A Bookish Life

Mom, I made something with knits!

  

C's immunization treat this time was taking just a little bit longer (it's a butterfly dress, shhhhh!), so she got a little interim present. I tackled a knit with stretch in both directions. It is so incredibly soft and slinky that I made Brian feel the fabric twice after making her this little pair of navy blue pants.

In real life the blue is so much prettier, with a hint of deep purple and a touch of charcoal gray. To match the pretty color I chopped up a tank top I bought for its print over five years ago and sewed it on some plain onesies with a zigzag stitch. 

 

The pants were a tad big on purpose, since her 6-9 month closet is looking fairly sparse, but she gets to wear one of her new onesies anyway. And I think she looks pretty happy about it, don't you?

It was a 'Happy Friday' present.

This was another dress for Rosie. C. wore her liberty bubble dress for the last time last night, as it's getting a little snug in the chest. Onto the next size!

I love how quickly she's growing and changing. Each new stage is my favorite and this one is no exception. As soon as I finish one outfit for her, she needs another!

This week we have shots again, so I'll be working on a treat for C. and a treat for me to get us through the sadness. It's crazy, but I've started making my Christmas plans as well.

Gifting

There's been a smattering of sewing for other babies this week, something that makes me so incredibly happy. I owed a certain little guy an elephant.

In addition, I practiced the Oliver & S playsuit pattern so that little Eli could have an outfit for the late summer/early fall.

The pattern was a tiny bit more difficult than the bubble dress pattern- even if there are a few less steps. I ended up pulling out bodice stitches a few times, but the end result is so terribly cute, that I felt the effort was worth it. The fabric is from Denyse Schmidt; the same line is found in the elephant's ears and diaper mat.

We're so glad to meet you, Elijah!

Four months

Happy birthday to my baby! You can see she's enjoying her 4 month birthday quilt already. And getting to spend the morning in her pajamas.

 

Indoctrination

Brian and I knew from the moment the sonogram showed a little blip that we were having not only a baby, but the heir(ess) to our delicious empire. Our little espresso monkey will one day inherit everything.

The onesie was obtained through Sweet Marias.

I've mentioned before that I started drinking coffee seven years ago when it became necessary to stalking the object of my affection. We celebrated our 5 year anniversary this weekend, so it certainly worked out well for me.

Swing, and a miss

Last week was a rough one for my potential closet. I learned a lot of lessons with knits and round 1 of the Anna Tunic, but they were lessons that resulted in a trashcan full of projects.

This was my first attempt at the Anna Tunic- a bright red vintage cotton that I've had for years and a grey lining. I made the tunic and it looked terrible on me. So I elongated it into the Anna Dress. Still terrible. So now it is hanging out on the dressform until I decide what to do with it. Tim Gunn, should I make it work, or start fresh?

The main problem is the boxy shape needs a fabric with a silky hand so it doesn't crumple in hard, stiff folds, but flow and ripple down the body. I also needed to go one size smaller. I probably wouldn't use the belt ultimately, because I think it looks funny, but this particular mess looks too much like a tent without one.

I was worried about the neckline, but it's actually quite pretty and I think if I end up spending those precious free time hours trying again with a red and lavender shot silk I've been hanging on to, it could actually be a great piece in the end.

Built in Skirt

The way to use every last bit of that darn beautiful, expensive Liberty fabric (don't you love that Charlie's Angels pose?):

I made C. this little onesie skirt after seeing something similar at a friend's house. It was super easy. I hemmed two long pieces of cotton- the liberty and a coordinating solid and basted them together at the top. Then I ran a gathering stitch, pulled it into ruffles, and chopped the onesie in half.

After that I sewed all three pieces together again, appliqued a little Liberty circle on the top, and voila- a built in skirt!

The friend's onesie had cute little tulle in the short skirt, but I was afraid it would be itchy on the inside since I didn't have my serger going yet to finish the edges. The only issue with this little outfit was my poor long-waisted babe can't lose a lot of onesie length without it being too short. She'll only be able to wear this for a little while, so the next one I make will probably be in a 6-9 size.

Bookish Baby

In this round of Baby Madness, I've found real joy in the art of creating a cute, cohesive, and practical baby gift. Not to mention the moment you decide to surround your little one with something other than the requisite pink or blue, you are certainly out of luck.

And for these reasons I started thinking about the Bookish Baby line- sets of matching products in clean, simple, and modern fabrics.

I designed a stuffed star with long legs that are sized for those tiny grasping hands.

And a quilt that doubles as a play mat and rolls up for easy storage.

Finally, a set of two diaper mats- the lifesavers of my first three months of motherhood. Gone are the days of changing the sheets and laundering blankets until they are worn through. Gone are the days of those hideous white changing covers/mattress protectors that pull apart after two trips through the wash.

Set number one is in the shop!

Sidetracked

It's a funny thing about having a daughter. I used to get invited to nice places and think "I have nothing to wear!". Now I think "Cate and I have nothing to wear!"

I would imagine there are sewers across the country who, like me, were restlessly awaiting the Oliver & S patterns to debut for the spring. I started with this precious bubble dress pattern, shown in the Liberty print above. Is there any doubt that C. will be the best dressed baby in her boutique pattern and designer fabric?

I have to say I'm doubly intrigued by the clever Boutique Sewers Program that O&S put together. Is anyone out there thinking about doing this as well? I half suspect these clothes to flood the (etsy) marketplace and wouldn't want to engage in a "who can price the lowest" battle. But I'm tempted because they are just so cute, and my mind whirs with all the fabric and trim possibilities.

Perhaps C. will just have to bear the brunt of my creative capabilities, but I'm probably about one request away from ordering the licenses.  

  

For Hunter and Brandon

I learned this weekend that C.'s big, strong cousins, Hunter and Brandon, like to check on her and her cute new clothes from time to time. So this post is dedicated just to them, my favorite nephews (and C.'s favorite boy cousins) in the world.

When I asked C. what her favorite toy's name was, she excitely replied "Ungoo." Ungoo hails from a little shop in Paris and faithfully offers his overalls, face, ears, and feet for C.'s happy kisses.  Here we have Cate and Ungoo modeling her newest pair of green pants.