knowledge is bliss...

well, i've learned a lot along this journey of cloth training pants creation. i've learned that not all fleece is created equal. apparently fleece is waterproof, but only if you buy the good stuff that's only available online. and microfleece is fabulous--at wicking moisture away from the baby, not keeping it inside. and they don't sell it anymore at joann's. i've also learned that there are a lot of options as far as waterproof barrier fabrics, and i'm excited to start playing with some. i've ordered some polyurithane laminate film which should be here soon that should make my assembly easier. right now i'm taking apart the old wraps that don't fit anymore, but i'm having to piece them together to make them the right size, which is very time consuming and kinda annoying. as much as i love quilting, this is not my idea of fun *smile*. and i realized that the "licensed" flannel that i bought (spongebob, scooby doo, etc) is for "non-commercial home use only." so i guess if i'm gonna be good and don't want to be arrested or sued, i can't sell it. but what if i didn't show pictures of it but just suprised ppl with it? *smile*

i made a pair of scooby doo nighttime underwear for alexander and he loved it. it fit really nicely and the pooch in the front was totally not a problem *smile*. unfortunately i have to figure out how to eliminate that for isabelle's *smile*. and i need to figure out how to make them quicker. my machine doesn't like to sew lots of layers of fabrics, which is unfortunate, cuz once you layer the inner lining, the 6-8 layers of absorbancy, the wicking layer, the waterproof layer, and the outer cover, you've got a pretty thick piece of something to sew in places. and of course i can't convince my husband that spending $1000 on a new sewing machine for another "hobby" is a good idea *smile*. i'll figure it out. my plan is to do it on the side for a while until i perfect my pattern and then put them online and when i've started making money THEN spring the idea on him instead of the way i usually do it--tell him in the beginning and then when it's a lot of fun and i'm spending far more than i'm making have to confess that maybe it wasn't a well thought out plan to begin with *smile*.

it would be nice to have a little extra income that i don't have to leave the house to make, but it's pretty time consuming. each pair takes a while to make--especially when my bobbin thread keeps breaking cuz my sewing machine is cranky. but i keep seeing viking freesias on ebay. if things go well, maybe i'll ask for one for Christmas *smile*

anyway, my final design is really adorable. i'll have to post pics next time, cuz i didn't take any yet, and they have all been worn and peed upon, so they're a little stinky (probably, tmi, but...*smile*)

granola

i found this granola recipe online a while ago and it's fabulous. i really like granola, but i don't like nuts, so i don't usually buy it. but then i was talking to my sister about a year ago and she told me about adding cocoa powder and chocolate chips. YUM!!! i've been doing it that way ever since *smile*. although i discovered hershey's special dark cocoa powder, and so i usually don't add the chocolate chips. especially since then the kids only want to eat the "candies" and not the "crunchies".

but i hadn't made granola in a while. it's been too hot to turn on the oven for anything but bread. so this morning i made my first batch in a couple of months. i'm so excited cuz the house smells wonderful and i can't wait to eat it. i may not even let it cool *smile*. my stomach is already grumbling just waiting and i've got another 10 minutes to go *smile*

well...not so good....

sometimes my brilliance is hindered by my lack of skill. *smile*

isabelle's new "big girl underwear" is so adorable. the pics are on my phone which is upstairs, but just believe me that they're adorable. but either she's an incredibly heavy wetter or the waterproof capabilities of fleece are totally overrated. so far none of them are waterproof. such a bummer. and i made another pair last night that have an actual waterproof layer (a dismantled diaper wrap that i KNOW is waterproof) but they didn't fit right. for some reason they pooch in the front in a really weird way. she loved them, but i just couldn't let them go like that. so now i have to figure out what the design flaw is and get going.

and it's no wonder these things can go for $20 a pair. that's the reason we didn't just buy some to begin with when alexander was potty training. they don't cost a lot in materials, but they take a while to make, especially if you're making them by hand for real. i'm sure though, once i figure out what i'm doing things will be easier. *smile* but i'm frustrated now, cuz i can see them in my head (and online *smile*) but i can't get them to work in reality the way i want them to.

i'm not giving up! i will persevere. i will be sedulous! *smile*

bootylicious babies

well, isabelle will be 2 in a matter of weeks, and she's very "precocious". she's been wanting to go potty for about 4 months now, with much success, but we're stuck in the trap of pull-ups. and for a family that exclusively cloth diapered both kids (except for travelling), this sudden expense is really killing me. so last night i was online, and i happened across an ad for cloth training pants, and i had a eureka moment. i could make them myself! and thus bootylicious babies was born.

i went to joann's today to buy the few things i needed. and i was amazed by how easy it was. i merely pinned a pull-up in isabelle's current size to a layer of printed knit, a layer of microfleece (for waterproofing), and another layer of plain knit (for the inner lining).

i used an old cloth diaper that doesn't fit her anymore to add some absorbability between the fleece and the inner lining.


i sewed it all together...


and added some ribbed knit around the leg holes and waistband, and voila! cloth training pants!



now i just need her to wake up from her nap to see if they fit. *smile* and of course cloth diapering is very in vogue right now, so if i can get my process a little more streamlined, maybe i'll do this for other people. but right now i need to make about a dozen more for isabelle to make it through a couple of days without having to go back to disposables. we'll see what happens *smile*

so close to being done!

well, my quilt is almost done. i can honestly say that i'm about 90% finished, and i'm really proud of myself. it's ginormous! and i can't believe i've done it all myself (with some coaching from my sister *smile*)

originally i wanted michelle to quilt it for me, cuz i just didn't think i could handle a project of this magnitude, and i was really bummed when she said no. but now i'm so glad she did, cuz i'm so proud of myself! i did it! yeah!

anyway, here's some pics:

this is about 75% done. with the kids laying on it you can really get a feel for how huge it is! had to rearrange the furniture in my living room to lay it out flat. our bedroom is directly above the living room, so i knew it would fit there.



at this point, i just finished sewing all of the 8 panels together and had planned to add another layer of batting before i added the whole-piece backing for added warmth. i was hoping to find a long-arm quilting machine to do some additional quilting so that the extra batting wouldn't shift and make it all funky. but then i talked to my brilliant sister and she suggested that i make it a quilted duvet cover which would eliminate the need for additional quilting but would still allow for additional warmth. i was so excited! thanks, michelle! *smile*


and here it is now:

this is the first quilt i've done with a double border. i feel like an actual accomplished quilter now *smile* .


even though this quilt is adaptable for colder weather, i've already got my next one planned, but i may do the same thing with that one so that we have options. with all the work that goes into it, they'd better be used all year round! *smile*

now i have to make a trip to joann's to get cotton piping to do the edging and big funky buttons. i was there on saturday and had the piping in my basket, but i was disappointed in the button selection. i do not want to pay $1 a button, especially since i would have had to pay for them all individually (i wanted 8) and i only had 2 coupons with me. *smile* and then i heard the sky open, and i'd left my windows open in my car, so i had to go. when i got to the car i realized how late it was and just left my shopping cart in the store and went home. i hate doing that cuz i hated doing reshops when i worked retail, so i try to not leave them for others.

anyway, when i'm 100% done i'll be back!