A baby shower!

I helped host a baby shower for a colleague earlier this week! We had a good time - made it about food and gifts, no shower games. (The three of us hosting did it the way we would have wanted it!) So, of course, I sewed some gifts! The baby is expected to be a boy, and the mother is crazy about Jeff Gordon. So I made a Jeff Gordon flannel baby blanket, using a Jeff Gordon camo print I found at JAF. Woohoo! I was planning to get a dark background NASCAR print for the reverse, but by the time I went back with the next available coupon, it was gone. Sniff! But I used a plain black flannel from stash instead, and I think it was just fine. I used a matching Jeff Gordon fleece print from Wal-Mart as the binding.





But the real hit of the gift bag was the corn bag, much to my surprise. Oh, sure, she loved the blanket, but the corn bag was for her! I used muslin for the bag itself, and it is stuffed with dried corn. Then I used remnants from her Jeff Gordon scrub shirt to make the outer cover. Once I explained what the bag was and how to use it, she got pretty excited! And she told me at work today that she's used it and it's great. Hmm....guess everyone else at work will get one for Christmas. :)

Next up, hopefully this weekend, will be the next shoes for Thing 2 (they're cut but haven't had a stitch put into them yet) and possibly the new blankets for both Things 1 and 2. We'll see...

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.

Finally! Some Sewing....

I have intended to get Thing 1's hooded fleece shirt done for a long time now - heck, I've had it cut out for months! - and I finally got the motivation to do it....mind you, it was when I really should have been sewing new shoes for Thing 2. But, hey! It's done, so that's what's important, right? :)

This is Butterick 5164, done in a knit as suggested. (The first time I made it, I just used wovens, and that worked fine, too.) I left off the kangaroo pocket, as it looked rather jarring with the print, and I bound all edges in black fleece instead of turning a hem under. I also lined the hood, but I don't think I'll do that again if I make it in another fleece. Thing 1 is thrilled!

And I also managed to get the new shoes done, too. Yay! Thing 2 was in desperate need. His other shoes are both size 12-18 months, and the thinner pair was starting to come apart at the stitching, and the thicker pair is just getting gnarly and small, so....here is the first new pair, in size 18-24 months. I did some decorative stitching on these, and I like how it turned out. I do wish that my machine had fancy stitches, but alas, it does not. Oh, well. I like the Chloe Toes pattern, but I still want to try the Make Them Yourself pattern. I also ordered some Toughtek so that my next pair of shoes will have waterproof soles. Maybe I'll try the MTY pattern for those....

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!

Some UFOs finally done!

Thing 1 loves sharks. He has been obsessed for the last two years - ever since we watched an old (we're talking 20 years or so) National Geographic special on sharks. So when I saw this fabric at JAF last summer, I thought it would be perfect for him for some pants and shorts. I bought it in June and cut the pieces out in October, I think. (It may have been even earlier!) Well, this past weekend, I finally sewed them up. How embarrassing! But Thing 1 is thrilled and has worn the pants twice now - which also means that they need to be washed. :) I did not insert the waist elastic into the shorts. I'm waiting on those until we hit late spring/summer, and I can evaluate 1). whether they'll still fit Thing 1 and 2). what length elastic he'll need. In the meantime, I'm still counting them both as done!

I also painted more Christmas ornaments, but they aren't dry yet, so no pictures. Thing 1 got very excited when he saw me get the paints out - he left his toys and ran right over to "help." :) I do think that, despite the unique color combinations, people like them even better when I tell them that Thing 1 did them with me.

Also working on another UFO - this one from August - an Amy Butler swing bag. I hope to post a picture by this weekend. I serge-finished all the pieces except the straps - figured that might be too bulky. Now I need to start putting the lining and outer pieces together. I don't think it'll take too long once I get to it, but I keep getting emergency calls.