Getting Creative

I can't believe here we are at the end of August already.  Where has the time gone?  Soon fall will be upon us here on the prairies.  I'm ok with that though.  I love everything about fall.  The leaves crunching under my feet as I walk. The cool, crisp air.  Cozy sweaters.  No bugs.  (not that we've had many this summer so I can't complain, but usually they're an annoyance!).  There's something too about seeing the farmer's fields with the combines working into the wee hours and their bales of hay all neatly placed in a row.  Yes.  I will not be disappointed when fall is here!

In between playing outside with the little guys and doing the usual household routine, I've had some time to get some sewing and knitting done!  

The round up of finished projects is as follows:

Baby Shell by Full of Fluff and denim skirt (my own design)

Hoodie and pants set (Fishsticks Designs: Charlie Hoodie and pants from the Lazy Days Lounge set)

Baby Boy Tethered In!!

Two harnesses for use with regular chairs or grocery carts that don't have safety straps! (modification of Piccoli Piselli's Handy Harness pattern)

I also knit a barbie outfit, made a barbie sleeping bag and pillow and tent for my niece's third birthday. (Outfit from a Swedish site, Sticka till Barbie, sleeping bag/pillow my own design and tent from Sew Mama Sew)  Sadly I forgot to take a picture of the clothes - but go take a look at the website.  It's got a huge selection of patterns! 

I also had to give a housewarming gift this month.  I hummed and hawed as to what to bring.  Wine?  The couple doesn't really drink wine too often.  Flowers?  I figured others would bring flowers.  What else to get as a little something? They've got everything they need for their home, it's their third one together after all.  Then a wee bit of inspiration hit a little late on a Saturday night.  I could make something for them.  But not just any something.  I wanted to do something a little bit out of the ordinary.  

One of my favourite Christmas movies is "It's a Wonderful Life", (can you believe I had never seen the movie until a few years ago???),  since first seeing the movie, I've liked the way the Bailey's welcome the Martini family into their home :

Bread - that this house may never know hunger.
Salt - that life may always have flavor.
Wine - that joy and prosperity may reign forever.

Inspiration in mind, I had to get moving on it!  Housewarming was the next afternoon.  I woke up early Sunday morning and set to work.  I got bread dough rising, called (BF)G and asked him to pick up a nice bottle of wine on his way from work to the party (I know I wasn't going to get wine, but hey!  It fit and they can cook with it if they don't want to drink it!), then made a little organza bag for salt.  Found a basket that I'd kept for just such a purpose, and made a little cotton cloth to line the bottom.  But what about a card?  Seemed to me it  needed an explanation of sorts, just in case they weren't as obsessed as I am with the movie and wondered why I was giving them such an assortment.  So I set to work on the card.  Now.  Let me say, making cards/scrapbooking type crafts are not my strong suit.  Paper, scissors, and glue? They are often not my friend!  But determination can get me pretty far.  (That and a huge stack of paper for the mistakes I did cutting the darned thing out.)  I was smart.  I did a practice template on scrap first.  Otherwise I am certain I would have run out of paper!  But the end result was well worth the frustration and time that it took!  I was really quite pleased.

All in all a pretty good round up!  I've got a few small things in the works right now - The Jane With A Pop Top from luvinthemommyhood for myself, a dress for yet another baby gift (should really be drafting that pattern right now...) and hopefully the Amy Cardigan (also from luvinthemommyhood) for myself as well if I have enough fabric in my stash.

Then of course there's the quilts... Oh the quilts.  My top priority should actually be the Summer Mommies Friendship Quilt, given fall and it's chilly nights is headed our way.

Time to get creative!

Look at me posting again so soon!

Huh.  Now what kind of freaky time/space thing have we entered into that here it is not more than a few days since my last post and I'm back to post again!

I've been busy.  Well, I think I'm always busy, but I've got some things done!  Practical, needed to get done kind of things!

I mentioned last time that I was going to make the Pea Pod Carrier from Picolli Piscelli.  It's done!  I love it and more importantly, baby boy seems to love it!  Even LTM had a turn in it.  Although I sure wouldn't want to lug his 3', 32 1/2lb toddler self very far or very long.  Whoo boy.  He's a big lad these days!  But the squiggle monster that is Baby Boy worked out quite nicely.  He can't squiggle out.  Which is big in my books, given the pouch sling and ring sling have become a nightmare to use with him.  I do love a hip carry for an older baby, and Baby Boy had perfected his houdini like technique of digging in his toes to whatever he could on my body, the stiffening his little legs, standing straight up and wiggling free.  Didn't matter how snug as a bug I put him in it he could get loose.  The last trip to the fabric store where I found myself suddenly juggling a handful of notions, a bolt of fabric, LTM and Baby Boy who had sprung himself free from his sling was what put me over the edge and furthered my resolve to make a new carrier.

We really like trains in this house these days!

Trapped!!!

Next on the list were some pjs for the little guys.  It's been hot here.  Crazy hot.  And we don't have a/c, so some comfy summer jammies were definitely a must.  I turned to Fishsticks Designs once again.  Have I mentioned how much I love these patterns.  They're fantastic.  So easy to sew and the fit is awesome.  They're designed by a mom.  To a lot of kids.  She knows what works.

This time I used the Lazy Days Lounge Set.  LTM was first.  He had tried to claim all three yards of fabric I'd ordered for himself, but I told him he could pick two.  Baby Boy had to get one.  So, he chose.  Cars for his first pair, tools for his second pair and grudgingly Baby Boy could have the giraffes.  But he really wanted giraffes too, so I made a compromise.  I told him he could have pjs out of cars and tools.  Baby Boy could have pjs out of giraffes but I'd make him some undies out of the left overs.  Happy with that deal he allowed me to start cutting out.  I still have to sew the tool ones - but I'm loving the ones I've done so far!  The boys like them too!   LTM wanted them on the second I snipped the last threads and then didn't want to take them off.  Even Baby Boy was happy as a clam when he tried on his.  The pattern is really a good one for comfort and having good quality knit fabric helps!

LTM lounges in his lounge set!

Baby Boy happy his new jammies

Unmentionables!

With a new pair of jammies for each boy I thought I'd take a wee break and do the one other quick project I've had in mind.  LTM has been potty trained since June, but we still go through lots of laundry each day.  He definitely is in need of extras!  Instead of paying upwards of $10 for a three pack of little boys undies, I figure I might as well make a few pairs with the left over fabric I have in my stash.  They take about a half hour to make, so not even worth factoring in the "how much is my time worth" aspect when deciding if it's worth it too make them instead of buy them.  Plus I had promised.

Today I sat down for a few minutes and made the first two pairs.  It's almost getting embarrassing to say it was Fishsticks Designs again.  (I'm starting to feel like an advertisement!)

Little Fishies with a couple of easy modifications (no inner layer on the tool ones, only a partial inner layer on the giraffes in the front panel, and FOE instead of waist and leg bands - I thought I'd see which style I prefer before I make more.)

Rockin' his rocket shirt and short set!

I'm excited to report that I received Baby Boy's swap parcel in the post the other day!  What a lovely parcel it was - chocolate, lemon sherbet candies and a tea towel for me, a stuffed toy for LTM and a super cute outfit for Baby Boy.  The picture's a tad blurry, but the little fellow Will. Not. Stand. Still.  He has to play chase the camera every single time I try and take a picture of him these days!  Since he learned to walk a few weeks ago... and then run a few days later I have hardly been able to get a decent picture of him!

I found it funny that both myself and the mom who was sewing for baby boy made a short and tee set, and not only that, but we both made similar style tees!  There's something to be said for ease of dressing with a lap neck tee!

So that's the round up for this week!  I should be off - it shaping up to be a long night!  Both little fellows have already been awake screaming with nightmares tonight.  Must be the heat, but if this is going to be the trend tonight I'd better catch some sleep while I can!