More T Shirts

I've said before that we have way too many t-shirts.

And these quilts are addictive. So simple to make once you get the hang of it! Here's my latest:

And the back...using bits of the backs of the shirts.

The best explanation of how to do this that I've found is here at Maiden Jane. No batting to fuss with, no binding...just the fun parts :)

More baby things!

So, having found out I'm having twins, I went on a trip to Babies R Us.

Big mistake.

This was possibly the single most overwhelming shopping trip of my life. Who could have imagined that two tiny people could need so much stuff? (Fun fact: The internet tells me that this week they are the size of sweet potatoes).

So, I decided to just go home and make more stuff. Too bad I can't make things like carseats or strollers. That would be way easier and probably more fun.

I made some more burp cloths, this time out of old towels.

I have it on good authority that babies poop a lot, so I made a changing pad. I figure if I make enough of these to stash one wherever we're likely to spend time (like in the car, at my parents' house, etc) then I might be able to cut down on some mess. I loosely followed this tutorial, but I didn't use any batting because the towel is actually pretty thick.

Then, continuing with the same tutorial, I made a cute clutch to hold it. Why not?

Good thing the babies aren't arriving until October - I am nowhere near ready for this!

My biggest project ever

In my last post I referenced a big big big project that I have been working on for the past few months.

It's really not a crafty project at all, but it has been taking up a lot of my time.

I'm having twins!!!

I can't express in words how excited hubby and I are about this. And I totally want some of these:

Bonus baby!!!

For the first few months, I was literally too tired to do anything except work and then come home and collapse into bed. I was actually going to bed at 4 or 5 in the afternoon and sleeping through until the morning. Now, however, I'm feeling a lot better, so I've started making some simple baby stuff. You know, because making stuff is fun.

I hear babies like these taggy blankets - not sure I see the appeal myself, but they are pretty cute. These were inspired by this post from Maiden Jane. I used old t-shirts that don't fit anymore, and the result is pretty darned cute!

Another great use for old t-shirts - I have been making burp cloths - because I figure twice the babies will mean twice the mess. These are backed with fabric from old t-shirts.

I was inspired by this post here - really, this is the simplest project ever, but it's fun to put cute prints on them. See the dinosaurs? Adorable!

So, for all you moms out there - what's your must-have baby item? Bonus points if it's something I can make myself!

Welcome back, me!

Wow, it has been a long time since I last posted! Sometimes, you know, life gets in the way...and for the past few months I have been working on a big big big project that I will share here soon. It has kept me from working on much else, but today I would like to share one of my favorite things about our new house: my craft room!

Here's our lovely house:

And here's what the room looked like before:

Until we discovered that the carpet was hiding hardwood floors! So now, it looks like this:

And, it has a closet! Someday, it will have a door on it. Maybe.

It is soooooooooooo nice to have a little space to work in...and when I leave a project half-finished, I can just close the door! I haven't been working on much, but I have been playing around with some chevrons, inspired by these ones:

Source: hyacinthquiltdesigns.blogspot.com via Erica on Pinterest

and this

Source: beesquarefabrics.blogspot.com via Erica on Pinterest

but I didn't really think the whole project through before starting. So, I made something like this:

 but it only makes a smallish rectangle. So, I figured I could make two from the jelly roll I had, and then went out and bought another one...so I will have two rectangles that I am currently thinking I will piece together into a quilt top. To be continued.

Amigurumi Knits

I mentioned in my last post that I received several excellent knitting books for Christmas. The creations in this next one are not quite as tiny, but equally awesome.

There are sea creatures (knitted nautilus!), imaginary creatures (a jackalope!) and, among other things, a pattern for a basket of knitted vegetables. I still need to add the cucumber and the carrot, but here's what I've got so far:

Eggplant (my personal favorite), a tomato, garlic, and a peapod. There's also a pattern for an open peapod so you can see the peas!

The construction techniques on these are excellent - the increases and decreases are so smooth, you don't have any of the little tiny holes you sometimes see in those areas.

Teeny-Tiny MochiMochi!

I mentioned in my last post that tinier = cuter, which is why I was so excited to receive this book for Christmas:

My sister-in-law knows me so well :)

These little guys knit up really quickly - I have finished most in an hour or two in front of the TV. I've also learned a lot of new little knitting tips and tricks, because when you're making something this small, the little details REALLY matter - so I have been paying more attention to the slant direction of increases and decreases and so forth. There are also virtually NO seams - including for those little tiny legs and arms and wings, which makes for really simple finishing.

Tiny chicken in a tiny basket :)

Tiny fried eggs, by request for Chrissy

Tiny ghost for Halloween!

Tiny cactus...just because.

Tiny cupcake!

AIRPLANE!!!

Tiny gnome, by request for the hubs :)

Why? Because I can. And who doesn't want a tiny creature for their desk? Or anywhere else, for that matter?

Go Pats!

Because tiny is always cuter.

We moved! The new house is wonderful, but we are still in the process of painting and sanding and spackle-ing and whatnot. That's why I haven't even touched my sewing machine since before Christmas - too much to unpack and put away and organize!

However, I have been doing some knitting. I got some AMAZING knitting books for Christmas, including this one:

This book is so full of knitted adorableness it is almost unbelievable. I am not quite ready to share my tiny creations yet, but knitting tiny things has inspired me to look for adorable tiny things everywhere. So I put together a little list of some of my favorites :)

Le Frog Peridot Totem by le ... leanimale $40.00	sterling brontosaurus dinosa... cravejewelryde... $28.00
Rabbit origami Pin hugaporcupine $29.00	blue jay figurine totem ani... HandyMaiden $32.00
Tiny Bunny Charm Necklace in... BLACKSWANJEWEL... $22.00	Tiny bumble bee ornament dec... CraftsByKeri $8.00
Chilly Penguins Stitch Marke... weeones $14.00	Red Fox Clay Animal Totem - ... RoxyStudio $25.00
A tiny Valentine koala LoveableTreasu... $25.00	Extreme Micro Snail - Mini T... suami $18.00
two tiny hedgehogs HandmadeByNove... $10.00	Little needle felt owl, tiny... Lybo $20.00
Baby Elephant Figurine, Tiny... efiwarsh $18.00	Tiny fairy, mushroom house a... MijbilCreature... $38.00
Fawn Pug Dog with Pink Bow -... suami $22.00	Lovely Tiny Silver Whale Stu... YQYJewelry $19.99

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio. 

 

Happy Groundhog Day!