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In the meantime, I've finished a Patrones blouse and 2 more Jalie knit tops (2804 again). Still need to take some pictures of those. A knit dress is next in queue.
I've given myself until the end of this month to finish up any maternity sewing. I'm due mid-April, so that'll give me about 6 weeks (hopefully!) to focus on baby sewing, or maybe just relaxing :)
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they're weighing me down...
There's a whole room re-org happening here at my house to make way for baby, so the other day I went through nearly every book, magazine, and pattern in my sewing area to pare it all down. I feel like I hardly made a dent, but I am happy to report that I'm freeing myself of about 100 envelope sewing patterns. Most of them (sadly) unused. (It makes me really appreciate how compact a Burda magazine collection is!) My BurdaStyle Sewing Club peeps are getting first dibs on them, I'll use FreeCycle to get rid of anything left over.
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In the midst of all the purging, though, I have added a few great things to my sewing area. 
First, these Kai professional series scissors, a gift from Birgitte, are fantabulous!! Seriously, I have a pair of regular (non-professional) Kai scissors and I didn't think there could be a better pair of scissors out there. Well there are. Even my husband commented on what nice quality they are. Thanks again, Birgitte!!
And my local sewing pal Amy gifted me these Ottobre back issues. Talk about insanely adorable kids clothes. I can't wait to dive into these come March when the baby sewing marathon begins. Thanks Amy!
12 comments:
Due mid-April. I vote for relaxing. I worked up until 5 days before my oldest was born. My boys are 6 and 3 and I'm still mad that nobody told me to rest before the oldest was born because I've been some form of tired ever since. What a blessing a new baby is. Congratulations!
Yes, go for relaxing because you won't have a chance to afterward, believe me. Those Ottobre are invaluable when it comes to kids' clothes. You should subscribe (and I don't own shares)! Can't wait to see what you make out of them!
It is so freeing to decluter. And as much as all those $1 patterns are a cheap thrill for me, the clutter often puts me over the edge. I really hope you like Ottobre - they are truly my favorite kids patterns to sew with.
Purging/nesting is a wonderful activity in the later months. Sitting and sewing can be super relaxing in the last month or so when you feel too uncomfortable to much of anything else. Quick, and handy, projects are burps and swaddlers. A yard and a half of good cotton flannel will make a perfect sized swaddling blanket and two burps. Cut two 9" strips, selvage to selvage. Those are your burps. Fold each in half, selvages together with a single layer of cotton batting sandwiched in the middle. If you have a serger, serge the edges, otherwise, stitch and trim out with pinking sheers. They're the perfect size to toss over a shoulder and protect your top. The remaining yard of fabric should be squared and finished with a small hem all the way around. Voila! Quick and easy. I made a mountain of these for both kids and they still play with the blankets. :)
I am not due til mid-June, but I am trying to do the same thing and it's SO HARD. I got rid of about 20 patterns... then probably bought about 25 more. Same with fabric and books.
I am vowing to really, really try to put much much more in the "outbox" this weekend--as it stands, I don't even have a place for a bassinet or crib in my apartment.
Baby sewing is super fun and relaxing--no fitting or sizing adjustments, and everything is so simple!
I did the baby sewing the first time I was pregnant, and yes, if you are going to do it, use Ottobre. However, my advise would be - relax! Babies outgrow clothes in the blink of an eye, and you are going to miss shut-eye time/rest for the next 2 years. Wait for your girl to become 2 or 3y.o., then she will at least wear what you make her for a few months, maybe a year (if you are lucky). Congratulations, btw!
Lots of good advise there. Cant agree more with the rest and relax. You will probably be offered lots of outgrown baby things - believe me when I say baby wont know its not new. Concentrate on a very few something specials and being a happy mom.
And dont play the 24 drinking game!
Best wishes
Christina, thanks for coming over that day! I am really excited about the gifts you brought and feel pretty good about the fit of my dress. I'm glad you like the Ottobres. Adriana's advice is good though... :)
Some of the only really great baby patterns are from Ottobre. As the baby gets older, Burda has some really cute things. I may even be tempted to sew for my grandson.
One of the best decisions I made was having the nursery ready to go and having a supply of baby essentials (diapers, wipes, etc.)
Also, a few weeks before my son was born, I started doubling some of my dinner dishes and soups, etc., so that I could stock up my freezer. Since we are off on our own without family nearby, it was so nice to have home-cooked meals to just pop in the oven. I am accustomed to an extremely full schedule so I was really surprised at how very tired I was during those first six to eight weeks. I was happy that I took sometime to plan ahead for those first couple of months; still, once the baby was born, I could not find the time to sew. I do not think youu will regret your planned sewing marathon! Linda
Here's another vote for not sewing clothing for a newborn! My second was born almost 3 weeks ago and I've already packed up the newborn clothing - 90% never worn. She wasn't a big baby either, 6lb & 13oz. My two year old, however, takes months to grow out of clothing. Spend your time going out for dinner & movies, sleeping & cooking freezable meals!
I personally would have loved to sew for my baby, but I have an older son and was just overwhelmed. Now my LO is 6 months old and I am busting out my ottobres to cover him up in homemade stuff, it's so rewarding! There's a great ottobre discussion group here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ottobre-english/
one of the best things about sewing for little people, it's pretty fast to sew such little yardage ;)
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