Building a Nest is NOT so Easy.

In anticipation of Tadpole 2's arrival, I talked to my daughter who was lamenting that she hadn't received a "nest" as a gift. After learning what they were, and seeing hers in her registry list, I am not surprised. They sell in the $200+ range - yikes!

"No problem", says the doting gram. "I will make one for you." They are all the rage on Pinterest, so how hard that it be!! Like everything else, I am sure my prototype is the true test. And after umpteen hours already, I am about to start sewing.

Just so that you are aware of what a "nest"is, here is a link to see a few on Pinterest. And here is one picture from one of many blog posts that offers advice on making one. Seems they are more of a "thing" in the Scandinavian countries than here, but they appear to be catching on.

Many thanks to jaggedrose and her blog for guiding me through here. She even calls it the "Scandi Bed", and most of the other patterns and images were from Sweden, or somewhere else with a language I couldn't read. (The image above is from her sew-along on her blog, which was excellent.)

My daughter and grand-daughter-to-be picked this palette for their "nest". The grey chevrons are for the bottom, the white for the inside, and the pink to make bias tape for the top, where the cord goes through to draw the shape into the nest.

Yesterday was pattern day. I saw lots of pictures on Pinterest, in a few different sizes, so decided I would make my own. Since math is NOT a strong suit for me, I resorted to blowing up and tracing one pattern onto many pieces of tissue, taping them all together and coming up with something that quite closely resembled the pattern I wanted.

Today, I used that pattern and cut out the top and bottom. I then moved on to making my own bias tape, which of course included a trip to Fabricland to buy a bias tape maker. Then a 45-minute search for my rotary cutter (which has not been used since we moved here and I had to remember where I packed it.) Now I am ready to begin sewing. Well, I will be once I try my trusty new bias tape cutter.

I will share progress and completion shots here, so that we can all enjoy the end result, hopefully.

Must confess to thinking, on first blush, that nests look suspiciously like cat beds. So, if this should turn out less than Tadpole-worthy, at least my grand cat Jasper will have a nice soft place to sleep.

Stay tuned.....

Whole Lotta Burpin' Going On

With a few other babies arriving the same time as Tadpole 2, I decided to make a bunch of burp cloths for each of them. 32 burp cloths in all - quite the pile.  When Jackson (aka Tadpole 1) was born, one of his mom's favourite gifts were some shoulder-sized burp cloths, which she found so much easier to put over her shoulder than full on receiving blankets.

So I found a free online pattern on Pinterest and decided to make each expectant mom 8. I chose genderless patterns and they will each get two of four prints. This pattern even has a little shape around the neck to keep them in place. Pretty brilliant!!

The first batch was delivered a few weeks ago, just before the arrival of the first burper "Clementine". She is safely here, her new mom is over the initial shock, and I am pretty sure the cloths are getting more than their fair share of action.

The other arrivals are slated for August and September, so I am done with far more lead time than before.

Tadpole 2 is being "showered" this Sunday, and I got a few other goodies ready for the party.

Sweater number 1 is Gwen, from a free Debbie Bliss pattern here.  It is meant to be Taddy's "homecoming sweater" and I worried it looked a bit large.

So, with the leftover yarn, I knit sweater number 2, which you can find here.  It does appear to be a bit smaller, but not by much. She may end up with two sweaters that she can rotate through her fall wardrobe lol.  And there's enough yarn left for a second hat - mostly pink - so she has a choice there as well.

Tadpole 1 is a hot little dude - can't wear sweaters. Loves hats though. Hoping Taddy 2 loves sweaters, cuz there are so many cute little girl ones, I can just keep cranking them out.