New baby gifts

So I'm (as usual) catching up on blogging, in some cases long after the gifts have gone out.  That's okay, right? ;)  Two babies were born earlier in the summer, and these are baby gifts that I made for both.  The first was born to a friend who, along with her husband, practices martial arts.  So naturally I wanted to use that as a focus. First, I used scraps leftover from their wedding pillowcases to make a set of burp cloths.  Then, I pulled out the ninjabread appliques again.  This time, I used one on each onesie.  Add in a onesie with the baby's first initial, and the end!

This picture was taken before finishing each gift completely.  I had made a bunch of burp cloths and showed one of each print, plus the nursing pads I'd finished.

And a closer look at the nursing pads.  I'm now out of the microfleece that I had bought for this ages ago, so the next ones will use Cuddle Dry Microfleece that I bought through a coop.  I'm also now out of PUL, I think, so I'll have to buy some more.  These don't take much, but they turn out really nicely, especially with the lace overlay.  I've had great feedback from some of the people who have received these, so I'll continue to gift them.

This is from a book panel that I bought and stashed probably at least ten years ago.  The new mom loved Care Bears, so I was saving it for her first child.  I'm kind of impressed that I remembered and dug it out! :)

And then a baby sling!  This baby's gender wasn't known ahead of time, so I wanted to make something that could be gender neutral.  I purchased an olive linen blend from JAF and went to work.

I went with the black print for bias binding - both because I thought it'd be fun to have the music print, and because my remaining nylon sling rings were black.  I do think this really sets off the olive, so it was a good choice.  And I have a bunch of the bias tape remaining for future projects.

I sent this along with a print out of instructions and helpful websites for babywearing....I hope that she uses it and likes it.  My sister-in-law told me (much later) that she had LOVED her sling and used it almost daily.

Gifts for Kids

I love sewing for kids, and I like giving sewn gifts when possible. We try to fill shoeboxes every year for Operation Christmas Child, and I just finished packing this year's boxes. We choose sex and age to match our Things, because then they can get more into helping choose things for the boxes. This year, both boxes are for boys aged 5-9 years. The suggestions include basic clothes, but it's hard to judge size when you have no idea where in that age range the child will fall. So instead of a shirt, I opted for basic pants, made out of a striped sheet from the thrift store (washed first, of course!). I used KS3042 size S, which I use for my older boy, and I cut the pieces single-layer to make sure the grainline stayed on the stripes. It was a bit annoying, but definitely worth it. I put elastic in to match my boy's waist but also added a drawstring to make it usable for smaller boys as well.
The Art-on-the-Go kits were a big hit for my boys back in the spring, so I thought it'd be great for these boxes! I bought colored pencils and packs of notepads from the Dollar Tree, but I wanted to make the kits to make the supplies seem a little nicer. I pulled two kid fabrics out of stash (4-5 years, I think) and cut two from each fabric. These I finished today for the shoeboxes, and the other two will be finished shortly for Christmas gifts! The only modification I made was to add two inches to the top of each so that a flap can be folded down over the pencils to hold them in place. I also folded these into thirds instead of halves before securing the elastic, and I think it works better.
Thing 2 had a birthday party to go to last weekend - a joint party for 6-year-old twins! The boy is in his class, but the girl is not. I felt a little weird giving him a gift but not her, and I also started thinking about the fact that Thing 2 has about 15 more kids in his class with birthdays, so it was time to go for some sewing! And I remembered the reversible superhero capes. I was thinking that I had a Batman and a Superman applique already prepared, but I was surprised to discover that I actually had cape pieces cut out as well, and the appliques were already fused on and ready for satin stitching! Hooray for a time-saver! I did start from scratch on the girl cape, though. ;) Thing 2 seemed pretty happy about the idea of giving the capes, so that was good. Hopefully he'll get good feedback later on....

...and pair #2!

Introducing the Percy shoes! Thing 2 was so distraught over the loss of his holey, too small Thomas shoes, that I decided to make the next pair with Thomas appliques again. However, just to be different, I used Percy this time instead. (Yes, Thing 2 does know the difference! I'm truly scared...) And so, of course, he decided this morning that he didn't want to wear the Percy shoes. Oh, well....he'll change his mind.

These are the MTY pattern again, toddler size 9W. I did go ahead and line them with fleece, using scraps from Thing 1's Thomas fleece hoodie. I think they'll fit better, but I'm a little annoyed that I made the toe guards so small. I think I need to just draft a template so that my toe and heel guards are more consistent.

New shoes - pair #1

Finally! I finished a new pair of shoes (Make Them Yourself pattern again), and, as usual, I'm kicking myself for procrastinating so much. I'm liking these new shoes a lot, except for the extremely minor detail that they're too big and look a bit like duck feet. :) But that's entirely my fault. I made a size 9W this time, because the size 7 is too small and I wanted these to last longer. I decided to try it in the wide size, because my little guy has some chubby little feet. Note to self: not quite chubby enough for the wide size. Oh, well....they're wearable.

I've got a second pair partly done - also a size 9W. (I cut them both out at once.) I'm going to line those with fleece, though. That should add some warmth as well as possibly take up a little space. We'll see what happens with those before I start talking about the next pair. Actually, I might try making the boots next time. After all, it should start getting even colder, and he might want to go out and play in the snow this winter. I have some denim bonded to sherpa or something fuzzy like that - I might use that next time for warmth. We'll see....

Slow sewing

Yep, the broken finger is still slowing me down. :( Oh, well...it's not the end of the world. I followed up the amazing success of the Jeff Gordon nursing pads (wow, that sounds creepy!) with another set of 4 pairs, this time totally in tasteful white. This is a gift for a first-time mom whose baby shower is coming up in just a couple of days. Hopefully I'll make it there to give these to her!

I also finished the second pair of Halloween pants last night, but Thing 1 has not yet tried them on. These were cut from the KS 3042 (pajama) pattern. I want to see how the fit compares to the KS SFC ghost camo pants, and I'll probably post pictures. At any rate, I was glad to finish them in plenty of time for Halloween (though I'm sure Thing 1 will wear them after Halloween).

This time I cut and sewed the outer and lining pieces separately, then put them together to sew the leg hems and waist elastic. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out! I think I'll do this again! Not that every pair of pants I sew for Thing 1 needs to be flannel-lined, but he'll probably outgrow some of these so fast that it's not a bad idea. And then the only serging I do is the waist and hems, prior to turning down and sewing. The rest of it is lined, so it doesn't matter.

I still need to work on the new shoes for Thing 2, and I've got more pants on tap for both of them.

A UFO completed

Contoured washable nursing pads, customized for the recipient with an inner layer of Jeff Gordon fleece (leftover from the trim for this blanket). I had cut these out to have done for the baby shower last April, but didn't have time to finish sewing them then so ended up just leaving them as they were. I really felt that the cut pieces had been mocking me, so I took a few minutes to stitch them up last night. And it really only took a few minutes. Grrr....why didn't I just stay up a little longer in April and get them done? These are so quick and easy, and other than the fleece or the PUL (and lace, in my version), you can use thrifted materials for the absorbent inner layers and still be able to give them as great gifts! And the outer layers are small enough to potentially be scraps from other items!

This is a Make Them Yourself pattern, with two sizes of pads (I made the larger size) and a free bonus of an added delicates washing bag, which I have not yet made. Now that I've seen how easy it is to make these, I think I'll make a set or two for the baby shower that is coming up at church later this month!

Finally, some sewing!

When I get the okay from Misty of Make Them Yourself, I'll post my review. I think that she'll have the pattern up on her website soon. Suffice it to say for now that Thing 1 is ecstatic, and Thing 2 will likely be thrilled when he wakes up.

Not much sewing going on here....

Nothing sewing-related has happened here since before I left for Washington, D.C. So instead I thought I'd show you two of my favorite pictures that I took there. The above picture was taken near the foot of the Washington Monument - I leaned waaaay back on a bench and looked up. I think it looks pretty cool! We were there on Sept. 11th, so all the flags around the monuments were at half-staff.

I still need to make Thing 2's new shoes. I really want to do that this afternoon. I also agreed to test a reversible cape pattern for Misty of Make Them Yourself - Thing 1 will love it! I'll post pictures when it's allowed. That will need to be done in the next couple of days, but it shouldn't take long. I'll stop by the fabric store after church to pick up what I need.

And finally, here is a picture of the Iwo Jima memorial (taken on Sept. 10th). My husband is a former Marine, and I've always thought the pictures of this memorial looked amazing. It was amazing to be able to see it in person.

Not much to show today....

Here's the picture of the finished lunchbag. Oops - actually, I took that picture before sewing on the velcro, it seems. Oh, well...you get the idea. I still think it's too big, after we've used it for almost two weeks. But it works, and I haven't had time to make another prototype. Soon, I hope...

In addition to the new jammies for Thing 1 and the muslin of the Hawaiian shirt for DH, I've also cut out two new pairs of shoes for Thing 2. As I feared when I finished the last ones, they were not exactly roomy. They fit....now. But they won't for long. I do like how the heel and toe guards are doing. Those were a toddler's size 7 regular, so I decided to allow for growth and trace and cut a toddler's size 9 wide. We'll see how those do. If I like the sizing in the denim shoes (I cut one of regular blue denim and one of white denim - both old jeans), then I'll probably finally make some black leather shoes. ;) In the meantime, before I sew these up, I need to come up with appliques for them. Otherwise they're a bit boring. I'll definitely put another Thomas on one pair, but not sure what to do with the other.

New shoes....

Thing 2 needed new shoes, as he's worn holes in the heels of his current shoes....go figure - I hadn't added heel guards to those. I had cut this pair out several weeks back...maybe when I made the last ones, come to think of it....so I sewed them up this weekend. I also thought it was time to do an applique, and he (like his brother!) is really into trains and especially Thomas the Tank Engine. We'll see what he thinks in the morning!

These are from the Make Them Yourself pattern, and I think I used a size 7 again. This may come back to haunt me, since I added both toe and heel guards this time. I may decide that I should have gone up a size to account for the extra addition. I hope not, but I guess it won't be the end of the world.

I also need to get some more leather, I think. But first I'll make a pair from the black leather jacket DSIL thrifted for me. :) This pair is made with recycled jeans, once again; Toughtek soles; recycled white jeans for the lining; and scraps of leather for the guards.

Finished stuff at last!

No, I didn't start from scratch on all of this. All five pairs of shorts (plus one more not in the picture) were already done except for the elastic. I just finally had motivation to insert the elastic and make them wearable! (As in, shorts-wearing weather should be here any time!) As an aside, however, the lower row of shorts are from KS Sewing for Baby, and they're size 3-6 months. They now finally fit Thing 2, who is almost two years old!)

The "shoes" in the picture are the new slippers for Thing 1! Not pictured are the matching shoes for Thing 2, which are in the dryer. He has been wearing them all week, and they needed a trip though the laundry. :) And Thing 1 has been asking every day, "Mama, are my new slippers done yet?" Tomorrow morning I can say, "Yes, goofball, they are! And, no, you can't wear them to school." Hooray!

This weekend maybe I'll finally cut out the muslin of the Hawaiian shirt for DH! And maybe the Bears scrub shirts that I need to make for others....

Not much happening here...

I traced the new size for Thing 2's new shoes, and I also traced the size for Thing 1 - both sizes are now also on template plastic.

*Off on a tangent here: I love quilter's template plastic! I get the sheets of heavy duty template plastic from JAF when the quilting notions are 50% off, and they are great! It is so much easier to cut out a template and then be able to use the rotary cutter to cut out the pieces. I've also used the templates to trace the pattern directly onto the wrong side of leather, and then used scissors to cut the pieces - that was before I got a smaller rotary cutter, and it was much harder to go around curves with the 60 mm size.*

So I have cut out most of the pieces for Thing 2's new shoes and none of the pieces for Thing 1's slippers. They will be matching, and I think that they'll love them. I have high hopes of getting them done this weekend, but we shall see. I'm on call, so all plans are subject to change. After all, I didn't manage to get the pieces cut yet, did I?

Need more new shoes!

So Thing 2 loves his new shoes, but unfortunately, they're just a hair small. And so apparently he's been walking on the edge of the heels. I just discovered today that the denim is wearing through. Guess that puts new shoes at the top of my list! I will try the toddler size 7 regular next time. Even though I thought that I'd make the next pair in leather, I'm starting to think that I'll do another pair in denim first. That can test out my new size and make sure that I have it right. I'd rather do that than risk wearing through another heel so quickly.

Thing 1 is also getting a pair, though his will be for slippers. He was so fascinated with Thing 2's new shoes that I thought he'd like a pair, too. I'll probably use denim and flannel again for his, as well. I haven't decided what flannel to use, but it'll probably be another leftover from bedding.

And while I'm at it, I want to make two new sets of bedding. These will be from flannel that I bought back at Thanksgiving for bedding. The Things can use them, and I could use some more fabric in my "yards sewn" column. :)

At last, the new shoes....

I finally quit procrastinating and just sewed! And as usual, when finished, I thought, well why in the world didn't I do this much earlier in the week? Very silly! Thing 2 is very excited about his new shoes. He's still got them on, and I took this picture probably almost two hours ago. (That's mainly exciting because I know that he can take them off by himself.) I finally used the Make Them Yourself shoe pattern, in a toddler size 6 regular. The size was chosen by measuring the length and width of the foot, then flat measuring the pattern sole and trying to remember to allow for seam allowances. I think that next time I'll choose the toddler size 7 regular, because this pair won't allow for more than a hint of growth. But that's okay - they were quick and easy to make.

I used Toughtek for the soles - bought my Toughtek from Ahh.biz - no affiliation. I was just pleased with their fast shipping and thought that their price on Toughtek was at least comparable to any others I'd seen. Others have said to watch eBay for the best prices on Toughtek, but I didn't want to wait. :) Because the Toughtek is so thin, I used a layer of Warm & Natural cotton batting between the Toughtek sole and the flannel lining. I think that should be enough - we'll see. I also changed the pattern to have a heel lining - you can see alteration details in my PR review. My only quibble at the moment is that I think the elastic is too long, and maybe that's why Thing 2 can easily take them off. But that can be easily remedied by simply shortening it. Overall, I'm pleased with this pattern and think that it may fit Thing 2's feet better than the Chloe Toes pattern. I will have to make it again in leather for a true comparison.

The outer fabric is thrifted denim from old jeans, and the lining fabric is flannel leftover from one of the toddler bedding sets I sewed before Christmas.

Random mutterings....

Thing 2's new shoes were a hit! DMIL started talking about how popular the soft-soled leather baby shoes were, and DBIL informed her that I had sewn them. (He remembered from the discussion at Thanksgiving.) She seemed very surprised! Guess that means they look as good to her as they do to me. :) And despite the fact that they look enormous, both on and off Thing 2's feet, he gets around on them just fine.

I have traced the appropriate size of the MTY pattern to try out on the next shoes, and now I'm torn between using some leather or trying it in denim. Either way, I think I'll wait for the Toughtek to use on the soles. And either way, it'll be thrifted materials - I have the thrifted leather from jackets, and I have thrifted denim from old jeans. So we'll see....I think I'll line them in flannel scraps leftover from making bedding. That would be cute!

I also need to cut up and serge some corn bags. I was happy to see my YTD yardage stats change once I finally sewed again, and the corn bags are quick and easy. Plus it means more stuff done in advance of Christmas/birthdays, too! That should easily get another yard or two out today.

Random stuff....

Not much happening here on the sewing front. I've just been way too busy. I still need to make Thing 2's new shoes - I'm going to try to get those sewn this evening. We'll see if it happens, though.

I discovered that Dollar Tree sells microfiber cloths - a set of two smaller ones (sorry, no exact dimensions) or a single larger one - for $1 each. Woohoo! An even cheaper source of microfiber for the Swiffer refills! I bought the two pack, intending to cut them down and serge the ends to make refills for my Swiffer floor sweeper. However, I discovered that the smaller cloths are only a few inches wider than what I need, so I'm just using them as is.

I've heard about the dryer balls that work well instead of fabric softener sheets, but I'd never seen any. Today I spotted some at Meijer, so I bought a two-pack. No clue yet how well they work, but I did throw one in the load that is currently bouncing around in the dryer. So far, I can only say that one should possibly not use them to dry clothes while small children are sleeping. (At least not if your laundry area is near the bedrooms.)

Actually sewing again!

I finally made some more of the Swiffer WetJet cloth pads! After using my first one twice (and having to wait to mop the second floor until I did some laundry), I realized that I would definitely use them and decided to make lots more. :) So far, I've only made three more, because I need more Velcro. But once that comes in the mail, I've got four more cut out to stitch up. They don't take long, they work great, and they're good for the environment! I'm definitely going to be giving some of these as housewarming/holiday gifts.

And I'm getting ready to make some new shoes for Thing 2. I finally cut up and washed the leather from the jackets that DSIL found for me. This photo shows the pile of leather from a navy purse and a black jacket. I have another pair of shoes (in different colors) cut out from the Chloe Toes pattern, but then I think I'll use some of this stuff to try out the Make Them Yourself pattern. This leather is fairly thin, so it'll be good for warm weather. Besides, the pattern is lined. So I'll just need to use sturdy leather for the soles.

Still here....

It's kind of embarrassing to realize how long it's been since my last post! About a month and a half - yikes! It's partly because DH misplaced my camera for awhile, so I couldn't retrieve the picture of the items I actually finished, and mainly because I've been so busy at work lately that I haven't been sewing/crafting/cleaning! (Not too worried about the not cleaning part, except that a friend is coming this weekend...)

So these are the latest pants/shorts that I finished for Thing 1. He loves them! (Not like that's a surprise...) Once again, I didn't put the elastic in the shorts yet - waiting to see if they'll still fit in the late spring and summer, and if so, how long the elastic needs to be. But he's put the pants into heavy rotation ever since I finished them. :) These are the usual KS Sewing for Toddlers pants and shorts pattern.

I took a study break and dusted all my windows over the weekend. Normally this would not be blog-worthy. However, since I used my homemade Swiffer duster refills, I figure that it's relevant. I tried out the ones made from fleece scraps this time. I don't think that they work quite as well as the ones from microfiber cloths, but they do get the job done. And someone on PR suggested that rubbing two together prior to dusting would build up a static charge which would then help attract and hold dust. Have to try that next time!

I also used my Swiffer WetJet this weekend when the cat puked all over the kitchen floor. I have made one cloth refill to try on it, but I never got around to it, because I hadn't used up the cleaning solution in the bottle. (The pattern designer suggests not using the store-bought cleaning solution with the cloth refills, because it takes a lot more solution to saturate the cloth refills and is too expensive.) Now that I have, and DH adapted my bottle to be refillable, I plan to make up homemade solution and test out the cloth refill! Then I'll sew more, assuming that it works well! Yippee!

More shoes!

Yep, I'm on my way to obsessed. I stayed up late again last night to finish pair #2. I like these better in some ways than the first pair. Of course, there's the issue of "first try" mistakes on the first pair, and I did improve on that with this pair - mainly I just took things slowly with the sewing and made sure of keeping to a uniform seam allowance. My 1/4" presser foot was a big help. I also used jeanstitch thread this time, and I like the way it looks on the lighter leather. Very neat! This leather is thinner, so it was a little easier to sew. I'll see how well it holds up.

I'm going to be swapping more editing for patterns from Make Them Yourself, and I want to try out that leather shoe pattern. It's lined from what I can tell, so it might be better for the pair I want to make from DH's old jeans. (Nope, still haven't even started on my lunch sack from those.) I thought those would be fun. And of course I'll use jeanstitch thread on them!

I am also getting some recycled leather from Wisconsin - I put DSIL to work as a personal thrift shopper for me. I just called last night with the request, and this morning she called back to report. Woohoo! Three jackets and a purse to recycle - I can't wait! DB tells me that there is a LOT of leather there. I'll post pictures eventually.

New reasons to clean....

So I realized this weekend while vacuuming near the windows that the windowsills were full of cobwebs and desperately needed to be cleaned. But I hate cleaning and have to force myself to do it. And one good way is to find a fun gadget. I have had a Swiffer Duster in the past, but it apparently got lost during our move. And I never replaced it. (I'm awfully cheap at times.) One of my biggest pet peeves with it was constantly having to buy new refills for it (yes, I know that disposable is the point of the gadget), so when I swapped some editing for some patterns at http://www.makethemyourself.com/, I jumped on the pattern for the washable duster pads!

Tada! I now have clean windowsills. :) And when the refills that came in the box are gone, I won't have to buy any more! I bought a three-pack of microfiber towels for $6 in the auto section at Meijer, and I can get 6 refills out of it, so $1 per refill! And I'll be able to wash and reuse these indefinitely. Yep, think I'll get my money's worth out of them! And Thing 1 will be able to help dust, since I won't be concerned about wasting the refill pads. Very cool! I have friends and family who will be seeing some of these at Christmas, I think.