Long-Term Project

This is a project that I have been working on a little longer-term. I bought this almost a year ago because I was having a fascination with wholecloth quilts and I wanted to learn to free motion quilt one and I figured a crib quilt would be the easiest to start with.

I tried that and it was horrid. Horrid. I have no idea what I was thinking, but I don't even see how I could do it with practice. Maybe 50+ years of practice. So of course, I did what I always do and put it away and ignored it.

So when I got pregnant, I pulled it back out and figured as long as I had no motivation to do anything else, I might as well start hand quilting this. That last for a little while, until I got so tired that sitting on my butt and hand quilting felt like too much effort. Napping was the only thing I wanted to do.

I picked it back up about a month ago and I have been bitten by the hand quilting bug again. Its addictive, if slow. I have finished up the center medallion and have been working my way around the outside and I thought I'd show you a preview of how its going.


The pictures are awful, but its hard to show quilting on all white fabric. So this is what I've got.

This is the drawing of the quilting. Its called Floral Bouquet.

Kits can be picked up here. They're on eBay and other places too, but I think that this was the cheapest when I ordered.

Flannel Blankets

I saw this idea awhile ago, perhaps it was Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts. I'm not entirely sure, since it was something I borrowed from the library.


Its just some solid-colored flannel with binding sewn on it. The flannel is inexpensive and its a pretty easy project. I enjoy sewing on binding, but I suppose that hand-sewing the binding is a little labor intensive for such a simple blanket, but whatever. I might make some more if I get the hankering. They're kinda cute to look at, anyway.

And More Cribs

We've now visited most of the different baby stores around us to see some cribs in person. We've found several collections that we liked. There aren't any prices on most of them as individual pieces though, so whether or not they are practical, I have no idea. A couple of these are nicer than our own bed! But I guess if you're going to buy a crib to convert into a full-size bed later, there's no point in going too cheap.

Anyway, this is the selection of furniture that we liked from those places.

Natart Furniture Theo Collection

I like the grain on this furniture. I don't like that they made all those checkerboard patterns in it, but the grain is really pretty, especially in person.

Munire Furniture Savoy Collection

I like the leather inset on this. Would make for a nice full-size bed later on.

Munire Furniture Park Avenue Collection

I'm really a little in love with the Park Avenue collection. It reminds me of antique furniture and would make a very nice adult bedroom. Think the munchkin would ruin it before then?

Munire Furniture Bristol Collection

Munire Furniture Antigua Collection

This is one of our favorites as well, although perhaps not in that color. They have a mahogany finish too, but I prefer something more in between. Not so light as Chestnut, not so red as mahogany.

Bonavita Furniture Sheffield Collection

Bonavita Furniture Heritage Collection

Sadly, I think this one might be discontinued, or it would be one of our favorites too.

Bonavita Furniture Cabana Collection

This set is similar to the Antiqua, with the rattan insets, although they're hard to see in these pictures (my scan turned out rather crappy). The brochure picture made me laugh when I opened it, because its similar to what my office would look like in my head. White walls, white sheer curtains, capiz shell chandelier, and a blue scrolled rug. I went with a drum shade light instead, but otherwise, this is the look I'm working on. It just won't look as lovely in real life in my interpretation.

Anyway. Now to figure out how much this stuff costs and what we're really going to buy! [sigh] It always comes down to that, doesn't it?

Onesies

I dragged The Man into JoAnns with me the other day for something (can't quite remember what) and when we were in there, we stopped in the aisle with their iron-on transfers and found these. He decided that we needed them.

Aren't they so tiny?


I'm tempted to buy some transfer paper that you can run through your printer and make some more. Wonder how well they hold up? These say that they should be handwashed.

Sonogram

We finally got our our little one this past week. We've reached the 20 week mark and it was finally time to get the standard anatomic ultrasound. We weren't going to find out the sex, but we caved in and went ahead. Neither one of us is very good with secrets and we just couldn't wait to know.

I was a bit surprised how clearly you could see everything. Some of the angles were weird and I couldn't make out what we were looking at, but for the most part, everything was clear. You could easily see a little head and nose and chin and once the tech pointed it out, the beating heart.

They check the heart and measure the leg and arm bones, and around the head and belly. We got to see one of the feet really clearly and there was a little hand tucked up under the chin.

The baby is currently breech and was quite happy laying on its back for the whole thing. The tech was jiggling my stomach with the wand thing and it just didn't want to move. It was trying not to laugh too much when she was doing it, but goodness. Hard not to!

So anyway. ITS A BOY! Yay!

Hat on the Brain

I seem to have hats on the brain lately, and I'm not sure why, considering that I rarely wear them. I think they bug me and give me headaches, but I've been looking at a bunch of them on etsy anyway. I gave in a bought a pattern the other day to give me something to do and to feed my urge.

The first one I made out of some yarn that I just had on hand and I it ended up too tight. I think I crochet rather tightly, and perhaps that was the problem. So I bought a skein of the yarn that was recommended for the pattern and whipped up another one Wednesday night. I used one size larger hook than it called for too. This is better.


So this is the finished product. I'm not sure if I'll really wear it or not, but it doesn't look too bad.

Baby Things to Love at Etsy

Baby Wash Cloths by Zummi

Newborn Cocoon by lillebarn

Beanie by TwoSeasideBabes

Beanie by TwoSeasideBabes

Beanie and Scarf Crochet Pattern by WarmandFuzzyBaby

Flapper Beanie by pdxbeanies


Beanie by pdxbeanies


Mary Janes by diddledumpling

Emma by MiaJoie
Sebastian by AureliaandAnnalise


Luella by AureliaandAnnalise
Pink Pearl Bloom Shoes by 5eizen

Crib Shopping

I realize that this is going to get a bit boring for those of you who aren't pregnant, but its hard not to have baby on the brain at the moment. Some of this stuff is just cute to look at anyway.

We've been trying to get started shopping for cribs, because some of these places take about 12 weeks to order one in and I really don't want to be waiting on stuff like that at the last minute. And given how long it takes the Man and I to decide on anything, I think its best that we start now.

I think that I'm going to put the baby in my office, at least for awhile, so that I can keep a spare room with a bed in it (just in case someone should come visit me, Mom!) So I think that I'm going to try to keep it simple with a crib and a dresser. I'm shopping for a new light fixture and I've got a new rug in here, now I am looking for the furniture.

Here are some cute cribs and matching dressers that we found at Penney's website (no one has this stuff so that you can look at it in person. Boo!) All of these are convertible, so I'm looking for something that will look nice as a full size bed too - and not terribly crib-like.

Morgan Crib and Dresser

Monterey Crib and Dresser

Heirloom Crib and Dresser

Cottage Crib and Dresser

Wash Cloths

I don't know how practical these little washcloths are for a baby, but they are super quick and easy to make, so I did. I just like to look at them, I guess.


I found a nice organic cotton yarn to use (look at me, going for the organic!) and its very soft. You can get about 3 little washcloths out of each skein, so they aren't very expensive. I want to make more things with this yarn. Perhaps a little hat?

Start of Something That Resembles Productivity

This is what I've completed so far. I haven't crocheted much recently, but I figured I ought to have at least made one little blanket for my own little one. So this is my first.


I may make more, just because I can, and because its an easy project to tote around when we're out running errands or whatever.


Its actually pure white, but I can't get that color corrected for the life of me in the photos and I don't have that much ambition. Its a nice cotton blend yarn.

This is not where I got the pattern, but I was just browsing today and found a pattern that is nearly identical to what I used for this blanket here. Its even using the same yarn and hook size that I used. Wierd. I got the pattern out of an old pattern book that I had.

Lack of Craftiness

So this is my reason for the lack of posting and craftiness going on around here. I'm not feeling like crap now, but I sure did when my Mom sent me this card. I had no idea that it would knock me for such a loop, but I didn't feel like doing a blessed thing for awhile. And I didn't do anything, either.

At any rate, I've got 18 weeks down and 22 left to go. Now that I am regaining my ambition, I've got a list of things to do. I'm working on some projects that I'll show you eventually. For now, I'm just planning and catching up on cleaning the house and other things that I've let slide around here.

I need to do some shopping and I'd like to make room for the baby in my office. I've got to do some reorganizing to fit a crib and other things in here, and we'll need some pictures on the wall and a new light fixture and whatever else to make a quasi-nursery. I don't like anything too baby, so we'll see what we come up with. I'm finally starting to get excited.

So there. That's my news and my excuse. Hopefully I'll be back at it soon.