Projects I Want to Tackle

I think I may have hit my nesting phase a week shy of the second trimester.  Recently I have spent many lazy evenings on the couch perusing pinterest to find delicious projects I would like to complete by October for my little humans.  I took stock of my juvenile prints and have a few items picked out to make receiving blankets, burp rags, bibs and their special baby quilts.

Here's a smattering of links I would like to use as "pinspiration" for these projects.

http://creativelychristy.blogspot.com/2010/03/tutorial-carseat-canopy.html?m+1

From website listed above

I will be doing double duty on this one!  Two babies, two car seats.  Perhaps this might be a way to differentiate the children once they arrive.  Her tutorial seems simple and straight forward.  Many of these car seat canopies use minky.  I seldom have negative feelings, but I HATE MINKY.  I am just too much of a spazz to use this fabric.  Especially on something that will be getting a lot of wear and tear.  Minky makes such a mess just by cutting it, let alone dealing with its propensity to stretching all over the place.  My babies are due in December, so they will need something that will help them maintain their body heat.  I think this will be an easy option and keep me from having to purchase more fabric.  I am determined to use up my stash!

http://www.stayathomeartist.com/2012/07/reversible-flannel-receiving-blankets.html?m=1

From website listed above

I have actually MADE these before eons ago.  I really like using coordinating flannel.  The two flannels stick together making cutting and sewing a treat.  I may not round my corners as the tutorial shows because I am not adept as sewing "round" stuff.  I want to use a quilting cotton and a flannel on mine.  I think that will be a nice alternative because during spring the temperatures in North Carolina have a tendency to fluctuate.  I feel like having ALL flannel might cause baby heat stroke.  No one wants that.

https://sewshesews.wordpress.com/2010/04/08/quilted-patchwork-bib-pattern-and-tutorial/

Photo from website above

I have loved these bibs since I first spied them on pinterest.  I think it would be a PERFECT project for all sorts of my fabric and batting scraps.  Her tutorial is very detailed, but I wonder if I can conquer my fear of curves.  I may modify the pattern and make the bottom portion more square and only deal with the curves around the neck.

I love the idea of fussy cutting shown on this one

I have also sketched out similar chevron quilts for each baby.  In my heart of hearts, I would love one of each.  When I sketched these quilts I figured the one on the left "felt" more masculine and the one on the right "felt" more feminine.  I am not sure if I want to use subtle prints for each color or use solids.  I still have a TON of Kona Navy left over from projects, {Deanna's Dresden and Naughts and Crosses} but I also have a celestial themed print that has swirls and stars with a dark navy background.  I want the grey to be a true grey, not charcoal.  I haven't really found the color I want to use for the grey yet.  I may not attain my goal of only using what I have on these ones.  I think it is allowed, though, since these will be the babies special quilts.  I want the yellow to be bright and sunny.  All of these colors are gender neutral, but complement each other well.  

The babies will share a room as we live in an apartment.  I plan on decorating primarily with Navy, Grey and Yellow.  I registered for yellow and white chevron black out curtains for their room.  I also plan on using a bunting I made as decoration for an anniversary party last year.

I also scored some free terry cloth fabric in white and cream to use in making burp rags.  I also plan on embellishing some cloth diapers with strips of fabric or trim.  Yet another way to use up my stash.

Due to feeling sick and tired, I haven't touched my sewing machine at ALL through the first trimester.  For all my mommy and or quilting friends, is this too ambitious for a first time mommy carrying twins?  What would your suggestions be on my baby quilt plans?

Let me hear your comments!

Steps to baby makin'

Some of you are people I speak with or write to on a regular basis.  Some of you are far flung across the globe, and still some are a few hours drive away.

I decided to write a post about the needles, surgical procedures and the results of my infertility protocol.  Ken wanted a baby for Christmas, and well we pretty much got them - kinda.

Throughout the months of November and December, I was in and out of my doctor's office with ultrasounds and blood draws to monitor my estrogen levels.  I was getting injections of medication to stimulate super ovulation, and then keep the eggs to maturity.  So two shots a day and blood draw every third day.  My arms were sore, and as the eggs were developing, my ovaries swelled to the size of large grapefruits.  

Three days before egg harvest, I could not even stand to wear jeans.  I wore the same pair of yoga pants three days in a row because it was all that fit and met the decency criteria for public wear.  

Christmas Eve was the day of harvest.  We arrived bright and early at our clinic for our harvest surgery.  I wasn't nervous.  I changed out of the three day old yoga pants and into the flattering hospital gown.  I crowned my head with a hair net and sat in the pre-op/post-op recovery area.  

My anesthesiologist (the gas man) walked me to the surgical suite and got me on the table, then inserted my IV.  He talked with me for a bit and then I was out.  

They told me I was a good patient and they were able to harvest 19 viable eggs.  Ken and I were happy.  Ken provided a semen specimen and the embryologist joined egg and sperm.  We waited 7 days and got a call that 10 of our fertilized eggs divided and are now at the blastocyst stage.

Our little embryos are waiting while my body recouporates from the extreme hormone treatment from harvest.  I will begin preparation for my implantation in about three weeks.

I hope all goes well and my uterus does its job and gets ready for my little embryos to nestle in and grow into fetuses and eventually babies.

We will know if the implantation procedure worked  about a week after implantation.

Here's hoping for a positive blood test.

Yuletide finishes

 It's the Holiday Season

Perhaps you started handmade, heartfelt gifts for Christmas or birthdays and then got caught up and then life took over?  That is exactly what happened to me last year.  I was determined to not only complete WIPS started for the holidays last year, but I would also get them done before December rolled around.   I think mug rugs/snack mats and place mats are great for practicing skills or demo blocks.  They go together fast and like cooking in a microwave; "instant" gratification.  These two projects are also neat for trying out decorative trims or new products.  You can have a project like this pieced, sandwiched, quilted and bound in about two hours.  (If you are beginner it may be longer)  And like most quilters I get a wee bit giddy when I pull projects out of the dryer.

Although I did not complete my goal by getting WIPS done before December, but I am 98% complete with the Yuletide WIPS.

First Mug Rug or Snack Mat

The first is a mug rug in solid green and low volume prints, FMQ'ed with a meandering squiggle and a botched flower in the middle.  My FMQ skills are not the best, but I try.  (Perhaps that is why I have so many tops finished and they sit waiting.)

Used zig zag stitch to keep from rolling up in the wash

Mug Rug Back

I used stripey green to make a binding.  I also like the Christmas fabric on the back.


I also made four place mats using a QAYG method.  I picked various fat quarter Christmas prints and left over fabric from the stockings I made last year.  This is a great project for scraps or orphan blocks.  I also used scraps of batting trimmed from quilts and other projects. 

I used decorative stitches to decorate the place mats over a few seams.  I used red, white and cream-ish natural threads.  I used my walking foot to complete the QAYG.  

Four place mats posing for photos

Decorative stitching showing up on back - right side a chain of snow flakes

More decorative snow flakes

red zig zag contrasting with blue, green and cream

I just love those happy little trees!

I cut the binding on the bias, but it didn't give the effect I wanted. I also used some decorative stitching on some of the place mats. 

used zig zag to keep binding from rolling and add pizazz

Fitting PERFECTLY into poly envelope!

Have you ever focused on a handmade Christmas? 

Another general question - do you find that sometimes your phone camera does a fantastic job and other times all the pictures look like junk?  All pics taken with iphone.  One thing I did ask santa for was a camera so I can take pictures of stuff for the blog.