Iron-y

You know how, when you're pregnant, it seems everyone else is, too?  I've been having that feeling lately about my ironing board. (Ha! I bet you thought this was a clever way to announce a bun in the oven!  Nope - just a post about my ironing board.)

Anyway, my ironing board cover has been hurting for a while.  Every time I iron hubby's pants, the diamond pattern of the metal under the board cover gets transferred onto his pants.  The cover has old interfacing glue and has worn thin.

 



Rusty?! And, see the diamond imprint?



It seems I browse the ironing board covers every time I'm in Target/Walmart but never feel like the time is right to splurge (is that what life has come to that buying a new ironing board cover is "splurging"?  perhaps I just enjoy the simpler things in life?).

Then, lovely bloggers start posting left and right about recovering their ironing boards, too!  So, I decide to do it myself (uh oh!).  I bought some super loft batting and was giddy to find that my thrifted sheet was plenty big to recover the board - hooray!  Pack rat nature pays off!





Dirty, grimy, gross!



So...I take photos of the ratty old cover, gleefully rip it off and throw it away, and set to work on the new one - only to discover that I need to IRON the new one in order to sew it together!  Old cover back on.  Complete project and really love the result (and it actually matches the color palette of its home in the play/craft room).







Ahhh...breathe a sigh of relief.



Iron-y part 2?  Had I just bought a new cover, it probably would have cost about the same!  Oh well - I feel a little bit fancy now when I iron - how many people can say that? 

Birthday Bunting

So, we are coming off of big birthday doings in our house.  Baby A turned one!  I guess, technically, she is no longer a baby - instead, a bona fide toddler (she is a walking fiend!) - but, still a baby in my eyes.

In honor of her big day, I made her a birthday bunting (garland, banner, etc.).  I finally cut into my Alexander Henry "City Park" fabric and love the cheery colors together.  I wish I had backed the yellow letters with something before applique-ing them on, though - they get a little lost with the blue showing through.  Anyway...

Happy Birthday, little A - you deserve a birthday sign that brings as much happiness and sunshine into the world as you bring into ours!

Repurposing for a purpose

So, we had little E's preschool orientation.  I offered up my (limited) sewing skills if the teacher needed anything.  She got this look in her eye, said, "Actually....", and led me over to the doll area where there were four ill-dressed babies.  "We need doll clothes," she reported.





Flannel diaper



So, with the million or so other projects on my to-do list this week and last, I set to work on a new project instead.  I have a serious mental block when it comes to sewing clothes for myself, but I was excited to try this new challenge.  I mean, are 3 and 4 year olds going to mind an uneven hem? 

 This was a great way to break into my stash of thrifted shirts (do you notice lots of stripes?) and a few other stray fabrics.  I made shirts, dresses, sleep sacks, diapers, pants, and skirts.



Pants (I goofed on the pink and blue pair but love the accidental ruffle I created)



While I cannot say these are my best work (I was going for quantity for these bare babes), it was fun and I giggled the whole time I was coming up with something else (or trying them on my "model, a similar-statured CabbagePatch doll).

Perhaps this project will even help me conquer my fear of sewing for myself (but first I have sweaters felting to make some winter gear for the babies - I hear the playground gets cold at the school...).





Tank tops (doesn't that shirring make you giggle?)