Preparing for Gordon

All of our Gordon-Preparations are done (with the exception of packing a hospital bag). I've sewed my heart out, crocheted until I felt like my hand was going to fall off and enlisted Brad's help to move some furniture. :) 

 Our room has been rearranged to accommodate the rocking chair, and bassinet. We - well - Brad, stacked our nightstands in the closet and pushed the bed against the wall to make this possible. I'm pleasantly surprised by how well it all fits! 

 We'd like to find a little table or set of drawers to put between to the bed and rocker - a place for phones and nursing/baby stuff. 

 The rocking chair used to be in the kids room - we switched it out for another chair and changed the corner in their room a bit. 

 Brad went to Detroit for a day to visit a church plant there and was able to stop at Ikea on the way home, he got this great "map" rug for the kids and new feather pillow insert for me(Baxter demolished one of mine - long, but kinda funny, story.). It has helped this corner not feel so bare - plus the kids have enjoyed it!

Here's a view from the rocking chair across the hall - I like that I have a (small) line of sight into the space where Lu and Michael play. I'm hoping this is helpful while nursing, time will tell. 

 Onto all the details on this adorable basinet!

 We are the third generation of Kidders to use this basinet! I love family heirlooms. Grandpa Wayne slept in it when he was a little baby and so did Brad and Aunt Amy! :) Lucy and Michael both slept in our pack-n-play during their first weeks but I am so thankful to have a smaller bed for Gordon in our smaller space. We're still hoping to utilize the pack-n-play though, the plan is to set it up downstairs in the dining room so we have a place to set Gordon up off the floor and out of reach of his siblings (Haha - that's probably wishful thinking!).

 To soften and freshen it up a bit, I made a liner from left-over boy-bedding fabric (this is what the crib skirt and curtains were made out of for Michael's nursery) and few custom mattress pads and sheets to fit the mattress of the basinet. 

 Here's Gordon's finished quilt! I wanted to use blue and green, like Michael's, but pull in some red (instead of orange - like M's) - I'm thrilled with how it turned out. :)

 I can't make my babies a quilt without green polkadot backing! :) 

 Matching pillowcase for me to use at the hospital and for Gordon to use later when he graduates from the crib to a big-boy bed. :) 

 I used the zig-zag fabric as inspiration for coloring for Gordon's afghan. 

 Granny Square Afghan 

 This is actually the same type of yarn I used for Michael's afghan - I even used three of the same colors (but added red)! (To see Michael's afghan, click here.) I knew I wanted red in Gordon's afghan and wanted to incorporate white with green or blue, but blue/red/white reads "americana" and red/green/white reads "christmas" - so I decided to use all four colors. :) 

 Customized Burp Cloths (I made 6, two of them are in the "put in hospital bag" pile).

 Mamma-Made Swaddles, two flannel and two gauze - I'm excited to try the gauze ones! I've never used them on my kiddos but have liked how they "wrap" when swaddling friend's babies. 

 My mom sent Gordon's "Grammy Blanket" and pillow a bit early! I love them! Lucy and Michael cuddle up in their Grammy Blankets with their matching pillows all. the. time in the living room - I'm excited for Gordon to join in the fun too! :) 

 Isn't that ABC fabric amazing? LOVE IT! 

 Here's Gordon's coming home outfit - I'm so excited about it! We are fans of the show Project Runway and this darling "suit" is similar to one of the "design a baby outfit" winners from a few seasons ago. I especially like that the zipper doesn't go all the way up the neck - zippers on new babies, in my experience, tend to be scratchy. 

 This isn't the shirt the outfit came with - but I'm sure you'll see it in other pictures on Gordon. It has monsters on it and I wanted something a little more "sweet" for his coming home outfit - not than an electric guitar falls into the "sweet" category ether though haha! The sentiments are "sweet" right? :)

Last but not least, my Uncle sent Gordon's "buddies!" Meet the "Gators" - aren't they adorable? I love their texture! Michael has his Moose and now Gordon has some Gators to keep him company. :) 

Ok Gordon boy, we're ready! Come whenever you'd like.

Delightful Seams

Hi friends,

I just wanted to let you know, although most of you have probably seen it on Facebook and Twitter AND Instagram, that I've taken the plunge and opened an Etsy shop! :)

So far I'm selling table runners and banners but will soon add nursing covers and burp cloths to the "for sale" items. :) I hope to eventually sell swaddle blankets too! If there is anything in particular you'd like to see, let me know! I've added a link to the left hand side of the blog - you should see some pictures of current items I have for sale with a place to click below that will take you directly to the shop. Take a glance over there every now and then to see if anything catches your eye. :) 

I WELCOME custom orders and would love to work with you to find fabrics you love!* I'm working on collecting pictures of items I've made in the past so I can give examples of what I can make. I've received one custom order for baby bedding already and am anxiously awaiting on the fabric to arrive in the mail so I can get started! In the meantime I'm working away on MY baby's quilt - it's almost done - I'm hoping to get it done by Friday (when my 9lb package of fabric and supplies is due to arrive). :) 

*To place a custom order head over to the shop and click, "request a custom order" below my picture on the left-hand side - that will start a conversation between you and me so we can chat about what you are looking for. Once we agree on all the details (colors, fabrics, price and desired items) I'll create your order and we can get started! :)  

Thanks to all my friends who have shared the link to my site and said such nice things about the quality of my work - I SO appreciate your support!

A special thanks to my sweet husband Brad - who was the one to encourage me to take this step. I've been afraid to do this for a long time even though I've had the desire to. I'm afraid of being busy (aka. stressed) and taking on more than I can handle and Brad pointed out that if those things did happen it would mean that the Lord was blessing us with success and that's nothing to be afraid of. Thanks for believing in me Love and for encouraging me to take steps of faith, turning from fear.

Well friends, you now know where to go for things made-with-love for the beloved people and spaces in your life - I'd be honored to make something for YOU!

Mommy-Made Gifts, a Fun Fishing Game

Back when I first started window shopping for Lucy's birthday gifts I realized a lot of the stuff I wanted to get for her was for her age specifically and would be ether frustrating if Michael tried to join in (Playmobil sets) or was stuff that was above his current capabilities (Games and Puzzles). I like the kids to give each other a gift every year for their birthday that they can do together and as I started thinking about this.... ding ding ding! A magnetic fishing game! Perfect! Now to find one I liked (haha - sometimes a hard task).

Much to my chagrin, most of the sets online were plastic - I don't mind plastic, they just looked "plastic." Does that make sense? The one set I found that I liked a lot was this one, made by Janod - but I really didn't want to spend $20... My next stop was Pinterest (maybe should have been my first stop?) and I found this adorable idea:

(I've tried to follow the link but the original post doesn't exist anymore :-/ ) 

The moment I saw this pin, I knew I was going to make Lucy a fishing game! And as I started gathering supplies - I had 90% of the needed supplies already on hand. 

Usually I'd just give you a link to the tutorial I followed and give you a few things I learned along the way - but because there isn't a tutorial, I thought I'd share a little one of my own! :) Let me know if you have any questions! 

1. Gather your supplies.

 You'll need 

• Felt
• Coordinating fabric scraps
• A large blue piece of fabric (this will be your water - totally optional).
• Pinking Sheers
• Scissors
• Fish Shape Template (I freehanded mine and cut it out of regular paper) and Fish Face Template (using your Fish body template as a guide, make a face template)
• Coordinating Buttons
• Sewing Machine
• Coordinating thread (optional but fun)
• Twine or ribbon
• Magnets
• Embroidery Thread
• Hot Glue Gun and Glue
• A sturdy but slender dowel

2. Using your Fish Body Template, trace and cut out the pieces of your fishies from both the felt and fabric. When cutting the felt, use straight scissors and when cutting the fabric, use pinking sheers and cut inside your guide (that way they will be a bit smaller than the felt ones). Using the Fish Face template, cut a piece out of the felt*.

*I learned the hard way - my first round of fish faces were too short and didn't end up covering the magnet's I purchased. So take magnet size into consideration when you cut out your faces. You can also double up the felt on the face to make it more sturdy - I ended up doing this with round 2 faces because my felt is pretty cheep and I didn't want the magnet to make it "pull" after it had been used for awhile. 

3. Match up your coordinating buttons with your fabric fishes - sit back and admire your work thus far.

4. Using your sewing machine, straight stitch around the fish. This secures your fabric fish to the coordinating felt fish.

5. Glue your Magnet onto the "face area" of your fish. I used E6000. This step is optional, but I didn't want the magnet "Floating" around in the face of the fish, I worried it would result in misshapen fish. Haha, maybe I was over thinking it, but I did it. :)

 Here is the packaging from the magnets I purchased. I got two packs from Hobby Lobby.

6. Sew your button eyes onto the fish faces. (These were Round 1 faces :-/ I had to do this step twice... )

7. I used Embroidery Thread and stitched my faces onto the bodies - I had hopped to do this step with my sewing machine, but my magnets were too large and my machine couldn't stitch around them. Oh well, that's what you get for purchasing economical but strong magnets (seriously you can spend a lot of money on magnets!).

8. Make "Worms" - be creative! I sandwiched my twine string in between two pieces of felt with "worms" sewn on. My "worms" are crosses between hooks and bugs... I like them, but they might not make the kids think "bait" upon first look. Haha

I zig-zagged my string to a piece of felt, before sewing the fabric on so the stitching would be "hidden." After prepping both sides, I glued a magnet between the two sides and stiched around the edging with embroidery thread. 

 Testing testing 1 2 3! It works! :) 

9. Make your Fishing Rods, I had my dowel into two equal pieces (Brad did this step for me) and then I glued the twine onto them.

 My Handy-Dandy-Crafting-Tray! Everyone needs one. No Joke. 

 I eyeballed how long I wanted the drop to be from Rod to Worm and glued my twine straight back about 3 inches onto the dowel. 

 Then I rolled the twine around, attaching it with hot glue. 

 I finished the end by putting hot glue on the tip, laying my raw end onto it and covering as much as I could with my "worm string" make sense? I hope the above picture is worth a thousand words. Haha :)

 Finished fishing rods! 

10. Optional, hem your "water" fabric. I didn't have navy thread, so I got fancy with a decorative stitch and a different color blue. 

This is old light-blocking curtain fabric from our Chicago Condo - I've used it to line Michael's current curtains and had the perfect amount left for this project! :) Yeah for using what you've got!

11. Sit back and admire your hard work!

(Optional) Try it out before the kids see! :)

I hope that was clear! Again, please ask questions if I need to clarify or completely left something out!

I had everything except the Magnets and Twine (I had JUST run out!) - so I was able to make this fun game for $7 

I can't wait for Lucy to get her "fishing game" from Michael on Friday - 5 more days.... :) 

Mommy-Made Gifts, a Nightgown for My 3 Year Old

We're officially 6 days from my daughter's 3rd birthday! Oh boy.... I'm so excited! I forget how much I love birthdays until one is close! :)

I really like making gifts for people - Last year, for Lucy's birthday I made a Tutu for Ellie/Carolina (See some pictures here) and a chef hat (See pictures here), oh and a cute baby carrier - but I don't think I have any pictures of it (yet). For some reason I didn't write a post about her home-made gifts last year, oh well. :)

Confession: Michael didn't get any homemade gifts for his 1st birthday... I'll have to work on that this year, maybe I should start working on it sooner than later since his little sibling will arrive a month before his 2nd birthday!

I recently recommended a show to friends on Facebook, "The Great British Sewing Bee" - all 4 episodes are on YouTube and are absolutely delightful. I learned so much about sewing just from watching the show! One thing I learned is that there is something called a "rolled hem" (I'd never heard of it before) and after some research I found that there is a special sewing foot that helps when sewing with this technique. And then, after searching through my sewing accessories - I found one (comprehensive readers will remember my excitement from this post)! Sadly, it didn't fit onto my modern sewing machine (my antique one is not working these days) but I found another foot, that would fit my machine, on Amazon (love that place!).  And with my new foot in hand, I began working on my project! :) 

Lucy loves nightgowns (and needed another set of PJs) so when I found this tutorial I knew I wanted to make it for her. I'd recommend the tutorial to YOU too, I found it easy to follow! I'm definitely keeping my eye out for pillowcases at thrift stores now! I didn't have a pillowcase on hand so I bought 1 yd of fabric and that was enough for my project. I made the skirt pretty full, so you might be able to get away with a bit less yardage if you wanted to. Here are a few of my notes for the next time I make this pattern: 

1. Because I don't have a serger, I used french seams on the whole nightgown - this made the final product closer to a 3T (The patten says it's about a 4T) 
2. Next time, I'll cut the back wider (More length toward the middle of the back) to allow for more creativity with the closure in the back. 
3. Used 1 Yd of fabric, and cut 20x44 for the skirt
4. I made Bias "tape" for the neckline and used some of the extra to make a "ribbon" to help with the button closure in the back. 
5. I'd like to work on making the "gathering" look more even next time. It looked so nice but then I finished the french seam and the gathers didn't "transition well" under the second seam. 

Here's the finished product! 

It's NOT perfect - but I learned a lot when working on it and am thrilled with the results! 

I practiced the Rolled Hem technique on a few scraps before attempting it on the "real thing" and I'm glad I did. I still had to rip out the first seam I did on a sleeve but I adjusted my machine and then it worked great! :) 

 Here's the finished product - a rolled hem on the little cap sleeves of the nightgown. :) So small and delicate!

I have no self control. I was so excited to see the nightgown on Lucy that she got her gift yesterday! :) 

 The cap sleeves are darling! 

 She and Ellie loved it!

She wore it for dinner yesterday, on a walk and then slept in it! Haha She woke up this morning and told me she wants to say in her new-jammies all day! That's all the thanks this mommy needs. :) 

I'm working on one more mommy-made gift, hopefully I'll finish during nap time today! Being creative makes me so happy! Are you the same way? Have you learned any new sewing techniques lately?