I want my Mummy!

Robbie had a book parade a couple of years ago at school, and he wanted to be a mummy.  The idea behind the book parade is to dress up as one of your favorite characters.  He chose the book "Where's my Mummy?"  Of course, my only notice came the day before!!!!  So I had to think super fast on my feet and scramble to get his costume ready.  I grabbed an old king size sheet and started ripping it into strips.  I used 3" strips for his arms and legs, 4" for his head and shoulders and about 6" for the torso.  I just started wrapping these strips around every inch of his body.  He absolutely did not want anything on his face except that one little strip across his nose which totally frustrated me, but it was his costume.  I let him do it his way.  I had to be very careful, especially around his neck, not to get the strips too tight around him.  Of course, it made them really loose, so they would fall. I had to put safety pins in certain areas to keep it from falling down.  I would loved to have soaked these in tea to get that old vintage mummy look, but I simply had no time.  I even tried to convince him to replicate this for Halloween so I would have time to tea soak the strips.  But he was having none of that.  He wanted to be a vampire.  Sheesh, can't I get a break.  Why on earth can't they wear these costumes more than once??  I still have the strips though.  And one of these days, I'll soak them.  I believe if he sees how good it looks, he'll be more inclined to actually wear it again.  Plus, I'll have much more time to tweak the whole outfit.   He did look really cute and got tons of compliments which thoroughly pleased him.  I guess that's all a mom could really ask for.   This year he wants to be a werewolf.  That will be easy.  We've already bought the mask and shirt.  A ripped pair of jeans and a little make-up should finish the look quite nicely.  Angela

Sleepy Time!

When I had my first child, a close friend made two baby blankets for me for each child that I absolutely loved, and I still have 2 of these left out of 4.  They were soft, original and much larger than the store bought ones.  They measured almost 45" square.  So I thought why not make these as gifts for new babes.  I began making them with lace around the edges sometimes weaving ribbon through french lace beading.  Once I was quite comfortable, I experimented with other styles.  I've used blanket binding (super easy), and I've also used fabric to simulate a binding as shown in these pics.  I simply cut the inside fabric roughly 3 inches shorter all the way around.  Then "encased" the top fabric with the bottom mitering the corners.  Stitch very close to the edge of the "binding" and right on top of the mitered corner to keep it in place.  I'll have a tutorial on these very soon.  I have to make one first so I can post pictures. 

And right now, I have no new babies on my list.  I use 100% cotton fabrics so they are super soft.  I will normally make two for each baby.  One for summer using light weight cotton fabrics, and one for winter using flannel fabrics.  The flannels have gotten the best overall reviews.  The pink one pictured is made from light weight cotton, and the blue one is flannel.  There are so many variations from which to choose.  Just use a little imagination.  I always pre-wash my fabric before cutting to minimize shrinkage.  They are machine washable in cold water and dry on low heat.  I've accidentally dried mine on high heat before with no problem.  But there is always that chance.  So better to err on the side of caution.  Angela

IT'S A QUILT BABY!

I had tried my hand several times at quilting.  I have a queen and king size put away, and I recently made one for Robbie for his room.  But I thought I'd like to try one for a baby, plus I wanted to try my new embroidery designs I had just gotten from bigB.  Rob's cousin had just had a baby boy, so I thought the timing was perfect.  And I knew if it wasn't perfect, they would never tell me.  So I first chose the designs I wanted to incorporate, then cut the interior squares.  I had just gotten the Amy Butler Daisy Chain fabric and was excited to put it to use.  I gathered all my scraps and went to work.  I was not happy that two of my middle squares did not line up at the points, and my miter corners left a lot to be desired.  But for my first mitered corners, I guess it wasn't hideous.  It certainly could have been a lot worse.  I will definitely make one of these again.  A