Knitting & Sewing From Over The Holidays

The holidays are always a busy time for me. I'm not only planning and going to family gatherings, but I'm also busy making gifts. I try to make as much stuff as possible. This year with the new baby in the house I didn't get nearly enough time to make as much as I wanted. But, I did manage to do a few things. Below are some Xmas gifts that I made as well as a few things that I did after Xmas.
Little One Layete Xmas Eve jammies for Cael.
Emma nightshirt and Ottobre leggings for Ali for Xmas Eve.
Emma nightshirt and Ottobre leggings for Ray for Xmas Eve.
Action shot of the outfits on the kids.

Nola slippers for my dad for his birthday that was in November. I did finish both, but I didn't get a photo of it before I gifted it.
Nola slippers for my mother in law. She loved them. They may look "granny like" but they are sooo comfy. I'm planning on making some for myself and family.
Bright orange legwarmers for Ray. I also made a pair in bright blue for Ali, but I can't find a photo of those. Will have to take one!
Professor vest for the boy. It fits him better now as it was a bit big in the photo above.

Shawllette for my mom. This one took a while. It's made with a silk blend yarn that was sooo yummy to work with.
These were finished after the holidays. Jungle Gym overalls made with scraps of wool yarns. No buttons yet and it hasn't been blocked. There is plenty of room to grow.
Avaitrix hat. Love love Love this hat. Made it with malabrigo which is the soft wool yarn I've ever felt. I made this in November but it still fits him now.
I also made two Jayne hats (no pics but I will take some). One for my dad for Xmas and one for me. I also made two shawls on my knitting machine. I'm sure I've left something else out. But, I can't think of it now.

A Time For Family

December is always a time for family in our house. Lots of gatherings and general holiday merriment. This year was no different. We had about 20 people at our house for Xmas Eve dinner. Crazy hectic but oh so worth it. I love having lots of family in the house as this is the only time when everyone is together all year. People have begun moving further away and "starting their own lives". So, to me there is nothing better than to hear that roar of laughter and chattyness echoing through the house. Watching the girls play with family they don't see as often and watching my new son get oohhed and awwed over is a wonderful thing. Below are pics of our family which is so very loved.
Lousy picture of my side of the family. Me, with baby Cael, my parents, hubby, brother and sister in law, and our girls.
Hy husbands dad and step mom with Cael.
My mothers best friend and her family. I've known them since I was born. They might not be blood, but they are my brothers and "surrogate parents" non-the-less.
My husbands Mom and her Hubby with the girls about to go to a play downtown. Just look at those smiles!
The kids with my folks. They now live about 4.5 hours from us so having them here with us is always a special treat.
My husband with his gorgeous sisters and mom.
My husbands grandparents. This photo captures them soooo well!
My brother and sister in law. They are so much fun. My girls always get so excited when they come over.
Cael with is Auntie. He slept with lots of people that day and I got lots of pictures, but I just loved this one.
Christmas morning. I think they are tuckered out!

Christmas morning opening stockings. They had a great day. My oldest daughter got a cell phone (after 5 years of asking Santa for one) and my youngest daughter got Legos which we played with all day. So much fun!

I Can't Tell You How Much I love This Man

Today is our 9th wedding anniversary. This year and every year following this one will mark more years together than apart. I always knew I would marry him and love him the rest of my life. Even at 16. Many would think that, that was silly or naive. But, I knew...

For 15 years we've been through it all together. And, I wouldn't want it any other way. He's my partner in life. My best friend, and other half of of my soul. Our relationship is always growing and changing. But, always in the same direction.
He loves me.... and shows it every day. I feel privileged and honored to know him and love him in return. And, I never want to take him or us for granted.
Just look at this family we have made together. I don't think life could get any better than this.

Siblings

Aren't they beautiful? Seriously.... I must have taken 500 pics of them yesterday. Thank goodness we have a digital camera. More family pics to come tomorrow. Cael decided he had enough photos taken by the time his daddy got home from work.

Infant Bouncy Seat Cover Tutorial

This is a tutorial to make a cover and detachable blanket for a basic infant bouncy chair. Basically, it's a oval with elastic around it that slips over the chair. Slits are cut for the safety straps and separating zippers are added so a blanket can be zipped on and off.... Think “Bundle Me” only for a bouncy chair. This tutorial assumes that you have basic sewing knowledge and is really just a very basic tutorial. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Materials:
- Infant Bouncy Seat
- Approx 1.5yrds fabric. I used polar fleece that I found on sale. You will want something with a pinch of stretch that is warm and cuddly
- 3/8” Elastic – but really anything that size of wider is fine
- 2 – 20” long separating zippers – you could do one long zipper, but I like having the ability to unzip just one side.
Step One.
Lay your fabric over the seat. Press it down into the seat and pin in pleats where the bucket part of the seat is. Remove and sew the pleats.
Step Two:
Lay your fabric back on the seat and cut the excess fabric off around the seat leaving at least 4-5” all around.
Step Three:
Fold fabric over in back all around to make casing for the elastic. Thread elastic through and put cover on seat and tighten elastic until it fits nicely.
Step Four:
With the cover on the seat, use your fingers to feel around for the safety straps. Cut slits in the fabric for the straps to go through. Cut the oval for the vibration button to if you want. *note that I'm using a non-fray fabric so I just cut my slits and didn't “finish” the edges.
Step Five:
Lay your zippers on the cover and pin it all the way up. I went up approx 18”. I only wanted my blanket part to zip up to my sons chin so I don't have to worry about suffocation. Once pinned, remove the cover and sew down the zippers
Step Six:
Try it out with baby in. So cute!! Now, that baby is in measure for the top blanket part. It's basically a oval with the top cut off. This doesn't have to be exact. I layed my fabric on top and used a pen to outline the shape of the seat, then I added about 6” to the width and cut it plenty long enough. *note that I cut out two pieces here so that I could have two layers for my blanket and a nice finished zipper.

Step Seven:
Add zipper to top part of the cover. You will need to gather it down near the bottom. This will give baby room to kick legs and give extra room for bulky clothing or another blanket. Once that's done try it on the seat and make sure it fits nicely before you sandwich the zipper with the other side of the cover.
Step Eight:
Add the other side of the blanket and sew it all up.... I made the top of my blanket part have a “u” shape so it dipped a little up top.

Step Nine:
The raw edge of the zipper on the seat cover drove me nuts. So, I cut some 1” wide stripes of my fabric and then sewed it down over the raw zipper edge. Nice and neat now.

Step Ten:
Finished!! Put baby in the seat, zip em” up and oooh and awwww. Our son loves this seat. And, the blanket is so nice and comfy for him and convenient for me!

Happy Halloween!

I Think I Have A Problem With My Brain Being Missing.....

The past 2 months have moved by like a blowing fog. Most days I honestly couldn't tell you the date, let alone what day of the week it is. The only things that seem to be marking the passing of time are my rapidly growing new son, the weather, and my two daughters who are so very excited for the upcoming holidays.
As I sit here listening to the laundry going, the smelling the crock pot doing it's job, and watching Cael sleep, I find myself itchy to do more than just the "new baby in the house" stuff. And, yet I'm certainly not bored. Caring for my new son fills most of my days. And, he honestly gives me a sort of peaceful calm. The kind of calm that makes it hard to feel motivated to do anything else except stare at him and play with him. Things like laundry, keeping the kitchen clean, cooking, and just general house cleaning is all I've really been doing while my girls are at school. Some days those things don't even get done. Evenings are filled with homework, dinner, and the general craziness of raising a family.
I think what I'm looking for is more concentrated sewing/art time. I have so many ideas for Christmas presents and Cael really needs more diapers sewn up. Trying to find any kind of rhythm to my day so I can do those things is nearly impossible. My brain just can't keep up..... I used to be able to keep everything in order in my head. You know.... the things that your family members should do/remember but always forget so you have to remember for them. Things like: grab that extra coat , bring snacks, grab the water bottles for Ray's soccer practices, lunches in the backpacks, etc. Now it seems that if my family forgets those things that are normally theirs to do, I'll forget too. Oh well.....
For now I think I'll just feed my son (who's now awake) and maybe cut out a diaper or two if he's up for sitting and watching me. Oh... and maybe when the girls get home from school they can help me find my brain. I have a feeling that it's somewhere upstairs in the bedroom where sleep used to be.