Mashed potatoes

Okay so...as surprising as this may be, I made mashed potatoes for the first time last night.  While this is barely relevant, I thought I'd share a piece of advice, if you haven't made mashed potatoes before to learn this for yourself, rinse your pot as soon as possible afterwards!  Mashed potatoes harden like cement.  Nothing I'm sure a good hot water soak won't solve, but it would have been useful to know this before!

Off to fold diapers!

Wool soaker #2

I woke up to a mysteriously screaming baby, and now I can't fall back asleep.

So while my husband fell asleep on the couch, I decided to try this wool soaker pattern.  Well it's more of a tutorial on how to make your own pattern.

http://www.bumwrapdiapers.com/pages/pattern.php

It was very straightforward, but I think I'll need to adjust it to make it just right.  I'm going to have to go to the thrift shop and pick up some more wool sweaters.  Maybe I'll just cut up some of my husband's old t-shirts to experiment with.

The problem with it is it doesn't account for the bum being bigger than the front, so it's tightish in the back, and quite loose in the front.

I found this pattern on another blog :

http://katrinassqs.blogspot.com/2007/10/free-soaker-pattern.html

so I think I'm going to somehow combine the two, or maybe I'll just use the second one.  Anyway, I've found a ton of sewing projects I want to do, so I'll probably keep myself busy for a while!  My mom's probably coming in later today, so I'll have to ask her for some advice.

Baby leg warmers

This is a great DIY project!  You can find some nice baby leg warmers by Babylegs at http://www.babylegs.com/ but personally, I think 12$ is too much to spend on a clothing item for my baby, especially when I want more than one!

So to make your own, all you need is a pair of socks, a pair of scissors, a needle and thread, or a sewing machine.  Pins are also useful but not necessary.

Here is a photo tutorial :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/babyhopes/sets/72157594274454468/

If you are like me and just don't get photo tutorials, you can use this video tutorial (that's how I learned) :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYO4T_q0x0Y

Tips from my own experience :

• I know it says to use knee highs, but since my baby is still small, I decided to use just regular ladies socks.  They won't fit for long, but they are a perfect fit right now, and I have even been able to use them as sleeves under short sleeved shirts.

• If you are cheap, or want these for more for functionality than look, you can always use an old pair of your own socks, because the heel and toe are usually the first to go, and you are cutting those parts out anyway.

• Mix and match : you could take two pairs of different coloured or  different patterned socks, and use one for the cuff, and one for the leg.  This is fun if you want your baby to have that "bohemian" look.
  

It takes me about a half hour to make a pair, but I've only made three pairs, so I'll probably get faster with practice.

This is a great starter project, because it is easy, and you can start with some cheap socks so if you screw up it isn't a big deal.  These also make great gifts, I made some for a friend's baby, and will be whipping some up for three birthday parties.

Correction

So after writing my first post, I decided I would try to make something I've been wanting to make for a while.  A wool diaper cover.  Also called a soaker.  Another thing you should know about me, is that I am very indecisive.  That being said, there are SO MANY different kinds of elastic out there, that I had no idea where to start.  I've had two wool sweaters, shrunk and ready to be made into a cover, but I just couldn't decide on my notions.  So tonight, I decided to make one without any notions.

It happened kind of by mistake, I started taking out the seams of the sweater, only to find that the arm once taken apart was a good shape, so I actually used the arm as the main part of my cover.  The ribbing on the sleeve became the front, I cut out the ribbing on the collar to put on the back, and then cut out the ribbing on the waist for the legs.  I just washed and lanolized it, so I haven't had the chance to try it out.  It really isn't the prettiest thing, and I think it is a bit too big for my son, but hey, I came up with it myself, which surprised me greatly.  Maybe I am more creative than I thought, just when I least expect it.

I will probably try it out tomorrow, and then update on how it goes, if I have a chance to figure out my computer, I will take some pictures, and if I ever make another one, I will maybe make a tutorial!  (In case anyone ever reads my blog :D).

First post

So I have been feeling left out lately, because so many people have blogs and I don't! I think the main reason, is I feel I don't really have anything interesting to say, and I've never been very strong at writing.

Anyway...I am becoming a fan of DIY (do it yourself) projects. I just love the look on people's faces when you tell them, "I made it". It's great, and you feel so proud. Unfortunately I'm not that creative, so I'm always stealing ideas from others, and unlike most DIYers, I rarely "make it my own". But I'm okay with this, I've never really been a natural leader, and have always been kind of dependant (might have something to do with being an only child), but the way I see it, is if everyone was a leader, the world would be chaotic to say the least!

So basically everything on this blog can be found somewhere else, and I will try to post links to where I found the project, and give credit to the right person. I am hoping that in keeping track of my projects on this blog, I will become a better writer, and may develop some individualism, and maybe some day I'll be coming up with my own ideas for others to copy.

So that's all for now (see what I mean about being a bad writer...all save one of my paragraphs starts with "so", and I actually removed it from the second one :D). I'm going to discover the features of my new blog.

Take care :)

Nicole