mama made wool diaper covers...


i posted a quick picture the other day of the diaper covers i was working on but thought i'd share the finished products. hopefully you are aren't tired of baby posts yet!

i used this basic pattern for the covers, though i basically cut out the middle section by folding it down to make teeny newborn sizes. for the blue and grey ones i made them out of recycled cashmere sweaters, because who wouldn't want cashmere covering their rump? i felted the sweaters first by washing them on super hot in the washing machine and drying (you may need to do it several times). it causes the fibers to shrink up. i then layed out the sweater and pinned the pattern on and cut through both sides to get a double layer. you then simply put the sides you want out facing each other and sew around it, leaving an opening along the top and both sides. turn them right side out and add elastic to the openings and then stitch the open edges together and it makes a kind of ruffle. the first one felt very tricky but they got easier as i went on. fatter elastic helped too.




you then add velcro, making sure the scratchy parts won't come in contact with the baby. i made mine so the side tabs can also cross over each other to make them more fitted, or they both attach to the front piece to allow room for growing.

you can also add cute little details like a heart on the tushie! i want to make some with my little animal shapes also. an elephant or giraffe?!

i bought this white wool fabric years ago with the intention of making wool covers for my daughter but didn't have the confidence. i ended up making countless animals out of instead. i'm sure you may recognize it:) it's very cute as a sheep or a diaper cover i think, and i had just enough to make one cover from it.




you can also improvise a little bit if your sweater isn't quite big enough. you can use two different colors, or add in a little extra fabric if it happens to be a v-neck, like i did.


i'm really hoping they work well, and i can make more. wool diaper covers can be quite expensive and making your own cuts down on the costs dramatically. sweaters are only a few dollars a piece and then you just need velcro, elastic and maybe some patience.

after they are sewn up i washed them again with a wool wash that contained lanolin. to make sure they are extra good i also lanolized them in the sink. you add hot water and lanolin and let them soak. then role them in a towel to squeeze out extra water and lay them flat to dry (which took no time outside in the sunshine). the lanolin will make sure they absorb a lot of water but keep them from leaking onto other surfaces or babies skin. if the get wet with urine, they only need to be hung to dry. wash them every few weeks unless they get pooped on and then just re-wash with wool detergent and air dry. re-lanolize them when they aren't working as well. i use pre-fold inserts like these inside, along with a snappi which makes them more form fitting.

in other news, i officially put the shop on vacation mode today. it will be closed for the next month. i sold my last order yesterday... one of these babies! i'm excited for them to participate in some ones special day.


nesting...


besides cleaning and making things for the baby, i've also been trying to check off some of the projects i've been putting off around the house. i've been busy sewing curtains the last week. i don't know why, afraid i will never get to sew again once baby comes i guess!

i made curtains for the front windows. i hate covering them up at all or blocking any light in this old, tends to be dark, house but it was necessary. we live on a fairly busy street and privacy was a real issue.  it does feel cozier though...




i took off the cabinet doors under the kitchen sink, which are hard to keep clean and added a sink skirt instead. i want to paint all the lower cabinets grey, but they will have to wait awhile...




i made matching cafe curtains for the kitchen window (all the windows will be replaced eventually). you can also see the chalkboard i painted here last month...





i have a pile of curtain rods that still need to be hung, but need my husbands help with that. i did purchase some new chairs for the living room this week. i need to add seat cushions to both. i found a great rug at homegoods (how addicted am i to that store?) but it sold before i could go back and get it:( so, i will have to be on the lookout for another for the living room...





the living room needs a lot of work. i have a lovely grey paint picked out and need to hang curtains and art work, plus find the rug. we also decided on impulse the other day to start dismantling the fireplace surround. why? we wanted to see what was under the ugly fake marble someone put in. of course this proved more difficult then we thought and now it is just in pieces waiting to be finished...





other than that, i have been rearranging furniture some, and baby items are starting to pop up all over the house...





sometimes i wish i could just do all the work i'm dreaming of in my head at once, but unfortunately do not have the money or time for that. baby steps!

sundays...



some images captured by my husband at the grant park farmer's market this weekend. we are having so much fun selling at the market! we rarely miss a weekend shopping there. it's such a great community event and we get the best produce. afterwards we alwasy hang out in the grass and often have lunch from one of the sellers (this week a delicious crepe sandwhich that was so yummy). our next market day to sell is in three weeks... think i will make it? i'm looking forward to making some items for back to school time in the next month... if i can find the time.




my daughter has made friends with all the vendors and loves to score free stuff rom them... she is very good at it. do you have a community farmer's market you like to visit?

bringing in...



my house is starting to look a lot different. suddenly there are baby things everywhere. which is sort of strange without the baby! part of me feels like i am going backwards... it has been so long since i have had to think of all the things a baby might need. i'm used to children... who mostly can tell you what they need and can get much of it for themselves. part of me also feels like this is all brand new, a new beginning, a new life, a new little person i am becoming so curious to meet. i will be sad to let go of the pregnancy part of things. a little one who is truly part of me in a way no one else can experience. i'm so looking forward to meeting this little person though, and also i've sort of forgotten what it is like to have a waistline?!

above is a corner of my room. we don't do a nursery, the baby will stay with us for the first year or so. i cleared out our built in book shelf and have been slowly filling it with baby things (and yes, my hospital bag is starting to be filled too)... clothes, baby carriers, bathing items, and cloth diaper supplies. we will be using prefolds (which can be seen down in the corner there) along with wool covers. of course i can't resist wool! even before i started sewing with wool, i found the beauty of wool diaper covers while cloth diapering my son. we then used only wool with my daughter. unfortunately, i did not keep all of my covers (or any other baby supplies at all!). i have a few left, i have bought a few newborn covers, and i'm currently experimenting with making some of my own. i thought it would be easy, but they have been a bit challenging! i used some felted wool sweaters i already had on hand from my pile of thrifted wool so i knew it wouldn't be  great loss if they didn't turn out right. after two tries i'm starting to get the hang of it better, though it is hard to really tell how well they work until the baby is actually here and wearing them! i'm planning on making another with some nice wool i have and see how they turn out, and then maybe wait to try them before making any more.



everything is getting so close, and i'm excited to say i made it to 35 weeks! my last baby was born at 33 weeks due to severe pre-eclampsia, as many of you may know. when i first found out i was pregnant 35 weeks seemed so far away, and now here it is and we are doing better than i could have hoped. no signs of pre-e so far and the baby is looking really healthy. the two times a week i go to the dr. (for about 6 weeks or so now) isn't always fun or easy but every good check up is worth it and so reassuring. i'm hoping things keep going well and i can have the experience of bringing home a healthy full term infant again.



my belly is getting so low and pointy! she is definitely getting ready. hopefully i will be ready too.

ordinary miracle...





Ordinary Miracle
by Barbara Kingsolver
I have mourned lost days
When I accomplished nothing of importance.
But not lately.
Lately under the lunar tide
Of a woman’s ocean, I work
My own sea-change:
Turning grains of sand to human eyes.
I daydream after breakfast
While the spirit of egg and toast
Knits together a length of bone
As fine as a wheatstalk.
Later, as I postpone weeding the garden
I will make two hands
That may tend a hundred gardens.
I need ten full moons exactly
For keeping the animal promise.
I offer myself up: unsaintly, but
Transmuted anyway
By the most ordinary miracle.
I am nothing in this world beyond the things one woman does.
But here are eyes that once were pearls.
And here is a second chance where there was none.