Weekender Tulip Tote Bag

Finished my tulip tote bag today!

This morning I made the handles, stitched the 5" wide fabric strips onto the 1 3/4 " double layer of batting strips.  (The handles are 35" long.)

The next step was to put the bag inside of the lining with right sides facing in order to sew the two together. At this point I discovered that me measuring skills had definitely been lacking. The lining was too narrow! I had to open the seam on one end and add a 3 inch strip of fabric to make the lining the proper width. :(

I decided that I might as well add an inside pocket so I used some of the extra dark plum colored "tulip" fabric and made an 10 X 9" pocket which I stitched onto the lining.

 The lining had a 6 inch opening in the side so that once the bag was sewn inside out onto the inside out lining, I pulled the bag through the opening so everything was right side out. After stitching the lining opening closed and then sewing a 1/4" seam all the way around the top of the bag... voila!... I was done!

This tote bag is huger than I expected! 24" wide by 21" long; very roomy. I guess that's why the directions call it a Weekender Tote, LOL!

Knitted Baby Sweaters

"Little Boy Blue's"  baby sweater

I finally finished sewing on the buttons and making button loops for my little baby sweaters. The directions called for a ribbon to be threaded through the top picot pattern holes around the neckline, but my daughter thought that might be a choking hazard for the babies so I modified the little sweaters with button loops instead.

I also made another pink matching hat since the first pink one turned out quite a bit bigger than the blue one. (Not sure why, but I suspect that I had mistakenly used a different thickness of needle...)
I finished the second pink hat today using a different set of directions, but I don't think this one is really any smaller than the first. Maybe our little baby girl will be born with a big head, and I won't have to worry about it, LOL!

Seriously, It doesn't take long to knit a little hat and the pattern is nothing complicated, just straight stocking stitch so I can easily cast on 4 less stitches and make a smaller version (theoretically! :)

Oh, and yes, there are matching bootees for the pink and blue sweater, too. (Just no photo...  :)

This pattern is called Buttercup Baby and can be found in the Creative Knitting magazine,  May 2009 issue, Page 52.

BUT fitted crib sheets are another thing.  They are harder than they look! Not to make the sheet itself, but to make it the correct size to fit.

I cut down the original crib sheet that I had made a couple of weeks ago, which unfortunately, was about 3 inches too long for the mattress it is intended for.  I went according to the measurement given to me for the crib dimensions, and it was only my second try at making a fitted sheet so I don't feel TOO bad. (On my first sheet attempt I cut the fabric too small, but on second thought, maybe I should have gone with that one after all. It probably would have turned out to be the perfect size in the end for our mattress, LOL!)

Too late for that though. I already cut it even further in preparation for make a sheet for the play yard which our little grandbabies will be sleeping in for the first part of their lives. :)

 Did I mention how excited I am about the pending arrival of our first grandbabies?!?  The anticipation is wonderful! But the real thing will be stupendous! I am so looking forward to smelling them and holding them and seeing them in the flesh instead of just seeing them through ultrasound!!!  Right now I think this is the calm before the storm, so to speak. This blessed event will be taking place any day now!!! :D

But back to the crib sheets.
I wish I would have listened to that little voice in my head and made the sheet with the elastic pocket seam around the outside instead of zigzag sewing the elastic on the outer seam.  My next sheet will definitely be done that way.  The tough part of sewing the elastic on the outside is knowing how tight to make it as you are sewing. Pulling the elastic at the same time as you try to line it up next to the seam is tricky. It tends to work against the sewing machine action which is trying to pull the seam and elastic the opposite direction... :(

Besides all of that, the fabric and elastic to make one fitted sheet cost me more than buying one! But now that all the fabric, etc is paid for, I might as well use it... besides, I like to think that the ones that I am making will be better quality than some of the cheaper store bought ones...
Okay, don't disabuse me of that notion, LOL!

One of my first little baby sweaters which I made last August right after I found out that we were having grandbabies. :)
It is about 4 to 6 months size.