mama urchin

Remember how I made a few apron sets to have on hand for birthday gifts? Well, they’ve been a huge hit and the birthday parties haven’t stopped. So, I’ll be working on something new to have in the stash soon. This, however, is about the boys. Katie hasn’t been invited to too many boy parties this year but we have had a bit of a run on babies that have big brothers. And any mom of two (or more) knows that gifts for a new baby are always better received when they come with a gift for the big sister/brother too.

The dinosaur backpacks are made from the same clearance fabric as Katie’s dino dress. They were super easy to make and I finally got to use some grommets — something I’ve been wanting to do for a while. The contents include all kinds of Dinosaur stuff I got in the dollar bins at Target — grow tablets, stickers, dinosaur skeleton kits, tattoos, etc. I also included a couple of Schleich dinosaur figures. Really, you could find almost all of this stuff at the dollar store. And as a mom I know that I like when Katie gets gifts like this. The stickers and tattoos get used and used up, and then they’re gone. The figures and the skeleton can be played with creatively and won’t be quickly outgrown. And all kids love a bag to put their junk in — I had a lot of trouble getting this one off the model. It’s so much better than another Polly Pocket or Spiderman figure. I also change the contents slightly depending on the recipient. A dinosaur book would be good for an older boy while a dinosaur coloring book and crayons are just right for a younger child.

The pillows from my bloggy birthday give-away are headed out today. Finally. Man, I am slow with the sending. These got held up with zipper issues. Why can you never find a zipper that is the right color and the right length? So there is one pillow where the zipper color is the best I could do and another where the zipper is way too long. Still, I think they’re pretty cute. Click through to flickr to see who gets which one and individual photos too. And here is a photo of my prop master — always ready to help me with the photography.

Another delayed baby gift. This is for a sweet little boy who arrived at the end of last year. The free pattern is called Super-Natural Stripes and it is knit in super soft Blue Sky Alpacas‘ Organic Cotton. I used the colorway pebble instead of the sage and I’m happy with the variegated effect. My only modifications were I didn’t knit the single row of bone at the cuff, hem, or button band/collar. It wasn’t really necessary with the pebble yarn.

Baby Stripes
Pattern: Super-Natural Stripes
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas‘ Organic Cotton in colorways 80 (bone), 82 (nut), and 84 (pebble)
Yardage: less than one 150 yard skein of the bone and nut, less than two 150 yard skeins of the pebble
Needles: US size 7 and US size 5
Gauge: 16 st = 4 in
Size : 6-12 months
Modifications: Omitted the bone stripe at the cuff, hem, and button band/collar.

For a while after the holidays we got a break from the relentless birthday party circuit but it seems to have started back up again. So this Spring Katrina’s birthday girl friends will be getting this:

The basket, rolling pin, whisk, and cookie cutters are all from the Target dollar bins. The glass jars are from World Market and we filled them with color-coordinated sprinkles from our pantry. The apron — modeled by Katrina — was a quick sew and turned out pretty cute with gingham-ish ties and ball fringe. The main fabric is an older print, Buckarette, by Alexander Henry. I bought enough of everything to make three sets — one for a party today and two more for the granny gift closet . I am actually making four aprons though, my little bakerette needs an apron too.

So Emily is hosting Green Week this week and as you know, I love green. I mean really love green. Like I love it so much I want to steal Hannah’s sheets. My friends know I like green and here’s some proof that recently arrived in my mailbox.

Melissa made some of her awesome boxes to put in her granny gift stash back in January. I jokingly told her to put my name on the bottom of this box, and guess what? She did! Thanks Melissa.

Anina sent me this fabric and yarn as a thank you for helping her knit her very first sock. I’m thinking of knitting and felting a bag from the yarn and then lining it with the fabric. And don’t you just love this fabric? Thank you friend, I expect to see lots of handknits on your feet in the future.

Edited to Add: The fabric is by Shannon Lamden.

Amy, Capello, and Papa Urchin. Oh dear, that’s not going to work — although he says he’s going to sell his pillow on ebay to the highest bidder. How about instead I’ll take the comments before and after him and make them winners too. That means Kris and Inga — blogless — will get pillows as well. Send me your addresses ladies (mamaurchin AT gmail DOT com) and some hint as to what you might like — as far as color/size/etc. I’ll do my best to accommodate.

This pillow is for Erin, just because I’ve had this little piece of patchwork hanging around for a while and wasn’t sure what to do with it and it matches her X String quilt perfectly. Happy March Erin, I hope you like it.

I’m a huge fan of the granny square and lucky for me I’ve got a real life granny who likes to make them. When each of her grandchildren went to college she made us an afghan in our school colors — that would be 9 twin sized afghans. Plus, I have two other twin sized afghans she made for me during my childhood. Assuming the same production for my siblings and cousins that’s 27 afghans for her grandkids alone. She is always making granny squares. So, last spring when she was visiting I hinted that both urchins would be in big-kid beds by Christmas and they could use some granny goodness to keep their tootsies extra warm.

Much to my delight the hint was taken. While the urchins opened their gifts I commented how the colors were perfect to which she replied, Well you told me what colors to use, Jenny — she’s one of the few people left in the world who calls me that. Okay, so maybe I did a little more than hint but sometimes it pays to ask for what you — I mean your kids — want.

Those of you who have been reading my blog for a little while may recall that my mom — aka Grandmom — has a tradition of making each of her grandchildren a bed quilt for their second birthday. Both urchins got their twin beds from Papa and I for their second birthday so the quilt giving is perfectly timed.

You may remember my goal with these quilts is that they be fun but not too juvenile and not too themed - cowboy, or fairy princess, or anything — because I want them to have longevity. Well, I think my mom made another perfect one. We decided on a log cabin pattern and we started with some fabrics from the Michael Miller Dick & Jane line. I wanted it to be very scrappy and not traditional log cabin blocks where one side is light and the other is dark — examples of what I mean here and here.

My mom decided to use a red square as the foundation for each log cabin and I think that was a smart decision. It brings some continuity to the quilt. She ended up using all kinds of prints and some solids. There are lots of cars and robots and cowboys and Indians and dots and stripes and plenty for Tristan to look at but I think when you stand back and look at it it looks less like a little boy quilt and more like a cool scrappy log cabin quilt — exactly what I was hoping for.

Grandmom sends these quilts out to be machine quilted — they hold up better with all the washing that way — and the woman who quilted it asked my mom if she made it from a kit or a jelly roll pack. Then when she met the quilter at the local quilt shop to pick up the quilt they laid it out on the table and everyone oohed and ahhed. We’re still oohing and ahhing too and enjoying the coziness of the new quilt from Grandmom.

You know, being in a crafty family really has its perks. One of those perks is the great gifts for birthdays and Tristan’s recent birthday was no exception. Nana and Opa are Papa Urchin’s parents and they brought some great gifts across the country in their suitcases.

Nana brought a new sweater. I know the yarn is plymouth encore but I’m not sure what pattern she used. I think it’s an older one. He’s worn this to church the last two Sundays and gotten compliments both times. She knit it a size up so it should fit him for a while too. Hooray for smart thinking Nanas.

Opa bravely checked this toy he made — you can also see some of the other toys he’s made. He handmade all those little figures — two have flags and one has a bike — and they are attached to the base with small pegs so they each have their own spot — I will be using this photo for future placement reference. I’m not absolutely certain but I think the difference in color comes from a variety of woods and that the pieces are glued together. The forms are obviously influenced by some recent trips to South America.

Thank you Nana and Opa for such great birthday gifts!

Twice I’ve seen something posted on a friend’s blog and they say something like This is for a friend but I can’t say just yet because it’s a surprise. and I’ve hoped it was me only to have the pleasure of holding whatever it was in my hands a few days later. Thank you Anina for the beautiful gift you sent:

I saw this bag and secretly hoped it was for me — I mean Anina had no real reason to send it to me but I thought she might be sending me a thank you for a little something I sent her. It arrived at the perfect time since I was dealing solo with a barfy baby — poor Papa was at a farm an hour away for a four-year-old birthday party and he’s extremely allergic to horses — and needed a little pick me up. Would you like to see what was inside?

Anina, did you remember that I swooned over these? I let Katrina open the bag when she got home from the horse adventure and she said, Mommy, can you share these strawberries with me? Let’s hang one on your dresser and two on mine. That’s my girl.

The other time this happened was when Martha posted a photo of some hand-dyed yarn and it turns out it was for me. And speaking of that yarn, I’ve finally figured out what I want to do with it and it’s something for me. This is my gauge swatch, I’m so glad it’s mine.