Remember me?  I was having an industrious second trimester, and then I got tired.  That, and I’ve been busy getting Emily ready to start school.  Yep.  My 4 year old is in Pre-K now.  I can hardly believe it.

So now I have a little extra time every day to do stuff.  Whatever that may be.

Yesterday, I made a doll for my dear friend’s baby who turns 1 next week.

She’s based on Hillary Lang’s sweet “Bonneted Baby” in Wee Wonderfuls: 24 Dolls to Sew and Love.  I adore Mrs. Lang’s book.

I made the “Mermaiden” doll for Emily a couple months ago–at the height of my industry.  Emily wanted the doll to look just like the picture. :)

Lula’s doll, however, is quite different from the original doll.

She’s almost entirely hand-stitched.  And I changed some details to make her more “Lula.”  Although, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Lula in a bonnet.

So I guess having a 4 year old in Pre-K and a 3 year old who still naps could work out well for me.

At least for the next 2 months before the New Baby arrives. :)

This striped baby softie is from the “Mooshy Belly Bunny” pattern by Chez Beeper Baby.  I love Holly’s blog and free projects–she’s got taste!  And this project is a refashion too.  Talk about frugal!  Holly used old T-shirts for her bunny; I used a thrifted Old Navy shirt (that was a bit heavier than a T-shirt) and some scraps of quilting fabric.

Upcycling can be chic, ya know. :)

Although… I fancy my bunny has just broken out of jail.

Silly bunny.  The fate that awaits him may be far worse than any prison sentence for stealing carrots.  Jail-Break Bunny is about to become Chewed-On-Spit-Up-On-Washed-500-Times Bunny. :)

The obsession continues.  While on vacation, I found myself at the Carter’s outlet store in Williamsburg where my mother-in-law and I got a little excited to say the least.  Coming home, I realized that (as fun as it is to shop for baby, and I really do mean that) I can totally sew up some clothes that are just as adorable as Carter’s.  That won’t stop me from shopping there again (I live about 40 miles from the outlet).  But maybe I won’t blow the baby budget out of the water. ;)

I drafted a pattern for these little dresses using a Carter’s romper for basic measurements.  Otherwise, I’d be lost.  I have no idea how big a 6 month old is anymore.  Since the straps are adjustable, these should fit for quite a while.  I could even add a ruffle to the bottom if Baby gets too long.

I’m a bit surprised by how much having a baby inspires me to make stuff.  I have an ever-growing list of things I want to make, and I’m scouring my craft book library once again.

Seen here: Fanciful Felties by Samantha Cotterill, Zakka Sewing by Therese Laskey & Chika Mori, and Creating Vintage Style by Lucinda Ganderton.

We found out that we’re having a girl on Tuesday around 5:30 PM.  That was less than 2 days ago.

I have since covered the dining room table in fabric, sewing supplies, and girly potential.

Yesterday, I made reversible bibs to match outfits I bought from Target.

Obsessive much?

I’m just getting started.  Some projects on my list: these little shoes, this bunny, and this pretty sunsuit.  Oh, man.  Perhaps I should take it easy.

But it’s just too darn exciting! :)

Emily helped me choose all the fabrics and the size and the buttons… She decided her doll needed earrings when she found these mismatched flower buttons in the button jar.  I love almost everything about this.  But I will admit that the combination of the heart-shaped mouth and the yellow skin makes her look a little bit like a baby chick.  Alas, that was my mistake.  I talked Emily into the yellow fabric for her body.

Emily doesn’t care.  She doesn’t see anything wrong with the doll.  And I think she is in awe of me for the first time in a while.  That is something I can appreciate coming from my sassy little lady. :)

Emily and I are making a doll together.  I just love her drawing, and I hope I can replicate it (with her help) in fabric.  She really wants the sparkly crochet thread in there somehow.  Can’t wait to share the results of this creative collaboration! :)

P. S. I’ve seen dolls made from kids’ drawings before.  Here is one of my favorites.

…are so hard to photograph!

Instead of decorating pre-existing curtains, I decided to sew some yesterday.  I mean, I must have been feeling good.

I bought this fabric from Sew, Mama, Sew a couple months ago to put in the kitchen.  Then something horrifying happened that changed my mind: Emily spilled spaghetti sauce.

It was epic.  The sauce got all over the less-attractive-orange-gingham that presently covers the broom closet.  That is precisely where this new, lovely, cream-colored fabric would have been had I felt like sewing in these past months.

Thus the fabric now safely resides in our living room.

It does not match the sofa.

Time to buy a new sofa.

We checked in on each other periodically.

I made a quilt top for Jacob, and she made art for Daddy’s office.

That’s our family, an extra baby, and an alien flying over us.  Emily’s the clothed one.

Which makes sense.

She’s our quick-change artist.  You can’t tell, but she’s wearing 3 skirts between her dress and pants.  Layers are in.

And they’re alright with sharing a room.  For now.

Afterall, they are preschoolers.  Preschoolers who endlessly entertain one another.

I made Emily’s quilt for her birthday last October.  And I couldn’t leave it at that.  I had to make a matching pillowcase and giant strawberry pillow.  She was grateful.  I was surprised.  It doesn’t sparkle or light up, doesn’t have ruffles, and has no Disney Princesses.  I had no idea she’d love it.

I based the quilt on Amy Karol’s wonderful Bend the Rules Sewing lapquilt.  It was perfectly easy and simple — which is just right for the preschooler set.  Agonizing over something that will be washed hundreds of times is just plain silly.  And Emily’s quilt has been washed at least a dozen times if not more since it’s debut.

Now it’s Jacob’s turn.  His bed is a little sad in comparison.

But I’ll be making the same kind of quilt for him as an early birthday present.  The quilt he has now was Evan’s as a child.  It’s sentimental and wonderful in its own way — just a bit threadbare.

Here are the fabrics I chose for Jacob’s quilt.

I think he’ll love it.  He’s sweet like that.  I plan to use the first fabric for a pillowcase as well.

And I might make a whale-shaped pillow to finish it all off.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

This little space under the stairs has a teensy bit of my sewing paraphernalia in it, so I’m just gonna call it the sewing nook.  As you can see, there’s no table on which to sew and very little storage for several boxes of fabric.  And I have quite a good deal of the woven stuff.

The doorway with fabric is a boarded up door that apparently used to be the backdoor of the house.  It was closed off sometime after the back porch was turned into a kitchen and another room and bathroom was added to the back of the house (circa 1950).  I can hardly imagine how tiny the house must have felt in its original state.  Of course, it used to be a summer beach cottage.  Neat, huh?

The dressform seems to scare my guests a bit, like there’s a person freakishly lurking in the corner.  But I’m hoping to put her to good use once I get more settled here.  It’s gonna happen.