banana house

So, things here are a little nutty. It looks like I may give birth any day or it could be 2 weeks but, apparently no chance I'll make it to my due date. As of yesterday, I am 4 cm dilated and 90% effaced so I'm about halfway there to having a baby but, I'm at home and doing my normal routine. I had my ultrasound today and baby is a good size and I'm told she has lots of hair and a big tummy and big cheeks.

So, I thought I should let you know I might pull a disappearing act for a few days or more depending how I feel.

What else? We lost out on a house (again)...wah! The house was on the market in the Fall and then de-listed and we kept inquiring about it and finally we got to see it again and then we got involved in a bidding war and ended up losing over a closing date. The seller (an older women) wants an open-ended closing and the other buyer is willing to put up with that. Our realtor thinks she doesn't want to leave her house at all and is super crazy. So, that stinks. And, so the house hunt continues. We really are running out of time. Our closing is the middle of April here. Oh, the next few months are just going to be fun fun fun....

So, what does this have to do with banana bread (excuse the pan)....nothing really but, I made 2 loaves last week and since my life feels bananas and I've got that bun in the oven I thought it would be a fun post. Oh, the recipe is Amy's and there is no sugar. You do use honey and sour cream though and it's really good toasted.

I've actually got quite a few posts planned out so you may or may not be hearing from me tomorrow. It all depends on that girl in there.

vintage style smock

I made this vintage style smock over the weekend. The front fabric is Joel Dewberry and the rosy pink shot cotton is Kaffe Fassett. It was a super easy project and I could see myself making these as gifts and/or to sell possibly. It's reversible too which is very nice for a toddler. I'm thinking this is about a 18 months size. I like how the ties come together to make the criss cross pattern which you can see here.


Oh, and thanks for playing along with my little game yesterday. The M & M's were my obsession during my pregnancy with Little M and the girl in there fancies the peppermints.

peppermints vs. m&m's

On the left you have peppermint candies and on the right M & M's.
One was an obsession while pregnant with Little M and the other the current pregnancy.
Can you guess which food goes with which pregnancy?

Don't worry, I eat plenty of healthy food too. In fact we joined a food coop recently and get very fresh and organic produce every 2 weeks. We split a share because although we like the produce you don't pick what you get and so we need to supplement our fruit/veggies at the store.

Little M just loves getting the box of veggies. This weekend he was super excited about the mushrooms, apples and carrots. Let's see if I get him to eat the kale.

ragdoll

I finished up the ragdoll from Mailorder #6 today. I had been stitching a little here and there on her over the past few weeks. I think she turned out very sweet. My favorite part was making her dress, bloomers and pinafore.
It will be a good gift for the little girl one day once she is ready for dolls.

Perhaps I should have thrown down a blanket for her to lie on so she would have been more cozy for her photo session rather then the wood floor although this is how she will be more realistically left someday...heehee

Hope you have a lovely weekend.
xx

shoppe news

I just added 2 new headkerchiefs in kingfisher blue and lichen green to my Etsy shop. These are made from Rowan Cashsoft DK which is so nice to work with. It's very soft and comprised of cashmere, merino and microfiber. The yarn has a glow to it that is very nice. These can be worn in the fall and spring and a winter day that is not so cold.

I'm going to keep them there for about a week and then most likely move them over to Mackey Blue. Speaking of Mackey Blue, I stopped working at the store at the end of December because I didn't think I should continue the physical aspects at this stage of pregnancy which involved carrying the computer back and forth as well as moving furniture. I absolutely love working there so I've been missing it a bit.

I dropped off some onesies, booties and mostly new bobbies at Mackey Blue over the weekend. Here are the button bobbies.

baby sewing and knitting

I've been preparing little by little for the baby but, am nowhere near ready at 4 weeks to go. Last week was laundry for the baby (still some more to do) but, I was just so tired of looking at all these plain white side snaps so I appliqued some birds to a few yesterday and they are putting a little smile on my face. I'd like to do some more applique before she comes. The race is on.




I'm also knitting away on her wrap cardigan that I hope to finish pre-arrival. I changed the pattern a little. I made an error early on with increasing that was not clear to me in the instructions (there are 2 bands that are not 3x2 ribbing) that I realized late in the game but, I'm just going with it and calling it a decorative element...lol

It is hard for me to not have many things going at once so I will show you a few other things I've been working on soon.

Part of me thinks I should have titled this post...how in the world do I get anything done?
I'm still sick, house-hunting, 9 months pregnant, hardly sleeping due to being so uncomfortable and Little M is not napping anymore.

Grandma Jaleelie's Crochet

My Grandma, Jaleelie who is my Dad's Mom was an avid crocheter and she made a lot of items for me when I was young. She made a few boy things as well for my brothers but, not as much. Little M has worn a few of her things and the vests were especially cute on him as a baby.

Here are some lovely crocheted baby girl items I've inherited that I can't wait to put the little one in.

This bonnet just needed a ribbon and it's ends sewn in. It looks like it will fit a newborn.



This sweater is so sweet. I think it will fit next fall/winter



Some more bonnets:

The red one is quite big so it might be for a toddler or even older and the white with yellow embroidery looks like it will be for next Winter.



I guess my Grandma Jaleelie and I share a love of bonnets. Who knew?

There are many more pretties coming to me soon I will share...hooray!
Plus, my Mom said there is another box she needs to find that I haven't seen...oh the suspense...

legwarmers

I will admit I finished these pretty legwarmers a few days ago before I got hit with this horrible cold/cough/fever again.
I was just waiting on ribbon which Mick was nice enough to pick up for me in the city yesterday.
At least I still have my legs.....

An Apple A Day

....keeps the doctor away.
Oh, if only this were true. I do eat an apple almost every day however, here I am struck down with a cold and fever again. I'm feeling very sorry for myself these days and here is a few reasons why...

1) I was sick almost all of December and am now sick again.
2) I am 35 weeks pregnant, tired, uncomfortable and unable to keep up with my normal routine.
3) We have no home to move into yet and I'm getting nervous.


Any crafting I have been managing has been from the couch or bed as of late.


I did finish up this apple cozy



...pattern here which is super cute


and I made a Norwegian Apple Cake





..recipe here. I was grating apples on the couch with a bowl on my lap in front of my belly...quite a sight I must say. I skipped the icing figuring that would help with the hyperactivity of the little one in the womb.

Felt Needlebooks

I fell in love with the Mary Flanagan wool I purchased from Purl on New Year's Eve and decided to use some of it to make needlebooks based on the pattern from Joelle's latest book.

I hand sewed the lace on after sewing them up. I don't have a walking foot (yet) so I adjusted the tension and it worked fine. I love the outside but I'm not 100% sold on the use of cotton flannel for the pages or maybe I just prefer a heavier weight cotton flannel.

I also used a little of this lace on one of Little M's baby shirts recently to sort of dress up the blue because although I've no problem putting a baby girl in blue everyone will think she is a boy if she's in blue.

super easy & cute burp cloths

I whipped up these cute burp cloths last week using these amazing fabrics Elizabeth sent when I participated in the Scrap Swap. I still have a bit of each of these left for another little project someday. I backed them with washcloths I had lying around so they are thick and absorbent. They went through the machine pretty easily and quickly with the tension loosened up. I realized afterwards I should have sewn right sides together and then turned inside out (duh, I'll blame this on pregnancy brain) but, they look pretty good anyway so no biggie and they're for a baby to spit up on so whatever, right? Plus, they were free instead of $18 for two like most of the cute burp cloths out there.

a bee in my bonnet

So, I got a bit obsessed shall we say recently with sewing baby bonnets from Angry Chicken's awesome Mailorder pattern for the little one due next month.

I started off with the intention of making just a few and then kept going. After 8 bonnets I decided that was enough spring/summer bonnets for the little girl. But, you never know what crazy thought might make me sew some more. Mick was starting to wonder if I was ever going to stop sewing baby bonnets and asked if I was going all 'Little House' style for our baby girl. Um, honey...you do know Little House on the Prairie was my most favorite show during my childhood and pre-teen years, right?.

They are as cute as can be and I just can hardly wait to meet my little girl and try them on her. I do so love the look of a bonnet.

on the knitting needles

I'm currently working on these two knitting projects. A pair of very delicate and pretty leg-warmers for me and a baby cardigan for the one due next month from the 6.5 stitches pattern.

The legwarmers are being knit in Rowan Cashsoft DK and the cardigan in wool from Brooks Farm in Texas that I picked up at NYS Sheep and Wool. I am a bit nervous about the fabric panel as I haven't tried putting my handknits through the sewing machine so I may just hand sew it on when it comes to that part. I also need to decide on a fabric for it.

Thanks for the the sewing machine advice. I'm still working on a decision. It seems the Janome is possibly simpler to use and works well for quilters but, I get the feeling the Pfaff may be better made.

Sewing Machine Advice

One of my Christmas presents this year was combined monetary funds from my husband and parents for a new sewing machine. I'm finding the decision a difficult one without talking to any other crafty ladies about these particular models. I wanted a Bernina but, after speaking with the NY sewing machine store that sells Bernina's their lowest end model is for very occasional sewing and is still out my my price range and I haven't seen any used models. Another sewing center that I went to has the Janome 3050 and the Pfaff Tiptronic 2010 which is their older model on sale. It does not have the IDF system like the others. Another thought in the back of my mind is possibly a Viking. Does anyone have experience with either models listed or the difficulty in use and quality? I'd love to hear your opinions.
I will be using this for various projects over the years. I would like a machine that does all kinds of sewing projects, dressmaking, quilting (as I hope to get into this in the coming years) and can handle various weights of fabrics. Quality of course is important to me as I want to be able to use this machine for years to come.

Winter Capelet

I found the pattern for this on here and it called the Anthropologie Inspired Capelet. I used Brown Sheep Wool instead of the one called for in the pattern.
It is really soft. As stated it is reversible but, I love the look of the reverse stockinette side so I will wear it that way most often. It was a very simple knit and I love the vintage look to it. I may make this in gray as well as it is so pretty and feminine.

Bonne Annee, Happy New Year

Wishing you all a happy new year.

I have to say I'm a bit relieved that the holidays have come to an end. I spent most of December sick with a cold/flu and then got hit with a horrible stomach virus on Christmas day. So, all in all it wasn't a very merry one for me in the end. Oh Well! Time for a new year.

Today is my blog anniversary. I started this exactly one year ago today and I really enjoy doing it. I love connecting and sharing with you this way and having this creative outlet.

So, I thought I would tell you a little bit about what is going on in my life at the moment.

So, we have a buyer for our condo..it's still in attorney review but, will most likely be under contract by the end of the week. We decided on a closing of April 15 to give us some time. I do need to give birth in February after all. I'm currently about 33 weeks. So, we need to find a house and soon! Stressful?...you bet. My goal is to find a house before giving birth because things are going to be crazy enough with a newborn and then of course I will have to pack and move while she is still so little.

I am also more tired then usual and I really need to prepare for this little one which mean some re-organzing around here and some storing things at Grammie's and some shopping. The third trimester really throws you. I forgot how it felt. I feel like my back is going to just give up. I also can't imagine getting any bigger although I am smaller then I was when pregnant with Little M it's just so hard to get around with the belly.

I've also been doing some knitting and sewing and some relaxing too which I needed. I will show you some projects soon.

May your new year be filled with love, happiness, creativity and peace.