doodles

I do a lot of doodling in my journal with quotes or bible verses that inspire me but I decided to actually doodle this verse on a full size sheet of watercolor paper this time.  It took me a few weeks to complete - working for a few minutes here and there - but I finally completed it the other day.  I typically draw in pencil first, then go over it with a Paper Mate pen, (these are my favorite) and finally I use my Copic Sketch markers to color it in.

nesting

With only a couple weeks until my due date I have found myself starting (and finishing!) lots of projects around here.  I needed a bumper pad for the baby's crib and just was not finding anything I really liked in the stores so I decided to make my own.

I did some searching on pinterest for patterns and decided I liked the look of this bumper that use 2" foam instead of batting.  Here is a great tutorial on how to put it all together as one piece and use a zipper at one end so you can take the foam out to wash the fabric... I will say, I spend well over an hour putting the foam into the fabric bumper case, so I don't know how frequently I will be taking it all out to wash it...  I think we'll spot clean unless it really needs a thorough washing!

After I decided on the style of bumper I made some adjustments to the original measurements as some of them didn't seem quite right to me and I also did not want it quite as tall as the original measurements called for.  (I will include my measurements and some notes at the bottom of this post for anyone who is interested.)

Then I headed to the fabric store for some inspiration!  I already had the grey chevron sheet and was thinking I was going to do all grey with just a splash of color for the piping and ties but in the end decided on the turquoise feather/chevron pattern and charcoal with turquoise stars.  One thing that factored into my fabric choice was the direction of the pattern on the fabric.  I needed 55"w cuts of fabric for the long sides and did not want seems in those pieces, so I needed the pattern to run the length of fabric instead of the width, or not be directional at all, like the stars.

In the end, I am supper pleased with how it turned out.  I think one of my favorite things is that I know it will hold its form and not mash down like the last bumper pad I made (13+ years ago when Regan was born!)

Here are my measurements and notes:

Foam: 

- One sheet of foam 2"x 24" x 72"

Cut two pieces 50.5" x 10"

Cut two pieces 23" x 10"

*I ordered my foam on Amazon because it was cheaper than going to Joann's.  Also, it cut easily with a serrated kitchen knife. 

Fabric:

- Two yards each of 2 contrasting fabrics for main body of the bumper (see note above about direction of the pattern.  If you are using fabric where the pattern runs the width of the fabric you will need more than 2 yard or each fabric and 60"w fabric to have no seams in the long sides of the bumper)

Cut two in each fabric 55" x 12.75"

Cut two in each fabric 27.5" x 12.75"

*you should have a total of 8 pieces, 4 of each size.

- One yard for piping

*You can find lots of tutorials online for piping and cutting on the bias online, these are just ones I have referenced in the past.

- One yard 44"w fabric for ties (I used 40"w fabric so my ties are a little short, 44"w fabric would have been better)

Cut 16 pieces 22" x 4"

Misc:

- One 12" zipper

- 4.5 yards of cord for piping

*Everything was sewn with a 3/8" seam allowance except the ends of the ties which I used a 1/4" seam allowance on.

addie is 5!

Addie turned 5 this week!  This is the first year I think she's really gotten that it is her birthday and been excited about celebrating.

"I think it's what I wanted... a rainbow dress!"

And rainbow tic tacs...

and jacket, and bread, and straws, and fruit... Are you catching the rainbow theme of the day here?

The cake was even rainbow tie-dye under that orange frosting :)

Happy Birthday, Addie!  You brighten our days!

sweetness

a little something in the works

I've been working on turning one of my sketches into an actual pattern!  I have lots of idea, but it is rare that I actually find the time to get them off paper and into reality.  This picture has been floating around my sewing desk for a few weeks, and on my last night of our school break I decided to attempt sewing up my vision.

So far I've made a girl version and a boy version of my owl lovie and am working on a pattern complete with pictures.

I've scanned in my pattern pieces, written some notes, and taken lots of pictures to go along with the pattern.  Hopefully it won't take me too long to complete it all!