Progressive Pioneer

Fancy Shadow Puppets the Easy Way

This was such a fun project I did for PiccoliniTV.  The result is sophisticated, but the process is so simple that your toddler can totally help.  We love turning down the lights at night and having our very own shadow puppet theater performance, so cozy and sweet:)

Upcycled Musical Instruments

Hey there!  I'm still producing a few videos for Barilla's PiccoliniTV (the contract runs through the summer, I think), so I'll post here whenever a new one is up.  This week's video is about making instruments; Sam and I had such a fun time:)  

If you watch the video, hang in there until the end when the kids do a little demo.  I'm a bit biased about the adorableness of my kids, but the last bit really is cute:)  So, if you've got a full recycling bin and don't mind a little noise (er, I mean music...), this is a really fun afternoon project. 

So what have you guys been up to? What's new in the blogosphere?  I miss you!  Though, I have to admit there have been more trips to the park, more sewing projects completed, more sleeping in and snuggling...  The house still isn't any cleaner though!

Have a wonderful weekend and happy 4th of July!

Sam's Modern Art

Remember the big painting Sam did?  We made a video for Piccolini.TV and you can see how he made it from the initial laying on of texture and base coat, to color selection, painting and the final result over the mantle.  It makes me happy every time I see this huge splash of color in our living room:)

Through the Window

While spring has certainly arrived, she's certainly not wearing her party dress, but rather something more along the lines of muck boots and overalls.  The view from our front window is still pretty dreary, mostly the grays and browns of early spring.  There are a few hints of green here and there.  But we decided we needed LOTS of green with bright, cheerful spring colors.  So, we painted our own flower garden right on the window!  Now, the view through the front window is decidedly spring-like.

Often our best projects are those last-minute, completely unplanned, lets-do-something-crazy kind of projects.  Sam was getting cabin-fever and as I gazed out the window past the paper snowflakes that (still) hung as reminders of the season only recently left behind, I realized that his washable paints would be the perfect thing to dress up our window and perk up a rather boring afternoon.

We just used those regular old acrylic paints, a few brushes and a flower shaped stamp I had lying around.  The project was really kid-friendly because it just involved lots of green stripes and stamping the flower over and over and over. 

Vivian was very impressed with our handiwork, perhaps transfixed would be the more accurate term.  As soon as she caught sight of the window she practically leapt right out of my arms to get to it.  She loves trying to grab all the pretty colors.

Whenever I happen to glance out the window, I can almost imagine for a minute that it really is a yard full of flowers I'm gazing out at.  Try it; if you squint your eyes a little, don't you think it kind of works?  Until the real flowers start blooming, I think these cheerful approximations will stand in nicely.

I Am a Productive Human Being; I've Got Mittens to Show for It

Some days I feel as if I can't get out of my own way.  At the end of the day I can't think of a single thing I've started and actually finished...  Nothing to show for my incredibly long, exhausting day!  Such is the life of a mom.  The "product" we produce is a lack of chaos, nothing you can hold up proudly and say, "Look what I did!" but rather, a lack of dirty dishes in the sink, a lack of hungry tummies, a lack of piles of dirty laundry.  If we do our jobs well enough, it's hardly noticeable, just a clean, well-run home to show for it.  It looks so easy from the outside!  I think this is why things like sewing and knitting, and creating things are so appealing to me.  There's actually a concrete object to show for my work, something I can hold in my hands (aside from sweet, happy babies, of course; they're plenty holdable, huggable and clear evidence of a labor of love). So, after a day of feeling as if I've accomplished nothing, it feels good to sit down to a quick and satisfying project.  The mittens I made Sam last year got a hole in the thumb.  I fixed it, but it made the thumb considerably shorter and they were getting a bit small anyway.  So, I dug into the basket of felted wool sweaters and whipped up a few more pairs for Sam.  The first time I traced his hand to make a pattern.  This time I just traced the already made mitten, adding a bit more for a seam allowance to to make them slightly larger, since he's a year older.  These are the absolute easiest project in the world, and it feels so satisfying to see a stack of something, anything, actually finished.  It helps when Sam dances around with glee when I make him things too:)  I also whipped up a few pairs of leg warmers from some worn out socks for Vivian.  Got to keep those babies warm!

Totally Worth the Price of a Spool of Thread

We're all missing the easy days of summer here when I could just send Sam out into the backyard for hours on end.  His outdoor time has shortened considerably; it's about equal to the time it takes me to bundle him up and get him ready to head out!  Before long he's chilly and back inside, ready for some indoor play.  We've had to get a little creative with our indoor activities.  Yesterday's was a big hit though.  It involved using an entire spool of thread, but it was so worth it.  And the clean up wasn't nearly as bad as it looks.  After snipping in a few crucial places all the thread easily gathered into a ball. 

Sam's been in a spider phase and has been wearing the costume his dad made each and every day and only taking it off for bed and meals (the extra legs get in the way of eating).  I suggested that he might like to spin a web like a real spider and he immediately lit up at the idea.

It was so great because it didn't require him to follow any particular pattern or anything to make it look awesome.  We just set up some chairs opposite the piano and the leg of a plant stand and he wove back and forth, over and under, back and forth until, before long, he had himself a very impressive web.  So effective, in fact, that he tangled himself in it several times.  I loved watching him concentrate and  seeing him learn as he went, trying first one way, then another.

A few hapless plastic bugs met their fate among its strands.

Once the web was complete Sam donned the costume again (he did have to remove it while making the web as he kept getting his own legs tangled in it!) and spent the afternoon trapping bugs and dreaming about being a spider.

Secret Santa Saturdays, The Books

This weekend is our first Secret Santa Saturday.  I've been compiling list after list of fun ideas!!  But first I thought I'd start out with a list of some excellent books to get you in the mood, books about making everything from homemade mustard to go-carts.  And, of course, I'm hoping you will leave your own favorite books and resources in the comments for all to see.

Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Recipes

Handy Dad: 25 Awesome Projects for Dads and Kids

Wee Wonderfuls: 24 Dolls to Sew and Love

Canning for a New Generation

Little Birds

The Black Apple's Paper Doll Primer

Fanciful Felties

Gifted: Lovely Little Things to Knit and Crochet

Felt Wee Folk

Gifts Cooks Love: Recipes for Giving

Zany Wooden Toys That Whiz, Spin, Pop, and Fly

Chocolates, Sweets & Candies: Hand-Made Temptations to Give

That should get you started!  On Saturday I'll have a whole list of fun project ideas.

Back on the Needles Again

:: Links ::

Yarn is KnitPicks Wild West

The Holiday Making Begins

I couldn't even wait until after Thanksgiving to get started on Christmas presents!  Of course, starting early is probably a good idea if I'm really going to do handmade gifts for everyone.  So far I've started, but haven't finished, a gift for Clay, my parents, Vivian, and my secret sibling gift exchange person.  There are still quite a few more on the list...

Both of the kids are getting a stuffed animal from Bird and Little Bird; a fox for Sam, and rabbit for Vivian.  I'm doing both from kits and I'm totally sold on the idea.  Doing a stuffed animal all on my own sounded a little too intimidating, but Annie sends out these charming kits with super easy instructions (pictures for every tiny step!) and the pieces are even cut out already!  I've only had a chance to sit down to it once or twice, but I already have all four limbs and the ears sewn and some of them stuffed (progress was made after the above picture was taken; at that point I only had one ear done, but look how dang cute it is!).  I just about die of cuteness every time I see the almost-put-together Ms. Rabbit.  I think I'll set their animals by their stockings Christmas morning...  I can hardly wait!

I've also got a sweater on the needles for Vivian.  It's the Elizabeth Zimmerman Baby Surprise Jacket, which was the easiest one I could find.  If you recall, Viv's booties are the most complicated thing I've attempted yet and it took a lot of brain power to figure out!  If this goes well, maybe I'll try a toddler one for Sam...

What about you guys?  Am I the only crazy lady that's already starting on Christmas presents or are you busy planning and making too?

Introducing Secret Santa Saturdays!

They won't be coming for a month, but get excited, Secret Santa Saturdays are going to be awesome!  I'm doubling up on weekend giveaways for the month of November and will end giveaways for the year with a Holiday Gift Guide.  Starting in December, Saturdays will be devoted to inspiration and how-tos for a handmade holiday! 

I've already begun compiling lists and websites and I'm getting so excited!  I think I've figured out what I'm going to make for everyone.  And we might just hit the Hundred Dollar Holiday goal!  If you'd like to join us, or just want to add a little handmade goodness to your holidays, I hope that Secret Santa Saturdays will be a great source of inspiration. 

The plan is to start with the more ambitious project ideas at the beginning of the month and work our way into more last-minute, quick-to-whip-up projects towards the end (for all us procrastinators!).  So, enjoy a month of double giveaways and another month of so many fun ideas you'll wish the holidays came twice a year!
image from Little Sister Handmade

More inspiration about simple holidays can be found here and here. 

Costumes

The fabric scraps are flying; we're knee deep in faux fur!  Ah, the week before Halloween.  I love dressing up and making costumes, and luckily I married someone who gets equally excited about it. 
Clay is in charge of making Sam's costume and I'm in charge of Vivian's.  Sam picked out what he wants to be, so we're making Vivian a co-ordinating outfit.  Can you guess what they're dressing up as? 

We'll have the big reveal next Monday after Halloween...

The Bigger, Better Bib

Posting that picture of Sam eating his baked oatmeal in his big, plaid bib reminded that I wanted to tell you about it!  Sam had some great bibs that worked for awhile when he was small.  But as he outgrew his bibs, he didn't necessarily outgrow his need for them.  And bibs that only hit mid-chest do little to minimize the effects of enthusiastic toddler eating.  

And so, it was off to the scrap pile to see if we couldn't make something more suitable.

The fun thing about making things yourself is that you can make them perfectly suited to your own needs.  I measured Sam's neck to get the fit just right and used a dish towel to figure out just how much area we needed to cover.  I wanted ample coverage, and no chance of food sliding straight down the front and into his lap.  So, we designed a bib that also functions as a place mat.  From his neck all the way across his high chair tray, he's now covered in a waterproof and easy-to-wipe-off, extra large bib.

All I really did was make a rectangle with a circle on top (I trimmed the top corners of the rectangle though).  Piece. of. cake.  The material was that same outdoor picnic cloth I used for the cloth ziploc bags.  I folded it over (so both sides were the waterproof material), cut out the shape and then stitched the sides together.  Because I was in a hurry I just left them like that.  But, were you so inclined, you could make them much neater by folding them under and then sewing, or adding some sort of bias tape or something.  But, it does the job it was designed for beautifully.  No more chunks of soggy oatmeal in Sam's lap and it's a snap to run it under the faucet or wipe it off with a sponge.  And Sam, that little sweetheart, has said several times, "This is a really nice bib, Mom!"  He feels so special 
when I make stuff for him.  And so, I will continue to do so for as long as he likes:)

Felt Toys

I've had this cozy basket of roving sitting in my craft room, patiently waiting to be turned into something for quite some time now.  I'd been curious to try the felt ball in nylon stockings thing that I've seen floating around the web.  So, last week Sam and I gave it a try.

Sam is 100% on board with anything involving water.  I recently moved this bench into the kitchen and it has turned into Sam's "work station."  He cooks there, with dry beans, wooden spoons and silver bowls, while I'm making dinner.  He gives his plastic animals baths in the same silver bowls and uses the bench as a work space for building clay creations.  It's wonderful because I spend so much time in the kitchen and he can be right there alongside me.  So, the bench was the perfect place to set up our felting station.

There are a few steps not pictured here.  What we did first was cut up some strips of felted sweater scraps from my stash and wrap them around a jingle bell in a rough ball shape.  Then we wrapped the fluffy roving around that base.  We built up a nice round ball shape and then stuffed it into an old nylon and knotted it.  We make a whole row of these, like little round, felt sausages, and then tossed it into the washer on a hot cycle with a little dish soap.

When they came out we did some refining in hot, soapy water with our hands and then rinsed them in cool water.  We left them to dry for a day or two and now we have a whole pile of felted, jingling balls for Vivian to play with when she gets a little bigger.  Ideally I would have found some sort of tiny, plastic thing to put the bells in so they jingled louder, but I got tired of waiting for myself to remember to do that, so we just went ahead and made them.  In some of them the sound is kind of muted, but that's okay.  They still look great and will still be a ball to play with:)

Vivian's Blessing Gown

Before Vivian was even born I had plans to make her a special dress for the day she received her baby blessing at church.  I got a pattern and laboriously cut out all the little pieces.  I normally sew the same way I cook; I take a little inspiration from a pattern or recipe, but mostly make it up as I go along.  But with this dress I wanted it to be just right so I was determined to be very careful and deliberate about each step along the way.  However, when it came to the actual sewing I only got about two steps into the directions when it became very clear that something was wrong- the bodice looked closer to my size than a newborn's.  Okay, truth be told I did do a little bit of winging it; I skipped the whole interfacing bit.  Turns out that was sort of important...

So, rather than tear all my hair out trying to follow the cryptic instructions and piece together the million bitty pieces, I just made up my own pattern (there was a wee bit of hair pulling as I tried to tape back together one of the pattern pieces that Sam decided to modify with some scissors, but it all worked out in the end).  It felt good to be doing it my way; it went faster and was a much more pleasant experience, even if it wasn't "perfect."  About a year ago I was all geared up to take a sewing class and then it just didn't happen.  Maybe this fall or winter I finally will.  

You can't really tell from the outside, but the inside is a dead giveaway that someone who really has no idea what they're doing made it.  But I just figure those are the marks of love.  Hopefully Vivian will look at it some day and realize that my desire to make something special for her was greater than my skill, but I just went for it anyway.

There is something so sweet and pure about a little girl.  I loved seeing her in this pretty, sweet and simple dress.  I didn't want anything too frilly or over-the-top, but rather something that let her own sweetness shine through.

In my characteristic, labor-saving way, I used some vintage linens that were already trimmed with that crocheted edge.  Then I just incorporated it into the pattern and cut the pieces accordingly.  Much easier than sewing the trim on myself, or heavens, crocheting it myself!

The lace on the bonnet and neckline was purchased, but I thought it fit in well enough with the rest.

The blessing is a really neat time because generally the baby's father gives it.  He holds the baby while standing in a circle of brothers, fathers, uncles, friends etc.  There's something special about the baby blessing being a gift that the father can give when so much of a newborn's life is focused on the mother and vice versa.  It's also wonderful to see the combination of strength and tenderness that is a circle of men blessing a tiny baby.  Vivian was a peach and fell asleep just before it was time to bless her and stayed angelically (and reverently) asleep throughout the affair.  I'll write about it in her baby book for her to read when she's a little older.

Making Summer Weight Swaddling Blankets

I meant to tell you about these blankets quite awhile ago, but then Vivian arrived and oh, you know that goes...  But before she was born, when I was in my productive nesting phase (I sure do miss that energy!) I bought a bunch of this wonderful cotton gauze to make my July baby some lightweight swaddling blankets.  They're kind of like those aden + anais blankets everyone's getting.  I suppose it's a bit late in the season for this project, but certainly something you could tuck in the back of your hat for next season.  Though I'm still getting plenty of use out of ours.  I really love them so much more than bulkier baby blankets.  And you could definitely do the same thing with flannel for a lightweight, but cozy fall/winter swaddling blanket.

I had the pieces cut to just over a yard, so I didn't have to do any cutting at home.  This is pretty much the simplest project ever.  All I did was double hem the edges and then stack them neatly to wait for baby.  I gave a few away as gifts and Sam claimed the stripey one above as his own special blanket.  Though he's very generous in sharing it with Vivian and often drapes it over her in her bouncy seat (as you can see in the yawning picture below).

We've been using them everywhere and for everything; swaddling at night, a light cover during the day, an impromptu changing pad etc.  Above is Vivian's quilt I made her, which we took on a family picnic.  She's just wrapped up in all sorts of handmade, blanket-y love!

Hope you all have a lovely weekend; I'll get back on those Make and Do posts next week, I promise!

Doll Sling for Kids Tutorial

I love these sorts of simple projects that you know will get so much use and love.  Jeanine from Rosie Girl Dreams shares simple instructions for making a sling for your child's doll.  What a sweet way to encourage nurturing and tenderness in your youngest family members.  I bet Sam would get a kick out of having a sling to carry Piggy around in!

**********************************************************************

This is a quick, simple guide to making a recycled or new Children’s Toy Baby Carrier. As I currently do most of my sewing without patterns, these basic instructions are meant to inspire and guide you.

Here are my two little ones…baby #3 due in just a few days. Ever since I’d made a baby carrier for my oldest when I was last expecting, I’ve wanted to make another. And finally, success! The baby carrier on the right took 45 minutes to make.

Mama footnote:
That was while
(1) husband was at work,
(2) during the mid-morning (which are our still-capable-of-productivity hours), and
(3) includes the time it took to take the not so wonderful, but hopefully useful photos that accompany.

So, if you’ve thought of it and decided a project like this is too hard, requires too much sewing, or too much time… think again. As usual, the hardest part is simply getting started.

By the way, although this is a great toy for any child, it would also make a lovely gift for a soon-to-be older sibling, as it allows for such endless, imaginative nurture-play. And if you are going the re-purpose/recycled route, you could use an old sheet or a plain colored fabric and give fabric paints or markers for the child to decorate on their own.

Time:
30 minutes-1 hour (depending on if you choose to hand sew or use a machine)

Materials:
* 1 piece of fabric/material (approximately 3-4 feet-ish long by 2.5-3.5 feet wide)
Re-purpose Ideas: Cut open two sides of a pillowcase down the long seams. Leave the bottom end intact. Now you have one long sheet of material. Or, old/thrifted sheets or light-weight curtains would work great.

* One 2 to 5 inch ring
Ideas: You could use an old belt loop, shower curtain hook (if it’s round, smooth and can be completely closed in place), or purchase something at a thrift or craft store. I used a thrifted wooden loop that I removed the decorative fabric backing from for this carrier.

* 1 larger needle (to sew through many layers of material where it’s folded at the ring)
* 1 spool of strong thread or embroidery floss (for sewing through the many layers)

* If hand sewing the hem:
1 needle (quilting or general)
1 spool of thread or embroidery floss

* Or, if machine sewing:
Fully loaded machine, set to go with whichever color thread you’d like

Directions:

1. Gather all materials.

2. Consider ironing your cloth/material (ironed material is easier to work with). This step is not necessary, as the baby carrier/sling will end up being a long swath of bunched up fabric anyhow.

3. Fold and hem all sides of the material that are rough-edged.

Optional: Consider using a decorative stitch on your sewing machine or embroidering the hem by hand.

4. Grab one of the long ends of the material and fold back and forth in a width that will fit through your ring.

5. Draw the folded material through the ring and use your large needle and thick thread/embroidery floss to pass through all layers of material to secure in place.

6. When you’ve sewn across the entire width of the fabric and feel the layers will hold, you’re done. (You may want to sew across the width twice.)

7. Now grab the other end of the fabric (the tail end) and pull it through the loop and drape. It’s ready to go!

Itty Bitty Knitty

I started these booties while we were still waiting for Vivian to arrive.  I actually ended up with one and a half pairs, being ambitious and thinking I would make another, larger size for her to grow into.  But, as it is, she'll probably never see that second, larger booty.  All I had left to do on the tiny pair was attach some buttons, which seemed the perfect taking it easy kind of task.  So, while she napped, I lounged beside her, adding the finishing touches.  The weather is still too warm for her to really need booties, but perhaps when we finally venture on an outing she can wear them just to be fancy.

I used the Ravelry pattern for Saartje's Booties and found it pretty easy for my first non-flat knitting project (the hats don't count because they knit flat and then were stitched into a cone shape).  This involved increasing and decreasing to get the rounded toe shape.  Pretty advanced stuff for a beginner like me:)

I love making things for my kiddos.  There's something about serving other people that makes you love them more.  Of course, as moms, our lives are all about serving.  But creating something in an intentional, purposeful way gives me more time to reflect on them and the act of loving and caring for them.  I hope as they grow older they'll appreciate the love and reflection that is knit into their mama-made toys and clothing.  Sam already seems to appreciate the things I make for him and loves to observe me as I sew for him.  I'm thinking of making him some new PJs just so he can have a physical manifestation of mama's love, something I think he has being needing some reassurance about lately with the new baby and all.

Handkerchief Bonnet

Here's a fun post from Jeannette about how to make a baby bonnet from a vintage handkerchief.  This is actually perfect timing as a woman from church recently gave me a stack of pretty hankies for just this purpose.  I imagine you could also use any type of fabric if you started with the same dimensions.  Jeannette also has some really wonderful recipes on her blog if you're looking for something new and tasty.

********************************************************************************

This morning I shipped off a package to my sister for my new little niece. I made her a bonnet to wear as she's given her name and blessing in church this upcoming Sunday. It is different religiously-- but could be considered similar socially-- as a baby christening in other religions.

As requested, I made it from a pure white handkerchief. I found this vintage handkerchief with a pretty flower and design embroidered in the corners.

I washed it by hand, and-- since it was very soft from loving use--I added some liquid starch to the rinse water.

The measurements for handkerchiefs will vary (particularly whether or not they are lined with lace), and the measurements can be altered a little, but with the wrong side facing up I folded one side back about one inch, and the other side three inches. (Then the right side is mostly what is showing upwards.)

Thread a needle with two lengths of white thread and knot all four loose ends together. Along the edge of the one inch fold sew a long, loose running stitch.

Pull on both ends of the thread to gather the edge and form the back of the bonnet. Tie the ends of the thread together to secure and trim the ends.

Fold and iron under the corners on the front of the bonnet.

Secure a length of ribbon to each side with minimal stitching. I incorporated a grouping of seed beads. I've also seen people use a small silk rosette. When I made a bonnet for my sister's first daughter I looped the ribbon into three small loops and attached it to the outside of the bonnet.

Trim the ribbons to your desired length.

The neat thing about this baby bonnet is that in 20 years or so, she can snip the three threads, and have a beautiful handkerchief for her wedding that she wore on her blessing day as well.

This is the bonnet I made for her big sister's blessing.

(Her handkerchief was not embroidered--it just had a beautiful lace edging. So when I did the running stitch on hers I actually did it along the wider 3 inch side. That way it brought the double row of the side-by-side lace edges towards the front of the bonnet for decoration.)

A beautiful keepsake.

Impromtu Flower Crown

Today's guest post comes from Jennifer at the inspired Sewn Natural Studio.  You know how in love I am with the beautiful little girls clothing they make, as well as everything else.  I have a feeling Miss Vivian may find herself the proud owner of some of those sweet smocks.

I love Jennifer's post and the beautiful pictures below.  It totally takes me back to weaving flowers with my best girlfriend during those hot, childhood summers.  I can almost feel the grass tickling the backs of my legs as we sat in the field, stringing wildflowers together...

*****************************************************************

Watching young children play and enjoy nature reminds me to slow down, look down, way down and pause. One morning recently, we went for a neighborhood walk when the sun was not yet too high in the sky, and everything was illuminated with a delicate golden glow. A little girl I know loves to pause in front of each yard, admiring the gardens (which happily replace grass in most of the yards around us), and especially the often tiny and very beautiful blossoms.
Slowly and carefully over the next hour or so, we collected dozen of sweet petals and rainbow-colored flowers, most of them having fallen to the ground, no more than a few from each place we stopped along the way.
Here is how we made our impromptu petal flower crown when we brought our flower bounty home.

First we organized (and admired) our flowers by color on a huge white plate, producing a sweet petal rainbow.
She also removed the petals from the blossoms so they would be easier to stick onto the crown.

(The crown we made was beautiful in the end but this was probably the most magical part of the craft).

Then we cut 2 pieces of construction paper into thick strips with varying sizes of triangular cutouts, and taped them together securely, making sure that the overall paper length would fit easily over her head.

Next we used double stick tape in 2 long strips (we added a few more, higher up on the crown, in time).

Then a little girl I know filled the tape on the crowns.

When the crown was filled, we taped the ends together to fit over her head, and we had a beautiful flower fairy crown. We had lots of petals leftover, so we made some dried flower petals potpourri of sorts with them, and some baby dolls were fed flower soup.

Within a day or so, the petals will dry, but should stay stuck to the paper crown. Our crown still looks beautiful with a rainbow of (now dried) but sweet flower petals.

A Quilt for Vivi, Kind of...

Well, thank goodness Abbey sent me that beautiful baby quilt because as happy as I am with this one, it certainly wouldn't pass for a baby quilt!  I was feeling bad that I hadn't made Vivi her own quilt so I said to myself, "Well, this quilt will be in honor of Vivian and I'll make it extra girly."  But, in the end, it was still a big grownup quilt with pretty flowers on it.  And that's okay too.  I'm sure she'll enjoy plenty of afternoons in the sun and picnics and tea parties on it some day.

 

I wanted something light colored and lightweight for summer, but still rugged enough to haul up the canyon for picnics.  The solutions was large patches (+12" square) of pretty vintage sheets, tied onto an old cotton blanket with no batting.  It's just the right thickness and I don't have to worry about the pretty fabric on top getting yucky because the back is a heavy woven, tan material, perfect for putting down on dew damp grass, sandy beaches or the backyard.

We took it out for a test drive for Clay's Father's Day picnic and mini-hike and it made the whole affair seem much more festive to be eating on such a pretty "table."  I'm envisioning plenty more backyard picnics.

Make Your Own Carseat Pad

This isn't the loveliest or most exciting project, but I just thought I would share it in case there are any other parents out there that loathe the idea of dismantling the car seat to wash the cover.  It is such a pain!  It only took one accident in the car seat for me to start religiously grabbing an old felted wool sweater to tuck under Sam on road trips.  We've only had two accidents in the car (not bad for a newly potty trained two year old, bless his heart!) and the one with the felted wool was definitely WAY less of a big deal.  However, I knew I could come up with a better looking solution.  So, one quite afternoon while Sam was napping I headed out to the car with some paper, scotch tape and scissors and made a really rough template of the shape a car seat pad would need to be.

If you do this, don't worry about being super accurate or fancy.  Just tuck the paper in, trim and tape it to the shape you want and make sure to include things like slits for the straps.  Mine was basically a rectangle with little triangle pieces that I folded up and sewed so that it was curved to fit the seat.  And I made sure to mark a T where the lower strap would need to fit through.

After that I just found my thickest felted wool sweater scrap, trimmed it to the right shape and sewed up those two corners and that was it!  Now there's a nice, little pad in there that actually fits instead of a haphazardly stuffed in piece of cloth.  I will never cease to be amazed at all the useful things you can do with felted wool.  It is really one of my very favorite materials to work with.  And this simple little 5 minute project has given me much more peace of mind about traveling with a tiny, diaper-less person. 

What to Do With All Those Scraps of Felted Wool

As you may or may not know, I have something of a love affair with felted wool. It's one of my very things to craft and sew with.  Consequently I have a (very) large basket overflowing with felted sweaters and scrap bits.  A few months ago, Sam stopped using diapers altogether.  We still had him in something absorbent at night though.  However, since he was waking up dry every morning, we decided to just go for it and make it baby boxers all the time.  Buuuut, not without a teeny little bit of back up, just in case.

I love the idea of those felted wool pads for toddlers' beds (or nursing and/or cosleeping parents), but they're kind of expensive.  That's when I realized I could put all those small and oddly shaped scraps of felted wool to work!  I gathered up a big pile and fit them together like a jigsaw puzzle, then pinned the seams together.  This required a bit of finagling and trimming, but wool is a forgiving fabric. 

Once it was all pinned I just zipped all those seams together on the sewing machine and that was that.  I had to go back over a few spots that turned out kind of wonky or lumpy.  It was a pretty imprecise project, but it didn't need to be perfect, just water resistant.  And, were I so inclined, I could have sewed a cute binding around the edge or something.  But, as it was, I just tossed it on his bed, where it's been ever since.  And I must add, where it's remained perfectly dry.  Have to give credit where credit is due!

 

Here's Sam modeling the comfiness of the pad.  This is how he normally looks in the morning, covers tossed off, hair a fuzzy halo, but with eyes closed:)  Now that it's gotten warmer I've just layered a light cotton over it so he's not right on the wool.  Although, wool actually stays pretty cool in the summer if you're just laying on it, not wrapping up in it, of course.  Unfortunately (or not...), this only made the slightest dent in my wool stash, which means there are more felted wool projects to come!

This Chair Wants to Live in My House...

Clay's been working on this really beautiful set of chairs and table for a client and they were finally finished and delivered last week.  The problem is that a) they're the most comfortable thing I've ever sat in, and b) they're gorgeous.  Why is this problematic?  Because I want them!!  Doesn't it seem awfully unfair that he would make something so lovely, and even have one of the chairs lingering in my dining room (next to my benchless table) for several days and not let me keep at least a couple? 

It's hard to believe that something so sleek and lovely started out as these raw pieces of wood that needed to be shaped and coaxed into becoming a beautiful chair.  You can read more about the process on the Ivory Bill blog; there are some neat pictures of the chair in various stage, as well as of the table, which I also love.
 

See, doesn't it look right at home?  I tried to convince Clay that it wanted to stay here with me, but I guess the clients would've been grumpy about having an odd number of chairs...

Pointy Baby Hat, Take 1 and 2

I moved beyond the original scarf that was my very first knitting project.  Truth be told, I actually didn't quite finish the scarf... I will, I just got distracted.  I wanted to make a little something for Miss Vivian, and the delicious yarn sent over by Abi seemed to be the perfect thing to use.  I followed this pattern for a pointy little baby hat, but somehow it turned out almost too big for Sam! With a wooden button sewn on, the sides can be fastened under his chin and I love the look of it.  The back is still a bit loose, but I think I could weave some yarn along the bottom to cinch it in a bit.  It'll be perfect for keeping his ears toasty this winter.  But that still left me with no hat for Viv.  So, I tried the project again, this time starting with 70 stitches instead of 96.  Still big enough for Sam!  I'm not sure if I'll try again for a slightly smaller one, or just let her grow into this one.  Of course, she is being born in the heat of summer, and will likely not be needing much in the way of knit hats (the second one is cotton though).  So, perhaps it will be just the right size for fall and winter.  The good news is that I was able to whip the second hat up during one lazy Sunday!  I had been worried that knitting didn't give me enough instant gratification (I'm all about projects where I can see results right away!), but if I can make a hat in a day, I'm all set.  I do love the way this hat wraps around the face and has the little point on top.  Maybe I'll whip up a few more in different colors...

From Sweater to Vest to... Gremlin Hat!

I think Sam's expression pretty much sums up the disaster this experiment in upcycling turned into.  Remember those sweater pants I made for Sam?  Well, I had visions of making a little cable knit vest from the same material with some folksy stitching around the arm holes.  But somehow I just wasn't getting it right and the arms looked sort of wing-like and the stitching looked crappy, not folksy.  So, it sat on my craft table for many months. Finally this past weekend while working on a quilt, I saw that piece of felted sweater and said, "you've been here long enough!"  And zip, zip! it became a hat!  Sometimes the things you make the least plans for, that you just wing in a burst of creative energy, turn out the best.

I stitched two points into the rectangle of material and added some ear flaps and strings to tie under his chin in some red jersey knit.  The red trim didn't quite meet in the back, so I added a little square of that Guatemalan material that I made the sling out of (as well as a pair of rugged play pants for Sam).  I ended up loving the way the striped patch looked on the back.  Funny how little accidents can sometimes turn out to be the best part of a project. 
I'm so thrilled with how this hat turned out.  It's a bit out of season, so hopefully his head doesn't grow too much over the summer.  We did have a freak snowstorm though, during which I took Sam on plenty of errands so he could debut his new hat.  I just about melt from cute overload every time I look at him in that pointy-eared gremlin hat.