~toddler bedding~

There's nothing like the wonderful sense

of accomplishment and the load of stress off 

your shoulders upon completion of a big project.

Remember the toddler bedding I've been 

working on? Well-I finished it and delivered

it to my friend earlier this week.

I was nervous about it because the fabric

that we picked to bind the comforter with 

ended up being a NIGHTMARE to work with.

 It was deliciously soft and snuggly but

once I started sewing it......

it STRETCHED and moved all over the place.

I had to re-pin and adjust so many times

and it still ended up crooked.

I got to the point where I realized is all 

I could do was my best considering the 

problems I was having and 

accept the fact that it wasn't going to turn out perfect.

So....here's how it turned out:

 The colors and prints turned out so cute together.

My friend loved it and her little guy went

CRAZYNUTS over it! He really loves it and

that's what counts :)

I also made a spare sheet out of some yellow material
and a stripe pillowcase.

Sheets for cribs and toddler beds are so easy to make.
I used this tutorial at MADE.
I've made a lot of them and they can be done 
in under an hour. It's a great way to spice up
your nursery. As far as the comforter goes,
I attempted to do it self-binding style.
It took much longer than it should have
because of the problems I had with the material.
This was definitely a learning experience to 
NOT use material like that again for something 
that needs to be structured. 

Next up, a tutorial of a knock off pattern
for my favorite stretch pants/leggings. 
Easier than you think.

~self-binding comforter~

I don't know about you guys, but to me,

there's nothing like a blanket made especially

for you by someone who loves you.

Wrapping up in a handmade blanket is 

equivalent to that person wrapping their arms

around you, protecting you and loving you.

When my little guy was born (5 years ago) he 

got so many beautiful blankets. From bassinet to 

crib to toddler bed; I had sizes and shapes for each stage....

handmade from loved ones and given to me at

my baby showers.

(I remember each and every one of them :) )

It was only natural that when he moved out of

his toddler bed and into his "big boy" bed that I

wanted him to have a comforter made just for him.

About a year prior to this, my husband came home

with some adorable fabric with John Deere tractors

arranged to look as if it was camouflage

disclaimer: my hubs doesn't go to the fabric store...

he found it for $1/yard at our FAVORITE secret

treasure store and couldn't pass it up. He got 

like 5 or 6 yards of it.

 

I knew immediately once I set my mind on making

the comforter that this was the material I wanted to use.

I wanted something very easy and simple.

I have made a lot of the self-binding baby blankets and

I thought, "Why couldn't I make the same style, just bigger?"

So....I did.

Do you know how easy this was?

I used a queen size sheet for the binding/back fabric.

The most difficult part of this project was finding a place large

enough to lay it out and pin it....

and bending over to do it (I was very pregnant 

when I made this last year).

I just laid out the sheet then placed the quilt batting

down on top of the sheet. Next I laid the flannel camo

fabric down and pinned it all around.

I don't have a link for a self binding tutorial but I'm

sure there are a ton swirling thru

the blogosphere. If you can't find one

and you're interested in making one of these let me know

and I'll try and get some instructions to you.

The trickiest part is the corners.

You basically have to do it the opposite

way you think it should be done. 

For the pillow case I just took some of the fabric

and ironed on a chubby monogrammed "E".

I gave it to him for Christmas LAST YEAR.....

YES-it has taken me this long to blog about it.

He loves it.

And I love finding him wrapped in it

all warm and snuggly :)
Some nights when I tuck him in he
smiles and says, 
"Momma-you made this blanket for me because
you love me don't you?"

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

"Yes E...as a matter of fact, I do love you."

Total cost for this was under $20.

~what the ????~

Most of us have experienced those

"What the hell was I thinking?" 

moments in our lives.

Whether it be with an outfit, hairstyle or old boyfriend.....

 Here's an example of one of my many "what was I thinking?" hairstyles:

...and I remember thinking my hair looked so good that day.

BAD. BAD hairstyle. My only defense is that it was the 80's....

there were a lot worse out there.

Occasionally I start a 

"what the hell was I thinking?" project.

Example:

I started a faux chenille blanket for a gal I know who's 

expecting a baby girl any day now. 

It's my first blanket of it's kind and it's safe to 

say IT WILL BE THE LAST.

What the hell was I thinking?

Although this is an easy sewing project, 

IT IS SO TIME CONSUMING AND MONOTONOUS.

It requires sewing together 4 layers of fabric with several 

straight stitch lines.....I'm talking the diagonal length of the fabric

in lines 1/4" to 1/2" apart.......across the whole piece! 

 

I am dying!

I'm only halfway done with the stitching and then I have to 

cut each area in between the lines. Then I have to bind it.

I am seeing double and triple when I sew these lines.

I'm reconsidering who I give this blanket to.

While I love making baby gifts, or any gift for that matter,

 I have become more choosy about who I 

make gifts for. I want to be sure the person I make it for

is going to appreciate the time and love put into it.

I barely know the lady I'm making it for and I thought this

would be easy, using materials I already had.

Boy was I wrong!

My friend who made one for me when I had my little gal

says only the first 50 lines are bad....after that it goes fast.

Well-I'm past 50 and I'm still hating this project!

She also said it will be worth it in the end when I see 

it come together. 

While I'm sure that is true, it's not true enough 

for me to want to make another one anytime soon.

MEGAN-THIS MAKES ME APPRECIATE THE 

BLANKET YOU MADE EVEN MORE!  IF I EVER QUESTION

YOUR LOVE FOR ME I WILL JUST HAVE TO LOOK AT 

THAT BLANKET TO HAVE REASSURANCE!

~baby blanket~

The self-binding blanket has turned into
my easy go-to blanket to make this year.
It's so easy and I just love the way they turn out.
Here is one I made for baby girl for Christmas.


Truth be told, I actually bought this fabric for
a friends baby blanket and when I got it home I
loved it so much I decided to keep if for my baby.
It's what gave me the inspiration for her bedroom colors.