Kevin's Early birthday presents

Kevin's birthday is still a month away but I finished making his birthday present on Friday and was too excited to wait a month to give them to him. I bought a couple $6 T-shirts from Old Navy and got some more practice with applique.

Birdie Rattle

I made this rattle from a pattern in a book. I put some beans in a plastic easter egg for the rattle part so at least it has a different sound to all the other rattles baby already owns.

Stacking Ring Toy

I finished this stacking ring toy today. I got the plans from a library book. It was pretty fun other than some frustration attaching the ball to the top of the stick. The plans said to use a dowel screw which was really annoying and I had to give up - using a dowel pin was miles easier.

My first real piece of furniture - an end table

I just finished up my first real piece of furniture that I made all by myself. And I really like how it turned out, now I have a million ideas about other pieces of furniture that I could make in this style.

It is great because it didn't take too long to make and it's all cheap wood but still solid. The leg pieces are 2x4 material and the top is a bit of pine laminate left over from when we made the shelves. I used a jig saw, drill, and router to do the carved out leg and I was surprised at how quickly it could be done (other than stupid sanding of course).

I wanted a very tiny table that I could move around the living room for when I want to sit in one of the spaces where there's nowhere to put my drink close enough to me. Sometimes I just don't want to lean over to the coffee table, I want something beside me. This table is perfect for that.

Family Day 2010

We had a very nice family day weekend with my mum and sister visiting. We went on a few nice walks including RIM Park. And we did a chocolate fondu on Valentine's Day. The fondu was so easy and fun, I want to do it more often.

Sun hat for baby

I finished this sun hat for the baby today. Now I really have everything I need for baby. I am so ready.

Maternity Portraits

At 37 weeks I am looking quite pregnant so we thought we ought to try to take some artistic photos with my big belly. We just looked online at professionals' photos to copy and we think they turned out just as well as theirs.

Foot stool

I've wanted a foot stool to keep near the front door for putting shoes on for ages, even before I got pregnant. But I was never sure that my idea of how to make it would look good. So when I came across much simpler instructions in this book Handmade Modern, I definitely wanted to make it. I was able to find foam and upholstery fabric that I liked at Len's Mill Store and bought the legs at Home Hardware. It was a quick simple project that was fun to do with Kevin. And it is perfect for sitting down while I put my shoes on.

Soft Blocks

I finally finished the soft blocks that I started before Christmas today. Today I did the stuffing and the hand sewing. It was really fun making them especially choosing what should go on each block. They are sloppy but I am still happy with them. It would have been much less fun to make them neater.

Travel High Chair

I saw this tutorial and really liked the idea. It's a little high chair thing, just for holding baby to a normal kitchen chair when they are sitting. Especially when you go out because it can fold up into a bag. I wanted to make it now while I was excited about it and also to make sure I got to make it out of that old bedspread that I really liked before it got used up on other projects. Here is the tutorial, it is easier to get teh jist when you can see a kid in it.

http://whrrl.com/experience/story/18668492?wref=person_show_card

More knitting for Baby

I did some more button sewing and stitching together and have some more projects that are finally complete.

Another cardigan using the 5 hour baby sweater pattern but this time I found a version without the holes to make it less girly. I hope this will be just the right size for the baby when fall comes around.

A diaper soaker I made with some really nice Twilleys of Stamford wool yarn.

And crazy cute baby shoes! These are from the same cotton as the baby vest. So with the cotton I figure baby can wear them all summer.

Fabric Toy Buckets

I saw a tutorial for these a while ago and thought it was pretty cool. And then I liked this old table cloth and needed something to do with it. Considering all the little toys we have already before the baby is even born, I think a few toy buckets are a good idea.
http://homemadebyjill.blogspot.com/2009/06/fabric-toy-bucket.html

I wish I had a picture of my baby playing with it but not yet. The only thing I did differently is I didn't want to use interfacing because that would make the project a bit pricey so for the inner layer I used an old bedspread that I had bought from a thrift store for sewing with. It keeps the shape well I think. The bigger one has a diameter of about 12 inches and it is a bit floppy but still works. The smaller two are 10 inch diameter and all are about a foot tall.