Baby Play Gym : :

I wanted to make Little Miss S something to play with as she is now just about 4 months old (where did that time go?). She is just hitting that really fun stage where everything looks tasty and it all goes straight into her mouth!

I decided to make a baby gym for her as I've never owned one, but I did lend one from a friend and know how much babies like them.  I used the pattern from the book "Sew Modern Baby" by Angela Yosten, which I picked it up on a whim at spotlight ages ago.

However...if I had a crystal ball and could have known how much trouble it was going to give me, I definitely wouldn't of bothered!! 

I'll get to that bit later....first onto the quilt part, the mat!

I appliquéd!!!......AND I didn't hate it!! 
I honestly think this is the first quilt I have ever appliquéd something that looks half decent. 

(Let me just cut in here to say...i did it on my Bernina...not by hand. That's a hurdle for anther day!)

There are two types of blanket stitches on my Bernina 440QE (number 45 and 46 for those who want to know).

They are both the same, but 46 is double thickness. I decided to the thicker stitch, and while it definitely ate through my thread stash quicker than I would've liked, it looks so much better than the thinner one!! 

I mean, just look at that stitching!!

And again...

 
And again....

 
Yup, I think I can definitely say I'm more than a little proud of myself!!

Now onto the stuff that seriously gave me nightmares! The arches!! *shudder*
I sewed up the 'tubes' of fabric from my Sarah Jane stash (which is seeming never ending at the moment!! No matter how much I use, there is still just sooo much!).

 

That part was simple enough, but threading the black pipe insulation through the tubes took me hours and hours and hours!! 
Then after I finally had them threaded and sewn together I connected it to the quilt with baby links (like the patterns states) the whole thing just flopped over. (que me chucking a bit of a tantrum and refusing to look at it again for about a week!)

If anyone is planning on making this project take note...this book is American..so the materials listed aren't exactly the same as the materials I found in the hardware store here in Australia!!

After leaving it all in a corner for a few days, I decided to give it one more go and got my husband to go to my parents farm and get me a few lengths on fencing wire. 
I then cut them to length and wrapped the sharp ends in duct tape so they wouldn't poke through my fabric. 

After unpicking, threading then re-sewing, I can finally say that it works!! *happy dance*

And the best bit? Little miss S Loves it...which I guess makes it worth it in the end!! 

She is seriously happy under this thing. I love how I can change up her toys as well so she gets a bit of spice in her baby-life.

Jessica

A Foxy Little Fellow : :

Another Christmas present done!! (It feels so good to say that)

This little guy is a present for Little Mr Z. 

He is made from a really good quality wool felt. I have never really used felt before, but I actually found it better than cotton. The felt can be stuffed really firm, and it was a breeze to sew. 
I am DEFINITELY going to make more felt toys. He is just too cute! 

I don't know if Little Mr Z is going to love him. He will probably be much more interested in the wooden car I have for his stocking, and not to mention all the wrapping paper that's going to be floating around on Christmas morning.

But *I* think he is really cute. And I know that Little Mr Z's sisters will want to play with him, even if he isn't terribly interested. 

I got this pattern from the craft show that I went to this year. Its called 'Bandit' by Simone Gooding. The pattern is really good with really clear instructions. I finished sewing this little guy in about 2 evenings (not including cutting), and that was taking my time.

Now all I have to do is make two dolls for the girls. I have about 2 weeks to do them, so hopefully I can get them done. I want to get them done quickly too because I have a baby carrier pattern that I would LOVE to make them to go with their dolls. I just need more time! (story of my life)

Jessica