Making a Surprise Ball

i stumbled upon surprise balls
through the website i found
for the Munari Mobile

miekewillems - surprise ball

it looks like the ones from kiosk
in New York aren't available anymore
but kiosk is still pretty cool
kioskkiosk - main page

so i decided to make a surprise ball
for my mother in law for her xmas present
she and i have very close birthdays
and we both love little toys and
little things and fake food

at first i bought crepe paper streamers
but then i realized that people were using
tissue paper cut into ribbons
so i went back and bought
xmas themed tissue paper
and some thin ribbon for
the finishing touches

i bought some small things
online at this store
tinythingsarecute

i spent about $35US on ten items for the ball

these are the tutorials i will reference
notmartha
i don't like the look of her end result
honestlywtf
this one is beautiful

this is my finished product

Gathering Items For Baby

babies need stuff
but they don't need all the stuff
especially up front

this is what i've purchased/gathered

1. chicco keyfit 30 carseat and two bases - craigslist $70
update: turns out the expiration date was too soon for this seat
and some of the straps on the bases were cut
so we turned it all in for a %25 discount at babies r us
for a new set (not a complete loss)
but i don't think i'll use this carseat past 3 months
because it is already heavy for me (5' tall) at 2 months
2. Uppababy bassinet piece for sleeping - craigslist $40
update: best purchase ever, portable, light weight
simple design, sturdy
we put it on a drawer turned upside down
by our bed (similar height) and it is perfect
3. pack n' play - gift
4. pack n' play mattress - amazon $35
update: 
5. mattress cover - amazon $12
6. changing pad - amazon $25
7. changing pad cover - amazon $5.00
8. baby bjorn baby sitter seat with toy bar - craigslist $100
9. small swivel rocker (because i'm small) - $50
10. Maclaren Easy Traveler stroller frame - craigslist $15
11. gauze swaddle blanket fabric - $40 to make 8 blankets
12. clearance newborn clothes - average $3 or less/piece
13. a new car - my old truck had a bench seat
14. Maclaren Vollo Stroller - craigslist $60
15. baby bath - amazon $45

i don't want a crib
because i want to do a montessori style floor bed
and there is only a small window where a crib might be nice
from (4mo - 9mo)
and i think a pack n' play with a nice mattress
would be totally sufficient for a couple of months

i don't need a high chair
because we don't eat at a typical table
we eat at a low coffee table
so it is actually perfect for the cube chair (see previous post)

i don't want a plastic diaper disposal system
i don't want plastic walkers/bouncers/exersaucers
i don't think i need a special nursing pillow

i don't want a commercial baby gym
because i'm going to use the montessori wall mirror & mobile
as well as a wooden tripod type set up

Making Sleep Plans For Baby

i plan on having the baby sleep
in a bassinet raised up
on an overturned drawer
next to my bed for three months

the baby can always sleep
in the bassinet anywhere in the house
because it is very portable
and not some static piece of furniture

the baby can sleep
in the bassinet
until it grows too big (3 months)

then i'll transition the baby
out of the bedroom
and into the pack n' play
with a mattress
in the baby's room

then i'll take away the pack n' play
and transition the baby to a floor bed in the nursery
montessori style

update:
two months old and the bassinet
on the drawer by my bed
is perfect so far

baby is easy and sleep is good
our bed time can range from
10pm to 12pm (with baby)

and baby wake up anywhere
from 3am to 7am for a feed
and then back to snuggles in bed
until around 10am

Making Newborn Hats For Baby

Newborn Hat Tutorial

i like this simple hat tutorial
i'll try to make these out of
leftover material from my gown project

i made one!
it is so easy
and it is the perfect size
like the hats from the hospital

(insert photo)

it matches the two gowns
that i am making
i used the front piece
with khaki stripes
and the back piece
with navy stripes

i actually shortened the pattern
because i didn't want two folds

Making a Quilt For Baby

i started a crib sized quilt for my cousin's first baby
that was almost 9 years ago

i pieced together a top layer
and ended up with funky curved edges

i think i can finish now
things to do -
  - square out the edges
  - create the stack up
      - pieced top layer
      - cotton batting
      - bottom layer
  - quilt the whole thing
  - add border
  - add the turtle's tail!
  - stitch around the eyes
    (they're the only things appliqued)
  

Making Swaddle Blankets For Baby

i like the quality of Aden & Anais swaddle blankets
but a 4 pack is $35US
and the colors/designs are uninspiring

i'm going to order my own gauze fabric
from fabric.com
they have many bright color options
for under $4US a yard
and use this tutorial
Gauze Swaddle Blanket
to make my own


update: 
i ordered my gauze fabric today
from fabric.com
i got 2.5 yards of 4 colors
so that i could make two blankets per color
i decided that the stripe concept
was too much additional work
so i'll stick to solids
and concentrate on hemming the edges

update #2:
i decided to leave the edges rough
i cut one that is 42x42
and one that is  40x30
out of one color

Making Fleece Booties For Baby

i love the Zutano fleece infant booties
but they run $21US per pair

so i ordered a pair of size 6mo
and i'm going to reverse engineer them
to make a pattern

the booties are in!
they are three pieces
  - the sole
  - the heel + elastic & snap ankle wrap 
  - the toe cover & tongue

i haven't found a free pattern
to match the zutano pattern

i made my own pattern last night
and i cut the pieces out of fleece

i noticed that the Zutano bootie
is double lined all the way through
but i started stitching before i realized this
i'll have to make the heel/ankle wrap snap piece
double lined to enclose the elastic, though

so far i have all pieces cut out for two booties
i have baseball stitched the top to the sole of one
i have started to baseball stitch the two layers together
of the heel pieces as well

the structural integrity of the single layer fleece is questionable
so maybe i'll add another layer to the sole

i also noticed a significant difference in sole pattern shape
on the Zutano booties

i also noticed that my fleece was very different in texture
from the Zutano fleece

the shape so far is different from the Zutano
and the fabric is significantly different
i'm in a holding pattern on this project

update:
i will not complete this project

Making an Infant Gown For Baby

i have found these tutorials
and i like certain parts of all of them

Cutest Hoodie
Hoodie #2
Kimono Top
Cute Toddler Shirt
T-Shirt Gown
T-Shirt Hoodie

i'm thinking of a
- sweatshirt material or t-shirt/knit material
- kimono front
- long sleeved
- fold over hand protectors
- gown
- with seat belt slot!

i'd like to leave the edges unfinished
to let the knit roll over on itself

unless i can tackle nice edges/trims

i like the style of the baby soy kimono bundler $17US
but it is so expensive!
and it has so many snaps!

so i'm going to order one 
and use it to reverse engineer the patterns

i like this closure pattern too
it is a L'ovedbaby unisex newborn wrap shirt $14US













Day 1: gathering materials
my baby soy infant kimono bundler arrived
and i made a rough pattern off of it

i also went to Old Navy
and picked over the clearance rack
for super soft knit materials
i found three striped shirts for $0.97US each
and three ultra soft cream shirts for $5.49US each
all of the sizes were either L/XL/XXL

the fabric store didn't have anything
to match the patterns, softness, or price
plus i'll be able to use some of the
existing hems and trims that come with the garments

i ended up with short sleeved shirts
which caused a problem when i went to cut my pattern
i barely had enough room to place the pieces
and i had to run over an area with stitching
but i didn't mind that
it will just add funkiness

i decided to make a two layer gown
with a shorter (crotch length) striped long sleeved shirt piece
over a gown length sleeveless piece
i'll attach them inside so they're one piece
but it will not be reversible

Day 2: create pattern
i ended up using parts of this pattern
T-Shirt Gown
with my own take on the baby soy gown

Day 3: cut out pieces for shirt
i ended up with a shirt over gown idea
because i didn't have enough striped material
to go the full length

i started to stitch the pieces together
and do some hemming
i ended up using a baseball stitch
because i'm still working by hand
and it allows for a "rough" look
versus a terribly crooked straight stitch

Day 4:  cut out second layer
i can use my existing pattern pieces
to create my sleeveless inner layer

stitch in second layer

Day 5: attach sleeves
i'm going to use the method of
stitching in the open sleeves at the shoulders
and leave the "cross" shaped piece open
so i can place in the second layer

i'm not going to make long sleeves in the second layer
so it will be a sleeveless gown inside a long sleeved top
i don't want the sleeves to be bulky

Day 6: add buttons
i'm going to use buttons as my fasteners
i'll have three on the shirt
and some inside on the gown

decide where seat belt slot goes

update:
i finished gown 1 (except for buttons)
and now i'm halfway done with gown 2
i'll post photos soon

Making a Munari Mobile For Baby

i finished the topponcino
so now it is time to make the Munari Mobile

first i needed to find the quintessential
clear "glass" sphere
since it is close to the holiday season
i figured i'd be able to find clear glass ornaments
and i did!

i found an awesome clear plastic ornament
for $1.00 at our local "Christmas Tree Shop"

i'll have to remove the tinsel
but that is easy

i'm going to use this instructional sheet
to make the mobile

//i just went back to find the link and it is miekewillems.blogspot.com
//she has some cool design stuff, i'll have to go back and check out her blog



i'm going to go to the craft store to buy
scrapbook paper sheets for the black and white
needed for the mobile pieces

i measured around my sphere

with a piece of string

and then i measured the

length of the string to

get the circumference 

then, i used the formula 

C=(3.14)d

to solve for the diameter

which is designated as A

in the instructional diagram

all other measures are based

off of A

update:
i made all of the pieces
except the circle
because i needed a compass
i should finish and assemble this soon
photos to follow

update:
besides the floor mirror
the Munari Mobile is baby's favorite!

it is beautiful in motion
we hung it up at 4 weeks
and now it is 8 weeks
time to move on
to the octahedron mobile

baby will work on this mobile
for 30 minutes at a time
multiple times a day