Baby Monkeys

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to a baby shower for a friend who was expecting her second child, a boy. I never know what to get when it's a shower for second (or third or fourth or...) babies. Something for the Mom? Clothes? Toys? Diapers? When I look around our home and our basement at the piles of outgrown stuff and clothes we have from our son, I always opt for something different. Maybe not quite a necessity, but certainly something special.

I settled on making her a quilt, which I figured could be the perfect first playmat or tummy time spot for the new baby. I used 2 charm packs (and few more squares) of the flannel Silly Monkeys line I had purchased initially intending to make a toddler quilt for my own little guy. I knew that it would be put to much better use as part of this gift.

I used the Disappearing Nine Patch pattern for the quilt, and it came together very quickly. I used some adorable alphabet flannel for the backing, and used an all over meandering/loops for the quilting. It definitely takes some practice, and I think I'm finally getting the hang of it! I used this neat red star fabric for the binding, and I know I'll be using it again, because I love it (sorry there's no close ups... these photos were taken exactly 90 seconds before I had to get in the car and drive to the shower, and about 3 minutes after the quilt came out of the dryer. Nothing like cutting it close...).

Last minute, I decided to make some burpies and bibs with some sock monkey fabric I had in my stash. I simply traced one of the Monkey's bibs on freezer paper, adding 1/4" seam allowance, and used that as a pattern. I backed both the bibs and burpies with the same flannel I used to back the quilt, to make them absorbent. I really love how they turned out, but I think next time I make these, I'll add a layer of batting or maybe an extra layer of flannel in the middle. You know, to make them even more absorbent.

It's too bad the Monkey now refuses to wear a bib 90% of the time... because wouldn't these be the cutest in truck and car fabric? Too bad I waited til he was nearly 2 to finally try my hand at making these!

So full

These past couple of weeks have been so full for us.

First, as we prepared for our friends' visit, our days were full of preparations: cleaning, grocery shopping, cooking.

Then, once they arrived, our days were full of fun, laughter, reminiscing, and love. And my heart felt like it would burst every time I heard the Monkey tell our friends he loved them. They are such good friends, it was such a wonderful blessing to have them visit.

After our friends left, our days were full of teething issues, sleep problems, and crankiness; full of moments where counting to 10 was necessary and where tempers were tested.

And now it finally seems that we've moved beyond that (for now), and our days are once again full of laughter, play, and lots and lots of singing.

Oh, and lots of preparations for the Monkey's upcoming birthday party, of course! I finally got the invitations made last night, and am so happy with how they turned out. I used Papertrey Ink's Enjoy the Ride stamp set and an older dinosaur from AMuse. When I saw this adorable card by Erin Lincoln, I knew that was the route I'd take for the invitations. The theme is dinosaurs, and I was a bit worried that it didn't come across so well (aside from the pun in the wording, of course). But then the Monkey saw it this morning and he said, "Mami, dino driving car!". Mission accomplished!

I initially wanted to have the dino flying an airplane instead of driving a car, but the stamp set I own (PTI's Fly Away) didn't work with the dinosaur I already owned... and I wasn't about to go out and buy all new stamps for 8 invitations. I really like how they turned out, though, so it worked out for the best... and I'm thinking I might have to use this dino + car combo for something else for the party. Any ideas?

I have a handful of other things I want to make for his birthday, including a quilt for his crib this summer. I'm really keeping my fingers crossed we won't be dealing with sleep issues much longer, so that I can get back in the sewing room a few nights this week and get his quilt finished. I'm so excited!!

May Project: Treasure Bag

Thank you so much for the sweet words regarding my entry for Blogger's Quilt Festival. There were so many wonderful entries, and I haven't had the chance to check them all out yet (or reply to all of your comments). I'm planning on making some time this weekend to sit and enjoy the wonderful entries.

In the meantime, I wanted to post my completed May project: the Treasure Bag from Amanda Soule's Handmade Home. Although I really want to make nearly every project featured in the book, I finally settled on this one for two reasons. First, my little guy LOVES a good bag to tote around his stuff. And secondly, he seems to collect an awful lot of stuff on our walks. So I figured this would be a great addition to his bag collection, one that we could bring with us as we explored outdoors.

I did not use window screening mesh as she did in her book. Instead, I used some black tule fabric that I got from the remant section at JoAnn's. Though it works great, I must confess I did not at all enjoy working with it. It's too slippery and hard to line up, for my taste. I'm glad I made 3 at once, assembly line style, because I don't think I'm in any rush to go back to working with tule.

I was planning on using a fun nature-inspired print for the front decorative panel of the bag, but the Monkey selected this truck fabric instead. I used some double fold bias tape I had left over from another project, and the handles are made of this nice, soft, cotton twill tape that was part of the packaging of some paper flowers I bought a few years back.

It turns out the Monkey is not so interested in using this bag for collecting his nature treasures, and instead wants it to tote around his cars and trucks and books (about cars and trucks, of course). I'm hoping that as the weather warms (and dries!) up around here, and we start spending more time in our garden and by the water, that will change. But even if it doesn't, it's still being used and loved all over town. And since his favorite things in the world right now are his cars and trucks and books (about cars and trucks, of course), I guess the "treasures" label is right on.

Blogger's Quilt Festival

I've been meaning to post my entry to Amy's Blogger's Quilt Festival now for a few days, but a few things have been keeping me from sitting down and doing so. The first is a nasty cough that has been keeping the Monkey (and us) from getting any sort of good sleep for the last 3 days. The second is that the delightful spring weather that was upon us last week has vanished, and we've had nothing but gray, rainy skies here. So forgive the photos.

I chose to show this baby quilt, which was the very first quilt top I ever pieced. Two years ago in March, when I was expecting the Monkey, my dear college friend was expecting her little girl. I guess as part of that nesting urge, I decided to take the plunge into quilting, and this was the result.

I had no idea what I was doing... I did use a rotary cutter to cut my pieces, but accuracy was not really something that I had mastered then. I didn't know about 1/4" seams and I'd be surprised if I had consistent seam allowances at all. The seams only match here and there. Since I didn't know anything about quilting yet, I used this awful high-loft poly batting that is stiffer than the cotton batting I use now and doesn't let the quilt drape as naturally. And yet, when I look at this quilt, I don't really obsess over the flaws because it just makes me happy. It feels like sunshine and smiles and all the good things that make us think of babies.

Two years ago, I got as far as basting the quilt top, and then it sat, untouched until this month. My big belly got in the way of quilting it and my friend's little girl came early. But now it's finally done, and I hope that it will be loved and used and played with and that it makes the recipient as happy as it makes me every time I look at it.

Birthday fun

The past few days have been filled with all sorts of birthday fun for us -- and not just because of my birthday (though my boys did pamper and spoil me!). Over the weekend, we had two birthday parties to attend, and both were just loads of fun. The Monkey, especially, had a blast and loved being able to sing "Happy Birthday" over and over (and over) again.

Both of the children celebrating their birthdays this weekend hold a very dear place in our hearts. They are the Monkey's oldest friends, and were born to two of my closest friends. It was really a wonderful experience to be expecting the Monkey while my two good friends expected their babies, too.

Of course, I wanted to make them each something special and handmade for their birthday. I wasn't sure at all what to make for the Monkey's little buddy, L, since he's a very active little boy. I finally settled on a car-themed art roll-up like the one I made for his sister a few months ago (pattern from mr. monkeysuit, who has a new blog here).

And for the Monkey's little girl friend, E, I made the ruffled halter top I posted yesterday and we put together a little summer fun basket for her. It included a small crayon roll-up, some books, a National Geographic kids, a drawing pad, some gardening stuff, and a treasure bag like the one in Handmade Home (yay, May project completed!).

And now that these birthdays are behind us (too fast!), I'm off to try to get back on-task. I figure the faster I get things crossed off the ever-growing to do list, the faster I'll get back in the sewing room, right?

Kids Sewing Week

Last week, Meg issued a challenge: to sew one hour a day for 7 days, and to focus on getting kid's clothes made. I guess I never publicly joined in on the challenge (that's not entirely true. I do recall saying to Mikey that that was my plan...), but I took the challenge, quite literally. I spent 1 hour each day for the last week doing something sewing related: tracing patterns, ironing fabric, cutting it out, and finally, sewing a garment.

I made this lovely ruffled halter by Oliver + S (from the latest issue of Stitch) for a very special little girl in our lives. This little girl celebrated her 2nd birthday this past weekend, and I desperately wanted to give her something special and handmade. Thank goodness it's an incredibly easy sew and totally adorable.

I was surprised that I could make the halter entirely from stuff in my stash, which I admit is getting a little out of hand. I've had the gingham for at least 6 years (no idea what it was intended for), and the trim I got from my Mom's sewing stash at least 8 years ago. No kidding. It makes me so happy to see that it was all (finally!) put to good use.

And now, I'm off to celebrate. Today's my birthday!

Post-Mother's Day Musings

Happy belated Mother's Day to all the Mothers out there. I hope you had a beautiful Sunday, celebrating with your loved ones, showered with kisses and hugs.

We had the loveliest weekend here; lots of sunshine, lots of laughter, but best of all, lots of love. It seems that every day I find myself rushing from one thing to the next: getting breakfast ready, the dishes cleaned up, the bed made, snacks prepared, out to play, back for lunch, nap, work, outdoor time, making dinner, cleaning the kitchen, more work, and finally bed. In between, I'm very fortunate to get my fair share of hugs and kisses from my little guy, but it isn't often that I stop and savor the moment. And that's just sad.

So this weekend, my one and only wish was to spend some time just being with my two guys. All I wanted was to soak in the sun, do some gardening, take my time, and enjoy their company. Because the truth is, they are delightful people to be around.

The Monkey was all about helping with the gardening, especially if it meant sporting Mom's hat. It was pretty funny watching him running around the yard with his little watering can (spilling most of the water as he runs across the yard), while trying to keep the hat from flying off. And those little capris and crocs? Melts my heart.

Sitting back, just enjoying the day together. Really, truly, this was the best day I've had in a long time. As I sat on our deck, watching my boys play in the yard, I could hardly believe that this little person, with a blossoming personality and infectious laughter, is my son. How did he get so big? He's so much like his Daddy, and yet so much like me. Before him, I had no idea how much I would love being a Mother, how it would completely change my life and my priorities. Days like this really remind me that I need to slow down more often and savor the moment, because they're not coming back. And, really, no matter what, these really are the most precious days of my life.