feasting.

loves,
lately we've been feasting on greens. i've been concocting some ridiculous salads and slurping down more homemade soups than i can even believe. oh, and i broke another blender (at least this one lasted nearly 9 months!), so we are having serious talks about buying the vitamix. i always knew we'd eventually buy one, but it seems like the time is right. am i the only person out there who has had a series of serious talks about blenders with the spouse? ha ha.
the broken blender means no smoothies for a bit. boo. instead i'm drinking a lot of organic rooibos tea. so good, but without the caffeine-crazy factor.

{salad of kale, spinach, romaine lettuce, walnuts, green beans and carrots. topped with a touch of extra virgin olive oil + balsamic vinegar.}
&
oona is now two months old. holy cats. i feel like i'm getting the hang of this mama-hood business.

Nesting.

My dears, We are in the home-stretch of pregnancy and I've been preparing in mind, body and house for baby to join us. This month has been such a joy: I have felt great, had lots of energy and had much inspiration for making + doing. Here are a few of my most recent projects.

Party Dress.
I made this using a free pattern from Prudent Baby. The yellow-orange fabric is a batik from Moda and the red is by Kaffe Fassett. I made this dress as a practice dress using stash fabrics, and I'm glad about that since there are a few changes I would like to make to the pattern before making it again. Overall, though, I love the design and can't wait to see a little lady wearing it!


Snuggly blanket.
When we moved in December, I realized just how much yarn I had been hoarding and made a deliberate effort to de-stash by making a baby blanket. These yarns are incredibly soft. I really like combining pink with less traditionally girly colors in this way.


Fleece liner for cotton diapers.
I am so lucky to have received many cloth diapers as gifts and hand-me-downs from friends. Right now (take this with a grain of salt since I haven't actually diapered a baby using them yet), I am smitten with these pocket diapers stuffed with a nice fleece insert. My mama gave me a serger (Brother 1034D--woooot!) for Christmas, so I've been serging away. I used a fuzzibunz insert as a template, then I layered between two and three pieces of fleece before serging the edges. I bought a pattern for the actual diaper as well, but have not yet made any (though I bought the fabric).


Baby beanie.
Recognize those colors? After I finished the blanket, I still had more of these delicious colors left over and decided to make a little topper for baby to wear.

That's the news from my end. Oh, remember my old studio? This is what my new studio looks like...

yikes, right? Although the house we are renting for now is actually bigger than our house in Seattle, we created two new rooms (nursery & Papa's home office) so my studio is kind of scattered right now. I DID pick up a sewing desk for this space at IKEA today, so we'll have a bit more order as soon as we get that put together.
LOVE,
Kelly

Sewing for Babies

I finally unpacked my sewing machine this week and have been sewing up a storm ever since. First, I finished a quilt for my friend who recently had a baby. The satisfaction of finishing a project is unparalleled, in my opinion. Now, to get it in the mail!

Next, I made a pilgrimage to one of my favorite Portland fabric stores, Fabric Depot. This place is so huge, it can be overwhelming, so I recommend bringing a snack. I stocked up on a bunch of yummy woven cotten fabrics and picked up the most perfect organic cotton-bamboo jersey. Although I know I'll be back for more of the jersey, I bought this swath specifically for swaddling my little one.
Then... the sewing began.
I first made the "quick change trousers" from Anna Maria Horner's book Handmade Beginnings. I was nervous about garment sewing after so much quilting, but I found this pattern to be quite managable for my first garment back after a long hiatus. I made this pair of pants in a size 12 months, but plan on making more in smaller sizes now that I know I can do it!


Next, I made a cotton swaddling blanket using this pattern from the Purl Bee. Very easy. I added a few flourishes by hand stitching around the inside of the blanket using embroidery thread.


Next up, a dress using these fabrics. I am in LOVE with this combination and think it would look super cute over pants in brown... or hot pink!

AND I just bought a pattern for cloth diapers and will be taking on that challenge next week as well.
What have YOU been up to this week?
XXOO
k

Pounced! Baby Bomb!

My stars, have I found the most charming new source for baby gifts! Baby Bomb is the new etsy shop of stay-at-home Momma Amber that features the most gorgeous bags, hair clips and pacifier holders (called soother savers, LOVE it!). I don't see any pacifiers in my immediate future (I said immediate), but I would buy one of these soother savers to frame and toss on a side table, for a bit of whimsy in the guest room!
Please do check out all of the LOVELY-ness at Baby Bomb by clicking right here. Baby Bomb features some totally wonderful WHALES in her shop (here and here). Here are a few more of my ultra-favorites!

Star Soother Saver & Bird Soother Saver!

I LOVE this small tote!!