A jacket for a little Englishman

It's about time I did a masculine baby project! This is the counterpart to the girl's version I made earlier in the summer, in case we have a boy (which is actually my personal prediction, though my husband thinks we're having a girl). :)

The pattern, once again, is Simplicity 2900. The fabric is a flannel-like houndstooth I found at Jo-Ann Fabrics, and the lining is a khaki-colored flannel I had in my stash. It closes with a single leather button, instead of ties, and features functional pockets (though what a 3-month-old baby needs pockets for, I don't know). Here's my favorite part:


Little elbow patches! Cut from wool scraps and sewn on with a tight zig-zag stitch. It doesn't get any cuter.

Autumn tartan skirt

Here's my new maternity skirt from Simplicity 5756, which was given to me (along with a slew of other maternity patterns) by another young mom at our church. This was my first time working with a "real" maternity pattern, so I was very curious about how it would be constructed and how much I would like the final result.


The skirt pattern is extremely simple -- two pieces of woven fabric plus a belly panel of stretch knit, all topped off by an elastic waistband. If your woven fabric is 45" wide, you end up with quite a bit of leftover, so I cut out three circular ruffles to add to the bottom of the skirt as well. I really like how simply and quickly it comes together.

However, the sizing is utterly bizarre. I decided to cut out the skirt in a size 16 (compared to my usual pre-pregnancy size 14). This was not based on my actual current hip measurements (which put me at a size 20), but on comparing the "finished garment measurements" (provided on the back of the pattern) with the measurement of a store-bought maternity skirt that fits me well. Well, the finished size 16 skirt was much too big -- it hung off the largest point of my belly and made me wonder exactly what the knit panel was for, since it clearly wasn't stretching over anything! I ended up taking a total of four inches off the upper waist area of the skirt, and I'm happier with the fit now. But this makes me think I could have gone down a size from my pre-pregnancy measurements! So be forewarned -- if one can gain around 45 lbs. and go down a size, I think the pattern runs pretty large. ;)

I haven't decided if I prefer the belly panel that goes up and over one's stomach, as in this pattern, or the wide band of knit-covered elastic that goes under the belly. The latter is more comfortable, but as my belly grows it doesn't stay in place very well. Moms, what's your preference?

Black and white

Here's a dress I made earlier in the month to wear to a wedding. The fabric is a synthetic charmuese from Jo-Ann Fabrics. I made it specifically to wear underneath this silk jacket that I made three years ago. Luckily I never did get around to putting a button closure on that jacket or else I wouldn't have been able to close it over my new bust measurement!! (I use a vintage brooch to hold it closed.) Pregnancy changes your shape in bizarre ways...

Like previous maternity projects, I didn't use a pattern, but winged it based on previous dresses I've made. The bodice is sleeveless and has a surplice neckline (rather like this dress), with an inch-wide band of fabric joining the bodice and the skirt. The skirt is a little longer than I would have chosen, but I left it that way on my husband's advice. As my belly grows, it pulls the hemline up. Hence some of the dresses I wore earlier in my pregnancy are now too short for me to feel comfortable wearing in public! This dress will NOT have that problem!

It is nice to have something more formal than a knit dress that I can wear with pearls and heels. (But it introduces the problem of wearing pantyhose while pregnant...!)

Vintage tablecloth

My parents sent this vintage tablecloth to us as a wedding anniversary present. My mom wrote, "The colors reminded me of your kitchen and the yellow wall of your living room. The vintage print of fruit and flowers reminded me of your love of history and tradition. It also reflects your wedded life -- fruitful and beautiful!"

It has brought cheer to our meals -- although not when tomato sauce or turmeric are in the lineup! ;-)

33 week update

This is a small bit of decorating I've done in the baby's room. The shelf came from Hobby Lobby -- I painted it off-white and light blue, then added the Kate Greenaway illustrations from some notecards I found at a garage sale.

I'm at 33 weeks today and I'm very grateful to the Lord for a healthy and easy pregnancy so far. As my due date gets closer I'm anticipating labor and looking forward to meeting our baby (and finally knowing if it's a boy or girl). The plan is to give birth at a nearby birthing center with the assistance of my husband and my midwife. They do have a water tub there so I plan on laboring in water and perhaps birthing in the water, if I feel like it at the time.

I'm praying that the baby will be early or on time, as we're hoping to travel for Christmas. :-)

Signs of fall

Potted mums... mine are on the left, Douglas' on the right. Also note that they are dripping wet with October rain.


Apple-blackberry pie with REAL whipped cream, sprinkled with nutmeg. Luscious.


Out come my woolly yarns and halted projects are begun once again.


And of course the leaves are turning all kinds of vibrant, warm colors.


My handsome Irish husband digs out his flatcap and sweaters! I love it when he wears stuff like this. ;-)

One year!

Douglas and I were happy to celebrate our one-year wedding anniversary yesterday. We had a low-key celebration, attending church in the morning and relaxing at home in the afternoon and evening. I fixed a special fondue dinner with imported Swiss gruyère and emmentaler cheeses. For dunking, we had French bread chunks, broccoli, cauliflower, apples, and pears. No photos to share because it all disappeared too quickly! ;-) However, I can share the recipe.

• 1-3/4 c. dry white wine
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 3/4 lb. imported Swiss cheese, grated (about 3 c.)
  
• 2 T. flour
  
• 2 T. butter
  
• 2-6 T. heavy cream
  
• salt and freshly ground pepper
  
• 3 T. kirsch
  

Place the wine and garlic in a medium saucepan. Reduce to 1-1/3 c. by boiling. Strain out the garlic and return to the saucepan. In a small bowl, mix the cheese thoroughly with the flour. Add the cheese to the pan a little bit at a time, stirring constantly until all the cheese is in the pan. Stir until smooth, without letting it boil. Mix in the butter and the cream, a tablespoon at a time, until the proper consistency is achieved. The fondue should be thick enough to coat the spoon heavily, but not so thick that it clings to the spoon solidly. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the kirsch. Transfer to fondue pot and dip away!

(For the pregnancy version of this, I just leave out the kirsch -- I think the wine is cooked long enough that it's no longer a problem. If you want to avoid it altogether, you could probably use chicken broth instead.)