Baby project

I just realized that this project never made it onto the blog! Even though the items were mailed/given out in early January....Anyway, my cousin had a baby girl back in October, and a client's wife was due around New Year's with a baby girl. I was able to kill two birds with one stone when I realized that the girly interlock print I had bought awhile ago was enough to cut two baby jogging suits! They took barely any time to make up, and they turned out so cute!
The pattern is KS SFB - the knit pants with cuffs and the snapped jacket. The pattern goes together really easily, and it can work well for either boys or girls. (The instructions do remind you that the fronts overlap differently depending on gender.) The pants are basically the same as the ones I make all the time for DS#2 - crotch seams, inseam, plus cuffs for babies. And the raglan sleeved jacket is just a few seams and then ribbing.

This is a 3-6 month size. I figured that they get plenty of cutesy newborn clothes at showers, so I would make something that would be useful a little later on. Besides, I knew that the odds of my finishing and getting these out before the babies' births was not likely! :) (Actually, I had started these when my serger decided to get sick and have to be hospitalized, so it was good that I'd cut a larger size.) I did actually finish just after the second baby was born, so that wasn't too bad.

I used cotton/lycra ribbing - the pink was purchased to coordinate with this print, and the yellow was in my stash. Good thing, because I didn't have quite enough pink to do the second suit! And I used SnapSource snaps and my SnapSource snap setter. I love that thing!

Nothing new to show...yet....

I'm cranking along, but didn't download the latest picture yet. Inspired by the success of my thermal PJs, I cut and sewed another raglan sleeve PJ set for DS#2 - this time in a cotton interlock that I've had now for about a year or so (the firetruck interlock from a retail therapy session). He loves them! I pulled them out the other night when he woke up at 4 am with a wet bed. Figured he'd need something to cheer him up before he went back to bed. These are another size T3 from KS SFT, but I added two inches in length to the body and sleeves of the shirt. That should make them wearable for much longer. The size T2 jammies now no longer cover his belly, though they still fit otherwise. :)



I also have some baby gifts in the works. A former student had a baby boy a few weeks ago, and so I wanted to make another baby jogging suit. This, of course, will be in a boy fabric (the baseball interlock from the same retail therapy session). Once again, I've cut the 3-6 month size (I like that option, plus I have it already traced and ready to go), and I also cut two out again. I can either give the second one to a friend at church or hold onto it as baby gift stash. We'll see...This will be made with white ribbing and I don't yet know about snap color. I'll see what looks best. I hope to have the set finished tonight.

I also have about half a dozen pairs of underwear cut out for DS#2, so hopefully I'll get those started tonight. I'm again using the That*Darn*Kat undies pattern. I just grabbed knit remnants and started cutting, so we'll see what they end up looking like. :) All will have either black or white ribbing, because I didn't want to go to the store to buy other colors. I'm trying to cut down on my stash - not add to it!

Finally hemmed the thermal knits (among other things)....

So I forget how long the thermal knit jammies have been languishing in the land of "Mostly Done," but let's just go with - "it's been awhile." Probably at least a month. I was trying out liquid starch for stiffening some thin knits that are going to become new Patrick raglan seam shirts, so I decided to try it on these as well. I think it really helped! I had no troubles with the waist elastic, and I think that the shirt hems also behaved pretty well. Of course, everything is always helped by a final wash and dry, and these were no exception. They made their PJ debut last night, when we went to the grade school for a PJs and movie night. (Btw, I heartily recommend Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.) A definite hit! They fit well, with some growth room, and the boys love them. The smaller one is from KS SFT (size T3), and the larger is KS 2275 for the pants (size 5) and KS 2894 for the shirt (size S). Four yards out of stash - yay!

My dad's birthday was last month, and he is former Army. I had gotten this Robert Kaufman fabric from a coop, and I used it with S9958 for a pair of boxers for him (size L).

And for a bit of instant gratification, I bought this flannel fabric on sale at JAF last weekend and cut and sewed the pillowcases yesterday morning. The boys were able to take their new pillowcases (and pillows) to the PJs and movie night, as well as wearing their new shark jammies! These definitely went over well. (With me, too - I loved the silly monsters print but had no real reason to buy it!)

Catching up....

So once again, I've finally finished a few things. I'm not exactly speedy thus far this year, but I am amazingly ahead on stash parity (keeping in mind that I start again at zero on Jan. 1st - so yes, I'm still way behind on what's on the shelves).


A new scrub hat for my favorite recent grad, who loves the Indianopolis Colts and was horribly disappointed in the Super Bowl. This should cheer her up a bit! I've had the fabric for over a year, so it was definitely time to sew it up!

A new shirt for DH! This is the first of four fabrics I purchased before Christmas. The idea was to get at least one done for Christmas, but, well....you can see how well that went. At any rate, he likes it and says I did a really good job. (Though I really should have ironed it before taking the pic!) I believe it's getting its maiden wearing on his trip to Hawaii this week...And I tried out the Pro-Weft fusible interfacing from Fashion Sewing Supply. I really liked it! We'll see what DH thinks after wearing the shirt....And at long last, DS#2's double-layer fleece blanket. This is almost embarrassing - I cut the fleece and zigzagged the main part together around Christmas, and it's been waiting this whole time for me to simply join the binding strips and bind the darn thing. He is thrilled, and now his brother wants a new blanket. :) Since it's cold these days (and really cold in our house at night!), they might both get a second double-layer fleece blanket. I have a spider fleece and a robot fleece. Just need to get backing and binding fleece and I'm good to go.

This and that....

I have finished a few more things lately - yet another pair of flannel PJ pants (a birthday present this time), as well as several fleece hats. I'll review those later, since the photos are not on this computer.

My current projects are accumulating! There is The Shirt #3, a solid navy broadcloth blend, which only lacks final hems, buttonholes, and buttons. I plan to finish that tonight. (Mainly because I want to cut out The Shirt #4 and hopefully have it done by the time DH leaves for Hawaii on Valentine's Day.

There are the shark thermal knit PJs for the Things, which lack hems, waistband elastic, and cuffs/neckbands. I'm a little afraid of stretching out the hems, which has contributed to sewing paralysis.

There is a scrub cap for my Indianapolis Colts-loving buddy. I should have gotten that done well before the Super Bowl, but, you know? She'll still love it. And it can go into the package with the dog booties and assorted reading material. And maybe Chex mix...

There is a pair of boxers for my dad's birthday. He is former Army, and this is a Robert Kaufman Army print. I think he'll really like them! I hope...

There is a double-layer fleece blanket for Thing 2. I just need to sew the binding together and then sew it on. I really should do that this weekend. It doesn't require much time or the serger...And then Thing 2 will have more warm options for sleeping time.

And I also cut out a Snoopy Valentine's scrub jacket for my friend, and seven or so pairs of underwear for Thing 2. So it's time to get cracking! We'll see how things go this weekend....