And the scarf goes to...!

Mars!!! 

Mars' number came up via random.org.  I'm going to bed now, but I'll notify in the morning.  Congratulations!

Fun with sleeping baby in arms...

I really have a thing for elephants.  So here I am elephant hunting while my little sweet boy snoozes in my lap.  I have really been trying to relax about spending an hour or two this way here and there because it is so sweet.  With my older son, this was an every day thing, but with number two it is just so much harder to justifying sitting on the couch for so much of the day.  Today I was really in a groove working on organizing my fabric and sewing room when nap time came around.  But it'll come back around, right?

I just love this Elephant Rider from Green Man Studio.  I love the rider's outfit.  I want this! 

These would be sweet for my little one, and especially sweet for the big guy and the baby to play together. 

Another nice one for baby from Lauren Smash Toys.  She's got some really cute little monsters, too.

And, this is completely irresistible to me.  I kind of wish it came in two sizes though.  Wouldn't it be fun to make several in mama and baby sizes and make it possible to connect the trunk to tail?  I doubt I will last too long before I purchase it.  And I can totally see it in some super snuggly gray/blue obv.

And another one...  I love them both.  How can I justify that?  This one from Funky Friends Factory might be more suitable for obv, but there's no chance of attaching trunks and tails for an elephant walk.  Yeah, I need both.  Look how chewable those tusks are!

The little guy's up!

A rare joy!

The little one and I both really digging doing our own thing side by side in my sewing room!  I was making a pattern for and cutting out a white long sleeve/long legged romper for him to wear under the R2D2 costume that Lindsay and Bonny are making for him (all of our six kids are going to be Star Wars characters, lol).  He was taking cones of thread out of my big thread bin, one by one, and then putting them back.  He was totally enthralled for nearly a half hour.  Woot!

For once I had a good reason for the pile of fabric on my sewing room floor.  I was hoping it would soften the blow when he threw himself backward, but he never did so I guess he's really gotten the hang of sitting up.  Another woot!  And, ummm, in my defense, I just moved into this room and have had no time to organize.

Always good to know when to let go.

Sometimes my ideas work out perfectly as planned, but more often they are abandoned midway or never get off the ground at all.  The snake outfit I was so excited about for my littler one is one of my abandoned projects that I think I will finally just put behind me, make it official.  But first I have to show you.  I think that'll lessen the sting. 

So this was the vision:  a summer outfit with pair of big flowy pants out of this awsome woven snake quilters' cotton that would be cool but still protect him from the sun and a turquoise cotton lycra onsie with a (way too elaborate) snake hand embroidered on the front.  Other than the snake, it was a fairly rational idea. 

Now that I see the picture I'm trying to think of ways to salvage it.  I could cut the snake out and applique it onto a shirt that would fit him next year, for instance.  But I think it may be better to let this sleeping dog lie.

So now I'm onto my next project, which, I'm happy to say, includes a simpler embroidery.  I just loved that celestial fabric I used for those navy Pomegranate Pants, so I thought I'd build an outfit around that.  (I have to say though that it's never a good sign when I'm thinking in oufits.  I much prefer to dress myself and my children in mix and match type stuff.  There is just something too goofy about tops and bottoms that match in theme.  But obviously, I find the pull of the outfit idea nearly irresistible, as far as my crafting goes.) 

I dyed a piece of the print and a piece of white cotton lycra a deep bright yellow.  I was hoping that the navy blue in the print would survive unchanged -- it matched the corduroy so perfectly, but of course it didn't.  Now it's a murkier looking navy that doesn't match the cord quite as well.  But it's close enough to make cute baby pants.  The c/l turned out very pretty and I think will make a nice background for some celestial embroideries.  I'm planning on a planet with ring a la saturn (which is also in the print) on the sleeve and a man in the moon (traced from the print) on the front and a shooting star somewhere.  Here's a pic of the iron on transfer I made. 

Alright, I'm off to embroider!

Here's the tute!

I'm so excited about having a little one to make my Pomegranate Pants for again!  I think the big guy was probably about 3 1/2 the last time I made him a pair.  And he's actually got a pair that has fit him for close to four years now!  He was in diapers when I made them as long pants, so they became board shorts when he potty-learned and now they are a bit above his knees.  I still love them!  I made him all sorts of fancy pairs, but this pair he still wears is just a solid deep chartreuse almost avocado twill that looks gorgeous with almost anything.  I wonder if they will be totally worn out before I can put them on the baby.  Actually I wouldn't be surprised if he was close to fitting them now.  So, whatever you do, don't fret too much about the sizing.  As long as your waist and length are close, you're good.

I recommend these from about 1T to 3T, and maybe a little larger for board shorts.  At some point, the child will be too tall for these pockets to be practical.  But I have been told that they make perfect light saber pockets for five and six-year-olds.  They work well on boys and girls.  Here's a pic of my favorite pair I made for a girl.  Her mom told me the other day that her sweet little sister is wearing these now.

I tried to write the tutorial to accommodate all levels of sewing experience.  Just click on "read more" to see it.  Let me know if anything is confusing. 

Comment here for my giveaway... please!

sigh...

A Give-Away!

NOTE:  I'm so sorry my comments aren't working on this post.  To post a comment please click here.  Thanks!  And sorry this is a pita! 
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It's a scarf made out of organic bamboo velour dyed in various shades of teal and camel and it's six inches wide and barely shy of sixty inches long. 

And here's my friend, Evie, modeling it.  Just in case it's not obvious (since the scarf is very slimming), Evie is pretty pregnant here. 

If you'd like it  (oooh, and wouldn't it make a wonderful holiday gift?), just visit my shop and tell me in a comment to this blog post what colors and/or combinations of colors you'd like to see in my shop and tell me how you found my blog.  Then, two weeks from today, on Oct 28th, I'll pick a commenter randomly and contact you for an address.