Sewing For Baby

     I've been busy sewing for baby these last few months. She should be here so soon now and I've started several small projects, thinking each time that I probably won't get it finished in time, but each has taken less than a day and I've been able to not only finish, but to go searching for something else to do. This evening I gave into temptation and finally made a elf hat so that I can try and take my own newborn pictures.

      The tutorial is from Oodles 4 Noodles which I found via Pinterest. Thanks to Pinterest, I now spend way too much time search for new crafting ideas than actually crafting. (I just realized that the first project listed on my Sewing for Baby post, is not in fact a sewing project, I hope the plethora of other projects will make up for it)

     One of my favorite projects so far are the Big Butt Baby Pants. Made by Rae has given me so many ideas! I spent a lot of my birthday money on her patterns (the rest went to Oliver and S.) But she also has some great free patterns (all of which I have downloaded and am in the process of trying out.)

     I have made six or seven of these pants in all of the smaller sizes so that Baby S will have lots of pants to fit over the giant bubble-butt caused by cloth diapers. These two are my favorites. (Other than the cherry print and red linen ones, but I didn't think before doing laundry and forgot to add a color catcher (so helpful when working with new fabric) and the red linen bled all over my white cherry print so that pair is in the re-do box for now.)

     Time to bring out my lovely assistant, the charming pink elephant that my sister-in-law gave Baby S at my shower! She is nameless at the moment, but very eager to help model. This is the Baby Jane Sunbonnet from My Sparkle. I'm really nervous about the sometimes rather harsh sun here in Florida, so I have made two of these and will probably make more. I mean, what cuter way to use two fat quarters while also protecting baby's skin?

    
This afternoon I finally sat down with my copy of Little Things to Sew by Oliver and S. I was worried that everything would be too big or mature for another few years, but I very quickly found a project. Another hat! The husbandman is very proud of me for making something not pink. (It's a big deal, almost everything for this baby is pink. The nursery looks like the weird Pepto Bismol's shabby chic cousin.) I couldn't believe how quickly this one came together. I think I finished it before the husbandman knew I had started it.

      The one project I'm really not quite so sure about is the Swaddle Blanket from Prudent Baby. It is not the project fault, it turned out wonderfully, I just think I made mine too big. My elephant assistant is wrapped in almost a yard of fabric.

     I made one out of a pretty heavy duty flannel (also, not pink, so it can be used again, or heaven forbid, if the ultrasound tech was wrong.) The second is from a very light-weight cotton gingham. We will see which one works better. Maybe one for nights and one for days? I'm still a little clueless about swaddling, as my experience is strictly limited to baby dolls and pink elephants, and my last how-to lesson was from my mom when I was in kindergarten. What do you think? Flannel? Cotton? Plain old square of fabric?

And of course, I made another of Dana's (who just had her own beautiful baby girl!) faux chenille baby blanket. I bought a chenille cutter for this time around, and it made a world of difference. I was able to cut it all in about three hours, which is a huge improvement on the two days my last one took (Alright, I begged, and begged, and the husbandman was kind enough to cut it for me after laughing at my sad lack of strength. (He may have also taken it to keep me from stabbing myself again, which I did manage to do twice.) I found out later that you're supposed to cut out one layer at a time, and not five, which explains a whole lot.)

I love how the rows look up-close!

      I also have several sheets, receiving blankets, burp cloths, and a moby-style wrap sewn, but they just aren't very exciting to photograph, and honestly, they all look the same. I will try and post a nursery post tomorrow though, so I can show off all the work I've done there! Now I just need to figure out some new way to keep busy while I wait for baby to decide to come.