I am in my third trimester of pregnancy, and I have started nesting in an exciting form—sewing! I wish I started sooner but the built-in furniture for my home office did not get installed until around 2 months ago, then it took me forever to actually unpack. So now I am rushing to get as many things sewn for Chloe and her little sister as my time—and fingers—will allow.
First, Chloe wanted me to make fabric cubes for her li’l sis, like the ones I made for her before she was born. I let her choose the main fabric for each cube. It took me awhile to figure out which fabric matched each other but, hey, I got two done.
The last one is waiting for us to decide on her middle name.
The second project will be a giant ball. We recently saw one at a furniture store, a giant fabric ball, around 75cm in diameter. Chloe loved it so much, she started rolling it around everywhere. So I decided to make one for her by starting with a small prototype first. Chloe loves it and brings it to bed sometimes, but I am not liking the shape so much yet.
I think one with a football (soccer ball for our North American readers out there) pattern would be sturdier and easier to work with. I will also need to use thicker fabric, such as cotton linen. Anyway that will be after project number four.
Third, is the the second piece of clothing I have ever made in my life. Ever! I sewed a shirt by hand in junior high for my crafting class project and it didn’t turn out so well. That totally deterred me from ever sewing clothing. But hey, I wanted to make a piece of clothing for Chloe, an easy newbie one. Googled, and bingo!
I started after hubby helped me picked the fabric. The project took me a night and a morning, in between things. I am very happy with the result and I cleverly made it a bit loose and longer so it will last. Sadly, Chloe did not like it at first. She thought it was too long. She was not excited. I was heart broken. But then… Lightbulb! I tricked her! I told her it would match her new bee shirt, and she immediately wanted to wear it. She even complained when we had to change into her nap time clothes.
Super!
So the latest project I am currently working on is a dress. Chloe picked a fabric that I have been saving to turn into a dress, so I had no choice.
I picked a dress from an English translated Japanese pattern book. The instructions are clear and patterns are included. I was confident I could make it work. I stood for over an hour by the kitchen island, copying the pattern and the next day my whole body was hurting. I had to take a break from this crafting thing for a day. But then the next day I got real sick, and I’m still sick now.
I do hope to resume soon! Will post the picture of the dress when it is done! Until then, Chloe will have fun ‘picking’ fabric for her imaginary wish list as well as my ever growing fabric stash, everyday after lunch.
