June 30, 2011

~Hair Bows~

Let's just say I am loving making so much *crap* for my little girl on the way. Yesterday the boys and I went through my scrap fabric and picked out pieces to make some hair bows. I used my pinking shears on these so that they wouldn't fray so much. So easy and quick to make. I plan on gluing them onto alligator clips so that the can be worn with just the clip, or clipped onto a head band (most likely this will be the case right away as I don't expect much hair for this little one!)or a pony tail holder.
 Do you want to make your own? Head over to Lil Blue Boo for a tutorial, did I mention how quick and easy these are to make?!
Linked up at:
Somewhat Simple

June 28, 2011

~Pants~

These are the cutest little pants! Plus, so easy to make. This is the first time I have made them (they are out of my awesome Anna Maria Horner book that I have mentioned), and they took me two hours from start to finish. I love that they use three different fabrics and that they are reversible. I made these up for a baby boy on the way as a gift and they are about a size 3month. I have picked out some great Riley Blake fabric to make up a pair for baby girl, so excited to make them for her!
Front
Back
Front
Back

Linked up at:
Somewhat Simple

June 22, 2011

~22 Weeks~

I can't believe I am this far, this pregnancy is FLYING by! Landon told me yesterday that I use to have a little butt and now I have a big butt, such sweet innocent honesty from a five year old! My body is really taking a toll this time around, I was in great shape when I got pregnant and now I feel like I have lost 3/4 of my muscle tone and definition. It might not have happened if I would have been able to keep up with working out but I was so sick at the beginning and tried to work out but it actually would make me more sick the days I worked out so it pretty much got put on hold, then I started feeling better and it has been really hard to get back into it. I am trying to work out three times a week but really am lucky if I do once or twice a week. In the end, this baby is worth the big butt I am getting and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Just so you can see that you can still do kettlebells while you are pregnant, here is me the other day. I did a 25 minute workout of 5xleft swing, 5xright swing, 5xleft clean, 5xright clean, 5xleft press, 5xrightpress, 10 air squats, 5xleft lunge, 5xright lunge, 5xleft snatch, and 5xright snatch. I just repeated this circuit as many times as I could in 25 minutes (I did 5).

June 20, 2011

~More Sewing~

Just wanted to show off two things I recently sewed. First is a sleep sac that I made using the pattern out of my handmade beginnings book by Anna Maria Horner (great book!). The back of this sleep sac was my inspiration fabric, I just love this fabric and had it already in my stash. Last week I pulled this fabric out and was trying to decide what it should become, flipped through my handmade beginnings book and got my heart set on the quilted sleep sac. Next I dug out scraps of fabric that would coordinate with my main fabric to make the quilted front piece. I decided to do 3"x3" squares for the patchwork, but you could do any kind of patchwork that you wanted or even use an old quilt top. The inside is a pale purple flannel fabric that I also already had in my stash....I did not have to buy anything (at least nothing that I didn't already have!) to make this project. The sewing went really fast on this, and then the binding around the edge took a little time, but after that it was just the velcro and sewing up the bottom and it was done in a couple of days. I will be making a few more of these, sleep sacs are just the best at night!
Remember the pants that I had made Trevor a while back?
They no longer fit Trevor, and Ethan had been insisting on wearing them so I sewed up the length and then added a new waist band to them to help them stay up on his little waist. He loves them! So much so, that I quick made up another pair for him this morning and I love that making these pants is less than an hour from start to finish. He has been wearing them since I finished them this morning.
Photobucket
Photobucket
I will try to take pictures and do a tutorial for these super easy flannel pants, until then you can follow this one I did for up-cycled pants (just use fabric, flannel in this case, instead of pants)
Linked up at:


Somewhat Simple

June 13, 2011

~New Name~

I wonder what I should rename my blog to? Did you hear the news? This baby is a little girl!!!! Ted found out the day of the big ultrasound last Tuesday, but I was not ready to know at that time. Spent the rest of the week giving myself some motivational pep-talks, readying myself to hear "it's a boy". I didn't even think to prepare myself for hearing "it's a girl". At the end of the week I told Ted that I was ready to know. Later that day he just about gave me a mini heart attack when he surprised me with the news of a baby girl. After a few times of saying "are you kidding me" I lost it and was crying and laughing all at the same time. Ted just hugged me for the longest time and told me how much he had been dying to tell me. It was one of those moments in life that you will always remember, always!

Let the sewing, crocheting, and knitting begin (and someone please take away my paypal account, I think I have enough newborn diapers for twins or more...pictures coming!). I made a tiny pair of crocheted pants this weekend (it is only about a 2-3 hour project, but spreading out the time I get to work on them it took me two days to finish them), oh they are pink. I sewed up two newborn AIOs and have 6 newborn diapers (fitteds and AIOs) cut out and ready for the sewing machine. Very girly prints, of course. I made a girly receiving blanket about a week before the ultrasound, just because and I figured I would sell it if I had to. When I was pregnant back in September, I had a really strong feeling it was a girl and bought 2 pink newborn diapers and some knitted longies that are purple and cream and super cute. I have 6 burp clothes that I made for a customer that never ended up paying for them, they are super girly and now all mine!

I want to make some knit Ugg style boots, hats, more sleep sacks, more longies, some diaper covers, and more blankets. I will get pictures up of all of the purple and pink already taking over in the house!

As promised (picture overload ahead!):
Everything together (on a big crocheted blanket that was mine as a baby) 
Let's take a closer look!
12 Tiny gpants (5 pictured), with gcloth inserts that I made
2 XS AIO diapers that I made
6 XS BumGenius AIOs
Some XS fitted diapers that I have made (these will need a cover)
Thirsties Duo size 1 diaper cover & Prefolds to tri fold in the cover
The sleep sac (cocoon) that I knit and a diaper wrap cover that I knit (still need to sew a button on it), & a sling that I got for free with an online coupon code.
Newborn Longies (I crocheted the pink pair)
Hat I crocheted
Sleeper that Ethan picked out
Tie Dyed onsies that the boys made
6 Burp Cloths, made by me
Blanket that Trevor picked out (this blanket has a very cute story behind it that I will blog about soon!)
Swaddling blanket, that I made

June 5, 2011

~Knit Cocoon~


Looky what I knit up for the baby yesterday. I have had this amazing cream yarn for some time and had just the right amount to knit this up. It was a quick project, major plus, and took me a few hours to knit (and I am a slow knitter!). This yarn is a wool, alpaca, silk blend making it super soft and squishy. Perfect for a newborn baby! Plus, it will also work as a diaper cover over the fitted diapers I have been sewing for the baby.

Know how to knit and want to make one yourself? It is really pretty easy, and lots of ways to knit up basically a really long hat. This is what I did for this one:

If you want to add a rib to the top follow first three steps, if not after you cast on just start knitting in the round until piece is about 14 inches long, using stockinette stitch (you knit stitch every one, so easy!). Skip to the decreasing steps and continue.
  • With size 13 circular needles(I think either 14 or 16 inch?) cast on 42 stitches in long tail cast on, place marker.
  • Start knitting in the round K1, P1 to make a ribbing effect, making sure cast on stitches do not get twisted as you go around.
  • K1, P1 for 8 to 10 rows, depending on how long you want the ribbing to be.
  • Starting knitting in the round using stockinette stitch, continue until piece measures about 14 inches.
  • Next start decreasing, K5, K2tog* repeat to end of row. (36 stitches)
  • K4, K2tog* repeat to end of row. (30 stitches)
  • K3, K2tog* repeat to end of row.
  • K2, K2tog* repeat to end of row. (18 stitches)
  • Knit Row, don't decrease (18 stitches)
  • K2tog all the way around (9 stitches),  cut a long tail (10-12 inches) and thread it through large needle. 
  • Thread yarn through last 9 stitches and pull tight to close. Sew in ends and you are done!
This is kind of what it will look like once baby is here
Picture by Stacy Ziegler

June 2, 2011

~FIVE~


I now have a five year old, how in the heck is that possible??!! My little man, Landon, turned five yesterday and I did not have a chance to blog due to his sick little brothers taking up pretty much my entire time. (Ethan acted like I was torturing him when I would have to set him down to go to the bathroom, 20 seconds of pure torture!) Despite the sickies, we really had a nice day. I made breakfast and we all at as a family (since Ted took the day off from work), and then Landon got to open his presents from us.

He got a new fishing pole and a tackle box with some goodies to go in it. He has been really into fishing, and every year we go on a fishing vacation and he is now getting to the age where he will be able to fish a lot more and not just hang out in the boat. He kept that tackle box with him all day long, opening, closing, taking it off to just put it back on. It was great seeing his excitement for his present. We had a birthday lunch at the Whippy Dip, and then had grandparents and Uncle Sam over for supper. As we were laying in bed last night, Landon told me it was the best day of his life. Can't get much better than that!

Five years (and 1 day) ago, Landon gave us a huge surprise when he arrived 5 weeks early. He has been full of surprises since. He is my intelligent, "wants to know how and why things work", fun loving and goofey, amazing first born son. Love you more than word, Landy!