Goody Two Shoes

I'm back with more baby ware! This time, baby's style is enhanced by a healthy collection of shoes.

I made five (what baby needs five pairs of shoes? mine) pairs of these Teeny Tiny Goody Two Shoes - a pattern by Allison Jones from the book Meet Me at Mike's (curated by Pip Lincolne). I found the book at my local library. Let me tell you, my library really likes to support the modern sewist.

I used fabric from my stash (it's a trend around here), and these cute little green ones are made with fabric that my husband bought for me for Christmas over two years ago. Finally found the perfect use for it :)

I used non-skid fabric for the soles, just in case Babes starts to venture onto two feet before he or she grows out of them. I found this fabric as a remnant at Hancock Fabrics a long time ago, but I haven't come across it since.

But wait, there's more! There are two more pairs waiting Baby's arrival.

Yep, that's right, Little One's very own pairs of Thoms, not Toms (because of our last name).  I used Leisha's free pattern from Homemade Toast for newborn shoes, but she sells a pattern for infant, toddler, and children sizes as well!

Again, you guessed it, stash fabric, along with non-skid soles. These are so tiny, though, I don't imagine the non-skid getting much use. Let me tell you, I battled these shoes a bit. First with trying to print the tags - we were running out of ink, I had three opportunities to print correctly (mirror image in b&w) and of course it took me 4 to get it right :) I also burned two tags while ironing them, which explains why my versions do not have the traditional tag on the side of the shoe.

Lessons learned. But hey, they still turned out cute!

Basic Newborn Pants

I wrapped up a few bottoms for Baby today :) I made these little pants using the Basic Newborn Pant pattern from Rae at Made by Rae.  These pants sew up so quickly - 3 seams, 3 hems, and some elastic. It doesn't get much easier.

I would warn any go-getters to make sure you keep track of which seam is the leg seam and which is the center seam; otherwise you may end up with a tiny little rise and butt!

I decided to just use up fabrics in my stash. I admit, they don't match and make a collection, but individually, they are each cute!

The tutorial states that the hip circumference is the same as a 6-12 month pattern Rae sells, so they may work for older babies too. With that in mind, I opted to add a little folded cuff to two of the pants, which can be unfolded when Little One gets too tall for the newborn length. For this, I just took the width measurement at the bottom of the leg seam and created a rectangle with that length and a height of 4-5".

I would highly recommend this pattern - it is so straightforward and Rae makes it really easy to follow!

Newborn Sleep Sacks

When I saw these sleep sacks on pinterest, it took me about 2 seconds to decide to make some of my own.  It just took me until yesterday to finish them :)

I had to get the fabric, because despite my stash, I had no gender-neutral flannel or usable jersey to speak of.  First, I cut up a [really] old pair of Care Bear pajama pants because no one my age should own them (full disclosure: they are from college).  I decided to order organic cotton jersey, which was soft, relatively thin, and had lots of movement, along with a flannel in a geometric print. My favorite fabric, however, is Turtle Parade from the Les Amis flannel collection by Patty Sloniger for Michael Miller. I've been loving teal lately, and I love turtles. I always have and always will. You may notice the turtle one is a bit special with the fabric upside-down on the back of the arm. I was clearly not paying attention to the fabric direction.

The pattern is from Jessica at Running With Scissors, and I really like how she included a fold-over cuff to help prevent Baby's sharp little finger nails from doing damage. The pattern is for a newborn size, but mine came out slightly bigger than newborn (or at least I hope I don't have to push out a baby that big).  Maybe with a wash, they will cinch up a bit. I used a half-inch seam allowance throughout.

Now all we need is a baby to fill them!

Newborn Crochet Letterman Sweater - Pattern

I shared this vintage-style V-neck Letterman sweater here on Friday.

Today I thought I'd share the pattern in case you (1) love to crochet, (2) love little babies in old-man clothes, and (3) wanted to make your own!  It is pretty straightforward, worked from the bottom up, with seams around the armholes and finishing rows at the neck and waist.

Newborn Crochet Letterman Sweater
This pattern is for personal use only. Please do not sell finished items or reproduce any portions of the pattern. Feel free to link back to it here, though!

Hook size: G
Gauge: 4 dc = 1"

Ch 66
Row 1: dc in third chain from hook, continue 62 dc across (64 dc, first chains count as one dc), turn
Row 2-7: ch 3 (counts as first dc), dc in each st across (64 dc), turn
Row 8: ch 3, dec, 59 dc, dec (62 dc), turn
Row 9: ch 3, dec, 57 dc, dec (60 dc), turn
Row 10: ch 3, dec, 55 dc, dec (58 dc), turn
Row 11: ch 3, dec, 53 dc, dec (56 dc), turn

beginning of right chest panel (a)
Row 12a: ch 3, dec, 8 dc, dec (11 dc), turn
Row 13a: ch 3, dec, 6 dc, dec (9 dc), turn
Row 14a: ch 3, dec, 4 dc, dec (7 dc), turn
Row 15a: ch 3, dec, 2 dc, dec (5 dc), turn
Row 16a: ch 3, dec, dec (3 dc)
finish off


left chest panel (b)
Begin thirteen stitches from the end of row 11 (shown by the green stitch marker in the photo below)

Row 12b: ch 3, dec, 8 dc, dec (11 dc), turn
Row 13b: ch 3, dec, 6 dc, dec (9 dc), turn
Row 14b: ch 3, dec, 4 dc, dec (7 dc), turn
Row 15b: ch 3, dec, 2 dc, dec (5 dc), turn
Row 16b: ch 3, dec, dec (3 dc)
finish off



back panel (c)
Begin in the stitch directly after the right chest panel ends (shown by the green stitch marker in the photo below)

Row 12c: ch 3, dec, 27 dc, dec (30 dc), turn
Row 13c: ch 3, dec, 25 dc, dec (28 dc), turn
Row 14c: ch 3, dec, 23 dc, dec (26 dc), turn
Row 15c: ch 3, dec, 21 dc, dec (24 dc), turn
Row 16c: ch 3, dec, 19 dc, dec (22 dc)
finish off

sleeves (make 2) - contrasting color, if you choose
ch 17
Row 1: sc in second ch from hook, sc across (16 st)
Row 2: ch 2 (counts as first hdc), hdc in next two st, *2 hdc in next st, hdc in next two st* 4 times, hdc in next st (20 hdc), turn
Row 3-10: ch 2, 19 hdc (20 hdc), turn
Row 11:  ch 2, dec, 6 hdc, dec, 7 hdc, dec (17 hdc), turn
Row 12:  ch 2, dec, 5 hdc, dec, 5 hdc, dec (14 hdc), turn
Row 11:  ch 2, dec, 3 hdc, dec, 4 hdc, dec (11 hdc), turn
Row 11:  ch 2, dec, 6 hdc, dec (9 hdc), turn
Row 11:  ch 2, dec, 4 hdc, dec (7 hdc), turn
Row 11:  ch 2, dec, 2 hdc, dec (5 hdc), turn
Row 11:  ch 2, dec, dec (3 hdc)
finish off

Attach the sleeves to the sweater body, and finish the sleeve seem from armpit to wrist.

Neck finishing rows - contrasting color if you choose
Pick up stitches around the neck from the chest panels, sleeves, and back panel.
Row 1: ch 1, sc in same st, 2 sc, dec, *4 sc, dec* 4 times, 2 sc (26 sc)
Row 2: ch 1, sc in same st, sc, dec, *3 sc, dec* 4 times, 2 sc (21 sc)

Waist finishing rows - contrasting color if you choose
Pick up stitches around the waist
Row 1: ch 1, sc in same st, *dec, 4 sc* 10 times, dec, sc (53 sc)
Row 2: ch 1, sc in same st, 52 sc (53 sc)

Attach your letter of choice, and you are all set!

Crocheted Newborn Take-home Sweaters

Not knowing the Babe's gender has been so fun and exciting. I haven't hit that point [that everyone keeps telling me I will hit] when I wish we just knew.  I am hoping that excitement carries through to the delivery room, but just in case, I made these little sweaters as a visual reminder of the amazing impending surprise.

I want the Little One to have a special handmade memento from the newborn phase (or maybe I want it to remind me how tiny he or she once was), and I want a special heirloom for that momentous trip home from the hospital.

Thanks to a routine trip to the mechanic, I had plenty of time to wrap these up this week.  I made them with leftover yarns I already had on hand. The newborn baby girl sweater is based on this pattern from ravelry, but I used a smaller hook (G) and chose not to do the picot edge on the sleeves.

I made my own pattern for the newborn baby boy sweater. I wanted it to like an old-fashioned V-neck letterman's sweater, like something fresh out of the 50s.  The T is for Team Thomas :) I will be sharing the pattern next week!

two-minute break

Just wanted to take a quick break to share some cute :)

The coats I made a couple of weeks ago made it to their fashionista owners. And boy do they look so cute in them!

First up is my niece, Lil. I can't decide who is cuter in this photo, her, or her drool-monster 'bama-swoop brother who is also posing :)



And here's little Miss Elise. She and I went shopping to pick out her mac-n-cheese-colored coat (after her mom and I pre-shopped of course!)



We had a fun time learning that maybe hot pink wasn't the best choice of thread color, but also maybe I shouldn't have given her free reign at the thread stand :) . Just in case you were wondering, her dad's favorite color is red.  What a cutie! Am I overusing that word? sorry... but it's so true!

Finally, here is Elise with her mom, also donning the runabout jacket. Seriously, could she not be a perfect Rainbow Brite in that outfit??



Anyway, thanks for humoring me! Sometimes it's nice to see things you have made on other people rather than yourself over and over...

Anyone else live vicariously through friends and family members kids?? :)

Mary

technicolor dream coats

Okay not really, but there are so many of them, and they are so colorful :)



You may have seen two of them, the green raincoat and the blue runabout jacket. Before I knew it, I had two very excited four-year-olds in desperate need of new a spring jacket. One of their moms (also another coworker) got to see my jacket(s) in person and decided she needed one for herself (who can blame her? this pattern was great aside from my fabric rant from a while ago). If you are counting along, that is a total of five coats.



I can't wait to see photos of the little ones in their new coats (solid pink and solid yellow) - they are going to be absolutely adorable :) However, I can officially say I am patterned out of this jacket...time to move on!

What do you think I should sew next? Any ideas for something [non-apparel] maybe from my scrap bin?

Mary

i spy something different

Linking up to Quiltstory's Fabric Tuesday today! I participated in an i-spy swap over at Obsessively Stitching. I love all the different patterns I got, but there were quite a few with similar things on them (like puppies or strawberries). I opted to make this.



I chose a bunch of i-spy squares with similar items and sewed them all together into bean bags. Then, I made tags that list things that can be 'spied' on the bean bags. All that together makes a fun little game, right? I hope so, anyway... The point is to pick a tag, then search the bean bags for what the tag lists. It is for my niece, but she may just have more fun throwing the bean bags around :)



Happy Sewing!
Mary

charlie brown quilt

So named by my husband (he was reading my mind) because of the stripes and color balance.



You may remember the sneak peak from last week. Recap: for a friend of the family, first baby is a girl, due in early summer, recently had surgery and is now resting up on her couch (so I am told :) ). With my awesome new walking foot and some cream thread purchased amid the ice storm, I was able to finish the quilting and binding of this baby [quilt].



Cannot wait to package this up and send it off :)



what kinds of quilt patterns have you used for baby quilts?

mary