A friend recently contacted me about swapping some cloth diapers for a few handmade items.  She had cloth diapers that she wasn’t using and wanted to pass along and so instead of paying for them, she asked that I make something for her.  How wonderful is that?!  It was a fabulous idea!  She sent me the diapers a few weeks ago and I finally got my projects in the mail to her.  She asked for either the Noodlehead Clutch or Anna Maria Horner’s Quick Change Trousers for her daughter, June.  (What a sweet name!)  I couldn’t just make one since both are so fun to make and she was generous with the diapers!  So she gets both!  (Terrible pics in this post…it’s called being in a hurry.  Bad excuse.)

First up–the trousers.  I really liked this quirky print.

These fabrics seemed girly, without being over the top, and also reminded me of the mama.  I will say that upon looking at the final product, I probably should have used fabrics with a little higher contrast.  It’s amazing how fabrics look so different once you chop them up.

And the reverse option.

The Noodlehead Clutch.  Again, I used fabrics I thought the mama would like–I hope she does!

I made Elias a new spring jacket with help from Anna Maria Horner’s book Handmade Beginnings: 24 Sewing Projects to Welcome Baby.   The pattern is called “Baby-in-the-Hood Jacket.”  The making of it went very well, and I was pleasantly surprised at how fast it came together.  I cut out the pieces one night and then sewed it all together the next day in between naps, feedings, diapers…

A little cowboy action, fitting for South Dakota, some brown corduroy lining, and 4 yellow handmade buttons.

I made the 24 month size and it fits him perfectly–he is almost 14 months.

I think he likes it!  Now if we can just get spring to come our way.

This was one of those projects that I started before Christmas when I was in my total pregnancy-induced craft slump.  I decided to make some Quick Change Trousers from Anna Maria Horner in the hopes that I could whip up a couple more for my nieces for Christmas gifts.  Needless to say, the pants got so far and then were abandoned.  Since then I have seen numerous blog postings about how great these pants are so I decided to finish mine.

Oh my, they are indeed darling on the little man.  He was so cute when I first put them on him.  I think he thought he was pretty cool stuff…which his mama told him he was.

A fun bonus, is that they are reversible.  He’s wearing the blue in the picture above, and hanging here is the red side.

The pattern is found in Anna Maria Horner’s book Handmade Beginnings: 24 Sewing Projects to Welcome Baby.

My busy Elias will be wearing these often I believe!

So the last couple weeks of my life, I have been a little mole voraciously gobbling up books.  I love reading!  I get into a book and I simply cannot put it down.  For those of you who don’t read as much, it’s like getting into the middle of a movie and not being able to stop watching until the end.  I so appreciate people that can take me to different places through their writing! 

I had a fabulously long Easter weekend at home with all the family.  It was so good to get out of town and have a change of pace.  I also was able to squeeze in a couple of my favorite quilt shops.  I did a little damage in the fabric department which was way too much fun!  Here’s some of my findings.

This is an older line from Joel Dewberry called “Aviary.”  There is just something about the bird and the splashes of orange that I like.  I got it at a shop in downtown Hudson WI called “St. Croix County Dry Goods.”  Wonderful antiques and a great mix of fabrics at this shop.  You can make a day trip of it and visit all the fun shops downtown and the gorgeous St. Croix River. 

I also found this fabric that I am going to make  a skirt out of.  

The rest of the fabric I picked up at another one of my favorite shops called “Quilted Treasures” in Rogers MN. 

Again, the orange…something about it.  Someday I might regret it, but for now I love it!

Fabric from Anna Maria Horner’s new line called “Good Folks.” 

More Anna Maria Horner.

I guess I better get working on some new patterns!!