tristan on our bed, I realized that I had never purchased an activity gym for my little guy. He will be 2 months old soon and I think maybe he is getting bored of mommy and daddy staring at him all the time! The poor thing needs something else to stare at!

I went to a few stores and couldn't believe that most of the activity gyms ranged from $50 to $80! Wow! That is a lot of money for a baby toy! So I decided to go home and create my own. I thought maybe there were other crafty mommies out there that would like one too, so I took pictures along the way and jotted down notes too. So here you have it, my 1st Blog Tutorial, free to anyone who is willing to give it a go! Happy Sewing!

Materials

1/2 Yd Pieces of Minky, or Cozy Fleece

Assorted Scraps of at least 10" Long by 20" Wide for tubes and loops

1 Yd Batting

1 Yd Pc to Back Top

36" x 36" Felt Piece

2 Pool Noodles

Package Activity Links(optional)
4 Snaps

Assembling Play Mat

1. Using pattern paper, make a point and draw a line 12 1/4" . I used a pc of embroidery floss to attach to my marker to make a nice arch. Draw your lines for the right angle, adding a 1/4" seam allowance to each side. This is your inner pc pattern.

2. Now make another arch 18 1/4" from your same point. This will make your outer pc pattern. Cut patterns out.

3. Cut 4 of the inner pcs. and 4 of the outer pcs from minky or cozy fleece. IMPORTANT: You will need to add a 1/4" seam allowance to the inside of your outer pc arch when cutting out. You can use other materials here, I think flannel would work, even wovens. I just preferred the softness of the minky.

4. I am a visual person, so I took a second to pause and draw out my circle with the pcs. Trying to map out in my head how to lay them out.
5. Now we need to cut our fabric for the loops. I messed my calculations up the first time, so don't mind the pic to much! You are going to cut 4 pcs from woven fabrics, 2 " x 12 1/2" long. Iron them like you are making bias tape. Bringing in the edges to meet in the middle, press, and then fold again, press. You will come end up with 4 strips that are about 1/2" wide.

6. Now topstitch down the edge of your strips. Cut your strips into 2 1/2" pcs. You should end up with 20 of them.

7. Lay out your pcs on the floor exactly how you want your play mat to look. Your loop pcs. should be placed 6 1/4" from the edges of the inner pcs.(8 total loops).

8. Time to sew up the top!

IMPORTANT: Pin, pin, pin!! Don't skip this step. It is so important because the minky will stretch on you while you sewn. I used a serger to sew my activity mat together, but a sewing machine will work just as well. With either, you must pin!!

Pin your outer pc to the inner pc with your loops sandwiched in between. Make sure the loop pc is folded with the raw edges along the edge you are sewing. You do this for all 4 sections. Now sew 2 of your completed pie shapes together, right sides together. And repeat for the other 2 pie pieces. Now sew your 2 halves together, right sides together. You should end up with this.

9. Now cut out a bottom for your mat using your top as a guideline. I forgot to take a pic of me doing this, but just lay your top onto the minky and cut around!

10. Next, cut out your 2 layers of batting using the bottom pc as a guide. I cut out mine and left a little extra around the edges, just to allow for some stretching when I went to pin the bottom.

11. Now cut out your felt using the top as a guide. Again, here I cut out a little extra on the outer edge. Next, I pinned my minky bottom to the 2 layers of batting, stretching a little as I pinned around. Then I trimmed the excess. I did the same thing with my top layer and the felt. I know this takes a little extra time, but I think it allowed for a much smoother finish of the mat with no wrinkles.

12. On your top layer, go ahead and pin your 4 loops to the outer edge of your circle. I eyeballed mine and just made sure they were in between where the other 2 loops above were. But ideally your loop should be in the middle of your outer piece.

13. At this point I removed all the pins(not the loop ones) from the layers that I had used to hold together while trimming the edges.

14. Now pin all of your mat layers together. Yes, PIN! Your 2 batting layers will be on top, followed by your bottom minky layer face down, your top layer face up, and then your felt on the bottom. I pinned mine all the way around about every 2 inches or so. I also put some pins out in the middle so it wouldn't shift while sewing. This is what your layers look like at this point.

15. Now you are going to either sew or serge around your layers. You need to leave about a 6" space on the edge to turn your mat right side out when you are done. I marked mine so that I wouldn't forget. Sew, turn out and topstich your edge together!

We are now done with the play mat!

Sewing the Tubes

IMPORTANT: Measure your noodles before you do this part. My instructions are for noodles that measured about 8" around and about 56" long. If yours are any different that you will need to do a little math to make sure the tubes will fit correctly.

16. Cut out 6 rectangles that measure 8 1/2" x 21". I chose 5 different woven prints. I don't think you should use minky for this because it would be a little heavy for the arches. Now I layed the 2 tubes out. I pinned a loop pc to the 1st and 2nd pc in each row, right about an inch above the bottom edge. Go ahead and sew your pcs together. Taking the first 2 right sides together and then the last one.

17. Now hem the 4 outside edges. I used my coverstitcher because it conveniently had the same colored thread on it. If you are using your sewing machine just turn under an 1/8" inch press and then 1/4" inch and press again. Topstitch.

18. OK. Now you have your rectangles sewn together,you should have the 2 sets of 3. Your ends should be finished off neatly too. Now you need to add loops to the ends of your rectangles. I serged the raw end of my loops first because I didn't want them to unravel. But you could zig zag on a sewing machine just as easy.

19. Now just topstich one loop to each of your four outer ends. Loops should be about 1" from the bottom just like the other ones.

20. Now sew your 2 sets of rectangles into long tubes, right sides together. You should end up with 2 tubes just like this.

21. Now turn them out and scrunch them onto your pool noodles. You should have beautiful tubes like this when you are all done!

22. Now my original idea was to use my plastic links that I had purchased to link the loops on the end of the tubes to the outer loops on the play mat. I did this and it does work. However it made the arches just a little lower than I wanted them to be.

So my solution was to add snaps to each of the 4 loops on the tube ends and the 4 outer loops on the play mat. It works great and it is a lot easier to just snap them off when I just need a play mat and not the gym.

23. Now put that baby under the mat and let them play!! I purchased my toys by infantino super cheap from TJMaxx. I'm sure you could find them anywhere though. If you are really ambitious you could try your hand at making your own. I just don't have the time right now and the 6 toys that I have along with the links cost me right at $20 total.

I would love to hear feedback if you take time to sew this one up! It will help me in the future when I post more tutes!

2010-10-07T15:52:00.000-07:00

Getting Too Big For His Diapers!

Tristan turned 7 weeks old yesterday and I think the newborn diapers are becoming too tight for his little butt! I can remember sewing the LDD Newborn size and thinking no baby of mine will ever fit in these. They looked so tiny. And then Tristan appeared early and was too small to fit into them for the first week or so! We are on the last snap setting and I think the legs are becoming a little tight on his thighs that are beginning to show a little chunk!

For his 7 week picture I decided to sew up some pants with the butt panel on the back. I adapted a Burda pattern and went to sewing. Before long I had a cute pair of little flannel pants! The next go around, I need to adjust the butt panel a little, make the rise a tad longer and make the legs a little less fat. They were still very cute though and oh so comfy too!

Here are a couple of pics that I took yesterday of him in his froggy tee and dipe that I made before he was born. Love the frogs!

Today, my baby boy decided to take a long afternoon nap. I ran to my studio and got to work cutting into some of my new hemp terry and bamboo fleece. I used the darling diaper newborn(the bigger one) and cut the outter layer of hemp terry, hidden of bamboo fleece and the inside of microfleece. For the soaker I used 2 layers of the bamboo fleece, 2 of the hemp terry and the top microfleece. This diaper weighed 6 oz. by the time I finished!!

I think it has to be my best serged diaper yet. I read somewhere this past week that you should put your knife down when serging the diaper. Duh, why hadn't I thought of that! Works much better!! I have also figured out that if you topstitch around the very edge of the diaper, BEFORE you serge it saves you a lot of headache. Much easier and way less stretching out going on!! And I managed to find the microfleece at Target!! They had blankets that were 66" x 90" for less than $5! Wowee! What a bargain!

2010-10-04T05:12:00.000-07:00

6 Weeks Has Come and Gone!

I am not doing very well at updating here, I apologize. My baby boy is extremely colic-y right now and it is everything I can do to keep up with the housework. I am trying to throw a little sewing in here and there. I can now understand what I have always heard about babies with colic and how hard it is for the mamas. It's so hard to see your baby hurting and not be able to do much, but hold and try and comfort him. I hope this doesn't last too long for my baby's sake.

I did manage to embroider a antipill fleece soaker from the katrina soaker pattern. It would be perfect for Halloween, but I forgot to size up, so it will be too small for Halloween. Probably throw this one in the store.

I did a Batman set after that, with a Katrina soaker and matching lap tee from Otto. I love this set on my little guy, but it won't fit for long the way he is growing! I appliqued the bat symbol on the butt and then on the tee, using some repurposed fabric for the sleeves. My big guys love this set on him! I love the easy wash and wear of the anti pill soakers. I think these may take the place of my wool soakers. They are cheaper to make too and I love all the color and print choices!

And then there are a couple of sets that I have shown before, but they are oh so much cuter when they are modeled! And I have to throw my little brotherly love picture in here too. Noah is so ready for Tristan to be able to play with him, but for the moment he will have to do with a kiss here and there!

I am happy that I was able to send off 2 tees that were my end of swaps with a couple of sewingmamas! I was so happy to get them off to the post office, I forgot to grab a pic or two! I hate when I do that.

Now I am off to work on a purse that I have needed to get done for far too long. I have it all cut out and most of the interfacings too, but need to get sewing! I must use every second that I have while baby boy sleeps! Have a great week!

2010-09-23T05:36:00.000-07:00

My Little Chunk!

Tristan turned 5 weeks old yesterday and his 1 month appt. was this past Monday. His nickname has been "Peanut" because he weighed only 5 lb 5 oz and was such a shorty. But after his 1 month weigh in, he needs to be called "Butterball"! Our little guy is now 8 lb and 8 oz, wow! That's great news for me because everything I made before he was born should start to fit around now.

Today he is wearing the owl lap tee that I made with the matching Sprout Snap diaper. The diaper is still a bit big on the small setting, but at least we will be able to enjoy it for a long time!

I drafted a wrap top this week, raglan style and the good news is that it fit. The bad news, I think I made it too small and I don't like the wide sleeves, so I need to redraft it. It matches a DDU serged diaper that I made last week.

And finally I had to sew up another romper for him to match his personality. Yes, my little sleeping angel has at times become a little monster! Gone is the newborn sleepy phase! He is fighting to stay up longer during the day and then fighting not to sleep later on in the evening. Hopefully this too will pass!

Off to cut out some PUL diapers! We are outgrowing our Ladida NB's and I think I am going to do mostly darling diapers newborns for now(the bigger one).

I added a long sleeved version of my Newborn Romper to my etsy shop. Perfect for anyone's little monster from about 7 to 9 lbs.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/57002522/little-monster-baby-romper-boy-newborn

2010-09-14T13:11:00.000-07:00

Time Flys When You are Having Fun!

Tomorrow my baby boy will be 4 weeks old! I just can't believe how fast the world is spinning! He has been a little fussy this past week so not a lot of sewing has gotten done. Slowly working on some roman shades for my living room, did I say slowly, think turtle pace.

I did have some time to sew up another jumper. I lengthened it just a tad more this time and used some of my Aussie guitar knit. I just love this fabric!! Thank goodness I have more. Here is a yawn and a picture of Tristan trying to like his swing(he doesn't).

And just because I adore these fabrics, I picked some up and sewed a girly one. Mind you I have no one that to give it to, but it sure is cute! I think maybe this will go into my shop. Sadly it has a flaw in the owl fabric that I didn't notice until I was putting snaps on. So I guess I will have to make it a 2nd and discount it deeply. Hopefully someone having a small little girl will adore it as much as I do!

Off to sew a little while my baby boys catches up on his sleep!

2010-09-09T04:31:00.000-07:00

3 Weeks Old Already!

Just when you think you have a routine established the baby boy decides it doesn't work for him! I haven't gotten very much sewing done this week. Tristan has decided to stay up a little more during the day and take a little longer to nurse. I did manage to cut out a new pattern yesterday and sew it up during nap time.

This one is the wraparound romper from ottobre 3/07. I decided since the smallest size was 50 to trace without seam allowances on the sides and even took the sides in some too. I didn't like the thought of wasting all that great fabric underneath where it crosses over so I altered the pattern to just snap up where the two meet. I just layed my pattern pieces on top of each other and traced the curve adding an inch or so for me to turn under for a facing. Worked great! Thankfully too, because I used my prized Seuss knit that I had saved from a blanket that I bought a couple of years ago. I just adore this one! I already had a matching LDD diaper too!

And just for cuteness sake here are a few pictures of diapers that we have worn this week. Most can be found on my blog, but I think modeled pictures are so much better!! These are a mixture of Ladida NB and Darling Diaper NB. I think the bottom one with the minky is my favorite at the moment. I think I need more minky!

2010-09-03T16:38:00.000-07:00

Starting to Sew Again!

This Wednesday Tristan turned 2 weeks old and I am starting to feel like a real person again! We are slowly getting into some kind of routine with just the two of us here during the day while everyone else is at school and work. As soon as I put Tristan down for a nap I run into my studio to cut something out or sew something up! Oh, and throw a load of wash in too! I forgot how much more laundry a baby can make!!

This week I traced some otto preemie patterns and tried a few free tutes too! Issue 6/07 has some great preemie patterns, I tried out the wraparound jacket and the jumper. The wraparound is a great pattern. I made a 45 and Tristan is a little over 6 lbs now, fits him great! If anyone does this one, for this size I used ribbing that was 44" long for the top.

The jumper pattern was a different story. The first time around I did it as they wrote it and what a pain!! If anyone tells you that binding, corners and a preemie size is a great idea, they are fooling you!! Horrible to coverstitch, the curves are just too small and really curvy for a coverstitch machine.

So the next attempt, I decided to cut out a facing instead. Super easy just trace the top of the jumper. I did a simple zig zag stitch on mine for topstitching. This was a much better method than the binding, trust me!

I also tried out the free XXS Comet Tails diaper pattern. I really like this one. It is very SMALL though, so unless you have a peanut this probably isn't the dipe for you. I had to put the diaper on the 2nd setting for Tristan. I may just enlarge it a little for the next time.

http://makingitlittlebylittle.wordpress.com/2008/03/06/xxs-little-starter-free-download/

Oh and before I forget, I tried out the freebie breast pads too. LOVE these! I made 2 pair the other day, but I will definitely need a couple more. Great pattern and super easy to sew up!! The inside is a bamboo fleece and the outter shell is PUL. Very absorbant and the bamboo fleece is super comfy against the skin!

http://www.pamperedcheeks.com/nursing_pads_pattern.php

I made these little shoes to match the outfit above. I cut them out without the seam allowance AND took a bigger seam allowance, but they are still a little too big. Very cute though and they don't take but an hour or so to sew up from start to finish.

http://stardustshoes.blogspot.com/2006/10/cloth-shoe-pattern.html

I hope to have a few more things to share from this weekend! I hope everyone enjoys their Labor Day!! Happy Sewing!!

2010-08-26T07:24:00.000-07:00

My New Little Love!

August 18, 2010, Tristan David is born! It was a long day, starting out with my water breaking at 8 AM when I woke up and ending with an emergency csection around 9:30 PM. Everything that had went so well in my previous 3 births, went the opposite with this one!

I have now learned to expect the unexpected and that sometimes no matter how hard you tell yourself I can overcome this, well it's just not possible.

I told myself that a csection would never happen with me. I do really well during labor and cope with pain enough to get me through. My 1st labor was under 3 hours, my 2nd about the same and my 3rd was an induction, but lasted only 7 hours from start to finish. This one was over 12 and ended the way I never thought it would. Sometimes we can't control things and this was just one of those times. When baby boy's heartbeat fell to around 65 or so, I knew that my baby was the most important thing in this world at the time, and life would go on as long as he was healthy. So at 9:58 Tristan came into this world weighing a whopping 5 lbs. 5 oz. and around 18" long. Healthy and pink, but a little bruised from the trip. I told everyone that he reminded me of Rocky Balboa for the first 24 hours, a little beat up, but a winner!

Tristan had a slight bit of jaundice and spent 24 hours under the lights on his 2nd day, but we were able to come home on Saturday. I now have a new appreciation for any woman that has underwent a csection. I have always taken for granted how easy it was for me to bounce back from natural labor and how quickly my body healed. THIS is a whole different ball game! I am just glad that it happened to me during my last labor because I'm not sure I would have ever gotten pregnant again if it had been my 1st! But now after a week, slowly things are beginning to feel a little better.

I know you are expecting great pictures of Tristan in his mama made, well sorry. All of my babies have weighed over 8 lbs and had a little chunk to them when they were born. I expected nothing less from this little guy. In fact, the doctor had told me just 2 days before birth that I was having a larger baby. Guess Tristan fooled him! My mom came to the rescue and stopped to buy some preemie outfits on the way over to the hospital.

So we will have to grow in to all of our mama made. I do have 1 picture of him in a Jamie Jumper that while too big was cute just the same! I have pages marked in my ottobres as I type, preemie clothes are on the way! Just need to feel a little better first!

Tristan's bed set, well, I finished the bumpers the night before I went into labor. They are so cute! I dare not show them without the other pieces though, so as soon as I get the skirt and blanket finished I promise some pics! And sometime today I have to sew up some breast pads and some flannel wipes. Those are at the top of my list! Must haves!

Now I am off to steal some sweet kisses from my sleeping bundle of love. He is such a good baby and I'm not just saying that because he is mine. He really is! I have gotten lucky for the 4th time in a row and have decided not to push my luck anymore. I am officially happy with 4 of the best kids that a mama could wish for.

2010-08-06T03:59:00.000-07:00

1 Month Exactly!

I am still here! I can't believe it has been over 2 weeks since I posted. I have been nesting away, but not sewing as much as planned. I look around and see so many things that I would like to do before baby boy arrives. We have exactly 1 month as of today! That doesn't seem long, but yet, when he is trying to stretch out inside my tummy it seems like a lifetime of waiting!

Top on my priority list, make the crib bedding. I bought Monaluna's beautiful new Monaco collection to make the bedding, have it all washed up, sitting here, but I am afraid to cut into it! Silly I know! I keep tossing ideas around of how I would like it to look and they seem to change frequently! Must come up with a design soon and stick to it. Hubby has had the crib up for a week or two and it looks plain naked!!

Second on the priority list, more diapers, preferably smalls. I think maybe this baby boy will outgrow his newborn sizes lickety split, so I could really use more smalls. I have about 6 fabrics picked out that match onesies the kids and I printed last week. We finally tried our hand at freezer stencils and oh my I think we are addicted. They turned out so cute, but they really need to be hemmed into tees and they need diapers to go with them! Pictures to come very soon I promise!

Third on my list, I need to make up some trifold soakers, wash clothes and wipes. That just seems really boring, so that is perhaps why I haven't gotten around to it yet. However, diapers are no good without soakers, so I really need to push it up on the list!

Can't have a post without pics, so I will show a few of the upcycled tees I put on ebay last night. I usually throw them in my etsy shop, but I figured hey why not give ebay a little of my hard earned money. I haven't listed over there in so long, it took me forever to put up 9 auctions! Trying to trim down my tee shelf in the sewing studio, so I decided to make some money while I did it and turn them into unique tees! I am really quite addicted to sewing these and Noah my 7 yr old just loves to wear them too! I make the tees in boy sizes 2-8, they are all one of a kind and I'm told, fun to wear!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260646624622&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260646636251&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260646642009&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

2010-07-21T19:14:00.000-07:00

Giraffes! Oh so Comfy!

I have always drooled over anything that I have seen made with the giraffe knits. They came out after Noah, my 7 yr old had already decided that animals weren't cool to wear anymore. So I just lived vicariously through other mommas sewing it up for their little ones.

Well finally it is my turn! A sewingmama was destashing a month or so ago and she generously shared a .5 yd of each of these colorways with me. These were printed on french terry and they are oh so yummy to the touch!! I just knew I had to sew up a couple of diapers. But, they were too cute to be by themselves, so I added a matching ringer tee and wool interlock soaker too.

I love how they turned out, can't wait for a baby boy to put them on. The tee is the altered one I have done previously from ottobre, just cut the front down the middle to make it a little different, soakers are from the katrina soaker and the diapers are size small ladidas. I did the outer with the french terry giraffes, the hidden layer is bamboo fleece and then the inner is terry cloth. I don't have any idea if they will contain anything, but boy they sure are cozy feeling!

Hubby is off tomorrow and he is assembling the baby's crib! I am so excited, can't wait to see what it looks like all set up. I told him I thought that if I had a "naked" crib staring at me everyday it would motivate me to sew up a crib set that much faster! Hopefully it works!!

2010-07-19T17:06:00.000-07:00

Tie Dyed Chucks!

Another one from me today, can you believe it? I am on a roll! If only I could keep my ankles from swelling I would sew all night!

This is a special little tee. I used an applique from the blog I was telling about earlier. Super cute little shoe! The sneaker fabric was some that I had left over from an outfit that I made Noah when he was 2 or 3 years old. The rainbow knit is from a rainforest cafe tee that Skylar, my 14 yr old outgrew and I have been saving. Wish I would have thought to put something from my 16 yr old on it, maybe next time.

The tee is modified from ottobre and the diaper is a size small ladida. The outer fabric is recycled knit, the hidden is a layer of bamboo fleece and the inner is suedecloth. I just love the way it turned out! I can't wait to see my baby boy in it!

Now I am off to put my feet up! Have a great night!!

2010-07-19T11:01:00.000-07:00

Freddie the Frog Jumper

I had so much energy this morning that I went to work on a new jumper as soon as breakfast was over. I decided to try one of the appliques from the site that I mentioned last night. I am pleased to report that her designs are beautifully digitized and stitch out so pretty!

I embroidered it on a front for a jamie jumper and finished it up a few minutes ago. I love the colors and the frog, I think I will call him Freddie(the frog not the baby).

Off to make some lunch and then maybe another embroidery or two!

Happy Monday!

2010-07-18T19:39:00.000-07:00

A Little Hoot Tee!

Still here sewing away, just slowing down a little. I have so many things left to sew and have 7 weeks left as of tomorrow. So I guess I need to be speeding up and not the other way around!

I added a few gowns to my etsy shop in the last week or so and I am happy to say they flew right out the door! Makes me pure giddy to think they will be snuggling a new little babe very soon! I was able to take my paypal and buy a crib last week that arrived this weekend. Just a few more things to do to our room before we are ready to install it. I think hubby is off on Thursday so that is first on his honey-do list!

Meanwhile I have stalked the isles of the local JA's to find the perfect fabrics for a crib set. I didn't anything too babyish, but didn't want too luxurious either. I think I may have picked out a great in between! My plan is to start next weekend on the bumpers, quilt, skirt and fitted sheets. Hopefully I will like the end result!

I did find some time today in between cleaning and my afternoon nap to cut out a lap tee and download an embroidery for it, to match one of baby boy's diapers. I haven't used my embroidery machine in months, so it took a little while to change out everything and get going. I also saw a great embroidery/applique sight mentioned over at sewing mamas and I can't wait to sew up some of her designs. The blog is actually in Spanish, but can be translated near the bottom. I will add the link over on the left.

This little owl that I did today was a freebie, but I don't remember where. I have had it in my embroidery folder forever just waiting on something to put it on. I was a little upset at first because the design did not stitch out perfectly. To be honest, I am not sure if it was my skills or the digitizers, thankfully the ruggedness grew on me and by the time I was finished with the tee I was very pleased with this little owl.

More to come in the next few days! Enjoy your week everyone!!

2010-07-13T09:28:00.000-07:00

Thing 1 or is it Thing 2?

Noah asked me if I was appliquing thing 1 or thing 2? I'm not sure, but he turned out kind of cute anyway!

I made up this little gown yesterday and have added it to my etsy shop for sale. It is a one of a kind original and will not be duplicated. I have another one in mind for my baby boy, but I really need to sew some small size diapers first!

It's really hard for me to sew something up and not keep it. I play a constant tug of war in my head daily. Dr Seuss has always been my favorite author of children's stories, so this one wasn't easy to let go of.

However, I have realized that now I am down to less than 8 weeks, wow, time has flown! We did not think we would have anymore babies after Noah so we gave away all of his baby furniture and gear. Now I must start all over again and so far, I have purchased nothing! So there will be a steady flow of things going into the etsy shop to help with the funding of all the things that a baby might need. Thankfully since this baby boy is my 4th, I have now realized that a crib, a swing and a stroller w/carseat are the essentials for us. Yes, I said swing, all of my babies LOVED the swing when they were little.

I still need to make a baby sling too. My kids LOVED being slinged when they were infants. I hope this one will enjoy it just as much!

Well off to the studio to sew, sew, sew! If you want to take a peeksie here is the listing for the Thing Sack Gown/Hat Set.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/51415828/baby-boy-dr-seuss-sack-gownhat-newborn

2010-07-10T11:20:00.000-07:00

OOGa BooGa!

I just had to have this ooga booga colorway when I saw it. I love all of the colors and I know it will be just perfect for our little monster.

V-neck gown again, these really do sew up so easy. I think I am addicted to sewing them. I guess our baby boy will probably not need a closet full of gowns, but they sure are cute! I made another for my etsy store, but I haven't quite finished it up yet. It is just like this one, but the ooga monster is on the opposite side. Should be stocked by Monday at the latest.

Now I think I am off to sew diapers. I decided that I should change from newborn and sew up some small ladidas. I just received the perfect fabrics for some comfy dipes, yummy french terry giraffes, in two colorways! I was thinking I needed a gown, but maybe I will do some more tees instead. Or hey, a jamie jumper. The possibilities are endless!

Have a great weekend!

2010-07-05T18:26:00.000-07:00

What a Hoot! Sack Gown

Finally had a go at the v-neck version of my sack gown pattern today. I think it sews up easier than the round neck one! No messing with facings on this one, just binding around the entire front and sew it all up!

This owl fabric has to be one of my favorites at the moment. Just love the teal, orange and brown colors together. I think this could probably be considered gender neutral even. I satin stitched the owl to the front of the gown using my favorite Singer 503a machine. Old machines really do work best for me and "Lorraine" comes through everytime!

Added a knotty hat to top it off along with the matching La-di-da diaper(shown last post) and this baby boy will be ready for a good night's sleep. OR will he be a "night owl" like his sister and brothers before him?? Only time will tell, but at least he will look cute either way!

Have your own night owl that needs a gown and knotty hat set? It just so happens I sewed 2 up and will have one available in my hyenacart store this Wednesday for purchase at 2 PM EST.

2010-07-04T16:31:00.000-07:00

The Beginnings of my Fitted Stash!

Still sewing along here although my sewing time is growing shorter by the days and hours. I have just 2 months to go, but starting to get the awful ankle swelling. Really putting a damper on my sewing time!

I decided this past week, that I really need to get serious about sewing up some diapers! I have dreamed at least twice now, that baby comes and I have to use a girly fitted that I made to put on his bum!! That must mean I am not close to being ready.

So I have sewn a few Darling Diapers before, the first was a girly one, turned out okay, the next one was the froggy one, and then a space invader one. While they are all probably usable, they look really squishy to me. I tried another this week with minky on the outside, terry for the hidden and suedecloth for the inner. I call it my squishy mess! It is supposed to go with my ducky gown, but I thinked I goofed somewhere!

Then I tried the Sprout Snap diaper. This is a one size fits all diaper that is really cute! While I love how easy it was to sew up, I think even the smallest size may still be too big for a newborn babe. However, I really do like the style and I think I may do some of these for when little boy gets to be a few months old or so.

This one is a free pattern, here ya go!

http://www.doddlebee.com/patterns.htm

By this point, I am feeling a little frustrated. I just knew there was something out there that would be easier and more fun to sew. I had seen a lot of mamas at Diaper Divas sew up some great looking diapers and I kept seeing La-Di-Da mentioned over and over. Looked up the site and purchased the diaper. I am so glad that I did!!

You can find the pattern here, only $8, which I think was well worth it!

http://www.ladidadiapers.com/?page_id=2

For some reason this one is much easier to sew for me and always comes out looking right. Even my 1st attempt, another ducky diaper, did pretty well. I have sewn 7 of these so far, but I have lots of fabrics and ideas for more. I think I am on diaper overload though having sewn 8 in 2 days, so I am going to cut out some matching tees and gowns and have a diaper break for a few days.

2010-06-29T13:42:00.000-07:00

"Surf Baby" Sack Gown

Couldn't resist doing one more of these. I really do love baby gowns! Decided to take pictures as I went along, seriously thinking about turning the pattern into a PDF. I want to offer some options though, so I need to make another one tomorrow and see how it works out.

I think the options will include round neck or v-neck, facings(like shown) or binding, and then the sleeves can be binded, cuffed or hemmed(like shown).

Should have the pattern all worked out tonight, hopefully version B will work out well. I will let you all know soon!

I chose a Baby Lulu fabric "Surf Baby" for this gown, added a matching stripe and solid for the back. Couldn't have it boring, so I had to have some orange at the collar to "pop"! Added some cute little metal snaps, which thankfully I am getting better at. Took much less time than before. And of course, a knotty hat to top it off!

I wanted to see how other fabrics worked, last time I used interlocks for the duck gown. The lulu knit was a rib, though not super stretchy, the stripe was a jersey and stretchy! They did fine, but I did have to pay much more attention to not stretch the gown fabric while I serged and coverstitched.

2010-06-27T18:56:00.000-07:00

Sack Gown for Baby's Hospital Stay!

I have been looking all over for a great gown pattern and had finally settled on the ottobre version from 5/2006. My one problem was the gown snaps at the shoulders only and didn't look that easy to get on and off a newborn. Then I remembered a gown that my mom had bought the other day for the baby. It snapped up the middle and looked easy enough, comfy too. So I set about trying to eyeball it and draft a pattern without cutting the thing apart. I am hooked!! This was definitely the easiest gown that I have put together for a baby. I did mine a little different than the one that I was trying to mimic, but I LOVE it!

At first, I was going to just grab any old fabric and then I eyeballed the rubber duck fabric. Great for baby, a really soft interlock knit and I just happened to have a striped interlock that matched it well. And before I knew it I had added an applique of the duck with cotton terry because I thought it needed to be gussied up some. Satin stiched the duck applique on my trusty Singer 503(her name is Lorraine), coverstitched the facings down and the ribbing for the collar, and stitched it up! Easy peasy, lemon squeezy! Oh, and then I added some metal snaps with my trusty press(I think He needs a name too!). I sewed up a knotty hat to match and bam! Sack Gown for Baby while in the hospital. I am now debating whether I need a matching diaper.

Now I sit here trying to think of what fabric I can use for another one. I know that I need quite a few because gowns are one of my absolute favorite things on a newborn babe. Nothing like giving the baby a bath, putting on a fresh gown and snuggling!