Crafts: Happy Drawing Baby

A friend of mine is having a baby boy later this month. She requested a quilt, but I also made matching burp cloths and a bib.

Most of the fabrics are from Ed Emberley's Happy Drawing line for Cloud9. I also used a couple of Lizzy House's bracelets, a spotty fabric by Denyse Schmidt, and Robert Kaufman flannel.

For the quilt, I followed a pattern I've had for some time. But once the blocks were cut and sewn I decided I didn't like the pattern's orderly arrangement. I mixed up the various-sized blocks and did some generous trimming to get the effect you see here. I rather like it, although it's nothing like I had planned.

I quilted in the ditch, but only after trying free motion scribbles and echo quilting. I have a special foot for quilting in the ditch, but I had the best results with my walking foot.

I used Cloud9's contoured burp cloths pattern and tutorial. The organic cotton and flannel make soft, lightweight, absorbent, non-slip burp cloths, and the contours make them easy and comfortable to wear. I wish I had some when Cole was a baby.

I don't have a model for the bib, but it's long enough to double duty as an apron. Hence its name: Bapron (pattern available here). The armholes and tie closure won't allow the baby to pull it off during mealtime, too. Messy bapron, clean clothes.

I hope these Happy Drawing baby gifts will be well used and loved! Congratulations, Mai!

Crafts: Teacher Appreciation

It's Teacher Appreciation Day!

My son and I have been suffering seasonal allergies, but I managed to make this little pouch for his teacher without sneezing on it.

I knew I wanted to make a gift using Ayumi Takahashi's Patchwork, Please! Books-for-Baby Quilt block, possibly for a reading time floor pillow or a library book tote. But time was short once I sat down to sew.

Still, this pouch ought to hold pens and pencils, stickers, flash cards, lunch tickets, thank you notes, or other odds and ends a kindergarten teacher needs within easy reach.

Cole has been using my school-aged copy of Ed Emberley's Drawing Book of Animals to draw lately, so the fabric choices are rather fitting. Of course, he now wants an identical pouch for himself.

I have another Patchwork, Please! project in the works, and I'll share more about the book then.

You can see last year's teacher appreciation gifts here.

Crafts: Graduation

My son graduated from preschool today, and he took cap and gown pictures mid-May. I had no idea this was done for preschoolers.

Despite my surprise, I knew Cloud9's Happy Drawing owls (designed by Ed Emberley, my childhood artistic hero) would make excellent graduation attire.

I used the Little Man Tie Tutorial from Very Homemade, and Cole's graduation tie is simply perfect. The velcro neck strap makes it painless to put on and take off - essential for an impatient mommy and child. Plus, it's just right for the occasion and looks great.

I thought: Cole is going to be the smartest-looking kid at graduation! But I bought two yards of the owls. I only needed a fat quarter to make the tie. Then I decided: I need to be a grown-up and share. So I made two more ties (not pictured) and a graduation dress for Cole's friends.

For the dress, I used the Frog Legs and Ponytails Caroline pattern (purchased here), which is ideal for novice apparel sewers like me. I paired the owls with Emberley's black scribble, for a graduating owls meet composition notebook look. I'm really pleased with how it turned out, and I think the little beauty and her mother are too.

I still have over a half yard of the owls fabric left. Who knows? Maybe Cole will want another Happy Drawing owls tie for high school graduation.

Congratulations, Class of 2012!