Gifts « mama urchin

Archive for the 'Gifts' Category

Circus Quilt

Published March 20, 2009 Crafted by Friends , Fiber Crafts , Gifts , In the Mailbox , Sewing 7 Comments

If you read Amanda Jean‘s blog you’ve seen this quilt before. She quilted it for me a bit ago and I just needed to get the binding on. I did a poor job of it but it is now bound and ready to send off. It will be joining the blocks and balls that were made of the same fabrics. The back is chenille and super soft — learn more about quilting with this type of chenille backing from Amanda Jean — and will be very tactile for the baby. I love this circus line by Felicity Miller for baby gifts. It’s so fun and bright. I think it’s still around so if you’re looking to make a baby something you might want to hunt for it.

A Bit of Random

Published March 16, 2009 Fiber Crafts , Gifts , In the Mailbox , Knitting , Sewing , Virtual Quilting Bee 8 Comments

I was up half the night with a sick little urchin so the best I can offer is a little bit of random this grey Monday morning:

- I finished this pillow for my friend Sarah. Now Martha’s pillow is safe from the threat of the pillow-napper.

- I also finally finished these big brother gifts. That pencil case drove me crazy. It’s pretty cute though so I’m getting over it.

- I finished my last two squares of the Virtual Quilting Bee. There is more to say as this project wraps up so I’ll save that for another day.

- I started a new pair of socks. The yarn — Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock Multi in Pinstripe– and the pattern — Jaywalker by Grumperina — were made for each other.

Happy Monday!

Weekend Report

Published March 10, 2009 Cooking , Gifts , In the Kitchen , In the Mailbox , Papa Urchin , This & That 6 Comments

March may have come in like a lion but we sure had a lamb of a weekend. Temps were in the 70s both days. Crazy. We’re back to more seasonal March weather now, blustery and colder. But about the weekend, it was a really good one, and not just the weather. Saturday morning Katie and I headed to Molly‘s place to have lunch with Molly and Emily and their gangs plus Erin who was visiting for the weekend.

It’s always fun to go to Molly’s and it was great to meet Emily and Erin. We arrived a little early and Katie just took off to collect eggs with Mary and Emma and I helped Molly get lunch ready. How I wish we lived closer. I’m blessed to have such thoughtful and generous friends though, even if they live hours away. Both Emma and Katie were hoping to go in the swimming pool — apparently being 6 or 7 makes you immune to freezing water — but after Emily and Erin arrived we went to the creek instead. I brought some gifts for the ladies and we ate lunch, each helping with the other’s children. Erin and Emily left and I helped Molly clean up lunch while we talked about our girls.

On Sunday Stefan had a race in the morning and we celebrated his birthday with some of our extended family. Katie went to my parents’ and Tristan helped me make the birthday dinner — spaghetti bolognese — and birthday cake before everyone returned for a loud, laughter-filled evening with the windows open. A perfect weekend really, thank you March.

Some Bootees and a Rattle

Published March 6, 2009 Crafted by Friends , Fiber Crafts , Gifts , In the Mailbox , Knitting 16 Comments

Next up in the parade of baby gifts is this pair of baby bootees. They were made for a friend who did not know whether she was having a boy or a girl. I went with this rainbow Cherry Tree Hill supersock merino yarn — leftovers from Katie’s kneesocks — thinking it would be gender neutral but in the end I think the bootees ended up looking a little girlish. All’s well though because my friend has since given birth to a healthy baby girl.

The pattern is Saartje’s Bootees. I made the newborn size and the colorway of the supersock merino is brights. The buttons are vintage mother of pearl and were part of this haul. I’m hoping they’re suitable for a new little princess.

The second part of the gift was a baby rattle made by Papa. This one, like the last one, is made with holly and finished with food-safe mineral oil. He’s been able to get back in his woodshop a little more recently and I think he’s been very happy about it. Is anyone seriously interested in buying one of these? I’m told that more can be made if there is interest. And, as promised last time, I’ll leave you with an action shot:

Tomato Sweater

Published March 5, 2009 Fiber Crafts , Gifts , In the Mailbox , Knitting 5 Comments

This sweater is for a little tomato who arrived at the end of Autumn. It’s been done for a little while but waiting for me to get my act together on some big brother gifts — why can I not find 40 minutes to get into the sewing room!?!? — before it’s given. I better hurry up though or it will be too warm to wear it. The pattern is Riverstone by Justine Taylor and a really great baby sweater since all that ribbing makes it very accommodating in size. This is a 6 month size but I imagine it will fit with the ribbing stretched and the cuffs uncuffed until around 18 months. The yarn is blue sky alpaca‘s dyed cotton which is super soft and well-suited for baby gifts. The buttons are vintage vegetable ivory, perfect for a tomato sweater if you ask me.

For a Shower

Published March 3, 2009 Fiber Crafts , Gifts , In the Mailbox , Sewing 12 Comments

This is quite possibly the best and quickest thing to make for a baby shower. It’s good for girls or boys and all babies love blocks and balls, most moms do too. To make the balls I used the the purl bee‘s pattern for fabric beach balls — there are three sizes, mine are medium. I decided, like Erin, to omit the circle on the end because I went to the trouble of lining up the points. Also, I think the circle is mostly there to complete the beach ball look which wasn’t what I was going for anyway.

The blocks are made from six 5-inch squares sewn together to make a cube. Each side is a different fabric. I then used two pieces of foam stacked on top of each other to fill the block. I was afraid one piece of thicker foam would be too hard to squish into the block but now I think it might have worked. Last thing was a bag made from the chenille — babies love that stuff. I sewed a contrasting fabric at the top but instead of a drawstring — not really safe for babies — I used a length of elastic small enough to gather the top so the blocks and balls don’t fall out. It can still be easily stretched to load up the bag. The last thing I added was a small loop of orange twill tape so the bag can be hung up or easily carried by a tiny hand.

A Pillow for a Friend

Published January 31, 2009 Fiber Crafts , Gifts , In the Mailbox , Sewing 15 Comments

10 Points if You Can Guess Who This is For

I like giving pillows as gifts. I mean, who doesn’t need another pillow? They’re small, they’re fun, they’re quick. What’s not to love? This one went to Martha. I’d been hoarding these two Amy Butler prints to make something for her for the longest time. I had a half yard of each so it couldn’t be something too big and of course it had to fit in her clean design aesthetic. When she posted photos of her new studio space I noticed that her chair could use a pillow — you know, for her cat Fritz to sleep on — but I still wasn’t sure what exactly to make. Just a few days later I came across this mini quilt by Rita and had my inspiration. Why not make a squares-in-squares log cabin and then cut it up and turn one quarter a-la disappearing nine-patch? I quilted along the seam on the inside of the grey strips. A good wash for that quilted wrinkle-y goodness and it was in the mail.

Baptize!

Published January 19, 2009 Crafted by Friends , Gifts , In the Mailbox 23 Comments

My nephew Bobby was baptized yesterday. My brother was in charge of getting the cake for the luncheon they had after church and I guess he wasn’t sure what the bakery should write on the top. So, there in bright blue royal icing it simply said Baptize! All I can say is that we warned my sister-in-law before she married him. Back in my marriage, I asked Papa to make a rattle for us to give Bobby back in December but he forgot, I forgot, and then he went to Vegas for over a week. Bleh. So, Saturday afternoon while I took Katie to ballet — and got some gorgeous cashmere fabric for $15 a yard, yippee! — he sat Tristan in front of the playroom TV and went to his lathe to make this:

Can I tell you how wonderful it is to have a crafty husband? I know some of you already know. Seriously, if you’re single it’s something worth looking for in a prospective spouse. The wood is holly — light and tightly grained — and simply finished with butcher block oil to be totally safe for a baby mouth. He also chose holly because the wood is from a holly tree that grew at the house where my brother, sister, and I grew up. Papa might not be too sentimental but he knows the rest of us are. Congratulations on your baptism, Bobby. Hmmm, someone should have put that on a cake.

More Mitts

Published January 13, 2009 Crafting With the Urchins , Fiber Crafts , Gifts , In the Mailbox , Knitting 12 Comments

I realized I never told you guys about some holiday knitting that happened here in the urchin house. Some of you may remember that in 2007 Katie and I dyed some yarn and then I knit scarves from that yarn for her teachers. I was prepared to do the same thing this year but Katie decided that instead of scarves she wanted me to make them mitts.

These are just knit in rib with a thumb gusset — I can email you the particulars if you need them — so they were very quick. The yarn is Knit Picks Bare – bulky weight again and we used easter egg dye to dye it. If you have not dyed yarn with your urchins you should really give it a try. Using food-safe easter egg dye or koolaid means that the dyes are urchin-safe too. Do wear gloves though when you are putting your hands in the dyes. Food safe or not it’s very acidic.

There is a bit of green yarn left, which is good because there is a new aspiring knitter in our house. She really wants to knit but is frustrated she doesn’t just know how to do it perfectly to start with. Can you tell she’s a first born? Getting her to practice anything is a bit of a struggle and knitting is supposed to be fun so I’m not pushing it. Nana and Opa are coming for a visit next month and I think practicing with Nana will hold more appeal. Nana and Opa gave her the needles, yarn, and Lucinda Guy’s book Kids Learn to Knit. Opa made the needles — thanks to Grace for the inspiration for this gift — using a dowel and Katie loves the little faces at the ends. I do too as a matter of fact. With some more practice maybe next year she can do the dyeing and the knitting too.

Right Now

Published January 5, 2009 Crafted by Friends , Fiber Crafts , Gifts , In the Mailbox , Knitting 9 Comments
Tags: januarysweater

I often wonder if the soundtrack of the urchins’ childhood will be the shrill beep of the smoke detector. That thing goes off an awful lot in our house. I also wonder if the tract home kitchen designer responsible for it’s placement has ever cooked anything. Oh, well. 2009? Can you believe it? I love the new year. A clean slate, a new start, and all that. I also really like the quiet stillness of January. A fire in the fireplace in the late afternoon while we wait for Papa to return from work.

Yesterday I dumped my yarn stash on the floor to see what I have. I’m planning to knit through Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitter’s Almanac this year and first up is an aran sweater. A bag of red tweedy wool ought to be good for that and who knows, maybe I’ll even keep the sweater for myself in the end. I have lots more ideas and plans zipping around in my mind but for now, I’m going to stick with just this.