Dotty chicks

Update from June 2010: here is my daughter wearing this outfit at 12 weeks of age. I wrote this post a few days before she was born.


Well, I may yet reach the bottom of my unfinished projects pile before the week is out! Today I sewed up a vest and overalls set from Simplicity 2523 (amazingly, a commercial toddler pattern for boys that I hadn't yet tried). The project was delayed a few weeks ago when I cut out the back of the overalls with the birds upside-down. Whoops. Of course this was unusual fabric that had to be mail-ordered (again) to correct the error. Ugh. About a year ago, I bought the original supplies for this project: Urban Flannel by Valeri Wells from Free Spirit and Kaffe Fassett (?) dot at Portsmouth Fabric Co.

I'm not too happy with how the vest turned out. The neckline and armholes aren't cut away enough, so it looks more like a shirt. In the future, I'd recommend cutting the seam allowance off these edges before encasing them in bias tape. At first I thought I'd missed something in the directions, but I went back and checked to be sure. Secondly, I found it impossible to get the bias tape to lay smoothly around the pocket curves. This left me with two puckery pockets, each a slightly different size and shape - too homemade-looking for my taste. That despite having gathered the bias tape in advance of coaxing it into a curve with the iron. Finally, since I didn't put buttons on the front over the velcro (redundant, right?), I've got visible seams on the outside where the velcro is attached within. Next time, I'd sew the velcro to the lining in advance to hide those seams. Or I could get up off this chair, go out, and buy three buttons to cover the velcro.

The overalls are more promising, in my opinion. I altered the design slightly by making the cuffs and pocket in contrast fabric (pattern calls only for contrast facing). They look to have ample room for a cloth-diapered tush and the snap tape at the crotch will be quite handy. Since I made the 1-3 month size, there aren't too many snaps - hopefully this will encourage my husband and our daycare provider to actually close the pants completely after diaper changes.

Feathering the Nest

Baby crafting right up to your due date provides not only distraction, but also a great motivation to complete projects. In that spirit, I passed some Braxton-Hicks moments this weekend by wrapping up the following:





The impending baby's fetal name is la quetsch (a small Alsatian plum). These plums are commonly used to make eau de vie and fruit tarts.

Two items for Jonah as he comes a big brother (which we keep talking about, although I can't tell if it makes any sense at all to him!). All of these appliqués were made with scanned/found-online images that I printed onto printable fabric sheets and then adhered using Steam-a-Seam before encasing edges in zigzag stitch. This technique has a lot of potential!

Baby bunnies

(Update from May 2010: here she is wearing the pants)






I bought this fabric at least a year ago at Portsmouth Fabric Company - a nubby Japanese cotton that reminds me of Runaway Bunny and a complementary orange-red quilting cotton with a delicate gold print. At first I planned to make something wonderful for Jonah. Then time passed. Now another baby is on its way and I wanted to make at least one very special (my husband would say, very outrageous) outfit for la quetsch. This is like the purple corduroy and Guatemalan striped ensemble I made for Jonah, i.e. one lined jacket (size 3 months) and two pairs of coordinating pants (size newborn and 3 months) all from Simplicity 3582. That feels like quite a lot from just two yards of fabric. Modifications: added two additional tabs for closure (having just two at the top is weird for a baby, in my opinion), used contrast fabric for the pocket flaps, and used contrasting red thread (which adds pressure to do an extra-good job top-stitching). I think the collar could be a bit taller but otherwise I adore this pattern.

Onesie trio +

A trio of onesies in anticipation of la quetsch's arrival, including a seasonal options for Passover, a Shabbat top, and a duo to wear to one's baby naming or bris. Specs: long-sleeved cotton onesies from Carter's, Electric Quilt Company printable cotton, Steam-a-Seam Lite, various scrap fabrics (vigilant readers will wonder where the adorable flannel bird came from...upcoming post will reveal all!).
Oops - forgot about this one from a few weeks back. Make that a trio PLUS. I guess the baby will have two Shabbat onesies. As above, except with a felt elephant from a Kwik-Sew pattern (not too sure how it will fare in the washer or dryer...).