Sewing Chick

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Cloth Diapers, Diaper Covers, and a Sleep Sack

Woohoo! I'm pregnant! After seven months of trying, we finally got pregnant :) I have about eight months until the little one arrives, and so I am getting busy creating all the eco-friendly things baby will need once she (or he) arrives.

My husband and I both agree that cloth diapers are the way to go. His mom actually used cloth diapers with him, though it was because he was allergic to the disposable kind. She used a diaper service, however I am going to try to do without one and do it myself the old fashioned way. Well with the washer and dryer that is. Not quite so old fashioned I guess.

Before we get to the pics, here are some links that will help you (I know they sure have helped me!)
Sewing Wool Soakers at http://wheelerclothbaby.blogspot.com/

Another way to sew a wool diaper cover

DIY Prefold Diaper Tutorial

Sewing Prefolds http://fernandfaerie.com/

http://clothbaby.blogspot.com/

Tons of free patterns, including one on how to make a diaper from a t-shirt

How to sew a fitted cloth diaper for cheap

Katrina's Sew Quick Diaper Soaker Pattern at http://katrinassqs.blogspot.com/

Washing Cloth Diapers

A sleep sack tutorial

Another sleep sack tutorial

Here is my first wool soaker, made with two of my old sweaters that I felted.

Here's a not-quite-finished wool sleep sack, which can double as a wool soaker overnight. It isn't done yet because I haven't finished up the bottom. I can't decide how I want to finish it... velcro perhaps? I've seen some with snaps, some drawstring, some sewed shut, some zippered... decisions, decisions!

Some 100% cotton drapery panels that will soon be flat fold diapers

Some linen that will be good for something. How could I pass up good linen?

These are the cutest fabrics. (especially the bunnies!) I'm pretty sure the plain green one is snappi-able, but I don't know about the others. I ordered a snappi so I can test the fabrics out as I go.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Raise your hand if you love Craiglist

Yeah, me too. I have had lots of good luck with both buying and selling on craigslist. Haven't heard of it? Well it's a free community where you can post what you have to sell, what you're looking for to buy (or sometimes be given for free), and where you can advertise your garage sale. It's the first (and usually only) place I check to see where the garage sales are happening, and checking craigslist before I head out has yielded in some great finds! I've also purchased some things on craigslist such as a futon and mattress (sold separately by two different buyers). The futon was black when I bought it, but after a few cans of white spray paint, it looks much better. It also came with a brand new black futon cover, still in the package, however since I don't like black furnishings, I bought a white one for it instead. I had to buy that new. *Sigh*

I also have had some good luck selling items on craigslist. Recently, we sold a TV and some wedding items, including a cake stand, lantern centerpieces, glass jars for a candy buffet, favors, bouquets, etc. You should totally check it out. Posting is completely free! And what is good about the whole thing is it's very eco-friendly. You're helping to keep unwanted items out of landfills by buying second hand.

Topic for another day.... freecycle.org :) Similar to craigslist except everything given away on freecycle is 100% completely free!

Making an eco-friendly trivet

So this is a weird one. I had this yellow, very sturdy plastic, um, thingamabob, and I wondered to myself, "What can I do with this?" (I think it was straps holding a box together for something that came in the mail). The wheels started turning and I came up with this: I am in the process of curling the straps and holding it with a clamp. I haven't glued it down yet, however while it's in the clamp, I will apply glue so that hopefully when I remove the clamp, the coil remains tight. Then I will coil a second strap around the first, and continue until the desired size is reached. I have four straps, so hopefully that will be enough. This surely won't be all that attractive, but it will be functional!

Thursday, June 19, 2008

B&W Grave Art

Ok, some people are going to think I'm totally weird, however statues atop some graves (the rich people's graves, that is) are just absolutely beautiful. Jason and I just got back from our mini-vacation where we visited the cemeteries of my ancestors. None of these graves are anyone I know or am related to, however they were just too beautiful to pass up.

This bunny rabbit angel right here is absolutely the most beautiful tombstone I've ever seen in my life. I hope I never have to use one, however, because bunnies (and more commonly lambs) are for the graves of the young.

I promise that I won't post too many of these pics, however I have a folder of seventeen statue photographs that Jason and I took that I want to frame and hang somewhere in the house. I'm trying to decide exactly where would be the best place. I have extra room in the sewing room, however the border in the sewing room is garden-y. "Tombstone meets potting shed" isn't exactly what I had in mind. What I envision is a long hallway filled with a row of black framed statue photos... too bad this small house doesn't have a long hallway. I'll have to keep thinking about where to place these. In the meantime, I'll be on the lookout for frames and mats. Anyway, enjoy (or scroll down to get to the next blog, if that be the case!

Why isn't the plural form of "moose," Meese?

Ah yes, it's the age old question. Since the plural form of goose is geese, raise your hand if you think that the plural of moose should be meese? (That's the teacher coming out in me...) Regardless as to what good ole Merriam Webster has to say about the issue, one thing is for certain... meese, grizzly bears, canoes, evergreen trees, pinecones, and log cabins make for a very good decor! My guest bedroom, as well as the upstairs bathroom, is done in this theme. For your enjoyment, I have photographed some of the things which represent my love of meese and related cabin-y objects. To the left is a wreath I leave up year round on the bathroom door. Notice the tiny red-painted wooden spools. The maker of this wreath managed to incorporate another love of mine all wrapped up into one wreath... ingenious! By the way, this wreath was scooped up second hand :)

This wall-hanging was post-Christmas Target clearance. Target has the absolute best after-Christmas clearance selection.

This photo hanger came from a garage sale a few years ago. I had pictures in it, however with time, the photos started to curl. I have decided to give it another try, this time with laminated pictures, however I haven't gotten around to laminating them yet. Jason had a small laminator when he moved in... awesome!

This painting is great for a couple reasons. One, it's of a moose. Two, it's vintage. Three, it's a paint by number, and those are the best. In other rooms, I have a rose paint-by-number and a horse paint-by-number, all second-hand finds. There was a larger P-by-N at the thrift store I went to today, however I didn't get it, because it just didn't speak to me.

I can't remember for sure, but I think this might have come from Target.

I got this clock at a K-mart going out of business sale. As it turned out, it didn't work, but oh well. If memory serves me right, I even bought another clock mechanism, but it still doesn't work. This clock is just bad luck I guess. That's my parents and me at my college graduation. Go Bucks!

Sometimes at a thrift store, you're lucky enough to find artwork from an online company that has donated some pieces that have nicks in the frame, etc. that they just can't sell. That's how I got this one! There's a big one downstairs in the basement that is similar too. I think it was about five dollars. This little one was probably about three. If it were much more than three, I would have passed. A girl has got to draw the line somewhere. (By the way, this one has a very nice frame, I just cropped it out of the picture)

Another thrify find which lives in the bathroom. Once again, the frame has been cropped out of the pic.

Roses

So in a previous blog I already stated my feelings toward gardening. Just in case you haven't been doing your homework, I'll refresh your memory. I absolutely, positively dislike it with a passion. I don't like to get hot, and I don't like to get dirt under my fingernails, so fake flowers are more my style. I absolutely love roses; I have so much rose stuff, that it's bursting at the seams. Our bedroom (which was my bedroom before Jason moved in) is very beautiful and girly with roses paintings all over it. He loves it. Back to flower arranging....

My mom and I made all the floral arrangements for my wedding last fall, and this was one of two rose arrangements we used on the altar. This beautiful rose topiary-esque arrangement is very easy to do, so I will tell you how :) First, I bought an el-cheapo plastic urn at the dollar store. It was originally a dark color, so I spray painted it an off-white color. Then we got a foam ball that would fit into the urn opening about half-way, leaving the top half to bubble over and stick the flowers in. Then we cut each rose stem about two inches from the flower, and stuck that two inch segment down into the foam. Repeat until finished. There you have it!

Thrift-a-licious

This past week was spent on a mini-vacation. We went to podunk Indiana and visited some cemeteries of my ancestors, the Cass and Miami county courthouses, and the local libraries to look up obituaries. That might not sound like your vacation, but it suits us well! Our first hotel was right across the street from a goodwill. I secretly wanted to go in, however, that was not what we came for, so I didn't mention it. We did stop on the drive over at a rummage sale at this old music hall on Rt 33, but I didn't get anything. I almost got two things, but no one was around to ask prices or give the money to, so I figured that was a sign from above that I didn't really need the stuff. One was a vintage, green-handled apple peeler, and the other was, well I'm not sure. It was an old rusty something-or-other that looked like an antique bunsen burner (with two burners) with pretty metal scrollwork and legs, and it had knobs on it like an outside water spigot, but I think it was probably for gas or something. Anyway, I thought it would make a neat footrest because it was the right height and size. Oh well.

So anyway, here I was staring at this goodwill everytime we drove by, wondering what trash-to-treasures might be waiting for me inside. Instead, I got on the internet and read other people's blogs about their thrifting discoveries, thinking that might tide me over. Um, not so much. That just fueled the fire. When we got to our second destination, I looked online to see if there were any thrift stores near by, and to my great relief, there was two!

I told my husband I just had to go one, and he told me just to go ahead and go to both, but not to buy any chairs. Ok, it's a deal! So below are the goodies I uncovered. I actually went two days in a row because the first day I almost got the pattern below but didn't, and so the second day I went back for it, and also got twelve more dollars worth of stuff.

(From the top left) The adorable doggie I had growing up, $3. A tapestry hanger which will be perfect for the Crawford County, Ohio tapestry I have just sitting around waiting to be hung up, 50c. A Simplicity pattern for an apron, curtains, toaster cozy, place mats, potholders, etc., 50c. A small angel ceiling fan pull, because I needed one very badly in the sewing room, 50c. Two cardinal prints with ugly frames, but not to worry because I gave them a fresh coat of leftover off-white paint, and they look much better! I have the perfect place for them in the sunroom, which has a birds and blooms theme, 50c each. A clown head, perfect for making a small clown doll. You might not know this, but Miami County, IN (one of the places we visited this week) is the circus capital of the world. How appropriate that I would find a clown head! 29c. And finally, a brand-new metal firefighter sign, for Jason of course. He loves firetrucks. $3.

Other items not seen in the previous picture: brand new handbag handles from JoAnns, originally five dollars; I got them for a buck. A pile of foam, 50c or a dollar... I forget. A little stack of plastic letters, good for some craft along the way, 29c. A wire wreath frame, which I plan on spray painting orange (I have the perfect pumpkiny color of spray paint already purchased... waiting in the basement for a few years... I hope it's still good). Then I can wire on those little terra cotta pots as I accumulate more and more of them, 50c. A spool of orange and black ribbon, $1. I could use this on the terra cotta pot wreath if I end up using it inside. If it's left outside on the gate, I would not want to use the ribbon as it would get ruined.

Last but not least, I got one of those large candy containers I've been wanting for awhile, $3. A wooden jewelry box with a floral painted lid, $2. Unfortunately, the mirror inside was gone, but luckily, just moments before, I saw this heart shaped mirror at the thrift store for fifty cents. Everything just fell into place with that one!