Crochet Baby Blanket - Dark Teal

I finished a crochet baby blanket this week.  

It doesn't have a home yet, or even an intended home.  I made it simply because I liked having a project in a basket waiting for me when I felt like crocheting  while my family watches the Lego Movie for the billionth time  a bit in the evenings.  I will probably donate it to our local pregnancy resource center - they give away a lot of blankets to new moms.

Its a rectangle 30'' by 36'' (sized by matching a flannel baby blanket we have around the house).  Large enough to cover a carseat, snuggle a baby or toddler up in, or drag around like a Linus blanket.  Not large enough to cover anyone over the age of five.

I've decided that I like simple, subtle stitch patterns best.  This one is two rows of treble stitch followed by two rows of single crochet, repeated over and over.

The edge is a few rows of single crochet - I went around a few times until I ran out of yarn.  

The yarn is acrylic from Hancock - I really need to start learning about better yarns but I haven't gotten around to it yet and this was meant to be a mindless easy project so I just grabbed some yarn that was on sale in a color I thought was pretty.  Its a dark teal with a bit of a heather-ing to it.  The first and last pictures are the best as far as showing its true color.

In the sewing department, I am working on sewing clothes for myself and its great fun.  I am on a mission to make some nicer shirts that I can wear to work.  Something fresher than the shirts I've been wearing since college 12-16 years ago.  I've got a few mock-ups in the works and hope to be able to finish the shirts and blog them before the end of summer.

Random Table Linens

This post is two non-related table linens I've whipped up lately.

First is 20 navy blue table runners for a family wedding this fall.  Super simple rectangles of good quality Kona cotton.  They finish at 15'' by 40'' and have a seam down the center of the underside.  The bride asked me to make them for table decor at the wedding reception, and afterwards to remake them into placemats and napkins for everyday use.  Smart bride, isn't she?  :)  I believe they'll be used with blue mason jars and white candles at the reception.

The other table linen items are napkins for everyday use at our house.  The current batch is so stained and nasty looking it was beyond time for a fresh batch.  They are made from a random large piece of quilting cotton from my stash.  I had enough for 22 ten inch napkins.  That is hopefully enough that there will be plenty at the table while some are in the wash, I mean, the ironing pile.  Not a very exciting project but useful nonetheless.  (Napkins have been on my list for months and months, always been put off for more exciting projects.)

I edged them in white bulky nylon thread on the serger.  It was an experiment so we'll see how they hold up...

As I said, not an overly exciting project. I am, however, enjoying a pretty relaxed summer sewing project wise, puttering around on small things and not sewing for any major deadlines.  I've got a few ideas cooking that I hope to get a start on soon.

Blue and White Chevron Sundresses

This batch of dresses might be my favorite project of the summer.

I made five matching dresses (actually - from left to right above - a tank top and four dresses) for my girls and their cousins and second cousins to wear to a family reunion this past month.

I used a tried-and-true playdress pattern I drafted up a long time ago.  Its super easy to adjust to different kiddos measurements and is flexible enough to look good on everyone.  The tanktop was a hack of a camisole top pattern and a tank top I had in my drawer.  Thankfully everything fit all five girls beautifully (three were done long distance with measurements by e-mail).

After struggling to find a decent knit fabric locally (I have struggled with this before and I now give up entirely) I ordered some online.  I was more than a bit nervous to do that but it shipped quickly and was good quality.  I chose blue and white chevrons - somewhat patriotic for the reunion on the 4th of July but not so patriotic that it can't be worn elsewhere.  Its only been a week or two since the reunion and my girl's dresses are already solidly in the rotation of fun easy everyday summer clothes.

I bound the neckline and armholes in blue knit.  The bottom hem is a fold-over-and-zigzag.

I wish every sewing project was this easy to sew, easy to fit, and awesome to wear!  

Come to think of it, I should get around to making myself another knit dress...

Stuffed Bunny and Minky Blanket

I recently had a baby shower in the extended family and decided to try a stuffed animal.  

The girls named him Hoppity.  

We think he turned out pretty cute.  :) 

He is made from light mint green 'minky' fabric - that really soft cushy stuff with funny little raised dots on it.  I had never sewn with minky before and was pleased with the results.  It had just enough -but not too much - stretch and certainly makes for a soft stuffed animal.  I had trouble keeping Grace's little hands off the pieces and parts and she was begging for a bunny of her own to keep.   The inside of the ears and the footpads are a coordinating flannel. 

Its made from an Abby Glassenberg pattern.  More than one pattern, actually.  I own her book and I used the head and arms and legs of the Bunny in the book (though I slightly changed their proportions) and combined it with the body of the Teddy Bear.  I don't know why - it was just a different shape and I thought it looked better.  In that way, her book is really handy - you can pick parts you want and recombine them as needed.  

The face is embroidered.  No buttons on a baby toy.  :)  I freehanded a nose and two eyes in satin stitches.  I tried a few different mouths but thought they all looked goofy so I ended up removing them and leaving just the nose.  

He sits or stands, though neither of them totally on his own.  

He is filled with all polyfill - no beads or weights this time around.  

I found it interesting how stuffing the body parts smooths out the raised dots of the minky fabric, but since the ears are unstuffed, they have more texture.  It is near impossible to hold the bunny and not stroke his super soft ears.

I couldn't resist putting a little heart on his bum.  I have a vague memory of stuffed animals with hearts on their bottoms from when I was a kid - Care Bears maybe?  

It is wool felt stitched on by hand.

The tail drove me a bit crazy in that after it was marked with a Sharpie (what was I thinking?!) and stitched on I really felt it needed to be about another inch higher up his bum.  I couldn't move it without the Sharpie dots showing so it stayed where it was.  Lesson learned. 

It takes a mix of machine and hand stitching to make a stuffed animal.  I enjoyed both aspects and really enjoying seeing him 'come alive' over the course of a couple of days.  

I have a self-imposed rule for baby gifts that they must be practical.  I usually make bibs or bags or something else useful that won't just end up on a shelf.   Even though he's cute, the bunny didn't pass the test so the other part of the gift is a blanket.  More minky and coordinating flannel in a good snuggling or carseat covering size.  Let me tell ya'... SO soft.  

So, we hope that Hoppity and the green blanket are enjoyed by the newest baby in the extended family.  

I sure had fun making them and look forward to more stuffed animals.  Next time I'd like to experiment with more of a beany-baby style body - filled with pellets and less stuffing.  A cat, perhaps?