Updates

Cheer with me now--I have a new computer!  No more random restarts in the middle of something.  No more computer crashes!  And it's faster and more efficient than my old one.

And more news...  Aunt Laura spent the rest of her cash on a serger.  Yes, I have joined the 21st century.  I now own a Husqvarna Viking H-200S serger.  And since I have my computer back and the software loaded, I can now post pictures again!

projects and other fiddles

Well, the receiving blankets, tractor overalls, and art smock were all hits.  But in other news, my computer died, so it'll be a while before my new one is up, running, and has the software to upload pictures off my digital camera.  Apparently, I did just the right amount of blankets, too, and Nikki spends every night wrapped snugly in her new flannel blankies.  Ricky had to wear his new overalls right away, and then wanted to wear his smock.  'Course, ;) it might have something to do with all the candy I stuffed in the pockets!

New project--receiving blankets!

Okay, we have a problem.  Apparently, commercial receiving blankets are too small to wrap an eight-pound baby in.  My brother and SIL failed with Gracie and are having no joy with Nikki.  Only by now, both know to ask me!  The thing is, Nikki is a spring and summer baby.  So was Gracie.  Which means that minky and fleece are too heavy for use until it gets cold sometime in October or November.  (We have Indian Summer most years here in Georgia.  And most flannel is out, too, because it's single-sided.  While I can double up, it takes more fabric than necessary and can bunch funny after washing.  Regular cottons are out, too.  They aren't soft enough or warm enough.  Knit, well, some of the same problems apply.  So for a receiving blanket, I needed a fabric that was soft and warm, but not too warm.  My mother suggested what she calls "diaper flannel" but all that got me was PUL.  You know, the plastic backed flannel that they're using for cloth diapers and reusable menstrual pads these days.




I thought about it, and came up with double napped flannel.  It's been brushed on both sides, so both are soft, it was fairly easy to find, and it was under $5 a yard.  So, next, I turn it into blankets.  I bought 2 yards each of 4 colors from Fabric.com.  Maybe it was a little overkill, but given the choice between $7 shipping, and $7 fabric, I take the fabric every time!  Now one large receiving blanket takes one yard.  (We measured the hospital's blankets.)  So the first thing I did was cut the yardage in half.  Then I cut off the selvage edges and rounded off the corners for ease.  Tomorrow, I'm calling a friend of mine who has a serger.  Then I'll serge the edges and voila!  Quick and easy blankets.

Honestly, you could overcast the edges.  But my sewing machine said "you want me to do WHAT?" when I tried, so since I'm not patient at the moment, I'll just call Rae and borrow her serger for an hour.  I figure that $40 for eight large baby blankets isn't half bad!  By this time tomorrow, Nikki will be the owner of two yellow blankets, two pink blankets, two purple blankets, and two turquoise blankets.  All warm, all soft, and all easy to make.

YAY!

I have a new niece!  Nikki is 8+ pounds and is now about half an hour old!

May project planning

I'm getting a new niece!  My SIL is due any day now (she wishes that it were yesterday) and it's another little girl.  So, my first planned project is a layette for Penny, Simplicity 2900---

It'll be my first time to make this one, and I'm omitting the bonnet and the stupid angel embroidery.  I've also redrawn the dress pattern so that it'll have two dresses--a long one and a short one--and I'm making facings for the slips because, frankly, I hate bias binding neck and arm holes.  Don't get me wrong, I love the bonnet.  I think it's adorable.  But my SIL doesn't want it, so I'm making the rest.  One dress and saque will be purple and the other pink.

My other project for her is a Hip Mama Diaper Bag.  Joanna, my SIL, needs a new one.  And of course, there's quilts.

Male Pattern Boldness

I'm also participating in the MPB jeans sew along! I'm making some jeans for Evie.  She's too tall for RTW 2T and too slender for 3T, so since she's still measuring a sewing pattern 2, I'm going to try making Jalie 968 for her and lengthen where necessary.  I'm sewing cookie ribbon around the bottom and a Cookie Monster patch on one leg.  And the pocket lining will be Cookie Monster fabric.

If I enter, probably my most urgent project is for the Apron Contest over on Pattern Review.  If I do it, it'll be Simplicity 2699--

I like View C the best.  And Evie could use an apron for when she's "helping".  (Which, as we all know, toddlers love 'helping' but don't, really!)

I've already signed up for the vintage contest because I sew vintage for the girls as a matter of course because there's more variety in little girls' clothes if you look at out-of-print, older patterns.  Really, I have a list of dresses for Gracie this summer, including at least five vintage offerings, plus two modern sundresses.  We've decided that since she's all girly-girl, and loves dresses anyway, that they're just as easy as jeans for her.  More on those later, though.


So what do y'all have planned for this month?