back in the groove

so, in attempt to get back into the groove of things, i decided to try my first sewing project since having savannah.  a newborn baby has a way of stealing time from hobbies, and that is what has indeed happened.

the other thing that happened was that my nursing pillow {not a boppy} bit the dust.  majorly.  as in, ripped in half and found a new home in a trashcan.  so i have been nursing without a pillow, and it is do-able, but so much more comfortable with a pillow... {do you see where this is going??} and I just so happened to have a pattern for a boppy cover.  My sweet friend Sabrina is a master seamstress and makes the most adorable things for her toddler daughter and son on the way, and she is creative as can be and now designs and sells patterns in her Noodles and Milk etsy shop.  {to all my pregnant friends out there, this would be a really easy project to do to coordinate your pillow to your nursery... or to get it monogrammed} 

anyway, I carved out a little time to prep one night {all my cutting and pressing} and then to sew the next night.  I was so happy with the results!  I can't wait to make a second one that will match her bedding that will eventually arrive...i just used fabric that I had on hand for this one. 

what do you think?  I even put in a zipper!!!  it was easy!  and next time i will be faster and more precise.  my next project -- a dress for little miss.  cross your fingers.

little apron

Remember a long time ago, I made an little girl's apron and because of my lack of sewing skills it kicked my tush??  Well I tried again....



And I am so happy with the results.  And it didn't take too long to make.  And I embroidered the pocket while I was waiting at the OB's office.  By the way, hand embroidering is so much fun.



At the end of last week, Ethan and I had a playdate with the lovely little girl who received the apron, Ethan's {3rd?? 2nd twice removed?? eh, technicalities...} cousin.  I took my camera, but I was too busy running my mouth to take any photos.  But Ethan was so sweet to her.  Thank God we didn't go today... he's in a mood.  It must really be hard to be two.  {Dear Central Market customers... I am so so sorry about the ongoing shrill screaming from my child today...}

My sweet second cousin gave Savannah a box of little girl clothes that are to die for and a total God send.  Seriously.  And Ethan helped me put them away, and we talked all about Savannah... is he getting it?  Only time will tell...

midweek sewing project

The summer before the last... back when little Ethan was actually a little baby, I went to the Parker County Peach Festival with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law... and five purchases were made {that I can remember...}

1. my mother-in-law bought a cool hat from one of those guys that dip in in water, you pick out the brim, etc., etc.   I thought it was cool but would have looked goofy on me... You know the kind of hats I am talking about??
2. sausages that were super yummy...
3. a pickled squash relish that I thought was the most delightful creation to ever be canned...
4. an overpriced oilcloth bib that was different than any I had ever seen...
5. peaches

Now, as delightful as that pickled squash relish was, I am not blogging about it today.  {although...hmm...maybe I should learn to make something similar...}

I am blogging about the bib.  It was $20ish {uh... too much for a bib!!} and adorable... Grammy got it for her house... which was great, because prior to the bib, Ethan was coming home from there quite stained up.  But if it were me buying the bib... I just didn't think I could do it... because it was oilcloth.  And when food hits an oilcloth bib... it just slides down...  this is something no one clued me in on before motherhood.  Oilcloth bib = clean shirt, stained pants

So later on, I borrowed the bib, and took it to my mother, because I wanted her to make me a bunch of them... with cotton and terry cloth.  I loved the design... wide shoulders and a snap!  And long!  So she made me a few, and then she made me some for gifts...

And then today, I decided... I can figure out this bib thing.  So I did.  And here it is.   A gift for a friend's sip and see this weekend.  It was really easy!  And fun!  And I made a matching burp cloth.  And I love-love-love these little cowpokes...





I think I know a little bundle of joy arriving soon in the Houston area that will need one of these... even though it will be a while until he is enjoying baby food!

weekend review

What we have been up to... hmm... this might be long, so you'd better grab a glass of iced tea... {or cup of coffee if that is your style}

 

Friday I volunteered at Ethan's school... but I missed the memo about EVERYONE in the city wearing purple {literally} And these UCC people, they bleed purple.  So I dashed to Target before my shift to add a purple scarf to my outfit.  I couldn't handle the why-doesn't-she-have-purple-on looks.  I blame the peer pressure.  To further illustrate my point, Ethan's class made posters to take to Gameday.  Crazy.  But aren't they cute?

Then after school, I got to take home the sweetest 4-year old to play with Ethan.  Ethan got a big kick out of trying to be just like him...

This was my honest attempt at trying to get the boys to calm down {Ethan needed a nap!}
so they watched {the ever annoying} Super Why.  I couldn't resist the picture.
{Ethan is tired... you can tell by the hair twirling}

Friday evening we went over to our friends house for some pizza and then we went the the JWC Informal Party that was themed "homecoming."  I squeezed my pregnant self into a cheerleader uniform and secured the skirt with a safety pin, thankful that this uniform was from the '90s and not from today... since uniforms these days are not so modest...especially for a pregnant gal.  I thought about taking some pictures, but decided that the group photo would suffice... such funny '80s and '90s outfits...would you believe that many of these are currently in stores available for purchase.  Scary.

Saturday morning Ethan and I attended a very fun birthday party at the zoo... and we love the zoo...  The highlight:  seeing the penguin up close at the party and seeing the lion roar.  Mostly, it was seeing the delight on Ethan's face during those two events.  The only zoo picture I took was of Oscar, the friendly 18 year old penguin.

Saturday evening we went out {again! crazy!} this time with Faustino's fellow residents.  The highlight of my night was seeing 3 friends from Junior League that I hadn't seen in a while... the rest of the evening, well, I should keep this blog positive... but suffice it to say that as a group, I highly doubt that we are welcome to come back to that establishment.

Then, after working on it on Sunday and Monday night, I finished the apron!  And it wasn't even that hard!

Again, like with the first one, please don't look that closely... but I really like how it turned out.  Now Darby was able to take a cute picture of herself in the apron, showing it off in all of its cuteness.  But I am pregnant.  These type of things do not hang well on a baby bump.  So, dear readers {I think I have 2} you will just get the photo of the apron on the back of the sofa.  Sorry.

Now, just please cross you fingers that someone will bid on this at auction.  If not, I will be sad.  It will be craft rejection.  {and FYI, if you do decide to make an apron - and you should - Darby is correct, mind the seam allowances or your pleat doesn't come out.  I minded... but could have done even better.}

That's it!  Long post!! 

Perhaps...

Perhaps having a little girl this time around would be pretty fun.  I am thinking this way because I just finished this: {not because I found a great storage solution that will make girl things + boy things possible in my 900 sq. foot rental house}

{pretty please, do not look too closely.  I know the things that need to be improved and I am not getting out the seam ripper to fix them.  Really, do me a favor and don't click on these and blow them up to examine my mistakes.  Thanks...}

Anyway, this was actually fun... I am sad to give it away!  I will definitely be making another one of these... and maybe this time it will just be quick and easy instead of taking days...

And soon my next project will begin... a matching Mama apron {to complete the mother/daughter apron duo} and with any luck it will go quickly.  Darby, please don't let me down... i hope it is as easy as the tutorial claims!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Additionally, I have to squeeze my pregnant self into a cheerleader uniform tonight for a costume party.  Heaven help me.  This could be very bad...

sewing a gather...

So after E went to bed last night I set up shop in the dining room {does what we have count as a dining room? probably not...} at the table and set up the ironing board.  In my mind, I thought I could whip up the apron in an hour or two.  And maybe if I wasn't painful inexperienced and slow I could have been done quickly... I mean, it did take me a while to cut out the very easy pattern... i should have taken that as a sign... Maybe I even should have just bought aprons from Nicole.

Let me explain the project... I have a fundraiser gift basket to create.  I need to practice my sewing skills... aprons are supposed to be easy... so I thought, a mother and daughter matching apron and baking basket... PERFECT!

Well... I didn't realize how long gathers take.  Am I just exceptionally slow?  Pulling that thread isn't easy... am I crazy??? All this for a kids apron?  Geez Louise.  Have mercy on my soul.  This apron is going to take hours to finish... let's not even think about the bag I want to make...

I will get better/faster?  RIGHT???

Here is a picture... of my one unattached ruffle.  One of three.  oh boy...

First Post

So... I have been putting this blog thing off for awhile. I really should have started it before Ethan was born... or at least while he was a little baby. But I didn't. And so I have to go back and dig up all the scraps of paper I kept to complete his baby book... if only I had blogged those tidbits of information.

So now I thought, before the next little baby arrives, I really should do this blogging thing. And really, it is so much easier to share photos this way... I think I spent an hour trying to compress and send Jenn photos of pumpkins and my bathroom... surely a blog post would have been faster. And... now with the sewing machine... I have crafty projects to share. Not that anyone will really read this or care!

Hmmm... now to put photos in a post... well I will at least attempt it... hmm.. {Lindsey, this is for you!} Whoa! Photos are easy... who knew?

This is my crafty pumpkin... I got the idea from here

And then this is my new pet project that I will begin after I figure out what fabrics to use... I want to love the fabric... and I don't want it to look too spring-y. {or beach-y for that matter}

This is enough random-ness for one evening... I still have to tidy the kitchen. Will post Halloween pictures this weekend... Ethan is a cowboy. Not too imaginative, but I didn't hear any begging and pleading to free him from the costume like I did when I attempted Ethan the Dragon and Ethan the Dino... both were disasters. And Faustino wanted him to be a Mummy... but somehow sewing a costume for a anti-costume child began to sound more and more unappealing. Faustino thinks that Halloween costumes should be ghoulish. Well... this year, we didn't go ghoulish. There is always next year...