Projects I Might Possibly Someday Have Time For

I have too much that I want to do before baby comes that isn't on the top of my priority list, and therefore not getting done. Mostly, I need to stop browsing facebook and pinterest so that I A) stop wasting time there that could be used doing fun and productive things and B) stop finding ideas for more things to do! I also need to lear to multitask better so I can sew and watch olympics at the same time.

Here are some of the projects I really want to make for baby.

I'm obsessed with these darling little bow ties. I doubt I'll have the energy to dress him up all the time, but if my little guy could look dapper for church every once in a while, I would love that!

This tutorial is from SlowMama.com, and I think it's my favorite out of the many I've looked at. Can't wait to try it!

Last easter Cameron got me fabric to make myself a new skirt and I used the leftovers to make him a matching tie! I know, I'm one of those newlyweds. Today I thought to myself, how cute would it be to make our baby a tie to match his Daddy? Yup, now I'm that mom. It would look so cute if I could make him some little matching shorts, too. Sadly, I don't think I have much of that fabric left. I'll have to see if Joann's is carrying the same ones this year.

This tutorial is from TheDIYMommy.com

I love these little cardigan onesies. Again, I want my little boy to be dapper on occasion. I was thinking I could somehow alter this pattern to make a blazer as well, so that I could make him a men's chorus uniform to match his Daddy's. This tutorial is from Diesel in Bloom.

I want to try to make some jammies for Baby, too, with the leftover fabric from the carseat cover and the madras plaid flannel I used to make the pants. This pattern is for using an adult t-shirt as your fabric so you can use the original collar instead of having to finish the edge yourself, which I think is genius. Courtesy of Feather's Flights.

Here's another fantastic "upcycle" pattern that uses old sweaters to make jammies. We just so happen to have a few well loved sweaters hanging around (and DI always has some as well.) I think these look adorable and comfy. These are from Corduroy's Closet.

So, it's doubtful I'll get most, if any, of these done before baby arrives, but hopefully I'll at least get the chance to make a cute little tie or something!

Carseat Cover

I finally finished it! 

I just love the carseat canopies so many of my friends have, but they're a little bit expensive. Not terrible, but more than I want to spend for something I could make for half the price pretty easily. (Call me stingy, or a poor college student. Both work ;) ) I bought the fabric for this a few months ago, but just took a while to get around to it. I use a normal cotton (the kind for quilting) for the top and a nice, warm, soft fleece for the inside to keep Baby warm, and also help block out the light if he's sleeping.

I really like the chevron print, and the neutrality of the grey. I plan on having more than one baby, and hopefully some girls, so I'd like to be able to re-use this! Hopefully chevron stays "in" for a few more years. Teehee.

Instead of sewing little button flaps like I was originally intending, I decided to save the extra fabric for a bow-tie and sew ribbon on instead. Hooray for pretty yellow bows!

On a  totally unrelated note, last night was the first time my contractions were coming close enough together that I felt like I should count them. They were small little Braxton Hicks but they were coming every 10-15 minutes for a few hours. They calmed down around 11 last night and I've only had a couple today. I don't think Baby's coming yet, but it's getting closer!

Remnants

The other day Cameron and I were shopping for baby (again) and we passed the fabric section of the store. Being the person that I am, I immediately started thinking of excuses to go down that aisle, most of them having to do with how baby clothes are expensive and we need a lot of them and I bet I could make some for cheeper. I ended up finding this darling madras plaid flannel remnant for under $5. Since babies are small, you can get a lot out of less than a yard of fabric if you place your pattern pieces right!

I watched my mom sew a lot growing up (most of my halloween costumes, some church and formal dresses, my siblings' costumes, alterations for the school plays, you name it!) and thankfully managed to pick up a few skills. I'd rather use a store-bought pattern than a homemade one, but I'd also rather use one that's free for something simple, like elastic waist pants, so I decided to give it a go!

A new concept I learned while sewing these was that if what you're planning on hemming is going to be very small (like the bottoms of the pant legs) it would be better to hem them before you sew the sides of the legs together so you don't have to put your fingers in danger to make sure that you aren't catching both sides. Probably should have been a no-brainer, but since I've mostly sewn skirts and other things big enough for me to wear, I've never run into that problem before.

Ta-da! Cute little baby boy pants! I still have enough fabric left (hopefully) to make some jammies and a bow tie!

Hooray! They turned out the same size as the 0-3 mo pants I bought.

DIY: 15 Minute Tablet Case

This year for Christmas, Santa got us an iPad mini and we bought ourselves a bluetooth keyboard to go with it. We also wanted to get a case to keep either of them from getting scratched, but they were all pretty expensive for a little envelope of fabric, and none of them fit the iPad once the keyboard was attached. So, I had the thought to just make one! My husband will be using our tablet to take notes in school this semester, so I wanted to make sure it was manly enough that he wouldn't mind carrying it around, but I also wanted to add a little cuteness to it so I chose a largish yellow button to offset the solid gray fleece. This project took me about fifteen minutes, and I'm a pretty slow sew-er.

Here's what you need:

• 1 Button
• Sewing Machine (or Sewing Needle. Or Both!)
• 1/4 yard of Fleece (you can use any another fabric you want, but fleece is pretty durable, very forgiving in the sewing process, and provides a little bit of cushion for your tablet. You may need more or less fabric for your case depending on the size of your tablet.)
• Thread

What to do:

1.  Cut a strip of fabric an inch or two wider than your tablet, and twice as long, plus a few extra inches for the flap (remember, you need it to reach at least half of the depth of your tablet, plus seam allowance on both sides.)

*If you are using a fabric that will fray, fold over and hem both of the short ends so that they have a nice, finished edge.*

2.  Fold fabric, right sides together, so that the tablet has a centimeter or so of space at the fold and the top.

3.  Pin fabric in place and sew the sides together.

4.  Turn the case right-side out. Trim the top flap to the shape you want. I decided to go for asymmetrical.

5.  Decide where you would like your button to go and stitch it to the envelope. I like to do this step by hand. Now cut a button hole in the top flap. (If you are using fray-able fabric, use a sewing machine to stitch around the button hole to reinforce it.)

Hooray, you did it! Your very own custom tablet case is complete.

Happy Crafting!

Nifty Cleaning Tip: How to Clean Vomit

I know this isn't a very pleasant topic but nothing is worse than barf stains and smells in your carpet, car, or anywhere. Who knew that 2 inexpensive things you already had in the pantry were all you needed to clean it? I'm so grateful for simple, inexpensive solutions to life's little challenges!

What you'll need: 

Baking Soda

Vinegar (White vinegar, NOT balsamic)

A wet rag

Paper towels (or rags if you don't mind cleaning them later)

1. Clean up the area as best you can with the wet rag (blot, don't rub. Rubbing works the vomit, or anything wlse you're trying to clean into the carpet fibers. Wait until you have cleaner to do this.)

2. Sprinkle baking soda so that it completely covers the vomit

3. Sprinkle Vinegar (not too much) over the baking soda so that it foams lightly

4. Wait a while for it to dry a bit, I waited about a half hour, then absorb the extra moisture with paper towels.

5. repeat steps 2 - 4 at least once. 

6. Allow bakingsoda/vinegar to completely dry, then vacuum it up!

Now the stain AND the smell are gone! I know it works because my husband was sick in the car and even when the car gets hot it doesn't smell! You can smell vinegar for about a day afterwards but that dissipates pretty quickly. I've been told this also works with pet smells and stains in the carpet.