Anyone still out there?

I just wanted to pop back in and thankyou all for your lovely messages over the past 4 and a half months and apologise for not getting back to anyone. We have settled back in Melbourne now and I am loving my time with Eloise. She has such a lovely nature and is almost always smiling which makes her a real joy to be around.

I cannot quite believe how fast time has gone and how big my littl girl is getting. At 4 months she weighed in at 6.77kg and measured 61cm (she was born at 3.1kg and 51cm) and seems to get bigger every day. She is currently learning how to use her voice and loves to scream with joy.

I'm still doing my uni degree this year so things are incredibly hectic - as if having a new baby wasn't enough! As a result, the only sewing I've done since the night before Eloise arrived was a quilt label for a friends baby quilt. However I am seriously hoping to remedy this during my mid-year break as 2 more friends are expecting little ones (including a cousin for Eloise!). Otherwise I am trying to enjoy each stage with Eloise - I'm sure there will be loads of time for sewing in the future.

Simple things...

...like my colourful pincushion, make me happy.

I'm spending my days at the moment cooking, reading and sewing. Yesterday I made banana bread, today I finished my Christmas cake and I'm hoping to make some shortbread by the end of the week. December is a really nice time to be off work - I love Christmas and I love making Christmas goodies. We won't be cutting into the Christmas cake until Christmas eve, so I suspect it might become the perfect midnight snack in the new year when I am up every 4 hours or so.

I've also been sewing the bindings on my 4 quilts - 2 presents, 1 for me and 1 for the bub. And seeing as though it's been a while since I posted my 'bump' photo, I thought I'd show you my bump from last week at 36 weeks. Although I swear I have doubled in size since then!


I've really enjoyed my pregnancy, so much so that I am a little sad that it will be over soon. It is such a special feeling to have this little one growing inside of me - but that said, I can't wait to meet her. I spend my days wondering whether she will be easy going like my husband or a little more anxious like me (!), whether she will have my blond hair or his dark hair and other little things. But it won't be too long now until I find all these things out. I still have a few more things to do, so hopefully she will wait for me to cross everything off my "to do" list before she makes her entrance!

something to cuddle

Finally, a handmade toy for our little one.


Truth be told, I started this softie a very long time ago, so it was quick to finish. It was designed by Jhoanna of One Red Robin and the pattern was in Homespun (Volume 9 no 10).

I love her quilted body and big googly eyes. The only problem is, I can't think of a suitable name for her? Do you have any suggestions?

progress

12 days left at work
6 weeks and 5 days until my due date
2 rows and outer borders left to sew

everything is coming along very quickly at the moment!

25 weeks tomorrow

I love my new iphone! I can even take a picture of myself easily. 25 weeks tomorrow - I can barely believe it.

PS - this is my most flattering top, I am bigger than I appear here - trust me!!

relaxed

I have had a lovely, relaxing time at home this weekend. I cut out all the fabric for the blocks of my mod sampler baby quilt; I picked up some backing material for my pinwheel sampler quilt as well as for 2 of my baby quilts; I have 'booked' in 3 quilt tops for some professional quilting (surely I shouldn't crawl around on the floor to baste quilts while I am pregnant? That's my excuse anyway and I am sticking to it!); I baked some lovely brioche cinnamon pecan scrolls (even though they look rather anaemic in the photo below); and I have been playing with my new toy - an iphone 4! Hence my new look photos - courtesy of the iphone!

It has been so nice to have a relaxing weekend. We've had so many visitors recently, which is wonderful but I felt like I was constantly entertaining. I'm still prac teaching for one more week and then I only have 10 weeks left at work before I start maternity leave. I can't quite believe it is all coming along so quickly. We even start our childbirth and parenting classes in 2 weeks - eek!

There's still 15 weeks until the baby is due and my list of things to do is growing every day - my crafty list that is! I still have to cut and hem the material I bought to make sheets, I have to hem some muslin for some swaddling wraps, I need to make some bibs and burp cloths, finish my granny square blanket and I also hope to make a Sarah doll for the wall of the babies room - not to mention put the quilt together! Although I am feeling very crafty at the moment so I need to take advantage of it - maybe this is start of the 'nesting'?

bits and pieces

I'm off to the Craft room tonight with my granny squares and some strawberry and coconut loaves. I'm currently in the middle of another round of prac teaching which keeps me pretty busy, but it will be nice to have an evening of crafting, chatter and nibbles.
We've had visitors staying with us for 3 of the past 4 weekends, so my sewing is progressing incredibly slowly, but I am looking forward to starting on my own version of Oh Fransson's mod sampler very soon. I want to make a quilt for my little one that will last longer than just the baby years, so I think this particular pattern will be perfect. I am going to use some fabric I have had squirreled away for quite a while now.


And from that I think you might be able to guess the sex of my little one!

You and Me

Isn't this just the most gorgeous fabric? I saw it here and immediately bought half a yard as I think it will be wonderful for the babies room. I want to keep the colours in the babies room fairly neutral, but with a few splashes of colour. I am thinking this will become a cushion perhaps...

My granny squares are slowly coming together, but with Uni in full swing at the moment my progress has been a little slower than I had hoped. But I am determined to have it finished by December!

sewing for little ones

My granny squares are starting to pile up and I have recently learnt from you tube how to join them. I am really enjoying making these little squares and imagining the little fingers that will run accross them

Turns out four of my friends are also pregnant and due within a month or two of me as well as my cousin who is expecting her third! So I have lots of baby related sewing to do. A quick clean-out of my craft area led to the discovery of 3 unfinished baby quilt tops, which will definitely help, and also two orphaned quilt blocks from a quilt I made for my cousin Belle. After seeing the ridiculously overpriced taggy blankets in the shops I decided that these quilt blocks could become perfect taggy blankets.


With some satin and felt ribbons and some soft minky on the back, they were very quick little gifts to whip up. And I even got to practice my free motion quilting too. During my cleanout I discovered a shrinky sheet I purchased last year, so I hope to use that in the next one to give it a little more texture.


Now I just have to start a quilt for my little one.

BIG change..

Remember when I said that 2010 looked to be full of change? Well I wasn't kidding - along with our new home here in Sydney and my study, my husband and I are also expecting a special kind of Christmas present this year - one with 10 fingers and 10 toes.
To say we are excited is an understatement! I have been very lucky and not been sick at all, just VERY tired. But hopefully I am getting to the stage now when my energy should be coming back.

I bought some material last weekend to start making some wraps - some muslin and some flannelette as well as some gloriously soft minky to make a cuddle toy. Only greens, yellows and aquas at the moment as we don't know the sex, but hopefully the little one will cooperate in a few weeks time so that we can find out.

When I told my workmates I was pregnant one of the girls showed me the gorgeous crocheted hats and jackets she makes for premature babies (which she donates to hospitals), so I took the oppurtunity on one afternoon tea break to learn how to crochet! I am so happy to have finally learnt and have made myself some granny squares to practice. I am hoping to get to the shops this weekend to pick up some soft baby yarn to make a special blanket.

And to add to the change, we are also planning our return to Melbourne early next year too. My life really doesn't feel right if I don't have a million things going on at once!