Fueling the Crazy

 

We are officially in Christmas crunch time. 

Cards have gone out, gifts have been purchased, some wrapping has been completed.  I was feeling pretty good about my progress... until yesterday when I went through my list of things I want to complete before we have a large number of people over to our house on Saturday for a Candy House and Soup Party. 

Most days the wife walks a very fine line between remaining in control of her craft urges and going overboard.  I often have to force myself to not over commit to craft projects. 

I have to recite the mantra...  There is only so much time in the day, that project doesn't have to get done it can wait until next year. 

If I don't I tend to get a bit panicky and go into super craft freak out mode where I wake up in the early morning hours to sew.

The husband is usually the one that has to remind me not to go overboard.

Usually...

So what does the loving husband tell his wife?  His wife that is semi-overwhelmed with the amount of nursery projects that remain undone...  His wife that is in her third trimester... His wife that has pretty much every weekend from now until February booked holiday activities, baby showers and birthing classes...

"You know what would be cool?  What if you sewed some Christmas fabric to pull over the ottoman's in the front room and then tied bows or something on them to make them look like packages."

Seriously?

I guess it was my own fault as I had asked him what he though we should do with the 2 ottomans we had previously made for the front room.  They are not very Christmas-ey and I didn't really know what to do with them.

I never actually thought he would give a suggestion let alone one that would require some crafting time.  It was, however, an amazing idea which I now have to act upon. 

I am powerless.  He fueled the crazy. 

I can no longer have people over to the house before I get these slipcovers done.  The idea is just too good.  

I mean how cute would that be?  Ottomans that look like presents......!  Wish me luck!

Lullabye and Good Night

I am not very good at wall decor.  I panic and tend to over think too much which leads to me having a ton of empty/blank wall space.

So the thought of figuring out what to put on the nursery walls sent me into a mini panic.  Well that, and the hormones.

I haven't been sleeping great, not that I ever have, so I often troll Pinterest for ideas in the wee hours of the morning.  On one such occasion I did come across an idea from Project Nursery to frame sheet music from a favorite song or lullaby.

Now came song selection time.  My original thought was to use a favorite lullaby my Mom used to sing me...Horsey, Horsey, On Your Way.   After some searching on the Internet I found out it is an old English lullaby that has a couple different versions.  Unfortunately I was unable to find the sheet music for the version I wanted.

Next up I thought I would like to frame St. Judy's Comet by Paul Simon.  I have always loved Paul Simon and there are a couple of songs of his that I hope to make into lullabies for baby girl.  The problem with my selection was that the original song is written for a boy.  When I sing it ( if you want to call my vocalizations singing...my family is not known for their melodic talents) I change the words to a girl but I wasn't sure I wanted it framed with the boy version.

I went through a couple more options but found out that many had more than three pages of music and would not work as I only want to frame three.

Finally I settled on Baby Mine from Dumbo.  It was perfect.  Sweet lyrics, three pages, and even tied into the elephant theme.  Now to find the sheet music.

Apparently no one buys actual sheet music anymore.  It is either digital or only offered in compilation books.    I did make a trip to one of the local music stores only to find out that no they didn't have it in stock but they could order it in.  The problem was it would take 4 weeks to get and the store was closing its doors forever in two weeks.  So I decided to buy it digitally.

Now the problem was that I needed it bigger than my printer could handle and I wanted it on paper with a bit more character than stark white.

The husband enlisted the help of a friend of ours that is a graphic designer.  He created an ivory background for behind the music so that we could take it to be anywhere on white paper. 

For the frame we used a frame from IKEA with a white matte.  I wanted a bit more "pop" so we painted the matte with the dusty rose accent color.

The result is exactly what I wanted.

Now I need to work on signing the song all the way through without crying.  I get to the last verse and I lose it.

"From your head down to your toes.  You're not much goodness knows.  But you're so precious to me sweet as can be, baby of mine."

You have to taco it!!!

This is the last time I am doing this...

My favorite feature in the nursery is the built in that Wood made with the window seat.  I have always envisioned a little one curled up underneath blankets surrounded by pillows and books.

I was very excited when I found the perfect fabric for the nursery window seat.  I actually found this fabric back before we knew that she was a she!  I loved the plaid (as I have stated before I really like simple patterns) and the fact that the colors were not super pastel but a bit darker, more tinted.  (FYI...I found the fabric at JoAnn's in the home decor section.) 

It had been a couple of years since I did the original window seat cover that was used when the room was a craft room.  I had forgotten the horror.

I had forgotten what a pain it was to work with such large pieces of fabric and foam. 

I am not a fan of working with large pieces of fabric as I always find it a bit difficult to get things cut correctly.  Also it is hard to find a large enough spot to do the cutting...especially one that doesn't include pugs. 

(Yes those are Halloween decorations...I cut the fabric a long time ago!)

Thankfully having the plaid pattern made it a bit easier as I was able to cut along the natural lines in the fabric.

I followed an amazing tutorial by Sew, Mama Sew! that can be found here. This is a very nicely put together tutorial that I follow exactly only omitting the handle part as this is not a portable cushion.  Also the piping and continuous bias portion of the tutorial is one of my favorites.  I use that technique to make all of my piping for pillows etc.  You should definitely check it out!

One tip from me to you is to check out foam from Home Depot.  Seriously Home Depot.  Foam as I have stated before is like gold and costs about as much if you get it from the fabric store (even with 50% off deals).  The husband's Aunt put us onto the Home Depot foam which is slightly less dense than the high density stuff at JoAnn's but not by much.  Home Depot carries foam pads for camping.  I am not sure if they carry them year round but it is worth checking out.  We got a 3 1/2 inch thick pad for about half of the cost of going to the fabric store.

The longer I worked on this project the more certain I became of this fact...this will be the last window seat cushion I do for this room.  Either baby girl will live with this cushion fabric until she turns 18 and moves out or she will go without a window cushion.

The husband and I spent some of the most frustrating and funny 40 minutes of our lives trying to stuff the foam padding into the cushion.  Let me set the scene...

Our window set measures 7 feet long.  The longest zipper I could find at the fabric store was 2 feet long.  While I suspect I could order something longer online I didn't. So can you picture the issue?  We have to manhandle the huge piece of foam into the tiny zipper opening.  What resulted was both Wood and Cloth breaking a sweat while trying to twist the foam into submission.

At one point about 30 minutes in the husband let loose with the comment..."you have to taco it more, taco it more"  at which point the wife started laughing uncontrollably losing her kung-fu death grip on the foam resulting in a major setback in the stuffing operation.

Finally, after recovering our composure, we were able to somehow wrangle it into the cover.  The only way that foam is coming out of that cover is by scissors or the jaws of life.

For all of the grunting and groaning, twisting and turning...I love it.  The fabric is exactly what I wanted for the room.  What a perfect place for baby girl to read her stories. 

(I'm not quite ready to show the entire built in, still a bunch of work to do so this is just a teaser...)

I have a couple of pillows made but still need a few more.  So many projects so little crafting time!

Welcome to my crib

Nothing says baby like a crib. 

We were very excited when the wife's Dad and Step-Mom generously offered to buy our crib.

With all of the safety features we had decided that even though Wood has mad skills we should probably leave this piece of furniture to the professionals.

Selecting the crib actually took a bit longer than we thought.  Holy cow there are a bunch of choices many of which were a bit too ornate for our tastes!  The other issue we ran into was that many of the cribs had very high railings in the front which does not work out too well for the wife that is 5 foot 1 on a good day.  I didn't want to have to stand on my tippie-toes in order to get baby girl out!

After multiple trips to multiple stores we saw this one and knew the search was over.

The model is called the "Montana" which we thought was very fitting as the wife is from Montana.

You always hear funny stories about new parents putting together the crib and how hard it is to get everything together...not so much.  The husband had it put together in about 15 minutes.

It is hard to imagine our baby sleeping in here in a few short months...

Gingham Style

 

When I started to think about the nursery I didn't want to go the super matchy matchy bedding/decor set route.  Not that there is anything wrong with that it is just not my style.  I really enjoy selecting or making individual pieces myself.  Early on I found the perfect material for the window seat in the nursery.  A plaid pattern with dusty pinks and sage greens.  From there I knew I wanted to focus more on colors and patterns than an actual theme.  I also didn't want to go overboard with the pastels.  So I chose the sage green and the dark dusty rose to be my accent colors in the room.

I looked a bit at window coverings to use for the curtains on the closet but did not find anything that I loved...So out came the sewing machine.

I found 2 fabrics that were perfect and decided to make my own curtains.  It seems like it would be pretty easy to piece them together...and it was!

I love the result it is exactly what I wanted.  A pop of color with a bit of pattern.  I really like the way they frame the closet.

Project Rankings

Difficultly - Medium
This gets a medium only as it is a bit difficult to calculate and determine lengths that you need for the fabric.  You need to take a number of things into account.  I tried to list them all below.  I have also included the  dimensions I used as a starting point.  The actual piecing this together is a cake walk.
Frustration Level - Low
Makeability - 100% worth it!

Materials

Fabric -
I used 2 different kinds but obviously you could do more or less.  As far as how much fabric you need it will depend on the length of your panels and the width you need.  the specifics listed below are for what I used on my closet.

My dusty pink fabric came from Joann's.  It is a home decorator fabric.

My gingham fabric is from IKEA.  It is also a nice home decorator weight.  I am not sure if you would want to mix a simple quilt cotton and a decorator weight...2 cottons would probably work though.
1/2 inch fusible tape
Normal sewing stuff, pins, thread, sewing machine, etc.


Step #1: 
You will need to measure your area to determine the width and length of your panels.  I can't stress enough that you should measure twice and cut once!  You will need to determine if you want your curtains hitting the floor or not, I did not.  You will also need to determine how high above your window or closet you want to place your curtain rod.  If you are doing multiple fabrics you will need to determine how much length of each you want.  I wanted my second/bottom fabric to be smaller than the first as I wanted the pattern piece to only be an accent and not overpower the room with the gingham pattern.  For the width of your fabric you will need to determine if the curtains are just for shoe or if you want them to be able to be untied and pull across your entire closet or window.  I did so I did make the panels wide enough to cover up the closet (in case it is a mess and company is coming over).  All of those decisions will factor into your dimensions.  In addition you will need to account for seam allowances as well as the width of your curtain rod.
Listed below are what I did and why so that if you are inserting your own measurements you will need to make your adjustments.  I added 1/2 inch to each edge for a seam allowance.  This allowed me to sew a 1/4 inch, turn under a 1/4 inch and top stitch.

Dusty Pink Top Fabric - Cut 2 of this size for the 2 panels.  56 inches long x 36 inches wide

Gingham Bottom Fabric - Cut 2 of this size for the 2 panels.
27 inches long x 36 inches wide
Additional material is needed if you plan on sewing the tiebacks.  You could also use cute ribbon or something like that. Or you can make your own.  The instructions for the tie backs are at the end of the curtain tutorial.

Step #2:
Pin the right sides of your 2 pieces of fabric together.  Sew together using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.  Press your seams out.

Step #3:
Cut your 1/2 wide fusible tape in half to the width of your panel.  Place one of your 1/4 inch tape strips under the pressed out seam as shown in the picture. Iron in place.  Remove the tape backing and iron the fabric seam down onto the tape.  Repeat for the other side of pressed seam.

Step #4:
Next up pick one of the long sides (not the top or the bottom of the panel) and turn fabric under 1/2 inch (turn under to the wrong side).  I pressed out the turn under and also pinned it (I like to use pins...). 

Step #5:
Sew in place using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

Step #6:
To make it more "finished" looking I turned under another 1/2 inch and sewed another 1/4 inch seam allowance.  That way I don't end up with any rough fabric edges.  I could also just turn under twice and then sew once but of course I didn't really think about that at the time.
Step #7:
Repeat Steps 4-6 for the other long side of the panel.

Step #8:
Working on the bottom of the panel turn under and sew as described above.  Because you are folding under some of the long sides those will be a bit bulky but should go through your sewing machine...hopefully!  At the end of this step all of your sides should look nice and finished with the exception of the top part of the panel.

Step #9:
Working with the top of the panel fold over 1/2 inch as described above and sew using 1/4th inch seam allowance.

Step #10:
Measure 2 inches from your newly finished edge down an pin.  This will create the pocket that you will slip the curtain rod into.  See picture.

Step #11:
Sew into place.  I sewed directly over my seam from the turn under as shown in the picture.

Tie Backs Instructions

Step #1:
Cut 4 pieces of your desired fabric ~30 inches by ~5 inches.

Step #2:
Pin 2 pieces right sides together and sew around all edges using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.  You will need to leave about 1-2 inches open in order to turn out your fabric.

Step #3:
Turn your fabric right side out.  Press out the seams being sure to fold and press under your open portion.

Step #4:
Top stitch around the entire tie back using a 1/4th inch seam allowance.

There you have it curtains!

Holiday Time

This past holiday weekend Wood and Cloth took a break from the nursery and worked on Thanksgiving and Christmas related activities.

First up was cooking Thanksgiving dinner.  We actually go over to the husband's parents' house and have dinner with his family.  We do however like to have a bunch of leftovers so every year I make a full on feast for us to eat at home.  This includes a 16 pound turkey (yes it is only the 2 of us but don't forget we do have 3 pugs...) artichoke stuffing, fresh cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, rolls, frog eye salad (this is for the husband as the wife will not eat it), and a cherry pie.  This year I also got a bee in my bonnet that I wanted to do turkey stock and turkey noodle soup.  I think I forgot I was pregnant and maybe spending hours on my feet standing in the kitchen working on mounds of food was not a great idea.  Or maybe I was truly feeling my pregnancy cravings and baby girl wanted a ton of yummy turkey day related food.  Either way we ended up with a ton of food that we have slowly been working our way through since Thanksgiving.

It was a good thing that we had some much food as we burned a ton of energy and calories getting the house Christmas ready.  It was a bit of a challenge for me this year. It was hard for me not to be able to run bins of decorations up from the basement.  I could carry the lightweight things but after a few trips up and down I started to feel winded so the poor husband was left with the bulk of the work.  After all of the bins were upstairs in true Wood and Cloth tradition we put on National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and started to deck our halls.

The husband and I have done a bunch of stupid DIY stuff over the years.  Sometimes the endeavour is stupid because we should have just purchased something and saved ourselves a bunch of trouble.  Sometimes it is idiotic because there is a chance of bodily harm (not usually death mind you).

One of these stupid activities is hanging 3 very large wreathes in our living room.  This year marks the third year of stupidity.  The first year involved the husband hand carrying the wreaths up a very tall and steep ladder and then swinging them into place.  We actually did have an incident that first year where the largest wreath fell down.  While no one was hurt we do have a pretty good scuff mark on the wall that we have left untouched to remind us of our moronic past.
The second year the husband got smart (well a bit smarter as if we were really smart we would not put up the wreathes in the first place).  The new plan involved rope and a pulley system.  The plan involved looping the rope around the wreath and the top rung of the ladder.  The wife would then pull the wreath up using the rope from the ground while the husband was on the ladder waiting to place the wreath into position.  This system was a success.  No wreaths plummeted to the floor and no husbands feel off of the ladder.

So for our third attempt we absolutely were going to use the rope method again.  One small problem.  The wife was no longer in the position to pull the wreath up.  This year the husband had to do the pulling until the wreath was up at the top of the ladder.  I then used my extra weight to hold onto the rope making sure the wreath didn't come down while the husband climbed the ladder to put the wreath in place.  Again no major incidents.  You will notice the "JOY" is a bit off but it was close enough.  I wanted to take pictures of the husband on the ladder and swinging the wreaths into place but that idea was quickly shot down as I was reminded about the husband's fear of heights and that he would like me to stay to steady the ladder.  Fair enough.

With the wreaths in place we went to work putting up the rest of the decorations.  It took me longer this year as I had to stop and take breaks quite frequently.  While I might like to think I can still do everything I did before I am about to start my third trimester and things are getting more difficult.
It took the better part of 2 days for me to get up all of the decorations. 

I couldn't help but think about how next year I will have a 9 month old to "help" me put up Christmas.  I might have to adjust some of my decorations as I am not sure that she will have the patience for Mom to hand tie with fishing line Christmas ball ornaments to the banisters... Next year I may just have to throw some tinsel around and call it good.

Let the Nursery Begin...Closet Doors Be Gone!

With the craft stuff out of the nursery let the fun begin!

Before I even thought about color schemes and nursery themes I was thinking about storage.  As I stated in earlier posts I am a bit obsessed with organization right now!  I like to have places for things that are not all stacked up in a corner. With a girl on the way we were going to need a bunch of closet space for clothes (even if the husband doesn't agree).

Step one of the nursery was to rip up the closet!  I have always hated our closest doors in the nursery room as they are the sliding kind which just seem to always get in the way.  The problem is that swing out doors would just take up a bunch of space in the actual room, so...

First step was to take down the doors.  They just get in the way and curtains would look way cuter, right? Next came ripping out the shelf and painting.

I knew I wanted a bunch of shelves and drawers to maximize the space.  Having one large shelf and clothing rod really limits the amount of small, cute, and cuddly clothes one can cram into a closet.

With the prep work done we needed to make a decision on build or buy.  The husband had convinced me that for the sanity of all involved it would probably be best to just buy a closet organizer from IKEA.  He was concerned about the length of his project list and the current NFL season.  I won't allow a TV in the woodshop (aka the garage) for fear of lost fingers and other appendages so he tends to not get much Wooding done on Sundays. 

We had used a PAX system organizer in our old house and it really did add a bunch of functional space to our closet.  The one we had was pretty small but for the nursery I wanted to get a pretty big mamma-jamma with a combo of shelves and pull out drawers.

The building and placement of the unit did not go as planned. Unfortunately it was a bit bigger than I anticipated.  Yes I did measure, (this isn't amateur hour) but I didn't think about being able to get around the depth of the unit.  The problem was that it was so deep that we ended up blocking one of the corners making it unusable. 

The husband thought we should scrap the plan for the organizer and just use the closet to it's fullest.  The wife thought we should just knock out the little jut in the wall which would open up the space in the corner (it would be really easy...).  After a large amount of negotiation the organizer and wall stayed put. 

Even though we are losing a bit of space on the one side we are more than making up for it in functionality of the organizer. 

 

Next up was the shelves and clothing rods.  One advantage with children's clothes, especially baby clothes, is that they are small and don't hang all the way to the floor making multiple stacked clothing rods a possibility.  The husband used 2 brackets per shelf. 

Cut and painted the boards. Attached the boards to the brackets, and finally installed the clothing rods.  They turned out perfectly and I couldn't be happier with the end result.

Now I'm off to sew the curtains!