Sew Can She

Have you guys heard of Sew Can She? It's a really cool site that features a new, FREE sewing tutorial every day. You could, in theory, visit the site each day to see the new tutorial, but they have an even easier option — you can sign up on the site to have the tutorials emailed to you each morning. It's great!

Today, I'm so excited because Sew Can She is featuring my Kindle sleeve tutorial, so hop on over and check it out.

While you're there, be sure to check out the other great tutorials, too!

I've also added a link to the Sew Can She Flikr group to the sidebar. It's a great place to find inspiration and examples of the tutorials.

Sew Can She's also hosting a great giveaway of a fat quarter bundle from Fat Quarter Shop, so don't miss out on that.

Hope you have a great weekend filled with lots of sewing!

The year of the baby

So many of our friends have joined us in procreating in the last year, and it's been so fun to meet each new addition to our circle. There was a big group last summer and early fall, which was followed by a short lull, but now we've entered a new season of births. And while the last group was filled to the brim with boys, the new group seems to be overflowing with girls.

Of course, this means I'm neck deep in sewing more gifts, but I can't really complain. :)

Here's my latest project, which I'm really excited about. I think it's going to be super cute, but you'll have to just enjoy the sneak peek until after I give it to its recipient.

 

And speaking of babies, we went to the class for Beckett's baptism tonight (he's being baptized Easter weekend). What a special night, and I can't wait for the big day.

Go Anywhere Bag

This weekend, I finally finished a project that's been on my to do list for quite some time -- the Go Anywhere Bag (you can purchase the pattern from Noodlehead here).

I was looking for a bag that would be similar to the wonderful Cosmo Bag I made last winter, but I wanted it to be smaller (the Cosmo Bag is huge!), though still sizable, and easier to construct (because heaven knows, my sewing time is limited right now, and the Cosmo Bag took FOR-EH-VER to finish).

When Anna Graham (aka Noodlehead) came out with the Go Anywhere Bag several months ago, I knew it was perfect, and I jumped on it.

It took a while to find just the right fabrics (the exterior pocket is Pear Zen Garden from Patty Young's Sanctuary collection, the lining and straps are Posh in Bright from Patricia Bravo's Modernology collection, both purchased from Hawthorne Threads, and the main exterior fabric is from Ikea), and then there was a delay in finding the hidden sew-in magnetic snaps that are used on the inside and back fabric, but once I got everything in order, it came together like a dream. The bag was so much easier to sew than the Cosmo Bag, and I love how it turned out.

It's got a big pocket on the front and back. The front one's pleated and divided into three sections.

The back one's just one big pocket, but it includes a hidden sew-in magnetic snap to keep it closed. You can see the stitches if you look closely at the gray fabric below.

I decided to include the piping option at the top of each exterior pocket, which I thought added a nice touch.

On the inside, there's a good-size slip pocket, and I divided part of it to include a pen-size pocket.

I love how colorful and fun it turned out. It'll be a great bag for spring. I also highly recommend the pattern, which was super easy to follow and included directions for several different options, including different closures and the piping on the pockets.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day from this little Casanova and the rest of the Schunkes!

 

 

 

 

 

Hope you're surrounded by those you love today. And treat yourself to some chocolates. :) My sweetness treated me to these (the first flowers he ever bought me were tulips)

and a delicious dinner here (we've been wanting to try it for forever). Yum yum.

Beckett's three-month update

Beckett, you're three months old today!

 

 

We can't believe how much you're growing and changing every day!

You didn't have a pediatrician's appointment this month, but we did our best to measure you, and you're up to about 14.5 lb and 23.5 inches. You're growing like a weed!

We're amazed by how strong you're getting, and people are always commenting on how well you hold up your neck.

You also love to do Superman and plank with daddy. You're so strong!

You're very alert and always want to check out everything going on around you. You've also started conversing with your image in the mirror.

And you still love to Skype with your grandparents and aunt.

You're still a very good (if super slow) eater, and you've developed the cute habit of stopping mid-feed to flirt with momma. While precious, it's not doing much to shorten your feeding times. :) And much to the detriment of our wardrobes, you're still the master of the spit up.

You're a very smiley and happy baby, and it melts out hearts every time you grin up at us.

In addition to improving your neck strength, tummy time has become even more exciting as you now consistently roll over from your tummy to your back.

Your haven't yet rolled in the opposite direction, but you've gotten very close, and it's only a matter of time. We're not rushing it too much though, because once you can do that, we'll have to stop swaddling you, and you really like your swaddle.

Speaking of swaddling, we have started to transition you out of it a bit by freeing up one of your arms. You seem to like this because it gives you access to one of your hands, and you've really started going to town sucking on your hands and fingers, which seems to have a soothing effect.

 And sometimes the swaddle just fails us all together.

Even in your swaddle, you move a lot at night. We always place you in the middle of the crib, but by the morning, you've usually made your way to one of the corners. You inch along when you're on your play mat, too, and I call you my little inchworm. I have a feeling you're going to be an early crawler. Of course, with how well you already stand and support your own weight (we have to hold you steady, of course), you might shoot straight to walking instead.

You love your play gym and all of your animal friends, and you're getting really good at batting them around. You're also starting to grab their rings, which is fun to watch.

You're getting to be a really good sleeper, both day and night, which we really appreciate. Except when we venture out, you're on a regular routine of feeding, wake time, then nap, and you really respond well to it. You know exactly what to expect when we head to your room, and more often than not, you go to sleep without a lot of work.

This month we also discovered the importance of trying different brands. You struggled with bottle feeding for quite some time until we decided to try a different bottle. We'd originally bought bottles that were supposed to mimic breastfeeding as much as possible, but they were just too hard for you to use. Out of desperation, one night, we tried the bottle that came with my pump, and you took to it right away, and we haven't looked back. You're getting better and better with your bottle feedings, which is a relief to everyone and makes it a lot easier to venture out with you.

We also discovered a new pacifier brand that works for you, which has been really helpful at sleep time. You only use it for sleeping, but like swaddling, it really seems to help you calm down and sleep better.

You now laugh and coo a lot, which is too cute, and daddy's discovered a fun trick where he swings a towel or shirt above your face, and the wind makes you catch your breath. We laugh every time.

You've also decided you like bath time now, which makes the whole experience so fun. You like to move your feet through the water (staring intently), and you just started learning to splash, which should make things interesting.

This month, we also got a lot bolder with going out. Mommy's been nervous about taking you to restaurants for fear you'd have a breakdown, but we went out to breakfast and dinner successfully in one day, and I think it's the start of many more outings. We've since taken you to dinner again, and you did great. You also went to your first Super Bowl party, where you wowed everyone with your cuteness, and the night was another big success.

You also had several play dates with new friends: Ava and Ben (our friends Katie and Chris's twins) and Ethan and Natalie (the children of the other couples from our childbirth class, Nicole, Andrew, Terry, and Vanessa). You and Natalie have the same birthday!

It's been really fun hanging out with other parents and talking about all the cool things you do.

You're growing so fast, little Beckett, and we can't wait to see what the next month holds in store!