T- 16 hours

Hand quilting complete, machine in the ditch to finish it, then binding... think I'll have it done by the morning?

Pattern weights

When you have a kid, you start using different things as pattern weights!

Winners!

The winner of the pacifier/toy holder is #43, lefty.rollins, who said, "Thanks for this giveaway! While my baby girl doesn't use a pacifier, she does like to drop her toys all the time. This would be great!"

And the winner of the knitting books is #45, Nicole Sender, who's wishing for a Kindle Fire for Christmas!

I loved hearing everyone's Christmas wishes - my favorite was the person wishing for eyebrows to grow back.  Wish I knew the story there!

Thanks for playing :)

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day - pacifier/toy holder

It's time for the giveaway day!

In addition to the knitting books, I'm also giving away a pacifier/toy clip like the ones in my store:

It can be used to hold various kinds of pacifiers, including the Soothie type, and toys with a thin area to put the elastic loop around.

I've been disturbed to see people selling ones they describe as having a 24" strap - that's not safe.  There's a reason you'll never see a commercially-produced one like that.  Mine have roughly 6-8" straps, that cannot wrap around a child's neck!

The one I didn't get to photograph with the rest is pink and white polka dots with a pink clip and a white loop:

(colors brighter in real life - camera's out of commission, so have to rely on telephone!)

Giveaway open through Friday, I'll do a random drawing Saturday morning, and I'll ship anywhere (shipping time may take longer overseas, as I can't use the automated machine).

If you're interested, leave a comment telling me who it would be for!

When I'm not making pacifier clips, I make monkey hats:

Sweet baby dresses (and a sweet baby):

Traditional quilts:

Historical costumes (worn at Dickens on the Strand last week):

And all sorts of other things - I have a making compulsion :)

Happy giveaway week :)

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day!

It's Giveaway Day!

Today I'm giving away two knitting books: Stitch and Bitch Nation and Knit Two Together. 

They're both very good books, with many good patterns, and a few silly patterns each, but just not right for me right now (when nearly all I make is baby stuff).

Giveaway open through Friday, I'll do a random drawing Saturday morning, and I'll ship anywhere (shipping time may take longer overseas, as I can't use the automated machine).

Let me know what you want for Christmas (or if you don't do Christmas, your birthday), and you're in.  I'm reverting to childhood and hoping for a bicycle, a basic cruiser with a big comfy seat, to hitch the trailer up to and haul the baby around town. Preferably in purple with a bell and maybe streamers.

Why am I not using these knitting books now?  Well, I've been busy... I make monkey hats:

Sweet baby dresses (and a sweet baby):

Traditional quilts:

Historical costumes (worn at Dickens on the Strand last week):

And all sorts of other things - I have a making compulsion :)

Happy giveaway week :)

Anyone need to hold something?

For a while, the only pacifier clips I saw were designed only for the pacifiers with handles, and the baby likes the Soothie ones.  I've since found out that they make ones that are Soothie compatible, but first I made these:

(Nearly) Universal Pacifier/toy Clips

(Nearly because we've found one pacifier with no holes or any other way to attach it, but that's the exception.)

Mine have a stronger clip, I've found, than your typical store-bought variety.  I used Goody hair elastics for the loop and clips from this Etsy supplier, as they're cuter than the old-man suspender clips!

And you're not limited to pacifiers, either:

Pink with a teething ring attached

Apples with a Soothie attached

Black and white with a standard pacifier

Gears with a German triangle toy attached

Yellow plaid with a Go Ball

Apples with a standard pacifier

They've been remarkably useful (not pictured: two quite grubby ones we've used non-stop), often with a pacifier on one and a toy on the other, clipped to her sleeves or the baby carrier.

(All of the above available in my shop)