Sweet Pea's All Wrapped Up

Sweet Pea's wrap has been done for a few weeks, but it's taken me this long to get pictures of her in it =)

Pink sock monkeys

Stripes

She was taking a nap in it for her pictures, otherwise, she would have had her head out looking around =)

Double Take

Sometimes I love a challenging project and other times, well...  Not so much.  This is one of those projects.  When I pictured it in my head, it came out perfect (of course!) but when I actually tried to put it into practice.  Well, needless to say there was lots of seam ripping, broken needles and hair pulling.

While I'm not 100% happy with the design, I'm happy enough that I will continue to tweak it until it is perfect.  If I wasn't happy with it, the whole project would have ended up in the "I will fix this later" pile.

The idea behind this wrap is to give the wearer more options.  The panel in the center is interchangeable.  And that's where the design flaws come in =)  I have to figure out a better "framing" system for the panel and a better way to attach the panels.  Once it's perfect, the wrap will offer a lot more color options for the wearer.

The main panel that cannot be removed.

The optional panel.

After working on this one for awhile, I came up with a design that offers only two different panels (instead of unlimited like the original design).  So, for now this is the design that is available.  

The first side.

The second side.

You'll notice that it's "missing" the black border around the panel.  

If you're interested in the second design, please let me know what colors you would prefer- for the wrap part and for the panels.  Depending on the fabric, prices start at $40.

Carried Away

The quilt shop in town has been an endless source of inspiration for me. The bold, colorful prints just beg to be made into creative items. This particular piece inspired me to make it into a mei tai style baby carrier. This carrier is available for sale in my etsy shop.

The carrier is made of quilting weight cotton, which has a tighter weave as well as being a heavier weight. I've found that this cotton stands up better through multiple washings and the wear and tear that kids can put it through.

The shoulder straps are padded from just a couple inches above the top of the carrier to about mid- back.

This style of carrier has proven to be the most versitile carrier for me. Once my children have been able to hold their heads, I've carried them in the front carry.

And then, once they are old enough to not "fling" themselves backwards, I put them on my back.

Busy Sewing

I finally found some time to get back in the sewing room. First up was another mei tai carrier. I love the colors and the pattern on this one... I almost wanted to keep it for myself :)

My DS wanted to help me "test" the carrier. This is a backpack carry with the straps tied across my chest. It was surprisingly comfortable, considering he's around 40lbs now.

This was a fun project. I took a basic apron pattern and embellished it. Who says you can't look fabulous while working in the kitchen?

This was made from a vintage pattern I came across. It was a McCall's pattern printed in 1967. It said it was a size 14, bust 34"... Shows you how much dress sizes have changed in the last 40 years. I would say it would fit a size 8-10. It was way too big for me, and I usually wear a size 4- measurement wise, it should have been a lot closer than it was. I love the fabric for this... It was called fingerpainting. I'm going to have to see if I can find it again.

I'm hoping to get back in the sewing room later this week. Hopefully I'll be working on some purses and other totes to add to my etsy store.