Quiet book - page 3: Shapes

After doing a couple of very involved pages as the first 2, I wanted to do something a bit easier for the next 2 pages. Shapes seemed to be easy so I started on that.

I traced around 6 shapes onto cardboard from Chloe's Tupperware Shape sorter - circle, square, triangle, cross, star and pentagon. I used the templates to cut out 2 of each shape from material and ironed these onto some fusing to give them some strength. Onto one of each of the shapes I sewed a square of velcro (the scratchy side) before sewing the 2 pieces of each shape together with a zigzag stitch.

The fluffy half of the velcro was sewn onto the calico. To create the shape to match the piece with, I painted the shape onto the calico around the velcro. To finish, even though Chloe can't read yet, I sewed the names of the shapes under each one. A bit of fusing on the back of the calico will help little fingers to pull off the shapes.

Next page - colours.

Merino Dress

I was let into the secret of an awesome fabric outlet store where you can get Merino at a good price. I picked up 1.5m of two different colours for a steal and am still trying to use it all.

The first thing I did was cut out a square from a red wine coloured piece which I will edge and use as a baby swaddle. With the leftover material I wanted to make a little shift dress for Chloe.

I was able to pick up a super easy pattern for $5. I probably could have just made up a pattern, but I wanted to use the merino well. The result is very cute and will work well as a winter/spring dress.

Beanie

I was given a pattern for a baby beanie which I wanted to knit for baby #2 to wear at the hospital. The trouble was that I didn't know what size to start with out of the 6 options, so I thought I'd start small and go from there. The blue means nothing, just that I had a lot of blue wool. Second go (the cream one) is a much better size. Both are very cute though.

The blue hat is the smallest size on the pattern. The green hat next to it is the one my daughter wore home from the hospital.

This is the second try. It is the same size as the green hat above.

Quiet book - page 2: Pond

I wanted page 2 to have something to do with page 1 so I decided to do a fish pond with ducks.

I found some pictures of fish and ducks on the internet and printed them out the right size. I cut out 4 fish from orange felt and 3 fish from yellow felt but I wanted to reinforce them a bit. The fish would be attached with domes so I also cut out 4 fish from a stiff white cotton and ironed a bit of facing to it as well. The domes got sewn onto the cotton and ten all of that got sewn onto the felt using blanket stitch.

The water is a scrap piece of fleece which I sewed the other half of the domes to and then attached it to the page. With each page I want a piece of batting in between so I sewed the 'pond' through the page and the batting together. This is where my fabulous new machine came in great with its quilting 'walking' foot. I sewed a few wavy lines through the pond too to make it easier to pull the fish off the domes.

The ducks would be attached by velcro so, again, I reinforced them with cotton before sewing the velcro on. I learnt quickly that felt doesn't do well with heat and I have one smaller duck where I tried to iron on some facing. I guess you have to make these mistakes with materials you don't often work with to figure it out.

I decided the whole thing needed something more so I got some green brick-a-brack to be some pond reeds. These also serve as fish savers - they are attached to the fish so they don't get lost.

Finally, I used fabric paint to put a cloud and sun at the top - done!

To finish the whole page off I sewed some black bias tape around the edge. I plan to put some button holes in the sides eventually so all the pages can be joined with a metal ring. This way the pages can be separated and shared between kids.

Quilted blankie

My first attempts at embroidery with my new machine produced a few disney creations, namely Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore and Tigger. I decided to piece these together in a little blanket for Chloe or some other baby of my choosing. I found some plain fabrics to match them up with - blue, yellow and green and spent a night painstakingly cutting them out.

I was able to use my new quilting foot to help me sew them up with lovely straight lines a perfect 1/4" from the edge, and then I ironed out all the seams to make them sit nice and flat.

I wanted to use satin on the back and, somewhat foolishly, decided to use the satin for a border on the front as well. After some fun making sure that the strips I cut were straight I got those sewn on as well and even got the corners looking pretty good (if I do say so myself).

Now a true quilt has binding around the edges to make it all look good, but I didn't have any binding and really couldn't be bothered making any so I went for the easy option. I cut out a piece of satin for the back and a piece of batting the same size and sewed them all together around the edges, right sides together, and turned it right sides out.

Then came the fun part, and I swear I was seeing double after this. I got out my walking foot and quilted all the seams, including a line 1/8" from the edge on the border.

It isn't perfect, but for a blankie that I just wanted to use up my embroidery pieces on, I think it's kinda cool.

New Sewing Machine!!

I am so excited. I have just spent the last few days playing with my fancy new sewing machine. My old one (a Brother Pacesetter) was a present from my parents years ago and it has done me well with the bits and pieces of sewing that I have done in that time. I finally decided that, as I am doing more sewing crafts, and would like to make more clothes for Chloe, I needed a new machine.

My darling husband came with me the first time to look at new machines. He couldn't contain his giggles as I stared wide eyed at these fancy new machines that threaded their own needles, did their own reinforcement stitches and even cut the thread themselves. I knew I was in trouble when he pointed out the fancy new Brother Innov-is 1250D. It did all the new fangled sewing stuff I had just fallen in love with as well as embroidery, and not just that it had some Disney embroidery designs.

I had a look at more machines to do my due diligence but I kept coming back to the 1250D so hubby eventually said - just go and get it. That was thursday last week and today (monday) I have felt it was the right thing to do.

So the last few days were spent making tag cloths and cubes to get used to the way it works. I even made another stethoscope cover which involves a long thin piece of material and an open ended zip - a fiddly thing at the best of times and the last one was cause for a lot of frustration and unpicking, but this one was almost too easy.

Here is my first attempt at the embroidery side. I don't think I did too bad, especially as I have never done it before. The machine pretty much does it all anyway :-)

I'm gonna have fun playing with this.....

Quiet book - page 1: Barn

I have had this in the pipeline for quite a while. I have been looking at other blogs for ideas and sketching my own in my craft book, but this is the first one I have actually done.

Firstly, I am using good old calico for the pages (I got a big piece from the scrap bin at the local David's Emporium that was from the end of a roll). I have cut them out in rectangles big enough for 2 pages and I have zigzagged the edges.

This first page comes directly from someone else's book. I promise that I have come up with a couple of my own, but this one was so cute that I had to try it first. So thanks to Jill for this one, and also the awesome templates.

I have made the barn from an old bandana; the doors, finger puppets and the bit they sit in are all felt; and obviously the trim is ribbon. I can't wait to do more now. Chloe is already having fun with this one.