Baby Boy Blessing Outfit

My 57th completed sewing project for 2009!

I made Zephyr's blessing outfit using the same pattern I designed for his sunday outfit, but did it all white instead.  The fabric I used for the shirt part of the romper is made out of an old white dress shirt, and the pants and vest are made out of scraps from my wedding dress.  I thought that was nice since the girls' blessing dress was made out of scraps from my wedding dress.  I really wanted my kid's blessing outfits to be out of scraps from wedding dress because my blessing dress was made out of scraps from my mom's wedding dress.

If I were to make this outfit again I would lengthen the pants.  They ended up shorter than the black suit outfit.  I didn't remember that I had added so much length to his black outfit.  The length was honestly a little too short, but it works okay for an infant because he isn't standing in it.  I do need to go get his portraits soon it, because length wise through the torso also, he is almost outgrown it.

The want to be Moby Wrap

My 56th completed sewing project for 2009!

I have been "wearing" Zephyr a lot, and I like my Baby Bjorn, and I like my pocket sling, but sometime when I where the pocket sling for a long time, my back starts to get sore, so I thought the moby wrap would be nice.  I bought some fabric last week and I sewed it up today.  I don't know if I got the best fabric, and I think making it longer might have been a good idea, so I will have to give a better report later, but as of now it is done and I am typing this while Zephyr sits in it.

This wasn't a very difficult project.  If you can tell from the first picture it is basically one long piece of fabric.  Because I wanted to make it as cheap as possible, I bought 2.625 yards of fabric, and then cut two stips that were 22" wide and  2.625 yards long.  I did a double duty french seam to connect them, so I end up with 5.25 yards of fabric.  Then I hemmed all the edges.  That's the reason this actually feels like a sewing project is because of all the hemming!

White bow tie for blessing outfit

My 55th completed sewing project for 2009!

Ben and I have been vascilating back and forth whether we wanted Zephyr to where a white little suit for his blessing or wear his black suit and having matching ties with Ben.  I think we finally decied to do a white outfit. 

When I was at Joann's last week I found some really nice white fabric to make a bow tie for his blessing outfit.  So I finished the bowtie today.  Now I really need to get working on the pants and vest, the shirt is basically done.  We are blessing him this Sunday, so I have the rest of the week to get everything ready.

Baby Boy Neck tie

My 54th completed sewing project for 2009!

This is another conversion from one of the ties that my Dad gave me.  I decided that Zephyr needed some diversity, bow ties and neckties.  Also making neck ties is a little cheaper  because I don't need the adjuster clasps for neck ties, also I was having a hard time getting adjuster clasps, it seems that Joann's doesn't always carry them in stock.

Also a side note I was really proud of myself because I learned how to tie a neck tie, so I tied this myself, I love finding tutorials on the internet.

These are a couple of works in progress pictures.  First I took apart the men's neck tie.  Then I trimmed down the interfacing to the size I wanted the baby's neck tie to be finished.  You can see the interfacing lying on top of the tie on my ironing board.

Old Neck tie to baby boy bow tie

My 53rd completed sewing project for 2009!





My dad gave me some of his old neckties to make ties and bow ties for Zephyr. This was one of the ties he gave me. I thought it would make a nice looking bowtie to go with Zephyr's black slacks and vest. I thought my little boy looked very daper at church today wearing his new bow tie.

Batik Bow Tie

My 52nd completed sewing project for 2009!

Ben has a bow tie that was made out of a fabric that looks like a yellow batik with a black pattern.  I was looking through my stash and realized that I had a fabric that look very similar to Ben's bow tie, and if I was careful how I cut out Zephyr's bow tie it would look almost the same.  Zephyr got a lot of compliments at church about having a matching bow tie with his Papi, so it was a success.

(as a side note these pictures of Zephyr were taken after church, and he was screaming hungry)

Baby Doll Jeans

My 50th and 51st completed sewing projects for 2009!

Atticus and Little Ella didn't have pants to match their cute little monkey shirts that the kids are wearing, so I decided I better rectify the situation, especially since it is 15 days past my due date and I need to find things to keep me busy.  So now they both have cute little jeans to wear with their monkey shirts when we take our little baby boy out for the first time.

Baby Doll Carseat

My 49th completed sewing project for 2009!

When Prairie was born, I made a little carseat type of thing for Autumn's doll, and its carseat was out of the same fabric as Prairie's carseat cover. I thought it would be nice if Prairie had a little carseat for her baby now that she is going to be a big sister.


This is the day we brought Prairie home from the hospital. This isn't the best picture of the carseat thing I made for Autumn's doll, but it has buckles, and it can hang from the seat in front of Autumn.



Ben found this at a thrift store or some garage sale, I can't remember. I didn't really like the colors, and I thought it would be more fun to have coordinating with our baby boy's carseat, especially since I made the cover and I had leftover fabric.


This is a picture of the work in progress, you can see the front side that doesn't have the backpack straps. At this point I had unpicked everything and taken it apart.



This is the finished product. I don't particularly love the pink with it, but oh well. I am excited that Prairie will have a carseat for her baby that will match her baby brother's carseat.


This is the back view of the carseat with the backpack straps.


I was worried that Autumn might be a little jealous that Prairie was getting a doll carseat, but that she wasn't (since she already has one) so I decided to let her in on the surprise, and she has gotten to see it while I was working on it. I think it was a really good idea, because she is excited about Prairie getting it. One day she did say sadly that her carseat didn't match her baby brother's, but we talked about it and she seemed okay with it.

Autumn looking super cute modeling the carseat using the backpack straps with Prairie's baby doll in it.

Matching Monkey t-shirts for the dolls

My 46th, 47th and 48th completed sewing projects for 2009!

Granted these are small projects, but I figure I will still count each one as a finished project.  This is to complete the assemble of the monkey matching t-shirts.  Now the girls's dolls have t-shirts to match.  Last night Prairie was really concerned that her tiny baby didn't have any matching clothes with her, so when I was cutting out the t-shirts this morning, and there was barely enough to make her tiny baby a t-shirt, I just couldn't resist.  I am excited because I do love matching outfits.  I was realizing though that I might need to make some jeans for Atticus and the small baby Ella, because neither one of them have pants that coordinate with the t-shirts.

the three dolls dressed up in their shirts (the girls are going to be so excited, this is a surprise for them that they get when their baby brother is born)

Matching Monkey T-shirts

My 43rd, 44th and 45th completed sewing projects for 2009!

I was going to Joann's the other day and Autumn asked me to get her some fabric that was blue to make her something out of it.  I asked her why, and she said that she wanted to have something to match with her baby brother like her and Prairie had matching clothes after she was born.

May 2006 - Autumn and Prairie's mathcing home from the hospital outfits

I explained to Autumn that this time I made the kids matching outfits for their first Sunday after their baby brother was born.  Autumn didn't think that was good enough, and she wanted to have another matching outfit with her baby brother.  

Since I am a sucker for matching outfits, I looked at Joann's and found a knit that I liked, that I thought would make the kids cute t-shirts, so I preshunk it, cut it out, and was able to sew all the shirts today.

I would like to make some little t-shirts for Autumn and Prairie's dolls, but my doll clothes patterns have mysteriously disappeared, so I don't know if that will happen.  But I think Autumn will be thrilled to have a matching t-shirt with her brother.

a close up of the onesie for the baby boy

a close up of the monkey fabric

all 3 t-shirts all folded up and ready to be given to the kids when the baby brother is born

Little Mermaid Dress-up costume

My 42nd completed sewing project for 2009!

Since I thought my baby was going to come early, so we got all of our projects done around the house early, now that my baby is coming late, I have had some time, so I decided to finish my sewing projects for Prairie's birthday, so I won't have that hanging over my head after our baby is born.

Prairie loves Ariel from the Little Mermaid, and she also loves all the dress ups that her older sister has.  Sometimes Autumn isn't very good about sharing, so I thought it was about time that Prairie has some of her very own dress ups.  I liked this pattern because it isn't actually a tail, but it gives that suggestion.  The only thing I regret is that I have been planning to make this for her for a while, and I saw the perfect fabric at Joann's during Halloween season.  It was green shimmery fabric that had scales on it, perfect for a mermaid tail, but they don't carry it this time of year, so I had to make due with what I could find.

I think Prairie will love it, and I am happy to say that I have her birthday presents all done, yay!

No sew tutu project

This isn't really a sewing project but I wanted to post a picture of it.  This is a birthday present for Prairie in May.  I thought since this baby is going late I might as well get some of her birthday presents done.

I bought 1.5 yards of each color, so for a total of 3 yards of tulle.  Prairie's favorite color is green, and I asked her what other color she likes and she said blue, so that is why it is blue and green.  I used my rotary cutter, and just cut the entire 3 yards of tulle into 6 in strips.  Then each strip I cut in half because the fabric was wide enough.  

The only sewing I did was sewing the elastic into a loop.  I did 18" of 3/4 inch non-roll elastic.  Then I just folded each piece of tulle in half and then looped/tied it on the elastic.

Anyway I was really happy with out it turned out, and I think Prairie will really like it, and it is a perfect present for a 3 year old, that pretends to be a ballerina.

Baby boy red bow tie

My 41st completed sewing project for 2009!

This is the tying bow tie that goes with the plaid vest that I made for our baby boy.  His outfit is now complete.  I was able to find a nice pair of infant red socks to wear with it, which will look cute because his sisters have red tights to wear.  So the first sunday ourfits are completely done!  The girls have their skirts, Ben has his bow tie, and our baby boy will have his red bow tie, his plaid vest, black slacks and dress shoes.

Here is a picture of his complete outfit (the bow tie doesn't look quite that orange in real life, it is more of a cherry red).

Ben had the idea to try the outfit on our largest baby doll, so that he could actually tie the bow tie and see how it looks.  We were really pleased.  Now I am thinking that I will make a few more bow ties, so that our boy has choices when it comes to Sunday.

Plaid Bow Tie

My 40th completed sewing project for 2009!

When I completed the circle skirts for the girls and the little vest for our baby boy, Ben really really wanted to have a coordinating bow tie.  I told him I really didn't have fabric left and it was just scraps.  Well I saw what I could do, and pieced it in a number of places, but I was able to scrap together enough to make Ben a bow tie.  

Ben is really excited and it will look nice with his Black pin stripe suit.  Also I really really need to finish the bow tie for out little boy to go with his vest.  He is going to have a little red bow tie, it is cut out, I just need to actually sew it.

I think for plaid it looks best to do it on the bias, but in retrospect I wish I would have done a heavier interfacing, or a sew in interfacing, because I am worried that it is going to stretch out, and I didn't sew it to be an adjustable bow tie, it is sewn to fit Ben's neck perfectly.  Oh well.  I might have to add an adjuster, or at some point take it in in the neck if it gets too stretched out.

Toddler Hooded Towel

My 39th completed sewing project for 2009!

The towel that Prairie has been using is the one that I made for Autumn when she was an infant.  When Prairie was born I made Autumn a new towel that had a larger hooded section so that it would fit better over her head, because the small one is really for designed for an infant/baby.  

This is Prairie has a 2 month old using the infant hooded towel, which will now be for our baby boy to use. (July 2006)

This is Autumn using the towel that I made for her when Prairie was born.  It is supposed to look like a blue ladybug, because there are blue ladybugs on our shower curtain. (July 2006)

Well Prairie has been using that hooded towle ever since she was born, even though at her 15 months old , she had the head size of an average 3 year old (yes she has a large head).  The hooded part of the towel really hasn't fit on her head for a while, but having another baby is the motivation I needed to make her a new towel.  

Now the hooded section of the towel fits fine on her head, and she still has plenty of room to grow into ti.

Prairie's new towel

Prairie trying on her new towel, she was so pleased with it she insisted on bringing it to pick up Autumn from preschool.

Close-up of Prairie with her hooded towel, resembling the emperor in Star Wars, but still so cute with the chocolate frosting from donuts this morning on her face.