Gingham Crib Quilt

A few months ago we bought some new things for my son's room. His crib and dresser are light wood and his crib sheet is mint green with a white blanket. I loved everything together, but I needed to add a bit more color. I loved the idea of adding navy and a mustard or orange color.

I found the perfect grey, blue, and navy fabric at Super Buzzy in Ventura. 

I calculated how much fabric I had and how big I could make the quilt. If I did 4 inch squares (5" including the seam allowance), I could make a 45"x55" quilt, roughly the size of a crib quilt. 

I had just enough of each color to make this happen. I had a half yard of the grey and navy fabrics and one yard of the blue. Here is the gingham pattern all laid out:

Fabric all cut!

Once I had the gingham pattern sewn together, I started my search for the perfect fabric for the backing. 

I found the most perfect fabric at Joann. I fell in love with it right away. Its a white cotton with navy, blue, and mustard X's. The pattern is so simple and delicate, just what I had hoped for. It also made the decision easy for me: the binding had to be mustard!

My little helper!

The most time consuming part was stitching the straight lines on each side of each seam. It took a long time, but it was worth it. No other quilting technique would have don't this quilt justice. 

I found the matching shade of mustard quilting cotton from Quilty Pleasures. 

The "X" fabric perfectly matches the mustard binding and the blues. 

All finished! Just in time for the weather to get a little chilly! 

The best thing about quilts is that they get softer and softer with each wash. I've loved to watch my son grow attached to his new quilt. Every once in a while, he will drag it around the house with him after he wakes up from a nap and it makes my heart melt. 

Felt Sea Creatures

Around the same time I made this, I also started to make a baby mobile. I really liked these ones so I started to make little sea creatures out of felt.



Now, nearly a year later, I still haven't done anything with them. I had five little sea creatures hanging from string just waiting to be hung on a mobile. Maybe it was because we have been sharing a room with Peter, or maybe its simply because I wouldn't know what materials were needed to make the rest of the mobile. Whatever the reason, they've been collecting dust.

We are finally moving to a bigger place and Peter will be getting his own room! Long overdue. However, I still gave up on the mobile idea. Instead, I cut the stings off and just threw them into Peter's toy basket. He loves all the little toys that he can hold easily, examine, and (of course) put in his mouth! It makes me so happy to watch him play with these little creatures I made for him.

The turtle is his favorite so far! Also, Christmas jammies are fitting him early. He is growing too fast!

I made a whale, two types of fish, a starfish, and a sea turtle.
The whale was my first attempt. The shape is a little awkward, but I like the contrasting stitching. The turtle and the striped fish are my two favorites.

I plan on making Peter a lot more felt creatures. The next ones will be bigger and more three dimensional. 

French Terry Shorts Remake

When Peter was super tiny, I bought him these shorts in a 3-6 month size, hoping they would fit him for the summer months. However, despite the fact that he is only five months old, Peter is already comfortably fitting into 12-18 month clothes. Needless to say, we are in need of some bigger shorts. (This project was on my to-do list on this post.)

I love these shorts I got at Cotton On Kids. They are so cute and comfortable and they are made of french terry fabric. Peter is so comfortable in them!

Peter's curious little hand exploring my pattern making station

I traced the small shorts, added about a half inch to each side, added more for seam allowance, and cut out my pattern. I know a half inch added on all sides is a lot to add, but I wanted these shorts to fit him for a long time, and the shorts I traced were a few sizes too small.





The shorts ended up fitting him great! The fabric I used is so soft and stretchy. I used the wrong side of the fabric for the waistband to match the cuffed hem on the legs.
I will definitely use this pattern again and possibly draft a larger size as well for when Peter outgrows this size. 

Baby Peter!

Baby Peter was born on March 6th and we cannot believe how in love we are!

He is big and very long (no surprise, I am 6'0" and my husband is 6'6")!

He has the sweetest face and the sweetest voice and we are so lucky he is ours.

From out newborn photoshoot with Rachel Marie Photography

For his coming home outfit, I brought a cute blue and white striped sleeper and a navy beanie I made. Sadly, the beanie was too small for him! 

So he has yet to wear something made by me. I can't wait to make him some cute clothes. He is two weeks old and has officially outgrown his newborn clothes. On to 0-3 month sizes! 

Braided Pacifier Clips

On my most recent trip into LA with my sisters in law, we got a few suspender clips and lots of leather trim to make these braided pacifier clips. The leather trim was extremely cheap ($1 for 5 yards) but the suspender clips ($0.50 each) are cheaper online. 

One of my sisters has a five month old baby and another is expecting a baby a few months after me, so it has been so fun to craft and plan with them! Those three cousins will grow up to be best buds!

We each made a few pacifier clips together on Christmas. 

The two colors that I got were teal and tan. 

The end result!

I have a lot of leftover trim and have plans to buy some more suspender clips online. I think this is a super easy and cute gift I can give to other friends who are in the baby-making phase of life. 

Forrest Green Moccasins!

My first attempt at making moccasins turned out surprisingly perfect. 

In comparison, my second pair was a bit of a disappointment! 

I was so excited about the dark green color and pieces of leather I found were softer. Turns out, the soft leather is a little harder to work with because it isn't as easily manipulated under the foot of my sewing machine. It proved to be pretty difficult when I was sewing the fringe pieces to the heel and the toe pieces. 

Pieces cut out!

Overall, they still look cute. Plus, they turned out a bit smaller than the other pair, so my baby will have two different sizes to wear!

Baby Sleeper Pattern Adjustment

Like I mentioned in a previous post, the proportions of the baby sleeper pattern need some adjusting. Since I have been accumulating tons of clothes for my baby, I was easily able to compare my handmade sleeper to other clothes to determine how it needed to be adjusted. 

The body width and length would fit a six month old, but the arms and legs only fit a three month old. 

The sleeve and the bodice/legs pattern pieces

If I add about an inch to the arms and legs, They would be better proportioned to the body. 

I cut both pattern pieces and added an inch and a half length. I made sure to cut them in an area that would only be sewn at the arm and leg seams. I did not want to affect the way any pattern pieces were attached together. 

Bodice cut, extra paper added to the sleeve

Here are the before and after comparisons:

Super simple and quick fix! 

I think this small change will make a bid difference in my little sleepers. 

I went to LA with my sisters in law a few weeks ago with grand plans for projects I had in mind for myself. However, I ended up coming home with only fabric for my baby, so I have lots of options to choose from to test out this new and improved pattern.

Another Color Block Sleeper

I just can't get enough of these color block sleepers! They are so easy to make and so adorable!

My knit collection is still pretty extensive, especially my blue color options! I think a huge part of why I love making these is because I just want to use up the fabric I have stockpiled! 

My sister and I noticed with the one I made my nephew Freddy that the fit was not perfect. It was extra wide and a little short, even on a normally proportioned baby. 

I'm used to adjusting patterns for myself, but I'm a little nervous to adjust my pattern for this sleeper. This latest one I made is the same old pattern, but for any future sleepers I will try to lengthen it a bit for a better fit. Besides, a better fit means it will fit the baby longer!! 

Leather Baby Moccasins

On my last LA fabric shopping trip in June, I bought a few pieces of leather with plans to make some baby moccasins!

The two leather pieces I bought were each no larger than a square foot and cost a few dollars each.

I searched online and found this tutorial and this pattern. It was so easy to follow and i made my moccasins in under an hour. 

They should fit baby Kempler at about 6-12 months old!

I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome! Not too shabby for my first attempt at sewing with leather. 

This project was risky because I used a regular needle, not a leather needle. Nothing broke, thank goodness, but I may buy a needle specifically for sewing with leather if I plan to make more of these. 

When sewing with leather, you can't make mistakes! Threads create permanent holes in the leather and stay there even when a seam is unpicked. 

I am so happy with how they turned out. I think I will grab a whole lot more leather when I head back to LA.

Little Fish Apparel

My mother-in-law and sister-in-law are amazing seamstresses. I love fabric shopping with them and brainstorming project ideas together.

Here we are on our latest LA fabric district trip a few months ago!
Baby Kempler was a little grain of rice back then, even though I didn't know it yet!

My sister-in-law Rachel recently launched her business Little Fish Apparel. They sell the cutest little euro style swim trunks for boys. The cut is so stylish and the simple fabrics are so cute and classic. 

She is such a talented seamstress and pattern maker (she makes her own patterns)!

Rachel says:

"I started Little Fish when I couldn't find the options I wanted for my boys in stores. Swimsuits for boys are typically bulky, uncomfortable, and there aren't many variations. So Little Fish was born."

Using the coupon code SAVE20 will get you 20% off from now through the end of the year!

Little Fish on Instagram

Check out their website!

Baby Blessing Dress

In my children's clothing class in college, one of the assignments was a baby blessing dress. I won't get any use out of it any time soon, but I am saving it for my baby girl some day!

I used two types of white tricot fabric: sheer and opaque. The bodice, sleeves, and both skirt layers all have sheer tricot laying over opaque tricot. The two layers gives the fabric a really pretty sheen. 

Tricot is perfect for a blessing dress because it is super soft and stretchy.

The two long skirt layers. Each layer is finished off with thick satin ribbon. 

I wasn't sure what embellishments/trim to add to the dress at the time. I'm glad I kept it simple because my style is always evolving and my options are endless! I can always add lace or more ribbon later. 

Baby Kempler!

BABY BOY KEMPLER DUE IN MARCH!

We can't wait for this sweet baby to arrive! I have been so busy lately that I haven't had time to sew anything new, but now that my body is so rapidly changing, all the more reason to sew for my baby!

This picture was taken the week we found out we were pregnant (in July). I was so convinced there was already a bump, but there definitely wasn't one yet!

I love sewing for babies and I'm so happy that I now have the perfect excuse to do more of it. I love the soft knit fabrics and the fun colors that come with children's clothes. Plus, they are always comfortable, durable, and easy to clean. 

The same week we found out we were pregnant I went through my fabric stash and pulled all the knit fabrics. I have a pretty good stash already, but I'm sure it will grow over the next few months. 

My mother-in-law gave us this little dresser for the baby's things. I immediately found the right corner for it and filled it with the few things we already have.

 

Now THAT is a bump! This was taken in October right around our half way mark! 

More Baby Clothes

When I visited my parent's house a while ago, I went through my box of handmade baby clothes. It is full of things I made in my children's clothing class in school that I have been saving for nephews, nieces, or my own babies. 

Here are a few of my favorite items:

Striped fleece sleeper

I made this weeks after learning that my sister was pregnant with her first child. I was so excited, and even though I didn't know if she was having a boy or a girl, I got to work on the baby clothes! This one turned out a little feminine, so it has yet to find a home. 

Strange towel bibs

These are so funny to me! I posted a picture of Henry in one of these bibs a while ago. I made a bunch of them because they are so easy to make and convenient to have around. I have yet to decide if they are the most practical design for a bib...

Newborn cap and booties

Classic newborn cap and booties. I've made a few sets of these for baby showers throughout the years. They, too, are easy to make and so cute on little newborns!

Color Block Sleeper Update

Quick update on my previous post: My nephew is KILLING IT in the onesie I made him.

He is now seven weeks old, a solid 15 pounds, and still fits in his color block onesie.

I can't get enough of him! Or that outfit!

These pictures are from when he was only a week old, swimming in his outfit!

Baby Bow Ties

For our wedding, I had a very specific idea of how I wanted everyone to look (pretty standard for one's own wedding). I didn't want anyone to match, just coordinate. There is a HUGE difference.
However, when it came to my two sweet nephews, I wanted them to match! I imagined them in tan pants with a blue collared onesie and a bow tie. I searched and searched for the perfect little shirts and finally found them!
Their bow ties are made by me. I was a little nervous because they turned out MASSIVE, but they looked so stinkin' cute.

Jesse and I feel lucky because we have a special bond with all of our nephews: We were dating when Henry was born, we were engaged when Luke was born, and little Fredrick was born a week ago! I'm so lucky to have such adorable nephews and such awesome sisters who keep having babies! 

Color Block Baby Sleeper

A few weeks ago I went to my sisters baby shower. I realized the night before that I didn't have a gift! I hurried and dug up my fabric collection and layer out all of my knit fabrics. I had some patterned, some pink, some stripes, and a LOT of blue. I decided to use all of them!

With baby clothes, I'm never picky about my fabric because it requires such small amounts and I use whatever I have already. I have noticed that I tend to go with the color block, straight-out-of-the-90's style (exhibit A). 

So much blue! Perfect for a baby boy outfit.

A few of my baby patterns. I decided to make a sleeper because it had the most pattern pieces for color blocking.

I never take pictures mid process, but I did manage to catch one.

Work in progress!

Sleeve detail

Foot detail

And the finished product! I used a grey zipper because it was all I had.. 

The adorable elbow patches were Jesse's idea! I loved the idea so much, I almost cried! Now we can consider it a team effort, right? 

I was really happy with how it turned out and my sister loved it, too! Her due date is a week away and I can't wait to see him in it!