Super simple baby dress - or "Make it Work"

Amelia needed a new dress Sunday morning.  Ummmmmm... maybe "needed" is a strong word.  Anyway, I made one Sunday morning before church.  Sort of...

I had a skirt in a bigger size made from the Oliver + S tutorial found here:  Lazy Days Skirt
I had given it a regular hem on the bottom though - not a ribbon hem as was shown.

When I tried it on Amelia, I found that it fit her torso and the length was fine.  I used the same fabric to cut out two 3.5 inch wide by ??? inches long (I just overestimated) strips of fabric.  I sewed long ends together to form a tube, turned them inside out and pressed it with the seam in the center back.

I tried the dress on again, used safety pins to determine where the straps should go on the front and the back and sewed them onto the dress (I finished the ends of the straps with my serger, but you could just turn the raw edge in and sew it closed on both ends).
Note:  I left a significant tail in the back for the straps so that I can reuse this dress as a shirt next year and lengthen the straps as needed.

I had this owl from a scraps tutorial I had previously done, so I topstitched it in place.

Tutorial here: Scrap embellishment tutorial .

What's the point of this blog post?  Make it work.  Not every project has to be perfectly laid out, planned, and executed.  Sometimes it's fun to work with what you have and improvise.  Try it.  It's freeing!

I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!  I'll be back to show you a fun Christmas present wrapping idea I had! 

Dear Amelia

Dear Amelia,

Yesterday, I read you 1,714 books.  Actually, it wasn't 1,714 different books.  It was about seven different books that added up to 1,714 times.  And most of the books weren't stories.  They were books of pictures that either you or I pointed to and I said the name.  So I couldn't even act it out or sing it or assign new voices. Every time you handed me a book, you climbed your chubby body into my lap and snuggled in to listen to the most fascinating book in the world to you.

By the end of the day, I felt like I couldn't read (if you call it that) ONE MORE BOOK.

But then I thought -

There's going to be a day where I'd give anything for you to snuggle your body into my lap to listen to a book.

And there are moms out there who would do anything to get the opportunity to read their child one more book.

And there are people out there who would do anything to have a child to read a book to.

And I was humbled.  And I would love to read you My First Word Board Book as many times as you want (and even more!).

For the curious, this frilly dress girl is reading a Red Sox board book.  :D

Oh, blog, how I wish I had more time for you...

After *another* unintentional blogging break, I am going to try to get back into it.  I have had a very busy few months, with various wedding and family photography projects to edit, Amelia's birthday party to plan and execute, and lots of other things to do.  I admire people who can blog through motherhood and other activities.

Some things that have occurred:

• We went on a beach holiday.  Amelia ate a lot of sand.

• Amelia turned one.  We had her first birthday party at an area carousel.  It was a lot of fun and my friend Tara blogged about it. You can find her post:  HERE.  I, unfortunately, don't have any pictures from her party because they disappeared into a technological black hole.  I have never lost a picture in my life until then and it had to be my first baby's first birthday party.  :(
• I did take some cake smash pictures separately though, so at least I have those!

• I started watching my cousin's baby during the day, so that has affected my free time as well. 
• We had a freak snowstorm this weekend.  This is at my inlaws' house in New Hampshire.

• I have a little crafting secret that I hope I can reveal in the next few days.  I don't have to keep it a secret, but I am.  Muahahah! 

 I hope I'll be back soon with some more fun things to report!

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to my wonderful husband

I can't imagine Amelia having a better daddy!

  Happy Father's Day to my dad, my Pop, my Grampy, Josh's dad, and Josh's stepdad as well!  We are full of Fathers here!

Dear Amelia

Dear Baby Girl,

You woke up at 2:30 this morning (not your norm), and as I sat there and nursed and rocked you, I looked at the big girl on my lap and wondered these things:

• When did you get to be so big?  You stretch across my lap and over the arms of the rocking chair now.
• When did you get so much hair?  It's blond and wispy and beautiful and it might be curling over your ears.
• When did you get to be so mobile? You crawl around everywhere now (and get your head jammed in the end of the crib because you don't back up).
• When did you get to be so beautiful?  You've always been adorable, but you are just so beautiful now!
• When did you get to be so fun?  You love to play with us and laugh and smile.  You make me laugh and smile all day long!
• When did you get to be so smart?  You figure things out and recognize words and songs, wave and clap.
• When did you get to be so opinionated?  You know what you want, when you want it, and where you want it.  There's no distracting you.  You will pitch a fit if you don't get your way.

I'm looking forward to you walking so that we can hold hands and talking so that I know what's in that funny head of yours, but right now I want to freeze you as my baby girl forever - in your butterfly feety pajamas, with your chubby hand holding mine, where you always need me.

Love, Mommy

The {Awake} Baby Dream Pictures

I saw a post somewhere about Adele Enerson who decorates around her daughter when she is asleep.  I decided to try my hand at some.  Except at the point when I was taking these pictures, my child didn't sleep.  She's only recently realized that naps are things babies (and tired mommies) should take!  Here are some of our "Dream" photos though!

Walking Levi

St. Patrick's Day

Riverdance

Play Ball!  (Obviously she's a Red Sox fan!)

All the backgrounds are just scarves, sheets, t-shirts, pieces of knit fabric, burp cloths, etc.  

Try some of your own!  If you do, let me know.  I'd love to see!

Baby Dress from Woman's Shirt - And a Giveaway

I'm into repurposing - making things out of other things .  Now that I have a baby girl, I see my cast off clothing in a totally different way.  Where I might have weeded through my clothing and thrown away or donated the castoffs, now I see everything as a potential baby item.  :D  It definitely takes more imagination!  THIS particular starting garment was never mine though.  It was a vintage woman's shirt I got for a dollar or so at the Brimfield Fair last year.  I <3 The Brimfield Fair.  Now it's a baby dress. 

This tutorial uses the Leila and Ben Sweet Little Dress pattern - one I've used over and over and over again.  I'm giving away a copy of the pattern to go along with this tutorial, so scroll to the end for instructions!

This shirt works for this pattern because it was wide to begin with, so if you are looking for a shirt to repurpose at a thrift store, look for a wide one!

Materials:

• One wide man or woman's shirt 
• Leila and Ben Sweet Dress pattern
• Scissors
• Pins
• Thread
• 1/4" elastic
• 2 safety pins

Start by washing and drying the shirt.  Then cut the shirt apart at the seams so that you have two big sleeve pieces and a big front piece and big back piece. If you are like me and are using a vintage piece, then feel guilty cutting it for a moment, then continue.

Center the dress piece on the buttons and pin.  You want to let the pattern hang off the bottom of the shirt a bit.  Since you don't need to hem it, you don't need as much length.  I was making the 12 month size and I used the 9 month dress length.

Cut along the side, sleeve, and top of the pattern. Don't cut down the middle though!  :D
Flip the pattern piece over and center again on the buttons.  Make sure the same amount of pattern is hanging off at the bottom.  Finish cutting out the dress.

 

Cut out the back as well, but this time you can cut it on the fold.

Lay out the existing sleeves and cut them open.  If you can use the hem of the existing sleeve, do so.  If you can't just cut the sleeve like you would normally do.

Notice that I'm once again extending the sleeve pattern past the fabric.  I'm using the hem of the sleeve, so I needed to take off some length.  If you aren't using the hem of the sleeve, then cut it like you would normally.

Next, I would baste the top of the dress so that all layers stay together during the construction of the dress.

Proceed according to the directions on the pattern.  The only other change is that if you used the shirt's sleeve hem, you won't need to fold the bottom of the sleeve twice.  Just fold it up 1/2 inch, press, and sew!
Here's Amelia in her new (old!) dress!  FYI, The headband is from the flower pin tutorial, except I serged the top edge after I cut the long skinny piece of fabric.  Then I sewed it on some satiny elastic from The Evil Joanns.

Now:  Giveaway!
I am giving away one Sweet Little Dress pattern (any size).  If you already have a Sweet Dress pattern, but like other Leila and Ben patterns, I will substitute another of equal value.  Just leave a comment on this post.  Want something to talk about?  Just tell me something you have that you'd like to repurpose.  Otherwise, just leave a comment.

Blog, facebook, or tweet a link to this giveaway and come back and leave another comment for another entry! (Leave up to four comments)
Here's a tweet for you to copy and paste:  

I entered @quaintandquirky 's pattern giveaway at http://tinyurl.com/6chacf6 
 
I will pick a winner Friday, June 10th at naptime!  :D

Enjoy!

The Summer Cottage

Notice I didn't say MY summer cottage!  Living in Rhode Island, we get to go visit the summer "cottages" of the rich and richer.  The day before Mother's Day, we took Josh's mom to Blithewold,  the summer home of the Van Winkles, a coal mining family.

You can't take pictures inside, but I was able to get some of the grounds, the green house, and the lovely flowers.  Imagine playing croquet on that lawn in the warm summer breeze?

Or sipping lemonade from this porch?

Or growing fruit and flowers in this greenhouse?

 

Imagine seeing such loveliness in your personal gardens?

Imagine needing bamboo for plant stakes and just growing your own bamboo garden?

Imagine having your picture taken beneath this tree all the time?

Imagine???

Need something to make you smile?

The Sew Mama Sew Giveaway is HERE!

Amelia has liked to dance from the beginning.  She hears music and she starts to boogie!  My mom caught this video of her the other day and it always makes me smile.  I know she's my kid and all, but I think it might make you smile too!



Here is one from St. Patrick's Day that I made:

(she's very good with the clicks!)

Enjoy your day!

Poor Baby

I don't wish this on anyone.

We've had a long week.


It started Friday.  Friday we managed to have a snowstorm, regular 4-month doctor's appointment, a photo shoot in the snow (not with Amelia, with another little girl), and a cranky, cranky baby.  The scary part didn't start until after my husband got home from work.  I was holding Amelia in front of me and she vomited.  A lot.  Josh got a towel, wiped up her and the floor and I sat down with her in the craft room.  When I looked at her, she did not look right.  She was turning gray and her whole body had gone limp.  I told Josh we needed to take her to the hospital.  Then, her eyes started rolling back in her head.  (My stomach is sinking while I'm typing this, reliving it)  While Josh called the rescue, I took her on the porch, hoping the cold air would wake her up.  I kept calling her name and the ambulance seemed to take FOREVER!  She had perked up a tiny bit by the time they got there, but she was still gray, gray, gray. 

They gave her oxygen in the ambulance and checked her vitals - all fine.  By the time we got to the hospital, she had her color back and was behaving normally.  She was checked out and they conjectured that she had choked on her vomit and briefly stopped breathing.  The broad term for when a baby stops breathing is called an ALTE (Acute Life Threatening Event - probably one of the worst acronyms ever).  She was admitted and monitored overnight, but seemingly was herself and we were released on Saturday afternoon.  I wasn't too confident though.  It felt like my happy mommyhood had been violated by the fear that we didn't really know what was going on and it could possibly happen again.

Saturday evening and night she seemed to be fine, but when I woke her up on Sunday morning at 9:30, she was extremely spacey - eyes only half open, staring off, wouldn't eat.  She was pale, but not gray.  We called the pediatrician, packed her in the car, and headed off to the hospital once again.  She was looking a little better for a time, but in the ER waiting room she started the pale, staring off scariness again.  We showed the ER nurse and they quickly got us a room.  At this point, she had no fever or anything and the doctors started their barrage of tests.  Blood work, urine sample by catheter, EKG.  She had a period of about a half hour where she seemed to be herself, but mostly she was either asleep, or a spaceshot.  The tests got worse - a spinal tap that didn't work the first time, so had to be done again.  We were admitted and told that she would undergo neurological testing in the morning.  What was wrong with her???  Was it the 4 month vaccines?  Was it repercussions from the Friday night incident?  The suspicion was seizures because of her strange behavior and staring spells.  : (

When we got to our room, they decided to order fluids by IV for the poor baby.  While that was happening, she decided to give us our first concrete clue.  She vomited ALL over me.  She vomited again a little while later.  I certainly didn't want my baby to be sick, but this was a good sign.  Maybe she was just sick!  They gave her fluids by IV and then she started perking up.  She did have one more round of blood work (taken from a vein in her HEAD!).  She started eating a bit again and was less spacey.  Then came the big diaper change... it was pretty clear at that point that she had some kind of stomach bug (if you know what I mean!).  She vomited a few more times overnight, but showed vast improvement in demeanor and behavior.  Everyone sighed.  She met with the neurology team and they canceled the testing because she didn't seem to qualify.  Ahhhhhh... now we just had to be concerned with the sickness.  We stayed in the hospital most of Monday and waited.  Finally, we were discharged and sent home. 

 (the sock was because she kept trying to pull out her IV line!)

Strangely, she was dehydrated before she really started having signs of a stomach bug.  The neurologist said that babies don't always follow normal patterns.  Our baby sure doesn't!! 

Monday night and Tuesday day she still wasn't eating well and she was still vomiting, so at our follow up appointment at the pediatrician, they told us to give her pedialyte and keep trying to nurse small amounts so that we could keep her OUT of the hospital for good!  She finally turned the corner and today (Thursday), she seems quite back to normal! 

We are soooooo appreciative to all the people who prayed for us during this ordeal.  I don't think we will ever know how many people prayed, but God was faithful (as He always is!) and protected our baby girl.  Thank you, Jesus!!

Give your babies an extra squeeze today!

(Amelia on a better day!)

Introducing...

Miss Amelia Jane!

I'm sorry I have been so silent.  I went on unexpected blogging maternity leave trying to get used to this complicated little girl.  I'll be adding my birth story soon.  She's six weeks right now.  I am loving being a mommy, but it is not without its trials!  We thank God for such an amazing blessing!

Here's one with her eyes open!

I hope many more blog posts are to come!