Spring Bunting

It is 12:30pm and I just finished a cute and quick 30 minute project. This week's Made by Me Monday was actually made on Monday…fun.  I figured since William is at Mother's Day Out I would take full advantage of my time alone and do a craft instead of clean. Much better option, right? In an effort to add some spring to our house, I went into my fabric box and cut some triangle pennants.

I did not measure them, just eyeball-ed it. I recently made precisely measured pennants for William's upcoming birthday party so I knew I wanted these to be smaller. Thats the best "measurement" I can give you :) I also cut two long thin pieces of scrap fabric to act as bias tape. Then I sewed it all together.

Wa-la! Simple, but sweet springtime bunting for our entryway (or dining room or wherever I decide to keep it). This may also be the only way I am permitted to decorate with pink!

Please ignore the random stuff on the table. Working on William's 12m frame and transitioning from Winter decor to Easter/spring/birthday!

Canvas Prints

Ever since we moved into our house I have been looking for art to hang above our bed in the master bedroom. I had a framed quote above the bed, but we took it down when we realized we had a frame hanging in the room with the same quote: "Love forgives all things, endures all things...." A while back I was shopping for fabric for living room pillows and I absolutely fell in love with one print. It is white, black, gray, gold and purple. I wasn't sure about how my husband would react since we have sort of an agreement about floral things, but the boldness of this pattern means it doesn't scream female.

So, I went about making my own frames to stretch the fabric around and create canvas panels. The pictures are pretty self explanatory so I won't editorialize much.

Supplies:
wood (I used 3 pieces of 1x2x6 for two 19x19 frames)
saw
wood screws
screwdriver/drill
measuring tape
fabric
staple gun

Make sure all pieces are the same length or you won't have an even square

This is when I used a drill to make the holes for the wood screws

Cut enough fabric so it will wrap around the wood and can be stapled in the back

I wrapped the edges like a present so it looks clean

Projects in the Pipeline

Right now I have several projects in the pipeline, but none completed to share :(. Surprisingly, or not so surprising if you know me, they all involve fabric. Here is what I am working on so you can hold me to it:

1. Three new pillows with contrasting corded trim for our living room (Goal: on the couch Labor Day)
2. Burp cloths for WM. All the fabric is purchased, washed & ironed (Goal: before 7/26)
3. Bibs for WM. New idea since I saw it on Creative Mommas and decided WM needs larger bibs, but the next size up in store are huge (Goal: When I finish the other projects :) )
4. Burp cloths as gifts. Two friends recently had girls and I want to make them some gifts! (Goal: Mid-August)
5. Wedding gift for a July 30 wedding (Goal: MUST be done by 7/24 eekk!)

How I Stay Organized

Kelly over at Kelly's Korner asked how we stay organized. Since this post doesn't involve photos, I can write about it now!

My level of organization has changed dramatically in the past three weeks since I became a mom.

In the Past:
Schedule: When it was just my husband and I, all of our dates/commitments, etc were kept in my daily agenda planner which came with me to and from work everyday. I kept track of both of our travel schedules for work, potential visitors were penciled in, etc.
Food: When it comes to groceries, I kept a running list in a notebook and revisited it every week before I went to the grocery store with my coupons.
Coupons: For about three years I have kept my coupons organized in a small accordian "folder" by category: grocery, cold, frozen, personal care and household. Every Saturday the coupons get cut, organized and expired ones get thrown away.
Laundry: We have two laundry baskets in our bathroom, one for whites and the other for colors. This helps me see if I only need to do one load of laundry or run both. It also prevents me from having to sort the laundry.
Crafts: I am very lucky and actually have a craft room! I know I should share a picture of this, but right now I have all of my spring/summer clothes out in the room since I am trying to transition my closet and also pack up the maternity clothes (woohoo!). I have a large armoire in the room and the right side has shelves and it is all scrapbook stuff. Scrapbooks I have made, photos, paper, stickers, scissors, etc. The left side of the armoire has a shelf and also a hanging bar. On the bar I hang already washed and pressed fabric on hangers so I can see what I have and then I have other fabric folded in an old open suitcase along with all of my sewing notions. My sewing machine is on the shelf beneath the fabric.

Presently:
Schedule: I still use my daily planner, but it now stays open to the current week on our dining room table. It doesn't have meetings listed, but doctor's appointments and commitments to visit with family and friends.
Food: I bought a small notebook that has a shopping cart on it (genius!) and I keep my grocery list in there. I have a "Standard List" which is items I buy each week and then I add things that I need. This was real helpful when people helped me with grocery shopping when baby arrived (thank you Mom and Meghan!).
Coupons: I still cut coupons, but it isn't always done on Saturdays when the newspaper gets delivered. It is okay if it takes a few days, but my system is even more helpful now.
Laundry: Our laundry is still separated, but our son's is all in one hamper since everything is so small. I do separate it warm and cold based on what the tag says, and then I just wash the bigger pile first. My goal with his laundry is to get it washed, dried and layed out flat so it doesn't wrinkle. I have been able to put it away quickly, but even if I don't, at least it all looks good sitting on top of the washing machine.
Crafts: Same since I haven't had time to do anything sine baby arrived :)
Baby Feeding: I keep a notebook on the ottoman in the nursery to keep track of the time of feedings, diapers, and amount of feeding so I don't have to think about it. Since we are supplementing with formula, I prep a few bottles in advance by making sure they are clean and assembled and filled with purified water. That way all I need to do is mix in the formula. Since the water is room temperature, I don't need to warm the bottle (according to my pediatrician) so although I have to mix the formula with each feeding, I don't have to heat it up with hot water in the middle of the night. It has worked for us so far.

That is a little glimpse for now....

Table Runners for Spring

I have managed to be crafty while waiting for baby and last weekend I made two table runners: one that was a bridal shower gift and one for myself. The bride-to-be and her husband-to-be are cousins and recently purchased a large "old" home so I figured they would need some accessories besides all of the wonderful kitchen and bathroom goodies you get at a bridal shower.

I headed to Jo-Ann's and selected a main fabric (the beige with the birds) and two complimenting fabrics (the green geometric and blue geometric). I decided to make theirs 96 inches long which would leave excess if used on a 6 foot table or fit end to end on an 8 foot table. For the width, I decided to go with the width of a placemat since that looked good when I laid it out before pinning. I also decided to make both sides different so they essentially have two runners in one. The first side has the beige bird fabric in the center and one end has the blue geometric while the other has the green, and the back side is all beige bird.

For once I took the time to trace with a disappearing ink pen, the size of my blocks so I could make sure I wouldn't have to go back to the fabric store or have unsightly seams running down the center.

Sewing a table runner is very much like sewing a baby blanket except in my case, I was working with extra seams since I used a few pieces of fabric. I added an extra inch onto each measurement since I pressed a 1/2 inch seam on all edges to sew the blocks together.

Then, I laid out the fabric end to end so I could measure again and make sure I was happy with the placement. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the finished product.

The runner I made for our dining room (which acts as an everyday table) was sewn to 120 inches since we have an 8 foot barn-wood table and I wanted room for the runner to hang off the ends. I used the same blue and green geometric fabric because the "main" fabric I selected for my own runner was a green paisley and also a blue/beige floral. I wanted something that would look good in the Spring and also through the Summer since I'm not quite sure how much time I will have to make another one when baby R. arrives.

For the top side of mine I knew I wanted a specific pattern and specific size blocks which I measured out. The back side ended up being a free for all based on the amount of fabric I had left, but the blocks are larger and still the same fabric.

In our dining room I set out my go-to set of glass pillars with a bowl for candles at the top and two additional pillar candles. These are the same glass pillars I used for Valentine's Day and although I intended to fill them with pastel Easter candy, I decided against it since I am trying not too indulge in too many sweets.

Take a Look Tuesday, Get Your Craft On, Tip Me Tuesday

Blue Cricket Design, The Penny Pinching Party, Sew Much Ado, Savvy Southern Style, Handmade Hog, Whassup Wednesday

House of Hepworth's, Somewhat Simple
Feature Yourself Friday, Newbie blog Party

Fashionable Burps

Baby spit-up can be gross. Baby spit-up can be messy. But who's to say that parents can't make it a little less distracting with an embellished burp cloth?

Although our baby isn't here yet, I am already a fan of the Gerber 6-ply cloth diapers as burp cloths. Readers of this blog also know I love to sew as one of my hobbies so I found some real cute unisex fabric and started my project.

For the burp cloths shown in this tutorial, I actually used outdoor fabric which has a great canvas-like texture, beautiful patterns, and wonderful colors. I also found it to be more obviously unisex since it isn't meant to be gender-specific like nursery and children's fabric. Jo-Ann's Fabrics had this fabric on sale 50% off so it was very reasonable and I only bought 1/4 yard of each (enough for two burp cloths or extra for another project).

Like all sewing projects, I pre-washed the burp cloths and fabric. When I was at Jo-Ann's, I made sure to buy fabric that could be machine washable and safe to iron so everything was ironed after it came out of the dryer.

I looked at a few different options and decided that I liked the way a piece of fabric 6.5 inch wide looked best. I cut all my fabric to a size of 7.5 x19 inches to allow for a 1/2" hem on all sides. I pinned a hem and pressed the fabric to make machine stitching easier.

Once pressed, I pinned the fabric to the burp cloth and used a zigzag stitch on all four sides.  I LOVE making these and wouldn't be surprised if my baby has a large stash of them. Also, don't be surprised if we are friends in real life and you get some as a gift for your new baby. I am looking into selling them at a few community events in my town. What do you think?

Weekend Wrap Up Party, Craft Envy
I heart Naptime Sundae Scoop, Sunday Showcase, It's So Very Cheri
DIY Showoff, Just Something I Whipped Up, Making the World Cuter, Motivate Me Monday

Take a Look Tuesday, Get Your Craft On, Tip Me Tuesday

The Penny Pinching Party, Sew Much Ado

Confession

My creative juices have stopped flowing. Okay, that's not totally true, but the projects I have in my mind are taking much longer to come to fruition. Today while my husband and I were out looking at "antiques"/rummage sale I actually turned down two reasonably easy project pieces because I remembered the projects in line upstairs in my craft room.

It isn't for lack of materials. No, I have already spent the money on the fabric, backing, paint, etc. It is just an issue of motivation which is unfortunate because I am not sure how much of it I will have once we bring a newborn home from the hospital.

I even have photos of a completed project and photos of another one in the works, but alas I haven't blogged about them which is shameful. I should be taking this time to create a backlog of posts for when baby arrives, but that hasn't happened either.

So my apologies go out to you, my followers, for the disappointment. I hope you continue to "follow" me because I will not let you down, but I just need a little extra time and some motivation.

Making the Most of a Rookie Mistake

(Before you read this, please remember I am still on the "mom-to-be" side of the fence and learning the ropes).

Several weeks ago I went into an unfamiliar Babies R Us and pretty much tried speaking to the salesperson in their native language, which isn't my own, to find plain cloth diapers so I could make some cute burp cloths. I had registered for some and had seen them before, but lo and behold, I got home and had bought the single layer ones which could be used to strain yogurt as far as I'm concerned! Frustrated, and definitely not in the mood to go back I washed all of the diapers anyway and then decided how to make the most out of my mistake.

I pressed all of the single-ply diapers after they were dry and hung them in my sewing closet so I wouldn't have to unroll the edges again. I was invited to a baby shower and decided that I could in fact still make basic cute burp cloths, it would just take a few extra steps.

So, using two diapers, I lined up the edges as best as I could and then folded them under to pin.

I used a tight straight stitch close to the edge of the fabric to make it as clean as possible.

I pulled out the Winnie the Pooh fabric I had purchased, in keeping with the theme of their nursery, and decided how wide I wanted to fabric to be. I didn't want it to cover the cloth completely, but did want more than a small area in the middle covered. Then I measured and cut the fabric.

I pressed the edges of the fabric to help with my effort for clean lines and then pinned the cotton fabric onto the already sewn together cloths.

Using contrasting red thread and a zigzag stitch, I sewed the Winnie the Pooh sections onto each "double-layer diaper."

Hopefully the mom-to-be likes them since they are part of her shower gift.  I realize I would have saved alot of time just buying a new pack of the 6-ply cloth diapers like I originally intended, but what can I say, pregnancy has made me do some silly things :). Once I start making some for our little one, I WILL be able to skip the first few steps and get right to the fun part: selecting the cotton fabric!

The Thrifty Home

Spice it Up with Sewing

Before we purchased the home we live in, my husband bought us a pair of white wooden rocking chairs for the porch he always wanted to have. The chairs sat in my in-laws basement, in the box, until Christmas 2008 when we decided to assemble the chairs and sit in the living room in front of the fireplace. I wish I had pictures of that! The chairs went back to the basement, now assembled, for another 11 months until we moved into our house. We took our Christmas card picture sitting in the chairs.

I am petite, at 5'5 the deep chairs were sometimes uncomfortable for me to sit in. In order to solve my dilemma, I made my own pillows this weekend! At the craft store the pillow forms were 50% off and I found a beautiful home fabric that is red, orange, yellow, blue and lime green - perfect for our chairs. I decided 14x14 would be a good size (although I could have gone up to 16x16).

 

*Unfortunately the colors look dull in my photos compared to in person*

I chose to make simple pillow covers because this was the first time I made something other than a blanket or baby burp cloth. I planned to allow for 1/2 hem on each side of the pillow, but made a 15" square for the front and two rectangles for the back. The two rectangles were 15" on the long edge and then 9.5" (1/2 of square length + 2.5") on the short edge. this meant that the rectangles on the back overlapped.

 

I finished the straight edges of the rectangles by folding under the raw edge and folding again using a basic straight stitch. One that was done, I pinned everything together and simply sewed around the whole square. Then I turned it right side out.

The finished product adds a cheerful spot to our front porch and I couldn't be happier with them!