I guess I have done some sewing

While putting away laundry it occurred to me that I have sewn a couple things in the past months. This is a pair of baby pants crafted from two sweaters. They are nice and thick for cold days.


I also made this shirt by starting with a onesie, cutting off the snaps, adding the sleeves and the rose applique. I am always happy to see her wearing these little presents from me.

A year and some

Besides getting this spirited little one to her first birthday,



I just turned my fourth loaf of No Knead Bread out of the the oven tonight. I'm in heaven with the smell of bread all through the house. I would have tried it earlier but I received a Le Creuset dutch oven for Christmas and finally have a way to bake in a covered pot!

Little miss goes-to-bed-at-nine doesn't leave me with much time for sewing or blogging but maybe I will start blogging a bit more about daily life given the lack of quilts assembling themselves under our roof.

Bits o' Fabric

Just thought I'd pop in and share the little bags that I carry my breastpump parts in. I do love having pretty fabrics around me at work. Please enjoy the extreme rumpliness that comes from being ignored in the dryer for far too long.



And a pic of the babe in a decorated-by-me onesie. That she now can't wear because her perfectly fat little thighs rub against the fabric and create an awful looking rash. It only took me 6 weeks to figure out it wasn't the diapers. Oh well, shirts and pants from now on!

Mama Made

How time flies in the summer! The garden needs tending, berries need freezing, cherries need cooking, and laundry and dishes pile up a bit faster with our loving houseguest, Ellery's aunt. She helped us out in the gap between me going back to work and Ellery being able to enter daycare. I'm back at work four days a week and routinely cursing the inconvenience of breast pump parts and public transportation, all the while knowing I am blessed to be employed and producing enough milk for my little one.

I keep offering her summers best produce, carefully pureed, but she'll have none of it. Blueberries from the garden were a little tart, as you can see! She has started crawling though! A bit early, and thankfully she's still slow about it, because we sorely need some childproofing.

Daddy has taken to buying expensive onesies for our daughter. I keep meaning to sew some instead but she still has a tendency to stay awake until 9 or 10, and that doesn't leave much time for diversion. I did manage to applique this onesie with a felt branch and leaves. I also wanted to show off some cute burp cloths I made before she was born. We use them all the time and it delights me to see some of my favorite fabrics.

Thanks Alice for checking in and reminding me to tend my neglected blog and reassure worried readers!

Crafty Friends

Ellery received some adorable handmade gifts that I just can't let go unmentioned.

Laura made us a hat


and dress


and bib


Our neighbor Dana made some cute bibs too!


Thank you crafty ladies! I am getting dangerously close to sewing again. The lint is about to fly, in no small part because of the impending arrival of an auntie for two whole months! Hooray for the whole family!

More Gifts

If you read Kris' blog Quilted Simple you know she is a woman with a lot going on. Which is why I was totally floored when a big box arrived addressed to little Ellery with three lovely handmade gifts inside. Above is this sweet bath towel with an adorable hood. It is thick and fluffy and we use this each and every bath. Ellery is determined to suck on it as much as possible. So sweet!

We also received a sweet little burp rag and a tote bag with pockets that is all rumpled in the picture because it has already seen several trips to the garden and the requisite trip through the wash. Kris, I can't believe you. Here I am with just one kid, struggling to get a thank you note in the mail, and you're whipping up handmade care packages for online friends! I'm so honored.

Gifted

Well, every parent thinks their baby is gifted! But I thought I'd ease back into blogging, now that the little one can bear to be set down occasionally, by showing all the beautiful handmade gifts that have come our way.

My grandma told me when I was pregnant that she was working on two quilts for the baby. That coupled with the knowledge that my group quilting friends were doing one too made me hold off on baby quilting myself. Grandma was true to her word. This quilt she put the binding on in a mad frenzy the night before my parents and sisters came to visit. It sits on our couch and has already seen much snuggling. I really like the red stars, and the black house in the bottom corner with the boy and girl on it.

The other quilt did not grab me as much. Ironically, because I'm not as invested in it, it gets used all the time. This is the quilt I grab if we are going to sit on the grass or whatever. So now that I've spent so much time with it, it's really grown on me. Amazingly, this quilt has already seen baby poo and grass stains and both have washed completely clean with Bac-Out, a product no new parent should be without. Now that the quilt has been through washer and dryer it is nice and rumply and I love running my hands over it.
Ellery stares at both quilts with interest whenever she's near/on them. Thanks for such sweet gifts Grandma!