Let's See

Many things...

Ferris had his first birthday.


It is amazing to experience the growth of this little being from barely conscious newborn to the little person that he is. I can't think of anything that compares to it. The only thing that could make it better would be a change of scenery. Our apartment just isn't a good fit for our family now, and not just because it's an apartment, but it being in the "city" doesn't help. Manchester is just not really a city anyway as it lacks whatever advantages would usually be found in that type of location and yet has all the disadvantages of living in a suburb to boot. We've hit our saturation point of dealing with all the compromises of living here and just really need to get out.

I've hardly had a chance to draw but I have done some things...


This I came up with for a contest on Spoonflower with the theme of Civil Rights Toile. The civil rights part I have, women's suffrage, the toile not so much. But I like it and have already adapted it for t shirts. It's the closest thing I've done to art recently, anyway, and I'm pleased. Eventually I hope to get the paints out but I fear that once we put up the easel we'll be told to take it down by whoever is trying to sell our apartment. We will see, I can't depend on having the time or inspiration for it anyway.

We've been watching too much tv. It is unfortunately one of the things that calms Ferris. He doesn't watch much but likes the noise. He used to like music more, but I think he likes the sounds of people talking and the things going on. I think I've now seen Toy Story more times than I can count, and what's fun about having stopped my postpartum medication is that I'm a blubbering mess at all the sad parts. In a kids movie! Things are just oh so sad when you're a toy I guess.

Long time....

I've neglected the blog of late, and I can tell you why: my baby does not sleep. I half expected it, I've always been an insomniac, my brothers and I would stay up in our beds long past being tucked in at night. My husband, on the other hand, is a champion sleeper. I'm amazed at the amount of sleep he can rack up in a night, and then take a nap. I had hoped that the two sides would even out in our son, but it just isn't the case. So life in general has been a sleep-deprived haze, and I'm coming to terms with it as something that I'll just have to deal with until he's old enough to at least entertain himself long enough to fall asleep at night.
We've also had so much to get done around the house. Re-arranging, baby-proofing, re-decorating. It's all been stressful but satisfying. The house is just beginning to become what I envisioned six years ago when we decided to buy it, and of course, we are hoping to move within the next couple of years. We want Ferris to have a yard to play in, and there just isn't a satisfying park nearby. At least I'll get to enjoy the results while we wait.

So Ferris had his first Halloween! It was adorable. We had planned on taking him trick-or-treating, but his mood just didn't allow. We got some great pictures, though...



mmm....leafy!

Little Man Pants

Ferris is growing so fast, I've been trying to plan ahead. So, I've spent some time making little man pants. I gathered together some felted sweaters and a pair of corduroys that I no longer wear, and came up with these:


The two on the left I made using a pattern traced from a pair of 12 month pants -


And of course I had to add little knee patches to the corduroys. There's a matching patch on the bum, too.
The pair on the right was made using this tutorial - http://www.make-baby-stuff.com/wool-diaper-cover.html
The tutorial is great because you use the sleeves and so half the work is already done! All in all I got 2 pairs of pants per sweater, and one from the corduroys. I think I'll be making more, too, they are quick and easy, and I've been able to use our clothes to make them.

My Stash - Complete

Or, at least for now...I'm sure he'll wear through some before he's potty trained. Yes, I am referring to diapers, cloth ones. I realized a week or so ago that I've been sewing diapers for my baby for over a year now. I've tried a lot of patterns. A lot. My absolute favorite at this point is the one my friend bought for me, the NykiBaby One Size Pocket Diaper by UberDomestic. It came from Etsy, here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/48835767/nykibaby-one-size-fits-all-pocket-diaper
I just love, love it. It fits my guy the best out of all the patterns I've tried, and I feel like I'm going to get the most out of my work since they're going to 'grow' with him.
By the end of my year-long diaper stash sewing stint, I got creative and started to use some of our old, but in great condition, tee shirts.


So cute. Technically I'm pretty sure her pattern calls for using PUL, but I prefer to use a separate cover, I like that one extra level of protection to keep the mess in. It's such a versatile pattern with very clear instructions, by far my favorite and I'm sure I'll be using it again!

Drooool

Lots of drool happening around here...I never expected needing bibs before we started on food, but the drool is insane! I only had about 2 bibs (why did nobody tell me I would need more than that?), so I grabbed some old tees, made up a pattern, and went to work.
Basically, I took shirts in good condition and cut my pattern over the design. I backed them with scraps of velour left from making diapers, did some top stitching to keep it all in place, and added snaps...I decided to make them adjustable to get the most out of my work, though when I get some velcro, I think it might be safer to use than the snaps.
When I realized I was left with a bunch of tee shirt backs, I cut some more from those and did a lot of reverse applique, which is a great quiet activity for when he's napping, but also it's pretty portable, so I was able to make some while waiting for appointments and such.
I got a bit obsessed, so we have about 2 dozen bibs now...would you believe that it still feels like we don't have enough? We go through about a dozen a day between spit ups and drool, and if I don't get to the laundry he ends up wearing crusty bibs. ew.
Anyway, thought I'd share my pattern in case anyone is interested, they are quick and easy to do, and if you make it adjustable you will get a lot of life out of them, and your old tees!