Hide and Seek Spectrum Quilt

While I have several baby gifts I'm still working on for friends, I wanted to show you a little more of a quilt I'm getting started on for my own little biscuit. Shortly after I found out I was pregnant, I bought Anna Maria Horner's Handmade Beginnings book. I'd been wanting it for a while, but it was hard to justify purchasing it until we knew we had one of our own on the way.

Anyway, as I was flipping through and deciding which projects I "had" to do, I found the Hide and Seek Spectrum Quilt and decided it would be the perfect "tummy time" quilt (and a much better alternative to those plastic play mats they sell for babies).

I loved the rainbow of colors, the "peek-a-boo" nature of the flaps on the quilt, and the fact that it could be a learning tool if you used fabrics with pictures behind the windows.

I started off with some help from the ladies at Sew Fresh Fabrics, who put together this awesome rainbow bundle of Kona solids.

Then, I had to find my picture prints for the windows. Aren't they great?

I wound up using a combination of scraps from my stash, as well as prints I picked up from Joann's and my local quilt shop.

We originally wanted an all-animal or all-food theme, but that proved tricky, so we ended up with a combination of foods, animals, and a few planes and people thrown in. 

 Now, I just gotta get them washed so I can get started!

Man, I love that pig. :)

UPDATE: For a list of the solid colors I used in the quilt, see this post. 

Thankful Mondays #18

Happy Monday! Each Monday, I'm writing about things I'm thankful for. This is week 18. Read more about it here. In honor of Father's Day, this week's post is dedicated to the newest father-to-be in the family, my sweet husband. I'm thankful for a husband who...

256. actually suggests a trip to the fabric store so he can help me pick out fabric for the biscuit's baby quilt
257. makes the most delicious meals

258. has a passion for making our family healthier in every way
259. loves going to the movies with me

260. helps me fold the laundry, clean the bathroom, and a million other chores
261. wants to be completely involved in everything involving the baby
262. makes me smile

263. makes me laugh
264. remembers when I mention things I like and tries to get them for me
265. loves the Lord
266. wants to spend the night at Borders looking through baby food cookbooks

267. loves his mama
268. appreciates good food

269. loves my family

270. is going to be the best father ever! :)

Viva la Mexico!

Several weeks ago, Matt and I got to take a wonderful vacation to Cancun with my family. Our parents both own timeshares in Mexico, so we've been many times, but this was our first trip to Cancun.

It was absolutely gorgeous. The ocean is so much clearer and bluer than on the Pacific coast (where we usually go), and the beach was soft and delightful.

We spent most of our time by the awesome resort pool, but we ventured out on two days to explore Isla Mujeres, a small island 8 miles off the coast.

It had the best beaches, and we spent time wading out and snorkeling.

This is how you get around the island. Awesome, no?

We cooled off at the end of the first day with paletas, delicious frozen coconut milk treats.

 On the ferry to the island

 Post-snorkeling off the coast of the island

 Gorgeous waters

 View from our hotel balcony

We had a great time and can't wait for next year (wink, Dad!)!

WIP Wednesday #8

Hello, Wednesday! I'm excited to finally be getting through my list of WIPs — it's been too long! (In case you've missed out, I'm following along with Freshly Pieced's W.I.P. (Work In Progress) Wednesday series as a good way for me (and you) to keep track of what's going on around here.)

Completed in the past two weeks (I missed last week's post):

Baby shower gifts: bibs, burp cloths, Itty Bitty Baby Dress, and Quick Change Trousers

My May Style Stitches bag, the Perfectly Pleated Clutch

Nursing cover for me!

Started this week:
Nursing cover (also finished); now I have to decide what to do next

In progress/On the "to do" list:

Planning my Spectrum baby quilt — I'm picking out the fabric for the "windows" now.

Blocking the Early Bird/Kitchen Window quilt

Empire Waist Cinch for me from Handmade Beginnings

Nursery bedding for the biscuit

Nursery curtains for a friend
Other biscuit-related projects

Hope everyone has a great rest of the week. And be sure to click on the button to check out other great WIPs for more inspiration!

Sewing for me: Nursing cover

This weekend, with my baby shower sewing done for now, I decided to sew something for me! I wanted a quickie project, so I decided to put together my nursing cover.

I used this tutorial from Made by the Mamamonster, and it was great. The instructions were very clear, and I liked it better than the other tutorials I found because it incorporated boning into the top hem so that you get a "peep hole" between the straps, which makes it easier for you to keep an eye on the baby. The rigid neckline has become a common feature on the fancy store-bought nursing covers like Bebe Au Lait, and I really wanted to incorporate it into mine.

For the fabric, I used some Morning Glory in Linen from Amy Butler's Lotus collection, which I bought from Hawthorne Threads without a project in mind a year or so ago. On the whole, I'm not a big fan of most of AB's designs (Eek! I admit it. They're just not me.), but I loved this one from the start and was glad to use it in a project that will get a lot of use.

This view shows how the boning forms the peep hole in the middle. I can't wait to use it!

Thankful Mondays #17

Happy Monday! Each Monday, I'm writing about things I'm thankful for. This is week 17. Read more about it here.

Photo courtesy of the Dallas Mavericks website


241. the Dallas Mavericks winning their first NBA Championship!
242. a cool down in the weather

243. a great baby shower for our friends Katie and Chris

244. tons of help with the baby shower

245. Pentecost Sunday

246. fun stamps

247. girlfriends
248. finding inspiration on Flikr
249. picture frames

250. finally checking out the Laumeier Sculpture Garden
251. a calm Sunday
252. brunch leftovers
253. a delicious new scone recipe
254. finally finding some sweet strawberries at the store
255. a clean house

Castle Peeps raid a baby shower

I helped host a baby shower for our friends Katie and Chris this weekend, so you know I had to make the gift, right? They're expecting twins (a boy and a girl) very soon, and I wanted to make them coordinating outfits. I finally got on the Castle Peeps band wagon and thought they'd be the perfect fabrics for my look.

For the boy, I made the Quick Change Trousers from Anna Maria Horner's Handmade Beginnings book.

They came together very easily and are completely reversible — Castle Peeps in Royal Blue for the front and Castle Flags in Royal Blue for the back (all purchased from Hawthorne Threads, though it looks like they've now sold out of a lot of the line).

This was the first pattern I made from Anna Maria's book, and it was fabulous. Her instructions are so clear, with lots of pictures, and I'm looking forward to getting started on the other projects I have lined up from the book.

For the girl's outfit, I made the Itty Bitty Baby Dress from Made by Rae. I increased the pattern size so this should fit around 3 months (the pants were 6 months).

Close-up of the piping under the bodice.

Like the pants, the dress is completely reversible — Castle Peeps in Cardinal Red for the outside and Castle Heraldry in Cardinal Red for the inside. However, I had to make several changes to the pattern to get it that way. The bodice in the original pattern is lined, but the skirt isn't, so it's not reversible. After a little tweaking, I was thrilled with how it came out! I used store-bought piping and bias tape in maroon for the detailing.

To match the outfits, I made a bib and burp cloth for each set. The burp cloths are fronted with the Heraldry and Castle Flags fabrics, with knit jersey from a t-shirt for the backing. The measurements and the idea to use the jersey backing were taken from Made by Rae's burp cloths tutorial.

The bibs were made from a pattern in Bend-the-Rules Sewing by Amy Karol, a great book for beginners. They're fronted with the Castle Peeps fabrics and backed with terry cloth washcloths for easy clean-up.

I used sew-in Velcro for the closure, with one longer piece for variable sizing.

The entire collection!


UPDATE: See this post for instructions on making the dress reversible. Enjoy!

Thankful Mondays #16

Happy Monday! Each Monday, I'm writing about things I'm thankful for. This is week 16. Read more about it here.


226. another healthy doctor's appointment for me and the biscuit

227. finding out the sex of the biscuit (it's a boy!)
228. picnics and plays with friends
229. lawn chairs

230. gerbera daisies
231. free Shakespeare

232. sweet gifts for the biscuit (thanks, Susanne!)
233. sparkling lemonade
234. summer blockbuster season
235. spending time with my hubby

236. eating food from our garden
237. a really wonderful pastor
238. a great landlord
239. making things for babies
240. that the pregnancy seems to be helping my allergies (thanks, biscuit!)