Baby sunhat attempt number 1

I was chatting with my friend Jenn and told her about the sunhat I was making for Lily. She was amazed. I was flattered. My sewing time is limited and I was determined to be a good parent and shield Lily's sensitive skin from the harsh rays of the sun.

Precious hours later, I tested out the almost-complete hat on Lily.

Too small. I panicked. Far too small. No! Precious hours wasted!

While watching some fabulous figure skating this afternoon (yay Scott and Tessa!*) I practiced the art of seam ripping and at least salvaged the ruffled brim of the sunhat. I am determined to make this work (and earn Jenn's praise)!!! I'll let you know if/when I figure this out...


* My apologies for the spoiler, but honestly, none of you watch figure skating. I know it. I bet you want to tell me all about how your grandparents love it, though.

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Post pregnancy Marilyn Monroe dress

They call it the 4th trimester: the first three months after giving birth. I'm not sure why I didn't think it through, but for some reason I thought that after the baby was out, my belly would disappear. I had brought my favourite comfy clothes to the hospital only to find out that it was still incredibly tight at the waist as it takes several days for the uterus to shrink and for the belly to disappear. Silly me.

For the first month after Lily was born, I was still wearing my maternity pants, maternity jackets, and cardigans that didn't need to be buttoned up. Slowly, I was able to start zipping up my sweatshirts and wearing my old sweatpants. Slowly, I pulled out my old jackets for this springy weather. Slowly, I started to shed the baby weight.

Although this gradual reunion with my old wardrobe was exciting, I was not confident that I would be able to fit into a dress in time for my cousin's wedding. (Congrats Tiff and John!!!) The wedding was this past weekend, a little over a month after Lily's birth.

I took advantage of Lily's more sleepy days in the first couple weeks (and the extra adrenaline I had pumping through me) and sewed a dress from the book Famous Frocks that my (soon-to-be) sister in law bought me for Christmas. The book is a collection of iconic silhouettes from famous 20th century stars. From Audrey Hepburn to Twiggy. Jackie Kennedy to Madonna.

I decided to make the famous Marilyn Monroe dress, but with criss-cross straps rather than an open back.

The pattern was simple, and I was able to easily tailor to my odd post-pregnancy shape (medium chest, large waist, still no hips or butt...) I also had the perfect fabric in my fabric stash: a shimmery stretch jersey in a rich merlot-wine colour.



I worked on the dress for maybe an hour every day for two weeks: whenever Lily was down for a nap and I just didn't have it in me to nap while she napped. After about two weeks, Lily decided her crib was not nearly as comfy as napping in our arms so the sewing came to an abrupt stop. I had finished everything except the hem, and the straps on the back. Since I had used a jersey fabric (which doesn't fray) I just left the hem as-is and pinned the straps on with safety pins!

The dress turned out great. It ended up being just a bit loose; I probably lost a bit of weight in my chest/back since my initial fitting, but I just pinned the straps a little tighter. (Photo cred to my cousin Kev.)


Lily also had her own custom made dress. No, I'm not crazy and didn't also try to sew Lily a dress at the same time. My friend Danielle, from beadmarket.ca, sewed Lily a dress intended for this summer, but it was just too cute that I wanted her to wear it for the wedding. I sewed a quick belt to tighten the dress a bit and added some red tights to complete her look. Unfortunately (or fortunately) she was asleep in her carseat for most of the wedding and didn't get to show off the dress until the end of the night. I didn't get a great picture of her wearing the dress, but you can still tell she was cuuuute in that outfit!

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Roasted Fennel and Tomato: two ways

Before Lily was born, I had bought a bulb of fennel from the grocery store hoping to whip up a delicious fennel salad. It's honestly one of my favourite salads. Thinly sliced fennel with olive oil, salt and pepper. Simple. Delicious.

But Lily was born early. And my mom came to visit shortly after. And Mom doesn't approve of eating too many raw veggies. It sounds ridiculous, but it's a very common practice in traditional Chinese medicine. I actually googled this to be sure, and found this article that supports all the craziness my mom has been teaching us all these years. It's all about energy, and finding a balance between the cold and the hot energies.  The optimal state is different from person to person, but my mother likes to err on the side of keeping oneself on the 'warm' side. Raw vegetables contribute to the cold energies, and while we're in the middle of winter, and I've just gone through a gruelling childbirth, 'cold energy' is the last thing I need.

And so, with my mother's kind reminders to stay away from raw vegetables and icy cold water, I decided to forgo the raw fennel salad.

My next favourite fennel recipe comes from another fantastic Avoca cookbook: Avoca Soups (again, courtesy of my friend Rebecca!)

There is a roasted fennel and tomato soup recipe that is so easy, and so delicious. Roasted fennel + sauteed onions + 1 can of diced tomatoes + chicken or vegetable stock. Simmered together and blended until smooth. I love making it early in the day so we can have the soup for lunch, and then use it as a delicious sauce for dinner.




I've used it as a quick pasta sauce, but this time, I used it for my cabbage rolls. Cabbage rolls freeze really well, so I always make extra rolls that are fully cooked and store them in the freezer. I slightly defrosted a serving and then added the rest of the leftover roasted fennel and tomato soup. I also added about an extra cup of chicken stock so the sauce wouldn't thicken or dry up too much.



After 40 minutes of simmering on the stove, the cabbage rolls were deliciously soft and absorbed some of the fantastic fennel and tomato flavour. I love when one recipe does double duty! And I bet my mom is proud that I didn't just chop up the fennel and eat it raw.

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The 20-minute bib tutorial

Here's an easy peasy tutorial to make a small baby bib that takes no more than 20 minutes! This really is a perfect crafty baby gift.

Enjoy!

For the pdf version, click here (thanks wordpress!).

The 20-minute Bib

Tutorial by Kelly Dunwell

done-well.blogspot.com

 For home-use only

Materials:

Front fabric (at least 9” x 12”)
Back fabric (at least 9” x 12”)
Batting (at least 9” x 12”) - optional
1 set of snaps or Velcro
Fabric Scissors
Straight Pins
Matching thread
Bib template

Instructions:
1. Cut out the two pieces of the bib template and tape together at dotted line.



2. Using the template, pin and cut 1 pattern piece of the front fabric, 1 of the back fabric and 1 of the batting (if using). To save time, you can cut all three at once if you are careful to pin and cut through all three layers.


3. Place the front and back pieces good sides together; it doesn’t matter which is on top.

4. If using a middle batting layer, place the batting piece on top of the wrong side of either the front or back piece.

5. Pin around all sides but leave a 3” gap at the very bottom. I like to mark it off with pins so I don’t forget to leave the gap when I’m sewing. 

6. Starting just to the left of the gap, sew all around the bib using a ¼” seam allowance.  To help pivot around the curves, leave the needle in the down position, pick up the presser foot and pivot the fabric. You can do that several times to get a nice curve. Backstitch at each end.

7. Trim along the tight curves of the bib straps. Cut notches in the neckline. Be careful not to cut through your stitching.

8. Working from the strap ends first, flip the bib inside out.  At the gap, carefully fold the fabric inwards and pin shut. (Unlike my picture, you should point the pin to the right side to make it easier to unpin when sewing.)

9. Press all edges with the iron. Edgestitch around the entire bib, including the gap that you pinned shut.  Backstitch at each end.

10. Attach your favourite snaps or Velcro of choice to the bib straps. I used sew-on snaps. Make sure you attach one half of the snap or Velcro to the front side of the bib, and the other on the back side of the bib.

You’re done! This basic, reversible bib takes only 20 minutes to sew, and you can modify to make it fancier if you want! 

To make a patchwork bib, sew together smaller scraps of fabric until you have a piece that is 9” x 12”. Give it a nice press with the iron. Continue with the above instructions.

To add piping or a lace fringe, sandwich the trim between the front and back fabrics in step 3 and pin with the raw edges lined up (fringe side facing the inside of the bib).  Make sure to place the pins perpendicular to the fabric so you can still place the batting layer on top without covering the pins.

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Patchwork bibs and baby shoes

I wish I had time to make handmade baby gifts for all my friends that are expecting new babies. Ideally, I would work on a beautiful elaborate quilt (like the Sunbonnet Sue quilt that I made for baby Stella) to match such a monumental addition to the family.

Almost as cool as a personalized quilt, I found this super cute pattern for baby shoes. I know, newborns rarely need to wear shoes, but ithinksew.com has such amazing baby shoe patterns: like this bootie, or these mary janes.  I decided to go simple and do a basic "sneaker" for Magda's baby. A gender neutral green with a padded olive green sole.


The shoes were relatively easy to sew. The last "flip inside out" was a little difficult, mostly because the shoes were so small! The next time I make them I will probably pick a fabric that has a bit of stretch to it for the sole. It will make it much easier to flip inside out.

To match the shoes, I sewed some baby bibs. I scoured the internet for a simple baby bib pattern, and didn't really find one that I liked. There are lots of fancy bib patterns (like the pattern Jenn used for the super adorable baby aprons she made me). But I wanted uber simple. So I just made it up myself. I'm actually going to post a tutorial on how to make the 20-minute bib. Stay tuned on that. Anyone can make one. Uber simple.


The bibs I made were pieced together with various green, brown, and blue fabrics. I don't have a lot of gender neutral fabrics, so patchwork-style worked perfectly to use up some of my smaller scraps. The other side of the bib is a soft flannel.

Lastly, I made a basic rectangular burping cloth. Two pieces of grey flannel with an organic cotton batting in between. I bound it with one of the bib fabrics and then did a little bit of machine quilting to keep the cotton from bunching up when washed.


I love how the three parts came together to make a nice "gift set".  I have a few more friends that are expecting babies soon, so hopefully I can whip up a few more of these simple hand-crafted baby gifts!

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Hats off to Lily!

Lily Marilla Dunwell was born on February 9th at 3:30pm weighing 6 lb 13 oz!

Her name is a nod to heroic characters in J. K. Rowling and L. M. Montgomery's famous stories of wizardry and imagination.

Lily was actually born a few days before her due date (in true Kelly-style: "arriving early with lots of time to compensate for unplanned events") and I have several partial blog posts that are ready to be finished up and shared with you!

I had made a conservative sewing "to-do" list for the expected arrival of Lily, and I managed to finish every single one of them (including her recently completed houndstooth quilt.)  I didn't plan to make any clothing for Lily, as our generous friends and family have showered her with plenty of this season's latest and greatest fashions. I did, however, notice that all the hats we received were quite large, including the one that we registered for (What was I thinking? 6-9 months baby hat? For the summer months??).


I found a blog post on Made by Rae where Rae makes a newborn hat out of an old T-shirt. She used a template from Martha Stewart and modified it slightly. I also modified slightly (the tutorial on Martha Stewart's site is dismal) and made the hat out of flannel.

I scaled the pattern so the length of the hat from front to back was about 7 inches and I used two different fabrics for the outside and inside so that it was reversible.  It turned out so great and took such little time that I whipped up another one for my friend Magda.  I thought about doing a step-by-step tutorial for this hat, so if anyone is interested, please leave a comment and I'll see what I can do!

Magda's baby isn't due for another few weeks but hopefully we'll get the babies modelling both hats at some point!

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Houndstooth baby quilt

Vanessa Chistenson has a wonderful blog filled with tutorials and patterns (like the fabric ornaments I made in December). When I saw her houndstooth quilt pattern, I was in love. I had promised Dustin not too much pink for baby's room, so I thought a chic dark-brown and beige houndstooth quilt would be perfect: a simple design to complement the "houses!" baby comforter.

This is the first quilt that I've made that has required only two fabrics. I could have easily picked two Kona Solids and called it a day, but what's the fun in that? For the dark brown, I chose a Kona Solid in espresso, but for the beige, I chose a mostly cream fabric with tiny little stars (Scandinavian Christmas collection by Lynette Anderson). The stars are subtle, but if you look closely, they're there! There was a lot of repetitive cutting and piecing. It's sometimes refreshing to be on autopilot and just go, go, go: I never had to stop and decide what fabric to use next.


When it came time to pick a fabric for the backing, the workroom had just received the Karavan collection by Valori Wells, including the beautiful elephant fabric Marrakech in Blossom pink. The print is quite large and worked incredibly well as the quilt backing. I also decided to do some more free-motion machine quilting since it went quite well on The Hunger Games quilt. I did a meandering pattern in cream thread (beginner's tip: always match your bobbin thread to your top thread in case your tension isn't the same!)





I really love how this quilt turned out. It will be perfect for play time on the floor, learning to roll over, tummy time, something to throw up on... Lots of memories await!

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