Peek-A-Boo Patterns Classic Footie PJ {Sew-A-Long}

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Ok, I know that I have talked a lot about Peek-a-boo Pattern Shop recently. I really love her patterns.

Well, truth is I need some long sleeve stuff for baby girl, and some warm stuff... Well, fleece was on sale at JoAnn's and I bought like... 4 yards.. Little man picked them all out.

Well.. I needed a pair of warm footie pjs for Samara.

Nap Time Crafters was doing a sew-a-long of the Classic Footie PJ. Since I had been eyeing that pattern ever since I first saw it when it came it, it was time to get it and sew up a pair! And, it was so easy, and it looks awesome! I am so excited!

I was scared about the zipper. But overall I love how they turned out!

And the footies! So cute! Her feet don't go all the way to them yet; I made them the 6 months size to last all winter! {hopefully!}

And now for some picks of baby girl

These were so easy and fast! I am waiting for more time to make another pair! Goodness knows I have enough fleece! :)

Did I mention how much I love this pattern! I have wanted this for a while and now that I finally have it I am so excited!

It has been updated to cover a range of newborn to size 12, full and half zip options for the larger sizes, and elastic instructions for around the ankle. I love it! I am thinking maybe a pair of Christmas ones too?

So, visit Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop and check out her patterns! :) There are so many (with 52 added this year!)

Linking up at SewCanShe's Show off Saturday!

 

Happy Sewing,

3 month Update..

It's been crazy 'round up in these here parts! Baby girl can roll over from tummy to back and very much prefers to sleep on her tummy...

Nikolai loves singing his ABCs and story + activity time. Love it! I have my Nick Sharratt story activity on the camera, but just need to get it onto the computer...

That is, after the craziness of Halloween!  Can't wait to share our costumes!

I attempted to join in at the end of Kids Clothes Week and look forward to the next sewing event! Fun!!

We've also been to the zoo...

And celebrated a birthday....

So when I am not rushing to finish the costumes I will post more! :)

Just Wanted to Share... Household Budgeting System from A Bowl Full of Lemons

I had been searching for a different way to budget for a while. If you follow me on Pinterest, you have probably seen some of the stuff I have pinned about budgeting.

I have wanted to make this wallet for the last 8 months. But I don't have the zippers nor have I taken the time to sit down and make it... But then, what good is it going to do for me without actually doing that type of budgeting? I used to do that way back before I met Brandon, but then stopped (why I have no idea). I needed to improved the system I had been using, but wasn't sure how.

Me, being the type of person I am, have to share this with you!

My Craft Space

I am excited to show you my craft room, though right now it isn't nearly anywhere I want it to be. But hey, it's a craft room and it's usable! :)  And, it is a lot better than what it used to look like. Isn't it just the way that things seem to go, the craft room or spare room seems to turn into a catch all for stuff around the house when trying to clean... Maybe if we had spots for everything it would be easier, or not as much stuff.... ;)

So when you first walk into the craft room, to the left is the desk where my sewing machine is located. I love the size (though a little big for the room). We acquired it in the move into this house 5 months ago. Brandon wants to cut a portion off the table to set the sewing machine down into it, but I don't think that is going to happen and now I am not sure if I want it to. The red chair was an acquisition with the house too.

The drawers are filled with scissors, sewing notions, thread, bobbins, old eye glasses and other crafting supplies, even baby food jars!

On the other side of the desk is an old couch that folds out into a bed but I am not totally taking a picture of that as it is in need of reupholstering, not to mention is has a box of carousels in need of a home and my yarn supplies for crochet work.

One more look at my Huge desk... It's awesome...

I have my ironing board set up in front of the window. That window gets so hot during the day. I think this room is one of the hottest in the house! I would show the view, but it is of the broken trampoline and the chicken coop. Granted the mountains are awesome, but not the other things...

My one bookcase is crammed with fabric in photo boxes, books, papers, albums, crayons and markers... I think I need more bookcases, but there is no room for them. The small plastic containers holds my scraps and WOF cuts organized by size. I very much prefer having these sorted by size than by color. If I need something 1.5" then I go into that container. It's so easy! The photo boxes are organized by color. :)

Then it is my craft table. Brandon made it when we lived in the old house. It's great for scrapbooking when I am putting my layouts together. I like to spread out. Course now it spans almost the full length of the room! The unpainted top was supposed to be a second table, but I am not sure the plans with it now...

I like my little cork display above the table... and my music notes...

This just makes me happy...

My grandpa made this, and my grandma painted it. It will always be special, and hopefully the current children can keep all the pieces together!

My project wall. A simple fleece blanket pinned to the wall. It works for what it has been used for. Right now it is sporting the blocks I got from the baby shower. I am still waiting on a bunch and trying to figure out the layout which has changed many times and probably will again before it is actually pieced together...

Last but not least, my music notes above the door... :)

I am linking up at Ellison Lane: Studio Spotlight Linky Party! :) Check out the craft/sewing spaces of others for some inspiration, admiration, or just to snoop... ;)

Quilt As You Go: Dresden Fan Coaster

I am revisiting the Dresden Fan Coaster from last year. I felt that it wasn't necessarily the best directions if someone wanted to duplicate it. I also love making picture collages, so this gave me the opportunity to do that! 

Potty Time!

It feels like it has been forever since we started trying to get Nikolai to use the potty. We tried naked, only to have him demand a diaper. We tried underwear, only to have him demand a diaper and accidents galore. (don't mind the yellow on the walls in the bathroom, we haven't decided what color to paint yet)

 

Then I started to tell him, as soon as the diapers are gone, you have to start using the potty. So then, after every diaper change we counted the number of diapers left and talked about when you wear underwear you have to tell mommy and daddy when you have to go potty...

Receiving Blanket: Mitered Corners Tutorial

 

For Nikolai's baby shower, one of the best gifts I got was the receiving blankets from my friend Tiffany. They were the homemade kind from the snuggle flannel, and not to mention HUGE. Perfect for snuggling, perfect for swaddling, and we still use them! Since these last few weeks have been jam packed with baby showers, and I am back into my sewing (and enjoying it), I decided to make some.

 

But how to do the hem? I loved the look of the mitered corners that I did for the Robot Baby Quilt I thought how great that would be to do that for the hem on the receiving blankets? I am pretty proud of myself because I pretty much did not use any website to help me out with this, mostly because I couldn't find anything! Since I am super proud at how they turned out I figured I would share how I did the corners! :)

 

The size of fabric I used was enough to make a square. I got 1.25  yards and trimmed off the extra. I can use that later (wof=42" that gave me an extra 3"), hurrah for scraps! :)

 

How I Did My Mitered Corners

 

1.  I pressed the first quarter inch in around the whole blanket, then the amount that I wanted the hem to be. I was thinking about an inch, but for receiving blankets I think more blanket is better and did about 3/4 of an inch.

 

 

2. I think that makes this part so much easier! You can see the creases from pressing the hem in! I used that to my advantage (mostly because I was not sure about where to measure!

 

 Open up your hem and fold diagonally. I used my grid to help me make sure it is straight. Line up the 45 degree line on the crease, that was my guide of where to draw my line and sew.

Draw the line on the fabric using your marking pen, chalk, pencil (whatever you use). Remember not to sew over that 1/4 inch. If you do, that makes folding that part in a little difficult! ;)

 

3. Sew along your drawn line! I locked in the stitch near the quarter inch. I know that will be gone over with the hem stitch, but I think babies give a lot of wear and tear on these things (Nikolai is still using his 2 and a half years later!)

 

 

4. Cut off the excess! I cut off about 1/8 from the seam. It makes it less bulky.

 

I also trimmed a small corner where the point will be. Be careful not to cut the seam!

 

5. fold your pieces back in, press and pin. Then sew around your hem!

 

 

I have no pictures of the sewing part; the batteries to my camera died.

 

Sew as close to the inner edge as you can. I don't have a hem foot to help me with that so I just use the standard foot. But, you have to make sure that you are also sewing over your 1/4 inch. That is to keep the fraying down and the blanket from falling apart. :)

 

So easy! I had no idea it was so easy! I whipped up a couple so fast once I figured out how to do it! Yay me! I'm just excited! (can't you tell?)  ;) I am so proud of those corners!!

 

 

I hope the recipient likes them as much as Nikolai does! Perfect for swaddling! And I like the way they look tied up with selvage... Cute!

 

 

I can't wait to make some for baby girl! :)

Crochet: Animal Bath Mitts

Isn't pinterest great? I found this cute project and thought that I just had to do it for my friend's baby shower! I made one for my son first to see if it was even worth it and he loves it! I may need to make the other animals for him!

We are Homeowners!

I am so excited! We have the keys, the carpets have been cleaned. We have started moving stuff into the house; the dining table, three bookcases, and a ton of boxes have all been moved into the house. The main room in the house where we have spent the last 4 years is looking pretty bare without the boxes taking up a ton of space and no dining table.

Extra Preggo Info...

I forgot to share this information on my post on Friday! How could I forget?

 

When I went into the doctor and was weighed, I am no longer loosing weight but have gained! Yay! I would like to thank the dissipating morning sickness and the ability to keep food down!

 

They (meaning the doctor and the UofA student) took the fundal height of measurement. One got 13 the other got 15. I am taking the middle and saying that I am right were I am supposed to be. :)

 

I do not know the heart rate. I do know that it is sounding healthy, it is strong and consistent. To me, that is more important than knowing the rate.

Good News; Conundrum

Yesterday I had my 14 week prenatal check-up. I was talking with the lady at the front desk thinking how quickly this pregnancy has flown by. February 20th we can find out the gender of the baby! :) I am so excited! With Nikolai I was in the doctors office almost every week for the first few months, and with this one I have only been in 3 times! It is amazing the difference! But it is a relief at the same time, everything is healthy and looking good! And, in case you missed the last post, you can check out my preggo belly here.

Energy is Back?

I am so excited! It started yesterday. I do not feel nearly as tired as I have been! A sign that I am getting over this silly cold? Or is it because I have exited the first trimester? (Missed the news, check out our announcement pics here) Maybe both? But I have been really stressed because of moving (our closing date was moved back to the end of the month) and the mess that this house became after me being sick for the last 3 weeks and the holidays. A lot of sites have been calling this month Organizing Month, so I am going with that thought for today.

Printable Alphabet Cards

If you don't recall, I had a post a while ago about Alphabet Flash Cards I made for Nikolai. And he really loves them!

 

Well, a family member requested that I scan in the cards so she could have them too. Maybe I should have offered to make them for her? But instead I canned them into the computer. I did not have an X at that point in time and thought this might give me an opportunity to create and X card. Though it is not a cricut card, it is still an X card...

UFO Sunday

I have been taking a break from almost anything crafty. I finished Nikolai's quilt. That was a huge accomplishment for me. I started the Christmas pants, but I ran out of elastic because of the Halloween costumes. Guess I will have to go get more or remove the elastic from my Halloween pants to cut and use for Nikolai's Christmas pants.

Sleeping Bag Liner

One other thing I wanted to have done before the camping trip was a sleeping bag liner. My sad little sleeping bag is only rated to 40 °F. It was a quick cheap replacement for a sleeping bag that got lost in a move around 3.5 years ago. Of course that sleeping bag had been around since the early 90's and it was time for retirement anyway.

Friday Happiness II

Happy Friday!  I am so glad it is Friday, and that Friday is my day off! Hurrah for being only part-time! Sometimes I wonder if I could survive a full day of teaching, and a full week! It just works out so perfectly because I can go teach, and then I can come home and play with my little boy (who currently wants to play by himself right now). So, extra bonus? I get some temporary 'me' time! :)

I have really been looking forward to these Fridays!

Nikolai's Quilt

Nope. It is not yet finished. Still rolled up and waiting to be quilted...

Here it is from January before I officially moved it off of the project wall, layered it with batting and the backing, only to have rolled it up and let it sit in the craft room for the last 8 months...

Finished Octagonal Placemats

Oh my gosh! This has been a project for a long time! I shared the picture of my first time free motion quilting with my darning foot in this post My Second Quilt Plan back in March. So this has been at least since then! And looking at my pictures, it was put together in February! I had posted them on Craftsy.com then Craftsy - Octagon Placemats. I guess considering it has taken me over 6 (7?) years to finish a blanket I have been trying to crochet, 6 months isn't that long to finish a project!

Alphabet Flash Cards

I have so much that I need to share, and it is probably going to take me more than all weekend to get it all out. Not too much special stuff going on right at this moment, but everything that has to do with little man is always special! :)