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)

Itty Bitty Baby Dresses

I made the baby several of the Itty Bitty Baby Dress from Made By Rae.  It takes two fat quarters to make a dress in the small-baby size.  They're all now too small, so I took some photos before putting them away. 

This one was my favorite - my father-in-law actually suggested the tiny pocket.  (He missed his calling in life, as a party planner and fashion designer.)  The first time she wore this, instead of just a little white shirt, and I swaddled her for sleeping...when I unwrapped her when she woke up, I was overcome by how adorable she was.  What a cute little baby!

I added extra bias binding from an old project - had exactly enough (it's actually red, not orange).  The top is quilting cotton; the skirt is a bit of black linen; and the button is a little cherry.


I like it when mothers and babies dress alike, but I haven't got the drive to make clothes for myself now that I have someone small and cute to sew for.  So, I went to my closet and found dresses I'd made myself in the past, and I'm making her ones to match.  This one actually is roughly the same style as the one I made myself, down to the shoulder ties (because the Monique dress was a bit short in the shoulders, so I had to add a bit on contrast, and made ties while I was at it).  I made the piping myself, as well.  We got so many cute comments when we wore our dresses!

This was the husband's favorite.  It was a bit larger than the others, so she wore it over a long-sleeved baby shirt at first, and it lasted the longest.  Two fat quarters and pre-made piping and bias tape.  I found it most successful if I sewed the piping to the top before doing the side seams in the skirt (unlike the instructions), for then it would be caught in the seam and stay flat.  If I wanted (I sometimes did), I could catch the lining of the bodice by hand, keeping the skirt gathers hidden on the inside.

I made two others that I don't seem to have photographed - one in blue (top) and red (skirt) bandana fabric, and one in purple stripe (top) and solid (skirt) quilting cotton.

Might have to make them again next spring a bit larger, although it'll take more than a fat quarter now.