Whooo loves you?

It's been one of those months. Just one thing after another after another. Some good, some bad, plently of neutral that still saps your energy. I don't want to get into it all, but know this: everyone's ok or very soon shall be :)

Last week I snuck off after bedtime to do a little sewing therapy for myself :) Sometimes when everything seems too much, disappearing to just create something is more soothing than I can put words to. Since we had a few specific needs around here - primarily in the diapering area - I was sewing "practical" rather than "just for fun," but who can complain when your fabric loves you! Aren't these owls just stinking cute?! I'm in love right back at them!


Simple pail liner



This is a specialty fabric called PUL. It's waterproof and a favorite in the cloth diaper community. It's one layer of polyester knit fuzed with a layer of laminiate. Any cloth diapers you buy on the market are most likely PUL. I've started collecting cuts for my big endeavor (lol, eventually). Most have to be bought online - but! - Joanns started selling a line right before Christmas! Every Joann's now has a few bolts of darling PUL available to home sewers, plus the accessories you need to make cloth diapers.



One size pocket diaper



Which, I of course, just had to make :) I'm trying out different patterns - this one is completely different than the one I showed off before. I like it better; it fits Grace better.



Pocket inner - look how professional!



I upgraded my inner, too, adding a strip of PUL at the waist to prevent wicking and changing to a better style pocket openning. And I used a soft fuzzy white microsuede this time - my favorite innner from the diapers I've purchased, so of course I want to use it on the ones I'm making.

Sewing therapy helps. So does leaving Grace with Grandma and disappearing overnight. One foot in front of the other. I miss you, blog buddies! May all be well in your world.

White Wool Diaper Shorts

I'm not good at sitting still. So when I realized right before leaving that the drive to the Bible conference in Milwaukee would take over 5hr each way, AND that I didn't have any car-appropriate projects currently underway, I had a brief moment of panic. Then I remembered the random skein of white wool I'd purchased for some project I never got around to. A quick rearrangement of my knitting bag later, I was out to door and ready to knit these darling little shorts: For those of you who don't cloth diaper or use wool diapers, wool is pretty awesome. It is a natural fiber that is both breathable and water resistant. You use it over an absorbant diaper (I prefer fitteds, but prefolds or flats work well, too). Without a man-made fiber barrier, air is able to flow all the way to Baby's skin. Wool pushes pee back into the absorbant diaper as well as letting some evaporate. I always chose wool if Grace's skin is looking red or rashy. Any hint of issue clears up so quickly.

I knit these out of Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool in "Natural," using the "Sheepy Pants" pattern. It knits up so simply! These are huge (I'm terrible with guage... maybe if I actually knit a guage swatch I'd do better...) but since she's only getting bigger they'll certainly work. I really love the Sheepy Pants pattern. I'll probably make up some more before the summer comes on full force.

The plan for these is to wear them under the sudden abundance of cute little sundresses we just recieved in a bag of hand-me-downs. But they work equally well with t shirts (and you can see them, then!). And yes... my little mover is essentially walking. She can if she wants, but usually isn't brave enough to let go. My how her nearly 11 months has just flown by!

Black Jersey Travel Dress

Last weekend I was blessed with the opportunity to travel with about 20 other ladies from my Bible study group here in Springfield up to Milwaukee, WI, to attend a Bible conference. As we had to be in "business casual" dress for the weekend, I found the perfect excuse to make a new travel dress!
I've had this black jersey yardage around since I got pregnant. The original plan had been to make a maternity dress, but between work and volunteering and pregnancy and trying to keep the house running, not much sewing happened. So this lovely, heavy double-knit has been sitting around just itching for the perfect project to strike my fancy. I think I found it :) I've used this pattern before (but I can never remember the number) but out of a woven. It carries a little differently in the jersey but is still a good fit. I might add some elastic at the waist to help keep it from shifting around - that was my only complaint. I only finished this 10 days ago, and I've already found 3 occasions to wear it! Once at the conference (all day, a very long day, and it wore so beautifully), once to church, and once to a wedding (which is what these pictures are from). I will DEFINATELY be using this pattern again, with a few tweaks.
Oh, and this is #2 (Febuary) for my 12 in 2012 challenge. It's only March and I'm a month behind. Story of my life! I'm going to bust out some quick cotton sundresses to get back on track :)