Baby hangers

My mom sent me some wooden baby hangers that she found at a store that was going out of business. They are a great shape, but they were plain white with an ugly "Taggies" logo smack in the middle. Using this tutorial, I gave them a facelift with scrapbooking paper. The end result is quite worthy of display.


The crocheted blanket on which they're laying was one of the many beautiful handmade gifts given to Edmund. It amazes me how the birth of a baby inspires women to get so creative with their hands!

Nursing bra tutorial

First of all, if there are any men reading my blog, this post is not for you. Instead, go visit my dad's blog, CreationPath (although you still won't escape the nursing theme!!).

...Now, I would not normally post pictures of my underwear on the Internet. :-) However, I made this tutorial in hopes that it will be helpful to other nursing moms. Since I've started breastfeeding, I've found that nursing bras are generally

A) hard to find in the first place
B) plainly utilitarian
C) not of the style I'm used to wearing
D) expensive

Since I am a big fan of breastfeeding, and Douglas and I are hoping the Lord will bless us with many children, I did not want to spend the rest of my pre-menopausal days wearing ugly bras. ;-) A few weeks ago I decided to convert some "regular" bras into nursing bras by way of some front-closing bra clasps. You could also use nursing bra clasps, but for whatever reason I like this kind better.


I ordered these from Sew Sassy Fabrics. I'd recommend stocking up when you order, since shipping is on the expensive side. For what it's worth, the black clasps that I ordered seems to be a bit sturdier than the clear ones.


You could really use just about any style of bra, provided the cup will bend easily to uncover the breast for nursing. (Test this when trying on bras.) This particular bra comes from Target and sells for around $10. It is part of a line from Gilligan O'Malley, called 'Everyone's Favorite Bra' or something like that. It is particularly suitable for this project because of the ring at the top of the cup. Plus, they have a variety of colors and prints so you can choose something a little more sassy if you like. (I'm showing a plain beige in this tutorial because I really don't want to post pictures of my sassy underwear on the Internet.) ;-)


First, unpick the stitching at the top of the cup to release the plastic ring.


Next, cut the lingerie elastic just below the loop sewn near the adjustable slider. (You could also unpick here, but it was sewn so tightly I found it easier to just sacrifice that little bit of elastic.) Cut the remaining loop off of the slider and discard.


Remove the plastic ring from the elastic and replace it with one half of the new bra clasp (making sure the clasp is facing the right direction). Re-loop the elastic through the slider as shown, then pull tight to make a new loop.


Stitch down the new loop. A zipper foot will be handy to get up close near the slider, but don't stress if you don't have one. Just make your loop a little larger.


Slip the other half of the new bra clasp through the top of the cup (making sure it's facing the right direction), fold over, and stitch in place. If you choose a bra that doesn't have a plastic loop like this one does, you could use extra lingerie elastic or matching ribbon to sew a loop at the top of the cup to hold the clasp.


Ta-da! A finished nursing bra. Now that you've got out your thread and needle, you could make it more feminine by adding lace, bows, ribbon rosettes, or whatever. It irks me that nursing bras are so unattractive, when women will be wearing them at a time when they're not in the greatest shape and they really need something extra to feel pretty! So have at it, Moms!

Ceylon dress

I recently finished my Ceylon dress from Colette Patterns and I LOVE how it turned out. This was my first time working with a Colette pattern but it was a super experience. It's well-designed and the instructions are great. Definitely worth the price!

I went fabric shopping at Jo-Ann Fabrics to try to find something suitable for this project, but everything I saw was rather "blah." I remembered this lightweight gray wool I had in my stash, but I thought I'd only bought two and a half yards of it. I was about to order some fabric online when I decided to double-check. Lo and behold, I had four yards! Yippee! This wool turned out to be the perfect color and weight for this dress.

The pattern is described as 'intermediate' and I would say that sums things up pretty accurately. The hardest part (for me) was getting the front yoke pieces to curve evenly during pressing. I love all the extra details of topstitching and gathering. I also like the buttons down the front, but making 16 covered buttons and buttonholes was a bit of a drag. I did make a fabric belt (as suggested in the instructions, but not included in the pattern), thinking I've got to make the most of what little waist I currently have. ;-) However, once I tried it on I wasn't sure I liked it that well -- it seemed to break up the line of the buttons too much. I think I will wear it without.

I am so happy to have a cute, vintage-y dress that is nursing friendly and that flatters my postpartum figure! I think I'll be wearing this nonstop for the foreseeable future!

Some Edmund...

...just because!





Edmund turned six weeks old on Thursday. He has grown so big (over 11 lbs.) and already his newborn clothes are too small. I'm putting him in 3-6 mos. onesies because the 0-3 mos. sizes just aren't long enough anymore! He's started making more expressive cries -- more whiney at times, rather than just the "scream-your-head-off" type -- and has begun to give us some sweet smiles, too. His favorite activity is nursing, but he likes to be in his swing, on his changing table with a space heater blowing on him, or in the bathtub. He seems to have a fussy period most evenings when he needs a little extra comfort, but then he's usually in a happy mood in the mornings.

It's so fun to see his personality develop. I can't wait to find out what his interests will be and what activities he will enjoy!

Edmund Michael

Edmund Michael at one day old
Thanks so much for all your well-wishes and congratulations! This past week and a half has been a wonderful time of getting to know Edmund while recuperating from the birth. My mom has been here to lend a helping hand and what a blessing that has been.


Edmund is a deep sleeper, just like his Dad. :-) I have equal difficulty in waking them up at times! I love watching his little rosebud mouth and chubby cheeks while he's relaxed in slumber. What a thrill to have such a beautiful little son.


God has answered so many prayers surrounding this pregnancy and birth. I had a great, healthy pregnancy with no complications and an equally smooth delivery. I labored for about 24 hours -- about one third of the time spent with very light contractions, a third working moderately hard, and the last six hours... well, we'll draw the curtain of charity over them. ;-) Thanks to the Lord's mercy and Douglas' encouragement and coaching, we made it through!

Even the timing of Edmund's birth is a gift from God -- Douglas had Wednesday through Friday off of work due to Thanksgiving break, which meant he did not have to take additional time off to be with Edmund and me. My preferred midwife, who was to be out of town on the days surrounding my due date, was on call, so she was able to attend the birth. The fact that he was born early also gives us plenty of time to recuperate before our Christmas travels.

We are overwhelmed with thankfulness for God's goodness! Praise His name!

Praise the Lord, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise His holy name.
Praise the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all His benefits --
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
--Psalm 103:1-5

Happy Thanksgiving!

Our son, Edmund Michael, was born November 26 at 1:10 PM. He weighed 7 lbs. 1 oz. and was 20.5 inches long. Mother and baby are both doing well!

Nursing cover

I recently made a simple nursing cover from this tutorial, which I found through Lauren's blog. It is a simple rectangle of cotton with adjustable straps to go around the neck. It also has a length of boning between the straps to keep the cover stiff, so Mom can see Baby and Baby gets plenty of air circulation.

I didn't make any changes, except my D-rings were 1" wide so I cut out my straps 2.5" wide, accordingly. Next time I think I would make the short strap (that has the D-rings on it) even shorter, since it ends up behind my neck. I think it would be easier to adjust if the rings were closer to the cover.

This would make a great shower gift for a new mom who plans on breastfeeding!

Vignettes from Baby's room

My friend Keturah is coming for a visit, and thus provided me the incentive to get the baby's room cleared out and cleaned up. (It doubles as our guest bedroom, courtesy of an air mattress.) I must apologize for the less-than-stellar photos -- the lighting in the baby's room is horrible (one north-facing window on a gloomy day and one tabletop lamp!). But you'll get the idea!


You may remember these 1930s-style paper dolls my mom gave me a while ago. I glued them to gingham scrapbooking paper and put them in some inexpensive wooden frames (painted the same color as the baby's shelf). There are three altogether.


My youngest sister-in-law, Louisa, made this cute quilt for the baby. It's hanging on the railing of the crib she used as an infant!


Douglas bought these handcrafted wooden cars for any future sons over the summer. Until they get old enough to play with them carefully, the cars make a nice decoration!


I have a dresser in the baby's room for storage and changing diapers. The mirror has a photo of my dad as a toddler tucked in its frame. (Will my babies be that adorable??) The Baby Bee products, which are too cute to hide away in a drawer, were gifts from my lovely friends Robin, Breezy, and Emily. And in the mirror, you can (blurrily) see a wooden rocking horse made nearly 30 years ago by my Uncle Larry.


On the other side of the dresser, I have a vintage tin from Louisa, which can hold cotton balls, swabs, etc. The other photo is of my own sweet mother as a baby, looking cute as a button!

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. :-)

Fall maternity dress

Last Saturday I got inspired to do some fall sewing of my own. I love the color of this knit fabric -- a warm, autumnal purple. I didn't have a pattern, but I based it generally off of a maternity top I found at Goodwill, combined with a J. Crew boatneck tee. Douglas kindly fixed dinner so that I could sew it up in time to wear to church and a party the next day.


Despite my lack of a pattern, I think it turned out fairly well (the beauty of knits is that they stretch enough to cover most mistakes). I took some measurements from the shirts I mentioned, then "eyeballed it" when drawing out pattern pieces. The sleeves ended up a tad tight, since I forgot to take into account the fact that my limbs are (ahem) a little more plump these days. Sigh...

I found this page helpful when it came to reinforcing the shoulder seams and binding the neckline. To make the skirt, I simply cut out two rectangles of fabric, sewed them together, then attached them (with symmetrical pleats in front and back) to the bodice.

I saved the pattern pieces and plan to use them again to sew a basic, cream-colored maternity top this week.

Maternity skirt

I made up a maternity skirt last week out of some on-sale cotton from Jo-Ann's. I didn't have a pattern, but I used these instructions as a loose guide. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to add the elastic and knit band onto the cotton skirt. I anticipate making some more!

At 22 weeks, I really cannot fit into anything non-maternity anymore. This has alerted me to the fact that cute maternity patterns are very tough to find. A quick search of the "Big 4" pattern websites reveal about three or four patterns per brand, mostly out-of-print, and all a little bit "blah" style-wise. I have some ideas for my own designs, which hopefully I will be able to sew up without too much drafting trouble. In the meantime, Goodwill has yielded a few cute tops, so I am getting by! :-)

Baby rick-rack

Another quick project from Simplicity 2900... and all from my stash, would you believe it? I even raided my spice cupboard to find the baby rick-rack that I used on the sleeves.

I like how this '50s pattern takes on a '30s look just by using a cheerful print and adding rick-rack.

Vintage baby jacket

This is one of the cutest baby jackets I've ever seen, if I do say it myself! The pattern is vintage reprint Simplicity 2900, and the vintage houndstooth wool comes from the scrap bag of my great-grandma. There was just the tiniest bit left -- as you can see, I had to piece the sleeves on, but since I was careful to be symmetrical I don't think it looks too weird. The jacket is lined with the cosiest, creamy flannel and ties with a soft satin ribbon. I love the way it turned out!

We don't know if our baby is a boy or girl (nor do we plan on finding out before the birth), but it's fun to do a little pre-baby sewing anyway. I admit my baby sewing has erred on the "girl" side, so I will have to do a few boy projects to even things out!

Diaper bag

I have a question for the Moms in the audience. :-) What features in a diaper bag do you find most indispensable? Inner pockets, outer pockets, plastic lining, outer keyring, zip closure, two handles, etc. Or something totally different? I realize this will change depending on the person and the lifestyle. For what it's worth, I plan on breastfeeding and and probably using a mixture of cloth and disposable diapers. Thanks in advance for your help!

Grandpa's cradle

In honor of my 26th birthday, I am going to stop being a lazy bum and post on my blog! :-) In all fairness, Douglas and I have been on the road the past two weeks -- first visiting his family in Colorado, and now we're staying with my parents. It's great to be "home" for my first birthday as a married woman!


The family has helped with "baby fever" by digging out all kinds of old baby clothes, blankets, toys, etc. Everyone enjoys this walk down memory lane. One item I'll be taking home with me is this beautiful wooden cradle, made for me many years ago by my skilled grandpa. Nestling inside is a vintage quilt, given to me with the cradle. I didn't realize until now that it was made for Arvid, my grandma's baby brother, who was born in 1929. That means it is 80 years old! I will probably use it as a wall hanging, since I don't want the old fabrics ruined by baby spit-up or other stains.

Summer maternity dress

I am rapidly running out of clothes that fit (down to two elastic-waist skirts and one pair of maternity jeans), which motivated me to do a little sewing this week!


The cotton gauze fabric was given to me several years ago by my friend Susan. I used Butterick 4685 (with modifications). Because the fabric is sheer, I lined it with muslin. At one point in the proceedings, the dress looked distressingly like a muumuu!! But hacking some of the length off and adding the underbust elastic helped solve that problem.

I wore it yesterday when I accompanied Douglas to a nearby city for a job interview [his, not mine], and felt extremely comfortable all day. What a relief to not having anything constricting my thickening waist! :-)

Simplicity 4749

I actually made this top way back in March (before I knew I was pregnant -- I just thought the style was cute). It's from a vintage pattern I won on eBay last summer. I used a linen blend from Jo-Ann Fabrics, but I'm not very happy with the fabric choice. It's a little stiffer than I thought it would be, so it doesn't drape very well, and the quality seems to be rather poor as it's already faded after just a few washings. But, it works well right now, as I'm in the big-enough-to-look-fat, not-big-enough-to-look-pregnant phase -- the stiffer drape hides my pudgy belly.

All the details...

Thanks, everyone, for all your well-wishes in regard to my previous post! Baby is due December 5th, so I am currently about 11 weeks along. We are all very excited and overjoyed that God has blessed our marriage in this way!

I plan to have some maternity/baby sewing to share in the weeks to come! :-)

Three mothers on Mother's Day