And, I loved the birthday cake too!
So my little guy's feet are getting bigger and he is now cruising all over the place. It is time for some new shoes. Usually I have just bought him Robeez in the past. This fall we bought him so soft soled sneakers at Stride Rite. Instead of buying more Robeez, I decided to buy some leather at a local fabric shop and make him some leather shoes myself. Since leather is a bit more expensive than cotton, I decided to make him a pair of flannel slippers first. He loves cars and trucks, so I thought that he would enjoy this fabric. The shoes are lined with striped flannel fabric that I had leftover from a quilt I just finished for one of my nephews. I fused all fabric to the liner and then sewed them together. I used no-slip fabric, like the kind on the bottom of sleepers, for the tread. I found this at JoAnn Fabrics. You have to ask for it at the cutting table. I think that they turned out cute for my first attempt at making shoes. They fit him perfectly. I think that I will add 1/4 inch to the design for the leather shoes so that there is a little room to grow. I hope to make the leather shoes soon - I found some very cute leather fabrics!
I am going back to teaching in a week after spending a year home with my baby boy. One of my goals this summer was to make my older sister's boys twin size quilts, since they just got bunk beds. I found fabric that would appeal to each nephew and used this as the base of each quilt. Each quilt has a simple top and backing. I took a rectangular piece of fabric, 65x44 square inches in dimension and added an 11 inch rectangular borders for a finshed twin bed size of 84"x64". I machine quilted around the construction vehicles for my younger nephew and machine quilted straight lines for the aviation quilt. The photos below show each quilt on a full size bed.
When sewing, I start by sewing all adjacent sides together. Then, I sew the two sides, and the front and back to the bottom. Finally, I sew the top to each side. For the last edge, I sew only a little ways in from each corner and stop. Next, I turn the block right sides out. At this point, it is time to stuff the block. Finally, sew the opening on the last edge.
My little guy is going through a phase where he throws everything. So, I made him some fabric blocks to play with. Now when I get hit in the head, it won't hurt quite so much! I also made a set for my Etsy Shop. These fabric blocks are made with stimulating patterned cotton fabrics. Machine wash on gentle and air dry. Each block measures approximately 3 inches square.
So, I made my second coaster today. It was easier the second time. I actually reversed the stitch length and width and like how it came out better. Also, I used blue thread which goes with the pattern instead of the background; so it accents the blueberries well. So, I learned to use a thread color that matches the pattern and not the background. I measured the cording today and figure that one coaster takes about 7.5 feet of length. I think that I will make two more coasters with this fabric to get some more practice before I start the bowls. We'll see ... I really want to make a bowl ;)
So, I was going to make a plate for my first coiled fabric project. However, we could really use some baby friendly coasters at my house, so I stopped the coiling at the size of a coaster. I am going to make a few more and experiment with the length and width of my stitch as well. The inner coil is the toughest part to get; so making a few more coasters will give me more practice with that as well. He is a photo of my first coaster.
