Sewing Chick

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Back after a long hiatus

So several months ago I wrote one post about being pregnant. A few days later, the dreaded morning sickness kicked in and never really left. I'm now 15 weeks, and it's just now starting to subside. I didn't feel like doing ANYTHING for the longest time. We bought a crib online right away, but by the time it arrived, I was deep in the throes of nausea, so there it sits. Still in the box. I haven't purchased anything else for the baby since. I totally lost all enthusiam for the child. I've decided that I'm not even going to decorate a nursery. Me. Not doing a nursery. I love to decorate, so what the hell is wrong with me? I haven't wanted to sew either since experiencing this all-day nausea and vomiting. I thought I'd be sewing up a storm, making maternity clothes and whatnot, but nope. Just the thought of it makes me cringe. The thought of blogging made me gag. Seriously, everything that I enjoyed before getting pregnant no longer sounded fun and actually made me want to throw up. Merely logging on to this blog is a huge step forward for me! The only thing that I wanted to do was eat, sleep, and occasionally remove the fetus with a sharp object. So how motherly is that- I feel terrible that I felt that way, but sadly it's the truth. (Luckily I was able to avoid that last one because my husband would not have been pleased).

I'm just now starting to want to do things that I did before, well with the exception of sewing. I still can't even stand to look at my sewing machine. I hopefully will go to some garage sales yet this summer; as of yet, I haven't gone to a single one. I did go shopping and get some maternity clothes because I have been too fat to fit into pre-pregnancy clothes for awhile now. I measured myself yesterday, and I'm 39- 36.5- 42. Well at least my butt hasn't gotten any bigger. I think it's always been 42. The waist is definitely bigger though. I just wish I knew what I was to start with, but my guess is 34 maybe. Not really sure. People definitely are commenting on my stomach though. A sales clerk at Hobby Lobby asked me and my sister-in-law (who's pregnant too and is a trimester ahead of me) when our due dates are, and when she learned that Amy's due first, she said that she would have guessed that I was due first. What the hell?! I think she just called me fat.

So anyway, yesterday Amy, me and our men drove down to Jeffersonville to the outlets. I hate car rides because they make me nauseous, but I really do need more maternity clothes so I don't have to go to work naked. So I sucked it up and off we went. We were not pleased to find Old Navy and Gap no longer carry a maternity section at their outlets, however I did have some luck at Motherhood. I always told myself I would never shop at Motherhood or Mimi Maternity because somehow I got put on their mailing list when Jason and I were planning out wedding, and it was like they sold my soul to the devil. I was so pissed at them for the longest time. But then I walked into the store yesterday... (because I wasn't going to have wasted all that gas to get to Jeffersonville for nothing!) And there it was.... hanging up in the dressing room. A strap-on stomach. What fun that was! I tried on a cami with a sweater over it, and my gut was huge. I would like to have a strap-on stomach of my own. It makes trying on maternity clothes so much more fun!

So that's basically how I've been these past few months. I've had two doctors appointments, and the little brat is fine (and I mean "brat" in the most endearing way possible). I've been on three different prescription nausea meds, and haven't really had much luck with any of them. One night when Jason had to take me to the hospital, they gave me zofran through the IV, and THAT worked. I've been on the pill form of zofran for a couple months but it's not nearly as effective. I've tried sea bands, preggy pops... you name it, I probably tried it to no avail. In my next life, I hope I come back as a seahorse- in their species, it's the MEN who carry the babies!

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!