Not Gone, Just Fat Saturday, Feb 13 2010

As you may have noticed, I have been on hiatus from Project Hurt.  I am in the final weeks of pregnancy and have found myself slowing down a bit.  Lately my biggest projects consist of taking naps, baking cookies, walking (had to give up running a few months ago) and reading lots of books and magazines for future inspiration.  Once our little Burtie finally arrives, I may need to continue my time away in order to focus on her because let’s face it, she is the biggest project of them all.

With that being said, THIS IS IN NO WAY THE END OF PROJECT HURT!!  Please stay tuned because I shall return.  As anyone who knows me, I do not sit still for long and my brain is far too busy not to get back to my projecting ways very soon.  In the meantime, please feel free to use the blog to send messages and inquiries regarding past and future projects.  And do not think I will not be posting some disgustingly cute baby photographs very soon (and let us hope that it is very soon!)

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Burtie Birdie Thursday, Jan 21 2010

Just when you thought it was not possible for me to make anything else pink, I have found a way.  For the last four years, I have been making fabric birds using leftover remnants of fabric.  I was first inspired by a project in the December 1998 issue of Martha Stewart Living and still use this original pattern to cut the fabric in order to construct the bodies and wings.  The fabric used to make each bird commemorates projects that I have completed during that year and is a festive way to use up all those tiny scraps that otherwise would have no purpose.  Each year I use the birds to adorn the top of our Christmas tree (and yes, I forgot to take a picture this past year).

Once I finished decorating Burtie’s nursery, it was time for me to make her first bird for the tree.  Who cares that it is only January?  This is the eleventh bird that I have made and is complete with feathers and beads.

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Burtie and Pram Pram Monday, Jan 11 2010

I am not the only one who enjoys an auction. My mother-in-law, Lynn, loves them too.  In fact, I attended my first auction with her shortly after my husband and I were married, and I have been hooked ever since.

This past fall, Lynn and my sister-in-law, Erin, attended a country auction in Blackstone, Virginia.  They had previewed the sale brochure and set their sights on the perfect Christmas gift for our growing family.   Lucky for us, they won and we received a wonderful surprise under the tree this year.  This circa late 1800′s pram (baby carriage) is in pristine condition.   It has an iron frame and is made of whicker.  The wooden handle even has a spot to hang a parasol.

Young Burtie can use the carriage as a bassinet in her early months of life, and then I plan to fill it with toys and blankets and use it to decorate her room.  In a few years, I have visions of her placing her baby dolls inside and pushing it around the house.

In the meantime, I decided to make a small cushion for the inside of the pram.   I used a piece of two inch foam leftover from a previous project and a fabric remnant that I purchased for a $1 at a yard sale a few months ago.  The resulting cushion coordinates well with the nursery and will provide a soft place for Burtie.

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Sold to Number 64! Friday, Jan 8 2010

Before

After

Before

After

Burtie’s Nursery

The exhilaration of an auction is tough to beat.  My pulse quickens as my anticipation grows with each bid.  Will it be mine?  Will I be outbid?  How much am I willing to pay?  Is it worth it?  Should I bid again?

This time I was victorious!  I bought this charming Queen Anne foot stool for $10 at an auction in Victoria, Virginia over the weekend.  It turned out to be the perfect match to the dresser/changing table in the nursery and will provide much needed foot support when I am rocking Burtie to sleep at night.

As you can clearly see from the before picture (New Year’s resolution achieved!) that the stool was in need of a little TLC.  Once I stripped off the two layers of existing fabric, I cleaned the wooden legs prior to reupholstering it.  I was able to utilize complimentary fabrics that were left over from previous nursery projects so that it would coordinate perfectly with Burtie’s room.  The finished result is a dramatic improvement and quite a bargain.

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The Times They Are A-Changin’ Sunday, Nov 22 2009

Time really are changing.  When I first started sewing, all I wanted to do was to make a few simple window treatments for our house. I never thought I would be sewing covers for a changing table but here I am.  I decided to make two covers.  One is made using left over fabric from the crib bumper and the other utilized the fabric from the Moses basket. Both covers can be easily zipped off so that we always have one available while the other is being laundered.  I found the pad for the changing table at Ikea and the changing table itself is actually an antique dresser that we fell in love with at a consignment shop on the Northside.  Once little Burtie outgrows diaper changes, we can continue to use the dresser in her bedroom for years to come.

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Quack Attack Thursday, Nov 19 2009

I know, I know – more pillows.  How many pillows does one room need?  I simply could not resist this fabric when I spotted it at Ikea.  It is actually the only fabric designed for children that I used in the nursery.  Seriously, who doesn’t love a duck holding a bouquet of roses?

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The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades Tuesday, Nov 17 2009

Yet another project for Burtie’s future nursery has been completed.  I created these simple shades using the floral fabric from the bumper and backed them with a solid linen-colored fabric.  I used the remaining fabric from the rocking chair cushion to accent the top and to make long ties.  The shades can be easily rolled up in the morning to allow the sunshine to pour in during the day.  At night, the shades can be let down to prevent the neighbors from spying on two very weary parents in their pajamas performing late night feedings and diaper changes.

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We’ve created a monster. Saturday, Nov 14 2009

 Jed and I like to think of ourselves as somewhat refined individuals.  We are both “foodies” and enjoy tasting and learning about wine.  We both try to stay up to date on current events and to be socially aware.   But despite all of our efforts, we truly are both kids at heart.  This fact has become especially apparent lately.  Put us in a toy store and we both turn into complete mush as we walk around swooning over the cuddly toys and candy we use to devour as kids.  Who have we become?  

We have found it exceedingly difficult not to buy every kitschy adorable stuffed animal in sight.  We are trying to pinch pennies in a responsible effort to save for the important stuff like diapers, day care and a bunch of other practical baby gear.  In our attempt to maintain some level of will power and leave a few items at the store, I decided to create our own “monster” stuffed animal.  If we can make a kid, we can make a monster.  I made our mini frankenstein out of a left over piece of gray wool given to me by Jed’s mom, and I used a technique that I recently learned called felting.  We decided to give our monster all of our craziest traits including the mysterious bumps on Jed’s knuckles and the little scar on the back of my head that I acquired at age five.  We have affectionately named the monster, Otis, and now Otis patiently waits for the day that he is loved on by Burtie.  How will she be able to resist him?

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Basket Case Tuesday, Nov 10 2009

I have been so busy doing projects that I have been slacking on writing about them.  My other excuse is that our house has also been officially designated a disaster zone.   We are currently in the process of moving my husband’s office upstairs, preparing the nursery, and having a dishwasher installed.  When I came home from work yesterday, Jed immediately informed me that there was a fork in the linen closet, the coffee pot was in the nursery and an empty dog food can was in the bathroom.  Help!?!?!  Jed and I are both total neat freaks so all this transition is driving us completely insane, but we know it will all be worth it once little Miss Burtie arrives.

In the meantime, my latest nursery project utilizes some of my September yard sale finds.  Remember the Moses basket that I scored for $15?  When I originally posted it I did not even know it had a name so I referred to it as the “basket/bassinet.”    The basket came with the foam “mattress” already cut to size so all that was left for me to purchase was the batting to make a bumper to surround the interior of the basket.   I recovered the mattress and bumper with a large piece of pink and white striped fabric that I also purchased at a yard sale for a mere $5.   In order to complete the basket, I attached satin ribbon to the bumper in order to secure it to the handles and keep it from shifting in place.  Now Burtie has a cozy place to take a nap even if she is amongst chaos.

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There is a crib in our crib!?!?! Tuesday, Nov 3 2009

I have completed the second of the many projects for the nursery – the very important baby bumper for the crib.  When I first embarked on this project, I figured it would be easy because it is just like making a long, skinny pillow.  After further investigation, I soon realized that a better analogy would be that making a crib bumper is actually like sewing a sleeping bag for an anaconda.  In order to wrap all the way around the inside of the crib, the bumper has to be over thirteen feet long.  Cutting and sewing this amount of fabric and cording becomes quite tedious.  Because I am such a perfectionist (a.k.a. obsessive/compulsive), I found myself neurotically retaking my measurements about a thousand-and-one times in order to ensure that I had not made any miscalculations.  Not to mention that fabric stretches, so my measurements came out slightly different each time.

Luckily I was able to start with a pre-made bumper that I inherited with the crib to use as a template.  I also used this pre-existing bumper to stuff inside my newly created one in order to save money on batting.  I chose a romantic floral fabric for the outside of the bumper (purchased for about $5 a yard at The Interior Outlet) and a coordinating stripe (purchased for about $8 a yard at Ikea) for the inside.  I corded the entire bumper with the pink fabric that I previously used on the rocking chair cushion.  I also used this same pink fabric to make the twenty-four ties used to secure the bumper to the railing of the crib.  After watching me agonize over the exact measurements, my husband took pity on me and decided that the best solution would be to temporarily set up the crib in our living room.  I was able to fit the bumper to the crib before completing the sewing and felt relieved to learn that I did indeed know how to use a yardstick.  After this obstacle was overcome, the sewing was a breeze and it seemed more like a simple pillow after all. 

The moral of the story is that it pays to be pregnant because your husband will do just about anything to avoid an emotional breakdown.  Our home is now one step closer to being ready for Burtie . . . or an anaconda.

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