Sewing fun!



Hospital Gown!





With ribbon belt

 So, back in May, Nicole, Janice, and I started taking sewing lessons. Matt bought me a sewing/embroidery machine for my birthday (at my request). He definitely did not think I would use it as much as I have. Nicole and Janice, both pregnant and due the same week as me, also bought the same machines. We took a few lessons with an instructor that came to my house. From her, we were able to learn the basics. From there, we have been reading a lot of tutorials online and consulting with Janice's mom and each other. We have been able to get together a few times to sew together, but mainly have been emailing and texting back and forth with questions and advice. Both Janice and Nicole made adorable nursing covers. I have received several as gifts, so I did not make one. My big undertaking was my very own hospital gown!! Nicole made her's first and was able to give Janice and I some pointers. I learned a lot about technique and tried some new things with this project. I do not plan to wear the gown for delivery. I will wear one from the hospital and let them deal with that mess. I plan to wear my own afterwards. It certainly isn't perfect...but it is so exciting and rewarding that I was able to take a piece of fabric and turn it into this hospital gown that I will wear after my baby is born. It even has snaps along the shoulders so it can open up for nursing or if I have an IV.

My next project was a carseat canopy. Nicole said that when Liam was little, they used to drape a blanket over the carrier if they were in public and it started to rain, he was sleeping, or it was noisy. It will also be nice to protect the baby from people that want to get too close. Since Baby E will be born at the beginning of flu season, it will be important to keep her protected. We met with the pediatrician last week and he could not stress that enough! So a carseat canopy was a must! It was acutally easy to make and fun. I had a hard time choosing a fabric. The carrier is charcoal grey, so I wanted something that matched. There aren't many girly prints in that color scheme. Then I came across this black fabric with coral, charcoal, and white butterflies. It is a bit busy, but the colors are really pretty. I used a coordinating coral and white flower fabric for the underneath. It really turned out well and I am happy I did this project.

I have also been working on appliqueing some gowns, but I can't show those...they have the baby's first intial! Appliqueing is fun and I hope to start doing some shapes soon and not just letters. I have also done bibs, burps cloths, and blankets. My next project is a taggy blanket. Will post pictures when I am done. We also took a class on embroidery. I am still confused on that aspect of my machine and need to practice.

I am "sew" happy I am learning to sew and that I have Nicole and Janice on this journey with me. It was been a great way to prepare for this baby!

Butterfly carseat canopy

Button detail (straps actually velcro on)

View of the underneath