Talented Mommies

This was my first real experience with this thin of fabric so it was quite a challenge. Some how it just seemed like the right one to use. I am thrilled with how it turned out and so is the mom who ordered it (which is always MOST important to me). It is made out of high quality cotton, red with tiny white dots, the sleeves are a shear rayon That is the same material used to create the apron! It was kind of tricky to create the look I was going for with a standard pattern but with a few modifications this 3 month old’s dress turned out just adorable! Hopefully I will have pictures of the dress in action to share later on!

Sometimes I have to stay up all night just to get a little inspiration but this week has been great. I already completely cleaned out the llama pen, changed the fish filters and cut off all of AIdans curls. I also managed to get a few sewing projects done today amongst nap time and train time. This has to be the most fun I have had with customs so far. A wonderful couple of moms, one who is a repeat client (I love being able to say that) came to me this last week with orders to match items they had either just ordered from other WAHM’s or that they had in their possession. Above is what I came up with for them I hope you like them! I have to admit that if the monster had been done on a shirt that was AIdan’s size I would not have been able to give it up (lol)

Not to mention she and her daughter are too cute for words! Now it bears noting Jen is barely 5′2″ at best and the same sling can be easily worn by my 5′11″ sister! For ease of maneuvering we tucked the extra fabric tale around Izzy and it stayed right there until she needed to be covered!

As many of you already know, Aidan was a die-hard co-sleeper. I was beginning to think he was going to be in our bed forever! Well yesterday we bought him a brand new mattress (CostCo had mattresses for onlyt $130!!) and made a really big deal about him getting a special bed etc, etc, etc. He was all game for it until bedtime, then all heck broke lose and the screaming began. After we discussed the bed again and read stories, drank water, etc. the crying only lasted about 10 minutes while I sat about 15 feet away (he could see that I was still there), and off to dream land he went!! WOOO HOOO!!! I woke up about 5 times checking on him because I was so used to his elbow in my spine but he slept clear through to about 8 am! And now he is napping in his bed as well! I think we have success!!

This is my latest creation which I cannot claim is 100% my own. I started with a great pattern from one of the ladies at my local quilt shop ( thank you Kim) and modified it from there to fit a toddlers smaller frame and special toy needs lol! Aidan could hardly wait until I finished it before he had it on and was heading out the door! Most kids I know love to carry their own bag and this is a great way for them to do it and experss a little of their own personality too. Aidan picked all the fabrics, the inside, outside and straps so this is all him. I was shocked that he didn’t pick the train fabric, but I think it escaped his attention . I was able to stitch in 2 rows of stars for an added touch of fun. I love that he can now carry his own stuff, even a wipes and a snack. He feels good about having some say in when he has a snack

To give you all a little background on my son, and the immediate necessity of the sling I redesigned, let me 1st start out by telling you we are a very tall family and Aidan is no exception. I am guessing the next babies that come along will be much the same. He was born at 10lbs 12 oz and a week early (THANK GOD!) and not a fat baby at all. He has continued to grow at a rapid rate and is still tallish for his age. Now he HATED the 1st sling I had purchased at Target. It had too much padding so I assume he felt suffocated. The front pack worked for a little while but provided me no screen for nursing. I ordered a pattern for a ring style sling online and started to tinker with it. I added an area of padding in the shoulder that is low profile and still adds that little extra softness for your shoulder. Then making the “tale” long enough to use as a nursing blanket, I special ordered aluminum rings that are tested to hold up to 1000 pounds! (I challenge any of you to try to hold a thousand pound baby). I then changed the width to accommodate the very short and small women or tall women like myself. My sister is built like a super model so I needed the same sling I used to be able to adjust to her extremely slender frame. In the end this is what I ended up with. This was made especially for our client Jen Dinger and her 7 month old baby girl Isabella. Same sling on a WAYYYYYYY smaller person. Jen is a whopping 5′3″ and this is still a perfect fit (more pictures with Jen and Izzy in a later post). We have used this style sling on the beach in the waves, at the train show to keep track of a toddler, at the mall to carry and then nurse a new born and many many other ways. This sling is amazingly versatile and I would love to make one for you too. I have a number of colors and patterns to choose from and am always willing to do special orders. I have even made one as a special occasion sling out of silk duponi! Please email with inquiry’s as prices will depend on your requests

This is my latest WIP (work in progress), a quilt called Big Fat Queen. It is a fast moving quilt pattern with the fabrics for this one being beautiful batiks of oranges, reds and yellows. It is for my mom but as you can see my darling son has snatched it from the work table (aka my dinner table) before I could get the borders on. I am hoping to get the borders on this weekend but with a 2 year old and just having gotten back from my 2nd surgery in 2 weeks on Wednesday, I have a LOT of cleaning to catch up on. On a brighter note my hubby will be back in under a month now!!! WOOO HOOOO!!!!!

About a year ago I found this great “support the troops” Marine Corps colors fabric. It’s a red background with white stars and yellow ribbons. I thought it would be great to make a travel neck pillow for my Brother-in-Law, the no-longer enlisted Marine (once a Marine, always a Marine!). Turns our he’s not doing as much traveling for business and most of us can’t afford to shelp 4 family memebers anywhere on a plane these days, so I was deparately trying to think of how I could use this fabric. In the meantime I then found a really nice Marine Corps emblem fabric that I thought would go nicely if I ever figured out how I was going to use the first fabric, so I bought the second fabric! Tooling around the internet one day, I found a great pattern for regular, standard pillow case and thought….hmmm, “Great way to use the fabrics AND give a little something special to ‘Uncle Mike’ for Father’s Day”!

Well, it went together like a dream, nice and easy! So much so, I’m going to be making PLENTY of these to come! I’m going to make some for my Hubby a former Navy man (I also found the same support fabric in blue for the Navy, just have to find a Navy fabric I like to go with it! heheh), and some to match our Daughter’s Ariel quilt for her Big Girl Ariel room! I will probably use it to make pillows to match our bedding (whenever I get around to THAT monster of a project that’s been in the works for YEARS! hehe), make some for other gifts, etc. etc!

Anyways, just a little tidbit of something to blog about in my crafting world! I know Heather’s been anxiously awaiting my getting projects done and blogged, so I think I’ve finally satisfied my INITIAL contribution! hehehe Soon to follow, though, will be a blog about my Daughter’s Ariel sundress. I have to put the ribbon ties on and it’s done, so that should hopefully be soon!!! Take Care all!!!!

Nikki

When Aidan was first born he had the WORST spit-up problems. I nursed him so I thought it was my diet, changed everything even giving up (God forbid) chocolate, nothing helped. I was getting really tired of the boring receiving blankets and the burp cloths that I had purchased because they not only lacked personality but they LEAKED!!! I would still manage to have a big blob of spit-up leak right through the flimsy cloth and end up on my clothes. I started experimenting with other options, and wouldn’t you know it the old standby of diaper service diapers worked the best. Only problem? They come in one color (or lack there of ) white. Not being of the plain jane variety myself, I decided they would be the perfect base for some fun design ideas. They take tye-dye like a dream so I dyed them and added fabric embellishment. They were such a hit that they have been requested at every shower I am invited to! Here are the ones (there are 3 in the picture) I made most recently for baby Chris (his last name is Burns for those of you wondering about the large BURNS appliqued on there)), our future rock star!

I am happy to make them for you to, please feel free to email me with any questions or special requests