I have moved next door...

to Wordpress. So much cleaner. Let's face it I was only here because I liked the Shabby template I found...

Please come and join me for more house making and baby raising yarns...

www.lulastic.wordpress.com

First attempt at baby clothes so she can easily wee by a tree

In true Lucy style this is ludicrously- fast- instant- gratification- but -no- one -look -too- close baby clothing. It's the old felt trick, minimal sewing but lots of warmth! As always, there is a little story behind this make...

Life with Ramona is much fun, it is my mission each day to try and catch her drift.It isn't too hard: food and sleep are her main requests, with the odd "play with me" thrown in. But as part of this journey I have discovered "Elimination Communication", it sounds like something with terrible consequences you might find in Willy Wonkers choc factory. But it is a simple idea; babies were born with the ability to tell you when they are "eliminating" (just in the same way that they can tell you with different sounds whether they are hungry or tired) and soon enough they can learn to go in the potty/ by a tree. In fact most of the world's people still practice this, it is only in more developed nations that we instead teach our babies to go in nappies, and then teach them this toilet stuff years later when it's less easy to read their cues.

So, give it a bash I thought. Ramona does three obvious (goes pink -who doesn't- and sounds like a guinea pig) poo's a day. Surely I can catch those, and maybe a couple of wees. Hopefully I'll be able to save a few nappies a day, saving maybe a wash a week. But sheesh, popping off all those moon buttons on these grows and washable nappies sure does make it a bit of a mission. So, I am in the process of felting some jumpers to make some split crotch trousers and easy up/downs, covered up by some nice felted dresses.

So here is the first dress.

Step One- Take a jumper and felt the hell out of it. (Hot wash.)
Step Two- Use the new smaller, felted neck as the neck of the dress. A couple of inches out from the neck start to cut down to make holes for the arms - cut towards the jumpers seam, where upon the existing felted seams become the seams on the side of the dress.
Step Three- You'll probably need to sew the arm hole smaller. I left a three inch hole and sewed towards the seams of the dress, in a diagonal line.
Step Four- Decorate it.
Yep, that is it- pretty budget! But hey it looks nice and they outgrow their things so quickly (well, Greedy Gonzalez here does anyway) that it really doesn't need to be more robust than this.

She loves it:

A wrap for Wrigglewriggle- my first baby make

So, yikes, it's been a while team. Sorry about that, although I guess I do have a good reason; Ramona is 8 weeks old and a whopping 6kgs. She is completely amazing. She is smiling and gurgling, and still sleeping lots which is delicious for us.

I wear her everyday, every where, in a beautiful ring sling my friend made me. I love having her so close and believe the benefits for both of us are massive. However to keep the weight distributed evenly I wanted to mix it up with another one. I have been to a couple of Slingmeets, seen and tried loads of carriers -as well as meeting fab parents too- and decided that a stretchy wrap was most comfty with a tiny tike. And, easy to make too!

I cycled along today to Peckham's famous fabric shop and purchased two metres of thick tee shirt material. (It was the first time I had been without Ramona, but she had a lovely half hour with Dad!)

This afternoon I cut it lengthwase so I had 4 metres, about 75cm wide. I sewed three lines (extra strong) to join end to end. Where the seam showed I sewed some bright salmon lace, meaning the other side was smooth and plain so Tim doesn't have to have the lucious lace revealed when he wears her.

It feels so good on, really supportive. I love the look and it is easy to put on.

All for £12 and half an hour, my first very practical baby make! Hoping to tackle a Mei Tai carry next.

More exciting things coming soon...

PS I look, um, yellow, in this pic. I haven't fake tanned, and i'm not anemic. It's just a weird un.

Christmas Cards

Here are the three I did for the church Christmas card. They chose scrabble. Feel free to use and send as E Cards! x




Woo! Christmas!

Christmas peg angel

It is nice having a little baby that just sleeps and feeds- it is a tranqil transition to motherhood and means I'm still able to make things. Don't worry I am not under any illusion that this will last!
I am making a Christmas card for our church at the mo and for one of the concepts wanted a little angel. Inspired by a sultry peg senorita that Mel gave me, I whipped up a holy peg angel. Here she is with her more exotic friend...

Gosh look what else I made...

(with a little help from my loving husband and the Creator of the Universe, obv.)

Ramona Lily
8lb 11
Monday 15th November, 9pm

Flapper band for a lovely little head

Ah, maternity leave is the bees knees! I basically just make stuff all day, maybe have tea and cake with someone, loll around on my birth ball. It's lush. I've also been initated in to the mums club with my two besties and my sister and their riot of rapscallion kids. Tomorrow it is a party for one of them who is turning two, so I whipped up some pretty head gear for her, 1920's styles with a few bits of lace, polka dot fabric from a pillow made into rosettes and then some delightful buttons.
To be delivered in its own little felt envelope, with the wrist from the armpit slipper jumper.
With a personalised stamp and a quick knot she can undo.

This is probably the kind of thing you make for a little kid before you have kids and know how unrealistic it is for them to keep something fancy like this on their noggin. Oh well, I'm soon to become a more reality based maker of kids things!