County Cloth Creations

It's been a long time

2011-07-24T10:57:00.001-07:00

It seems my posts always start this way, beginning with how it's been so long since I last posted. My excuse this time is I was taking a very much needed break from almost anything related to sewing pads~including my blog. My pad break is over and I'm ready to slowly get back to sewing up some pads, I actually have some almost ready to list, I had hoped to be listing them this very moment but we were so busy this morning that the snaps didn't get done, this afternoon for sure though. If all goes as planned they'll be in my shop by Monday afternoon.

We (not me really) finally got a start on our kitchen renovations, what a luxury to have a functioning window and more counter space. I've been doing so much extra cooking, oh and a dishwasher is a real treat. I do feel like a energy consuming monster with it though and still wash at least one sink of dishes a day to maintain my once a day dishwasher run rule.

My break from here hasn't been all true productivity, I've fallen so in love with all the wonderful support, creativity, and knowledge I've found in the blogs of other women. I do hope in time to start to share some knowledge back, for now here's a start with some finds that have been helpful to me...

~sew yourself the best skirt ever (seriously, I've made three of these skirts for myself and want one more from before our cottage vacation, I've LIVED in these skirts this summer. I should get pictures of mine posted)

~make big batch yogurt (I've been making my own yogurt for over a year, but in a rinky-dink little yogurt maker. The small batches meant I was always rationing the yogurt (who wants that!?) Now we have lots of yogurt and lots of smoothies and smoothie pops, it's the only way I can get plain yogurt into my kids)

~Amazing tutorials for little girls clothing, so many great resources here.

~and this dress, I need several for Rowan's fall wardrobe (yes, I'm thinking about fall sewing & knitting)

~one more thing...this waterfall hair trick is saving me this summer

there, I feel better or sharing I really need to sign up for Pinterest to store all my online wishes, there's sooo much inspiration out there!

I hope to be back soon but it's summer, kids are home, the kitchen needs more work, there's sewing to do, swimming, garden harvests too, oh and canning...I better get started on the relish this week.

Custom Minky and a Custom Wetbag

2011-04-14T10:35:00.001-07:00

Here's another custom order, another really customized custom order. Often I learn so much from my customers when working on a custom order, and gather many ideas to better serve all of you! Here's the specifications on this one...

~each minky topped pad (these are 14.5" length) has a full body of PUL (rather than just the core backed as I usually do it)

~the customer want to be able to identify them as having PUL so I stitched an X on each wing.

The wetbag was customized too, using larger pads may you need a bigger wetbag too. This one is 10" x 10" and is my new dual zipper wet/dry style.

Over a month!

2011-04-08T10:17:00.000-07:00

I do have visions and ideas to use this space more often, but I'm terrible at it so far. It's been over a month since I posted last. I've been really busy, that's my excuse I suppose. I've been making the choice to stay home more often, I was often running out for this or that and realized all these errands were not that necessary and were eating into my time (and budget-gas prices, especially for a 12 year old van OUCH!). So, I've been staying home much more, spending time outside nearly everyday and just making do with what we have on hand. Rowan is even enjoying walks in her stroller, I think for the first time in her life! There's been a lot of sewing going on because I've got so much fabric that I need to use it up, it's taking up too much space. I also went through my overflowing basket of clothing that I intended to re-purpose, it's been sorted into piles and I'm making my way through it.

I made these little boxer briefs yesterday and I'm so happy with how they turned out. They're made from a favorite jersey sweater I had (see photo below for the sweater story!). I was so happy with these boxers that I had Q put them on right after school so I could see if they fit well enough that I could make more. They fit him perfectly and when I asked him if they were comfy he said 'yes, everything you make is comfortable' <3 Can I also tell you that he's reading on his own now? It's been a journey but he's doing it, and I'm so proud...more importantly he is too.

This is the sweater I used for those boxers, it was a favorite thrifted sweater that lasted all through my pregnancy with Rowan and beyond. Then the zipper broke (should I be surprised?!). The quality and stretch of the knit was worth hanging onto though so I've been using it for some sewing projects.

I've been cutting into some of my vintage fabrics too. I've realized that they've been sitting in my fabric drawers for a reason-I'm attached to them. I made these Star Wars napkins and put them in my shop. They sold already which is really great because every bit of extra money is needed.

And these hankies, another new sewing project with more vintage fabrics.
Pads, of course. No worries I'll always and forever make these gems :)
There's been much more sewing too, peasant shirts for the little girl. I'm hoping to make myself a couple smock style aprons because they seem to be dreadfully practical for holding clothes pegs and protecting myself from cooking spills and muddy toddler rain boots (which also often have a skim coating of chicken poo). I'd really like to try sewing myself a couple jersey knit shirts for summer-it's doable right?

Yarn Along :: Gifted Knits

2011-03-09T10:19:00.000-08:00

Joining Ginny again...
I came up with this simple pattern for wrist warmers/fingerless gloves based on something my mom described to me...I hope I got it right because these are for her birthday. I think I'll need to make some for myself too (must jot down some pattern notes as I knit the second!!) I wasn't looking forward to making these, but this is my kind of mindless knitting, isn't it perfect how all these stitches become something?
I'm still reading the same book! I'm still enjoying it but I'm ready to put a little more time and effort into finishing it because I've gotten some new books that are tempting me, plus issues of Small Farm and Harrowsmith to catch up on.

Glad for more snow

2011-03-06T11:12:00.000-08:00

I know, glad for more snow? I am, it's true. I'm not ready for spring yet, I've got more inside organizing and rearranging to do. Diapers to repair, orders to sew, summer skirts and shorts to make (see I am thinking of warmer weather, just not ready yet.) Knitting can at least travel outdoors with me, but there is so much work waiting for us outside that there will be no knitting under a tree for a long time. First will be getting these girls contained, then the yard cleaning that needs to be done. (For now the snow hides that mess from me, thank you snow).

Yarn Along :: pink!

2011-02-23T10:28:00.000-08:00

Joining Ginny for another Yarn Along

It's been quite a long time since I bought or wore anything pink. This is my Mustard Scarf, it's almost finished and I realized while working on it this morning that I somehow have gained an extra 10 stitches?! I'm just going to keep on going with it though, I don't think it will affect the finished look (not while it's on anyways!). Next I'm going to knit myself a 'Ela's Favorite Hat' from One Skein Wonders 101 Yarn Shop Favorites. My mom knit me one of these hats for Christmas and I've loved the fit so much and I wear it all the time.

Bill thought it strange that I should be knitting hats and scarfs this late in the season but I know there's still more winter left here and I need something new, bright, and pretty to get through the rest of it.

I'm still reading Sisters in the Wilderness from my last Yarn Along. I've become so interested in the lives of Catharine Parr Traill and Susanna Moodie, a main reason is because they were settled right here in the very area of Ontario we live in, the struggles they endured are just unbelievable, heart breaking, and often inspirational.

A Customized Custom Order

2011-02-22T10:25:00.000-08:00

I wanted to show this custom order I just finished, it's been a while since I've sewn any of the hunk fabric up (I'm actually almost out of it!). These are all 12.5" pads but have a core more suitable for average to moderate flow (rather than heavy flow) and the customer requested PUL too.

I've got to get back to some nap time projects, Rowan's birthday is coming up in just a little over a week and we're planning a mostly handmade birthday, but I've got nothing done yet!

New Wet & Dry Bags

2011-02-18T10:50:00.000-08:00

Aren't these pretty? They're also very practical. These are wet/dry bags, after having a couple of custom requests for these (and making myself one) I decided to add them to my Etsy shop.

The front zippered pocket is lined with cotton (great for storing clean, dry pads) the top zippered section is lined with PUL to contain messy stuff. And of course you can hang it.

Use them for your cloth pads, cloth diapers, and family cloth. This bag is going to be very handy when potty learning starts, and for the pool/beach.

11" size re-drafted (again)

2011-02-11T10:14:00.000-08:00

While working on a custom order a few weeks ago (for some 12.5" pads) it occurred to me that it would be great to re-draft my 11" pattern with a touch more flare to it. I hope you like it! It's not a huge flare, the back flare measures just a smidge wider now at 4.5".

I have three of these new 11" pads to list in my Etsy shop, plus a few other pads. Rowan *just* woke from a much shorter than normal nap so the listings will show up a bit slower than I'd hoped, sigh.

A Catch All Post

2011-02-09T09:48:00.000-08:00

I know there's ends that need tying up here, things I said I would post about and haven't yet...so here goes. Get ready to be overloaded!

I said I'd post about my Waldorf doll making experience and really all I can say is make one! It's a fun and easy project. That said be sure to have a thimble and bandages before you start...don't be scared! I just found that while forming the head I cut/pricked my fingers a few times (who said crafting was easy?) injuries aside it is NOT good to mark your work with a little smudge of blood, so just get some band aids in case.

I used this pattern for the body, it's a wonderful pattern. Read it through a couple times so you know exactly what you're doing. This seller also just came out with a 16" doll pattern which I grabbed up. I used this tutorial for the hair (the pattern I bought also has hair directions too, I just wanted a different style).

This is how the doll has sat recently, unclothed and one sock is missing. Truthfully Rowan rarely reaches for her, though I'm sure there's still time for her to become a favorite.
Another picture of Rowan painting which is almost a daily event here. She's painting with Q-tips here, but all painting experiences usually end up with finger painting which is fine with me. She was moving her tray of paint and it tipped into her face (and hair) she then thought it might be good to try and lather some paint in her hands and rub it through her hair. A bath foll wed that night.

I posted in my last Yarn along post about my girlie Milo vest. It worked out just as I'd hoped and it was fun to knit some scraps up. It did take much more yarn then I'd expected. I'm adding my notes here because I would like to repeat it.
I followed the directions for the bodice section of the Milo pattern, though I shortened the bodice a bit (I used 9 month size).

-switched from size 7 needles to size 10's and switched yarn colour.

-k 3, M1 around

-knit 3 rows

-k5, M1 around

-keep knitting until almost desired length, switch back to bodice colour (but keep larger needle size) K1 row, P1 rown until desired length. bind off

It's soooo soft and snuggly (& warm!)

Now the flannels, I mentioned I'd bought some new flannels and I finally found my pictures of them. I'll be adding a few pads to my shop later this week (or this weekend) and there's a couple from these prints. I'll be showing you a new pad design soon too :)

Yarn Along :: the monster ball

2011-02-09T07:37:00.000-08:00

Joining Ginny again, all this book and yarn stuff is addicting. This week I'm keeping it simple with some leg warmers for the little one. I'm loving the practicality of legwarmers and I think I might just spend this summer knitting many legwarmers for Rowan and a few for me too. The yarn, it's a HUGE ball of an acrylic that my step son picked out for me as a Christmas gift a few years ago. The blue colour has grown on me and it's actually nice to knit up, which is good because that's a lot of yarn. I'm thinking up more projects to do with it, cable legwarmers for my niece, maybe a Mustard scarf for me, then I'll retire the ball until I need to knit a sweater or baby blanket to gift.

I just got my copy of Radical Homemakers after reading about it on so many blogs. So far I'm enjoying it, I'm not far enough into it to discuss it but it's speaking to me. It's a book that I'm sure I'll always keep near by to refer to. I'm also reading Sisters in the Wilderness to continue on with my Susanna Moodie & Catherine Parr Trail reading.

Phew, that all feels so quick! I'm looking forward to peeking into some blogs this afternoon while the littlest one sleeps.

In Colour

2011-02-07T10:15:00.000-08:00

"All the grayness outside has me looking for little spots of color inside."

Ginny from Small Things

We had a stomach flu make a trip through our house last week, we're all well enough now. I loved Ginny's idea of looking for colour so I'm still joining in, just a little later. I think I'll see the sun tomorrow (and I can hopefully get out of our snowy driveway!).

Another Yarn Along

2011-01-26T10:22:00.000-08:00

I'm so enjoying Ginny's Yarn Along. I missed last week because I didn't want to bore readers with the same project and book for three weeks! I'm moving on though, a new project and a new book. I'm working on my second Milo vest, I'm changing it up though. I'm going to try to girly it up by making the bodice section a bit shorter and then adding stitches to make it fuller on the bottom, similar to a play dress. I'm also using up several yarns to make it a scrappy project. It seems that no matter how many scrapy projects I do (longies, sweater), there's still more bits of yarn to use up!

My new book is again a book that's worth picking up again, The Backwoods of Canada. When I'm done this though I need to catch up reading the few magazines we get.

Another Fun Custom Order

2011-01-22T10:35:00.000-08:00

I Just finished this order today. It includes a large hanging wetbag and 12.5" pads and 8.5" pads. This order was a bit different because the customer had her own flannel shipped to me to use for the tops (I love the prints she chose, so bright and a great quality flannel too). I used all my other usual core and microfleece fabrics to turn it into some pretty pads.

I don't generally do this type of order (where fabric is sent to me) but I'll definitely be open to it in the future. And if you're wondering the left over fabric will get sent back to the buyer with her order. It all worked out just right, and the customer has been just perfect to work with.

She picked the wetbag fabric from my collection, I'll be adding one just like it to my shop sometime very soon.

A very cold morning

2011-01-17T10:17:00.001-08:00

Here's a picture from our morning, can you make out the figures standing at the end of the driveway? The tallest is my partner Bill, the other figures are two kids with a blanket over them waiting for the school bus. They also had on all their winter gear but this morning it was so cold Bill went up with a blanket and stood to wait with them. It was about as cold as gets here this morning -28*c (or 18*f). Brrrrr. You can also see the hood of my van is up due to a battery that was too weak to start. Ahhh, winter. I'm thankful the sun is shining brightly at least!

New Fabrics

2011-01-16T09:52:00.000-08:00

I looked at my fabric gallery last week and realized that it's been very, very neglected. I went through and deleted a bunch of prints I no longer have and it's looking kind of bare (even though my drawers of fabric are over flowing-how does that happen?!) I blame my love of the remnant bin and my good intentions to make this or that for someone or another.

Anyway, I loved these two cotton prints and got some of each. They have a great vintage look to them, I wish I'd got more to make some curtains for my kitchen. I got two new great flannels too, I can't find the photos though so I'll add them next week. I'm so glad the local fabric shop is getting many more non-cutesy flannels.

This little set will go in the mail this week as a trade for some hand dyed yarn. Knitting is keeping me sane this winter so I just keep on going with it. This is an 8.5" pad topped with swirl dyed bamboo velour.

Yarn Along

2011-01-12T10:08:00.000-08:00

My first Yarn Along was so fun I wanted to squeeze in another. I did start on my own Some Cloudy Day leg warmers, I'm hoping to have them done by the first week of February...it's been much too cold here for skirts even with legwarmers anyway so there's time to finish them.

I'm still reading 'Roughing it in the Bush' and soaking up all the local historical information. The youngest has taken to 'I Love You, Little One' and I'm also skimming over 'The Busy Toddler Book' for ideas to keep my own toddler busy (wishful thinking I'm sure).

Using the heat

2011-01-10T10:58:00.000-08:00

I finally brought our drying rack up from the basement to start drying clothes by the wood stove. I thought this was going to be an awful chore but I'm finding it very easy. I've done lots of indoor clothes drying but as a family of five I thought it would be a major pain. It's not though, and I'm only using my dryer about 1x per 1.5-2 days. Compared to my normal 2-3x per day! Plus the dryer doesn't seem to be running that well so I was sometimes needing to run the dryer 2x for a load (not something this frugal mama likes to do!) Even the diapers go on the rack. I'm sure we'll see savings on our next electricity bill. I still use the dryer to dry all the diaper wipes, dish cloths, socks, and family cloth etc. Hanging all those little things would be a bit too much for me!

Our wood stove has paid for itself in less than a season, we're so happy that we (Bill) put it in. We've even got enough wood to get us through most of next winter too, it's a good feeling. We were shocked by our heating bills last winter. The furnace is original to the house (so about 30 years old) and it's electric. Our bills were just shocking, we managed to get through but the wood stove was a necessity.

Now, a quick stocking update...

I'm busy with custom orders, but I'm sewing them up as they come in, I'll add bits of stock to my shop here and there. I added some wool backed pads to my Etsy shop today and I've got a few more pads to add in the coming days but my computer is running painfully slow today so I need a break! Here's a peek at some :)

Yarn Along!

2011-01-05T09:18:00.000-08:00

This is my first time joining in on Ginny's Yarn Along. I cast on a pixie hat for the youngest, her hat from last year has gotten too small (oh my how she's grown!) This time I'm making up my own simple pattern, I'm not sure what the yarn is but I love how the colour is working up. I do know it's 100% wool and hand dyed by a WAHM on Hyenacart. I'm hoping to find the details on the colourway, pastels kind of scare me (due to the ease of staining) but add in some shades of brown and pastels no longer scare me! You can also see my first Milo vest, also knit for the youngest, she's so tiny though and I knit this too big so I'm going to try adding some stitches at the back to make the fit a bit snugger and add some length to so that it will fit her for much longer. It will be worth the work to have the vest fit longer. The Milo pattern was a great knit and I can see myself knitting many more.

Quintin and I finished Farmer Boy last night, we love these books and I can't wait to start on the next book in the Little House series. Rowan has been loving Good Night Harry. I read it to her two times and nap and bed time while she nurses to sleep. She was on a Red is Best kick but Harry seems to have won out for now. I've pulled out my copy of Roughing it in the Bush by Susanna Moodie. I can't remember the first time I read the book, it was years and years ago. Possibly even before Quintin was born. I don't often re-read books but it's like I'm reading this book for he first time. The struggles of emigrant families in a new and challenging place....it reminds me that though life may seem rough at times I just can't imagine the struggles these pioneers endured and now as a mother myself the my reading of the book has changed again.

A New Turkey Tradition

2010-12-31T10:12:00.000-08:00

These wild turkeys turned up in our yard yesterday afternoon, there was nine of them. They wandered around our yard for a while and showed up again this morning though they didn't stay long with our dog outside. The boys watched them for out the windows yesterday and it provided some slow and gentle entertainment that they were in need of. Last year a larger group of turkeys showed up on December 26th and spent a very long time exploring the yard. Wouldn't it be nice if it happened every year? When Rowan woke up from her nap we went sledding and came home for stew from the crock pot.

The boys went outside this morning for some playing in the snow. We're having a bit of a thaw here so it was really slushy and wet out and Rowan and I stayed in, though she would have loved to go outside. The nice thing about having much older brothers is that they make snowmen for you.

And sometimes even deliver them to the front door....

While the boys played outside I made this blanket as a gift for a co-worker of Bill's. They just welcomed a baby a couple weeks ago and these extra big two layer receiving blankets are always a welcome gift. The Christmas decorations are being packed away slowly, mostly to avoid jarring the littlest one. All that's really left is the tree, this year is certainly a record for me. I don't think I've ever left my tree up this long (not in my own adult life anyway!) Tomorrow I'll clean it off and Bill will put it out in the yard and then we'll vacuum and vacuum those needles up! I've enjoyed the slower post-Christmas this year. There's been lots of knitting and some sewing. Next week they'll be more sewing than knitting as I get a couple of orders finished....for now though I'm back to my needles :)

Have a Happy New Years!

The crafting is done!

2010-12-20T10:14:00.000-08:00

You'd think with all the coverage this doll is getting she's the only thing I've crafted this season. I got the boys pj's done on Saturday and I love how they turned out. Last week I had walking pneumonia which really slowed me down (it's karma for all my complaining about the chicken pox - which Rowan still hasn't shown any spots). It did force me into the reality of what I really could get done though. I'd like to knit one more hat, I'll cast it on today and hope I can have it done by Sunday.

My house though is a disaster, that kind of feeling that I just don't know how long I can stand it but there's just other things I need to work on first. I'll keep puttering away at the baking, the cleaning, and wrapping. Somebody remind me next September to get started on my Christmas stuff....please?

I'm hoping to share some tips from my doll making experience in January, for now I'll just say try it! It is really is simple, what a memory it creates. I hope Rowan just loves her up. By the way do you see the sewing basket she's sitting on? It's perfect isn't it, my mom brought it out to me last weekend. It belonged to my great grandmother who passed away in September at 98. I'll cherish it for certain. It will be perfect for holding all my hand sewing supplies, I seem to be doing more and more hand sewing.

12 days of Christmas

2010-12-11T10:23:00.000-08:00

I've been away again, as I explained in my last post there's usually just a few reasons I'm not able to blog as often as I'd like and one of them is childhood illnesses, this week it's chicken pox. Quintin (at the age of 7) finally caught them and now I'm just waiting for Rowan to show the symptoms, there's no way she'll escape it!

Though I really wish it could happen in the new year the spots will probably show up in the coming week. I'm trying to get caught up on all the Christmas baking and making that need to get done before she needs me to stop everything for at least three days. The nice thing with sick seven year olds is they can understand that soon they'll feel better and they can say my 'throat hurts' and you can do something to help them. I don't think it will be that easy with a 20 month old!

So with 12 days left till the Christmas day I've still got most of my craft list to complete. I should be doing something other than blogging right now but maybe typing it out will help me to stay on track and figure out what I can cut back...

-make a wise men or sheppard costume for the school play on Wednesday (eeepp) I can't even start this until Monday night because I don't know what he is yet!

-finish Waldorf doll (she just needs hair)

-finish knitting a hat (I'd love to get a second knit too and I've got this as a project I can work on if the pox hit Rowan before Christmas)

-sew 2 pairs of pj pants and applique 2 shirts for the boys (this is really stressing me but really it won't take long at all)

-sew gifts for my sisters (not even positive what yet....not good! at least they'll happily take a rain check on their gifts, but I do really want to get them done)

-baking (I made a triple recipe of macaroons today, I'm keeping it simple this year and only baking 4 types of sweets but in larger batches)

We still need to cut our tree and decorate it, organize and wrap gifts, and I know there's more errands to run as much as I've tried to avoid this.

phew, am I stressing you out!? I don't mean to be! I'll share some picture end on a more relaxing note...

this girl just loves to craft

This picture was take Thursday afternoon, you can hardly see the spots, but look at the next picture

See, this picture was taken Thursday night, look at those spots! Liam had the chicken pox as a toddler so he's clear.

And the Waldorf doll! I took this picture on Monday, since then I've gotten her body sewn and attached her head. She's got underwear, pants a shirt and even some bamboo velour socks. This morning I even added just a touch of blush to her cheeks. All she needs now is her hair, I just need to get some dark brown embroidery thread. I keep forgetting this or that at the fabric shop. I'm hoping to share more details and info. on her in the new year, I've so enjoyed this doll project.

About Our Pad Sizes and Absorbency

2010-12-11T10:16:00.000-08:00

I recently did a custom order that included one pad in *almost* every size we make. The only two sizes missing from the photos are the tiny 6.25" liner and our biggest size the 15" length.

You can see below some clearer photos of each of the sizes plus what absorbency they're suited for. Hopefully this helps you decide what sizes you need, I remember how overwhelming it all was when I first made the transition to cloth pads. Please contact me if you have any more questions.

Remember that you can customize the absorbency of any of the sizes when placing a custom order. For example I've had requests for 12.5" pads with only pantyliner absorbency to act as backup protection when using a menstrual cup. I've also made 8.5" length pads for heavy absorbency.

Pictured above (from left to right, top to bottom)

10" length ~ suitable for average to moderate flow {width 2.5"}

8.5" length ~ suitable for average to moderate flow {width 2.5"}

7" length ~ suitable for light flow and cup back up on heavy days {width 2.25"}

7" panty liner ~ daily use, spotting, menstrual cup back up, wonderful for pregnancy {width 2.25"}

6.25" panty liner ~ (not pictured) daily use, spotting, menstrual cup back up, wonderful for pregnancy {width 2.5"}

Pictured above (from left to right)

15" length ~ (not pictured) suitable for heavy flow (day or night) and postpartum use {width is adjustable from 3"-3.25"}

13.5" length ~ suitable for heavy use (day or night) and postpartum use {width is adjustable from 3"-3.25"}

12.5" length ~ suitable for heavy flow users great for day or night and postpartum use {width is adjustable from 2.75"-3"} Personally I find this a very useful size, even though my night time flow isn't 'heavy' I love the extra coverage and this was my most used size during my postpartum period.

11" length ~ Perfect for moderate to heavy flow {width 2.5"}

Catching up...

2010-11-24T09:56:00.000-08:00

I hadn't expected on being away for so long! When I'm gone this long you can be sure that I'm...
-exhausted
-caring for sick child(ren)
-working on custom orders
-caring for teething toddlers
-very tired (aka exhausted)
-messing up craft projects (a tunic that turned out way too big)

I've been doing all these thing the last few weeks, I even took a break from crafting. Then I had to get to work on this guy for my Q's birthday on Saturday (7 years old!?). He's going to love this alien/monster/creature. I'm glad I found a project to use up some acrylic from the yarn stash. And he's soooo soft!
These mitts I finished yesterday (cruddy pictures) I love the fit and they're wool so they'll be so warm. I made them from a recycled sweater and I'll be making more for sure. I'm even storming up ideas how to make a pair that Rowan can't get off. I need to make them fast, I'm sure we'll get a dumping of snow anytime and she doesn't have any proper snow mittens.

A funny mitten story...I started working on these and then realized I'd made two left handed mittens. My partner was there when I'd realized my mistake and he laughed at me (it's not *that* hard a mistake to make!) he said my only option would be to make two more right hand mitts, so then I'd have two pairs of mittens. So I still need to finish them right hand mittens up, this seems an awful like a project that won't ever get finished.

I've been sewing pads too, which I haven't been doing much of so it seems a little remarkable to be showing these off. These two 12.5" pads are topped with bamboo velour. They're for a trade and I'll pop them in the mail on Monday.

I was so excited to get a custom order for these minky topped pads that I sewed them up right away. They're all 11" and have hidden PUL.

Now, I've been wanting to share my Christmas craft list with you, hopefully I can squeeze this in while the little one naps :) Some gifts I just keep changing my mind on, particularly my gifts for my sisters.

One thing I really want to get made is a Waldorf style doll for Rowan. I bought this pattern and I'm hoping to get started on the doll next week. I've read through the pattern and it's very clear and helpful. I want to be able to take my time and make her as perfect as I possibly can, if I rush on this it won't be pretty and I'll be so disappointed. I discovered you can buy pre-formed Waldorf heads, how clever. Laying in bed last night I wondered if I should've gone that route, but I already have all the fabric to start from scratch so that's what I'll do (this time).

The rest of the gifts are pretty simple....

-pj's for both the boys (I already have a pair for Rowan thanks to a trade)

-oven mitts and a doll sling for Rowan

-some new holiday bunting flags (need to get these done soon, I'm tired of looking at my fall theme flags)

-gifts for my sisters (potholders, t-shirt totes, mitts, bunting flags???? I'm not positive yet!)

That list isn't as scary as I thought, I'll be more things added I suppose. I need to figure something out for the teachers but those gifts might just be bought this year.

phew, is that my longest post ever?

Getting Organized (and a plea for blog help)

2010-11-08T10:33:00.000-08:00

A few blogs and sites I like to check into and there seems to be a search for finding a rhythm and a balance at home. I find this search reassuring-I'm not the only one looking for balance! I've been doing this stay at home mom thing for almost seven years. In that seven years there's been a fair amount of turmoil, ups and downs and changes so it's safe to say that while I've maintained my sanity there's a lot of room to feel more balanced.

One thing I've stuck to all these years is making a daily list, my list saves me and reminds me at the end of the day I've been busy, I haven't wasted time. Over the next couple of weeks I'm going to use my list to get more organized. It's hard to stay organized with a family of 5, two kids who travel to their other parents, a toddler and a house that's been under constant renovations since we've move in. So my goal is to be a little more organized, and I'm starting with a purge and overhaul of Rowans play area. This seems the best place to start, if her play are is more toddler user friendly then mama (in theory) should be able to squeeze a little more organizing time into the day.

Here's some photos of the newly overhauled play space. I removed the huge storage unit I was using because it hid her toys more that organized them and over the last few days I've put away several toys (I like to keep lots of toys so I can rotate them in and out, truthfully this is great BUT I need to get rid of a lot more toys still!) I wish I'd taken some before photos because this is a big improvement. Looking at these pictures now I can see there needs a bit of warmth added, a little rug and maybe some art on the wall.

now for my plea for blogging help. Can someone please help me out with how to add links to my blog posts? I'm sure it's easy, I just can't figure it out!! I'll be posting my Christmas to-do craft list but I'd like to be able to link to some the patterns/tutorials I'll be using. thanks for any help :)

Finally...news!

2010-11-06T10:02:00.000-07:00

I'm later on this than I expected but here's the news, maybe I've worked this up a little bit too much but I'm excited! It's a new slightly smaller pantyliner. County Cloth liners have been in the 7" size and I knew I needed to add something smaller because I needed a shorter liner myself. Here they are, our new 6.25" liner!

There's a few in my Etsy shop already and I've got more to add over the weekend.
These pretties are some 8.5" cotton topped pads for a trade. This is a good trade, I'll be getting some much needed new WAHM made yoga pants...can't wait!

I made these liners for myself, two of them are the new 6.25" size and one is the 7" size. I backed mine with velour and flannel. We're 20 months into breastfeeding with no sign of my period returning (yet) so I just needed something that's barely there.

Phew, it was a busy sewing week. I was only able to get this many done because my mother in law was here helping out. This coming week I'll post my holiday crafting list, we had snow yesterday so it's really feeling like the crunch is starting.

Monday to-do

2010-11-01T10:29:00.000-07:00

Today I'm finally feeling like I'm getting caught up, the last couple of weeks have been sickness and teething and just a feeling of falling behind. I've got almost all of my Monday to do list done and it's only nap time. However, my shop is virtually empty! I've barely sewn in a week too. But I am working in something new and I hope to share it with you later this week.

I'm also hoping to get my holiday crafting list posted too. I've got lists and lists and meal plans to to write over the next few days to help me get back on track. My mother in law is coming to stay with the kids and I for a few days while the men-folk are away, it will be nice to have her help and company. I'm hoping for a bit of extra sewing time and perhaps even a mommy only outing or two...even just to the grocery store would make me happy.

back to work :) watch for the new goods later this week

How to Grow Pajamas

2010-10-28T09:51:00.000-07:00

As mentioned in a recent post I recently re-sized some pj's for my son. I can't take credit for this idea, I happened upon some pj's years ago in a bag of hand me downs that were my nephews. One of my sisters grandmotherly in-laws had used this trick on a pair of pajamas, genius I thought and stored it away. It's probably a depression era trick.

I should have taken some pictures along the way, but I didn't so hopefully these pictures help...it's very simple to do. The idea is just to add length to the body, arms and legs.

In our house kids tend to grow taller faster than anything else. So the jammies still fit in the waist but they get too short in the arms and legs and tummies catch a cool breeze.

Soooo, onto some instructions

-find some similar matching (or not) fabric. Try to use a similar weight of fabric as the original jammies are. (these pj's are flannel and I used microfleece, it worked fine)

-cut into the pj's. Just a single straight cut across each arm and leg and across the torso of the shirt. You're not removing any fabric here, just cutting straight across to allow you to insert the new fabric.

-using the pj's for sizing cut the fabric inserts, add about 1/4" to allow for seaming along the sides too. Make the fabric as long as you need, I'd say I cut mine in the range of 3" and that's giving my son plenty more room to grow.

-sew along any side seams on your fabric inserts

-next pin your new fabric into the pj's and sew them in (see the top photo)

That's it! It would've been easy enough to go buy some new pj's (but honestly I'd have rather not!). These pajamas were thrifted and my son has been wearing them for about two years, now they'll last another stretch and likely be handed on to a nephew.

So happy I had to share

2010-10-23T08:47:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to make myself some new pj pants for a while since mine are so worn and awful fitting (too short in the leg, too big in the waist and back). I'm so glad that I made my own and I'm not sure I'll ever buy pj's for myself again! Of course I had to make a matching pair for Rowan. It was so cute to see her looking at my pants then looking down at her pants last night thinking 'we match'.

I did a yoga style fold over waist, it's so easy (and comfy) it's become by favorite way to finish off the waist of pants and skirts. The flannel was from Wazoodle and the knit fabric on the waist was from the remnant bin at Fabricland. (I luuuurve the remnant bin, it's always worth a peek).
If you wanted to make your own pjs but a little more economical/green/ethical you could use thrifted flannel sheets and t's shirts for the waist band. I'm sure I'll make some this way too, I had these fabrics on hand so I figured I'd put them to use.

We've decided to go out for dinner tonight so I'm heading off to peel a whole lot of apples and pears to make into apple-pear sauce before we go.

Challenge Met

2010-10-22T10:33:00.000-07:00

I found some time to finish up my upcycling challenge. The projects piling up were starting to drive me batty! I've been going a little crazy making fun bath mats lately. I took the rest of my towel and cut it to size, serged the edges and appliqued these mushrooms on them.
I finished up the family cloth too, I think I did about nine of these circles. I only intended on making 4 or 5, but then I thought with the youngest being close to two years old (and hopefully getting some great ideas about using the potty) I may need some extras.

I still have some of the flannel and velour left but I put it away with my fabrics. I thought it would make adorable doll pajamas someday.

I dug out some flannel to make some pajama pants (for me!!) and I've also got a pair of my sons pj's out that need to be made bigger. I'll show you how to grow your pj's next week. Do you have any crafty ideas for the weekend?

new pants from old pants

2010-10-15T11:06:00.000-07:00

I got one thing made from my pile, of course I'd like to have gotten more done by now but the little one is sprouting more new molars and has me exhausted. The projects are piling up on my work space.
So these little pants are what I made. I find it hard to find comfy, simple, warm pants that fit over cloth diapers so I've been making most of her pants. I made them from the red velour pants, and there's still fabric to use up.

I also made some new family cloth wipes from some of the flannel pj pants and the towel, I still need to serge most of them though so I'll get a picture later on. I'm a little stumped as to make from the remaining fabrics....a bath mat maybe?

Being Mindful

2010-10-13T10:27:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks since I last posted. I remember saying that my next post would include a holiday craft to do list, but I've barely even thought about that (which isn't a good sign with all the gift crafting I'll need to do this year). What has been piling up in my bedroom and sewing area for a long time is clothing that I've been meaning to re-purpose. I decided to challenge myself this week and see what I could make from these three things (just a small dent into my pile!) In the picture are a pair of women's red velour yoga pants that I thrifted for $1, a pair of women's flannel pj pants that have always been too short for me but I love the mushrooms print, and a worn out orange towel.

Re-purposing and altering clothes has become something I've been thinking about more and more. I donate a lot of things we're not using or have outgrown but sometimes I love the print or the fabric (often because it's useful ie: velour & terry are super absorbent). Another reason I've been doing more re-purposing is economic, I just need to. It also feels like the environmental and ethical thing to do since it creates less demand on manufacturing, creating and transporting fabrics and goods. And sometimes I'd rather create what we need with things we have on hand rather than make a trip into town for something we 'need'.
I have managed to get started on creating some new goodies from these items and I'm hoping to get back this week to post them. One thing I'm still learning is to have patience when you're taking an item apart. Look at the notions I scored from the flannel pj pants...elastic, some trim, and a wooden button. There's also a sneak peek at at least one thing I'm making from these things, can you guess what they are?

October!?

2010-10-01T10:10:00.000-07:00

October, I almost can't believe it. The photo of the tree out front of our house was taken just the other day, now it's completely orange and lost many more leaves. There's so many projects happening here, renovations, room changes, a wood stove being installed, a chicken run going in to contain our chickens who have become a little to comfortable in their yard, on the road, up the road, visiting the neighbors chickens and inviting them back to roll and dig in front of our house.

And the crafting that needs to be done. I made these bunting flags yesterday. What a fun project and a great way to use up some fabric. This set reverses to Halloween flags, love it! I started on some ornaments that I'll be adding to my shop soon. There's Thanksgiving at our house, birthdays to plan and craft for, Christmas gifts to make (many).
I think my next post will help me organize my holiday crafting.

Staying Local

2010-09-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

This order is for a local customer (I love getting to meet my local customers!) this is her 3rd (4th?) order. Anyway, I just love to work with her. She just gives me the sizes she wants and a direction. This time it was floral and nature prints, and here they are. A single pocket travel size wetbag and eight 8.5" pads in both flannel and cotton prints.

oh, I love seeing some pretty pads all lined up, I just love the last print with the deer, it's from the 'Pet Deer' collection. I'm almost out of it but I would love to make a little pinafore dress for the littlest one from this print. I suppose I'll have to order more someday.

A bit more sewing (& building!)

2010-09-22T10:41:00.000-07:00

Here's a skirt I made for the girl of the house. It's denim, it's stretchy, versatile, dark, comfy...I love it! I think it will fit for a long time too so it's perfect! I bought a meter of stretch denim several weeks ago to sew up a pair of cloth friendly jeans for the baby and I had enough for the skirt too, the fabric was about $8 so I guess that's pretty good value especially since she'll wear them again and again. She wore the jeans in a mud puddle yesterday and they washed up perfectly-love!

Here's a sneak peek at some wetbags I'll be listing at my Etsy shop on Thursday.

Lego is the toy of the moment around here, I hope it keeps up. I much prefer playing with Lego than army guys, I find myself joining in with the Lego play :)

mmmm, jelly

2010-09-20T09:30:00.000-07:00

My ex-husband brought me some chardonnay grapes to make some jam. He brought *a lot* of grapes from his vineyard, so many that I shared some of them with my sister and fed some to the chickens. There was just no way I could have processed them all fast enough. I'm calling this a hybrid jelly, it's not a true jelly since I pureed some of the skins and added them back to the mix to avoid too much waste. It's really good though, it reminds me a bit of apple jelly. I won't lie to you, I'm glad the canning season is coming to an end. All I have left to do is some pickled beets and maybe another batch of relish.

This is a custom order of nursing pads, it felt good to get back to my machine and accomplish something. I have a bunch of wetbags to work on this week and another custom order to finish up. I'm also thinking about holiday sewing, mostly how much of it I'd like to do. I should come back to post my holiday craft list soon, the weeks are flying by!
What crafty things are dreaming up for the holidays?

Being Home

2010-09-13T10:11:00.000-07:00

I've spent the last few days stuck at home, my partner was away on a business trip and my tire was flat. So, a flat tire right? It's not a big deal it's just I have to wait a bit for my partner to fix it, tomorrow I'll be able to use our second car (thank goodness we have two cars!). Being home though has made me realize that often my outings are an escape, sometimes I get out of bed in the morning walk out to our open concept living area and I'm overwhelmed, sometimes consumed by the clutter. The clutter I'm sure I just cleaned up the day before. Being stuck here has made me realize that I need to purge and re-organize. There's been lots of that happening already and I'm thinking the next step is to get my family to help out with this-they'll be rewarded with a much happier mama/partner.

I took this picture of the little one this morning, she loves some outside time and I'm trying to make sure she gets more of it....I'm trying to make sure she gets more of my time. I'm feeling very needed by her right now. This morning I made a big batch of apple sauce, (it's so yummy!) I gave some to Rowan as a treat after lunch mixed with some homemade yogurt, she thought it made better finger paint than food. Hopefully her brothers will help her understand the yumminess of applesauce after dinner tonight.

I've been busy sewing some fall clothes for Rowan, my shop hasn't been updated in a while. I have been keeping up with custom orders though. I have some shop sewing goals for the week, but I think I'll be a little behind with my schedule due to the flat tire and some juggling. I'm trying to find a better balance. When I sit at my sewing machine my toddler lets out a screech, so I'm taking that as a sign to slow down, at least for now.

phew!

2010-09-11T10:41:00.000-07:00

I'm very happy to be back saying we're getting back into our routines, including nursing! yeah!!! Here's a little pick me up I made for myself. It's topped with swirl dyed bamboo velour, isn't the dye job fabulous, it's done by The Indigo Onion. I just backed this with some matching flannel since I don't need much protection right now.

The rest of today is about laundry, paper work, cleaning, a walk, and starting to pull the garden out.

good grief, what a week

2010-09-10T07:55:00.000-07:00

good grief, I've taken to saying this lately-a lot and often. This week was no different, the littlest has been sick all week, miserably sick. Lots of tear, lots of tantrums, night waking and not even wanting to nurse unless she's sleeping. Our usual nursing to sleep routine has been blown away, I'm not sure if it's the bug she's got or if she's maybe starting to wean-this thought make me so, so, sad. She's 18 months-oh, I hope it's not weaning...

The older kids have gotten off to school fairly well, one week into school though and I have to say how much I admire those of you who home school, truly I do. I'm not sure exactly what it is that scares me about homeschooling, I think it's just that a fear, a lack of confidence too I'm sure. The same way I used to be afraid of driving and thought I wasn't smart enough to drive and got my license at 27.5 years old (how silly is that!?) I don't know that homeschooling would even work with our blended family but I see the value in homeschooling.

I'm hoping the little one is over the worst of her symptoms, I've got a lot of catching up to do. Errands, and sewing, cleaning and organizing.

the beach

2010-09-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

We went to a little beach this morning, we had it all to ourselves. We dug in the mucky sand, watched minnows, played with rocks and seed pods. I had time to think, the kids were peaceful. They're won't be many more beach trips left with school starting Tuesday and some sharp temperature decreases coming this weekend. The kids peaceful play gave me some time to think, some things I've been thinking about...

~how to go even greener and be more self sufficient. Raw milk, a pressure cooker, sheep, goats?
~the disarray of of our house which is going to get worse for a while as our wood stove is installed, how can we use this space better?
~grief and how we each experience it
~school starts in just a few days, the summer has flown by

What's been on your mind?

Exhausted Sunday

2010-08-22T06:33:00.000-07:00

I woke up so exhausted this morning, I think Rowan nursed all night last night. Still tired of course but things needed to get done so I pulled myself together and got some stuff done. I finished up some sewing, went for a walk in the rain with Rowan in the Ergo and an umbrella. Changed two beds, put away my sons laundry (possibly my least favorite chore!) fetched the eggs, made banana blueberry bread. It feels good to get so much done in such a fog.

There's more work to this afternoon including shop listings, another bed to make, washing diapers, and making a batch of homemade leftover soup. Making soup from leftovers is so fast and my family loves it. This batch will have a base of some of a leftover curried chick along with some rice and pasta from the week and a bunch of veggies thrown in. So easy :)

Here's a sweater I got finished up yesterday, it's made with a whole bunch of leftover hand dyed yarns. I cast it on just before we left for our camping trip and I surprisingly had time to work on it. My son picked out the bee buttons, he really wanted some red fire truck buttons but the sizing didn't work. It's made using the Mossy Jacket pattern in the 18 months size, I wish I'd knit the body a couple of inches longer. Hopefully it fits through the winter.

Here's another scrappy project, it's a double pocket wetbag that I should be able to get listed in my shop later on today.

And a quick custom pad (yes, custom orders can be just 1 pad ;) ) I love this Heather Ross print.

A Quick Stocking Note

2010-08-20T10:40:00.000-07:00

I'm doing a quick stocking today, I'm stocking a couple of wetbags and some wool backed pads (yes, wool backed! it's been so long!).

My 4 Simple Goals

2010-08-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

I love Elsie's idea of 4 Simple Goals so I'm joining in too http://abeautifulmess.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/08/4-simple-goals-before-2011.html

I'm very goal oriented so I had a hard time narrowing it down to just 4 goals, but it'll be worth it ;) So here's my 4 Simple Goals for the remainder of 2010.

1. Move more, bike rides down the road and walks up the hill. The reward? Feeling great, and possibly a new nursing shirt to go along with those pre-pregnancy jeans that have been hanging unworn for way. too. long.

2. Playgroups with our youngest. As soon as the older kids are back to school, at least once per week we'll plan to get out of the house to meet other toddlers an mamas. I'll be rewarded with a happier toddler (she loves to be out and about) and hopefully some new friends for mama.

3. Make a batch of homemade soap. A new skill is certainly a reward and we'll get some soap, hopefully enough to share for holiday gifts too...and maybe even trades?

4. Sew for me! I've got two patterns waiting for me (I can count this as one goal though right?!). The first is an incognito diaper bag pattern called 'Go! Mama' the second is the 'Schoolhouse Tunic'. The reward, a new shirt and bag...plus overcoming my fear of sewing shirts.

ok, my goals are out there I'll update as each is accomplished! Good luck to all others participating!

Trade Mail

2010-08-17T10:21:00.000-07:00

Remember I posted the nonpaper towels I made up for a trade? I got my portion of the trade last week. It's hand blown glass baby wearing pendant, isn't it beautiful? Even my partner and kids were amazed by it, you should see the family and birth pendants Brooke does, they're gorgeous too. I'll cherish this as I can see our days of baby wearing are getting further and further apart. You can find Brooke here https://www.familytreeglass.com/

oh my!

2010-08-16T09:21:00.000-07:00

I got the sweetest email from a customer last night, so sweet I have to share it because it made a great day even better!

"Your pads are unbelievably comfortable. I'm new to cloth pads and really had my doubts about them working for me. Yours work so well I'm changing them less than the store bought super maxis. I can't believe there is no leaking especially out the sides, that was always a problem for me. The fabrics you chose are perfect, I love the patterns and colors.Your pads are unbelievably comfortable. I'm new to cloth pads and really had my doubts about them working for me. Yours work so well I'm changing them less than the store bought super maxis. I can't believe there is no leaking especially out the sides, that was always a problem for me. The fabrics you chose are perfect, I love the patterns and colors." ~j~

how kind! It's always nice when I get such wonderful feedback. This email also reminded me of how reluctant I was to try cloth pads way back (5 or 6 years ago!). I was also so surprised that cloth pads can actually work better than disposable pads. I thought I'd have to change them more often, that they'd be gross and smelly. Those are all myths. The idea that disposable is the way to go has been worked into our brains for the last two to three generations....just know that you have options ladies...pretty options!

Here's another custom order that's on it's way to Australia. It's a mix of 13.5" and 12.5" sizes in minky and flannel.

back from camping

2010-08-12T12:49:00.000-07:00

here's some pictures from our camping trip, we had an afternoon and night of pouring rain, we let the boys play in the rain-they had a blast! The next day cleared up and was beautiful. We've found a new favorite spot for camping.

I'm back at my sewing machine and moving along on custom orders.

Saturday Yard Sale Find

2010-08-07T10:04:00.000-07:00

Near our house we have the most wonderful yard sale, it runs every Saturday and it has the greatest stuff. My find today was this little vintage doll cradle for $1.00. It's in great shape, nice and sturdy. All it needed was a wipe down (which was done post pictures). I'll soon sew up a little mattress pad and blanket for it. Other finds included some needed mugs and glasses, lots of clothes for the kids and a Christmas decoration too. Did you thrift any great finds this morning?

Happy World Breastfeeding Week!

2010-08-06T09:36:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to create a post in honour of World Breastfeeding Week, I've has some unique breastfeeding experiences between my two children that are probably worth sharing and one day I'll post them. Today though I'd like to share my two most favorite things about nursing our 17 month old daughter....how she plays with her fingers while she doses off nursing and my most favorite is when she's nursing during the night she rolls over and snuggles into me when she's done

To celebrate World Breastfeeding Week I'm offering two pairs of washable flannel nursing pads in my Etsy shop as a Pay It Forward listing. All you pay is the listing fee of 20 cents and the shipping...enjoy and happy breastfeeding!
Here's a little peek at some wetbags I'll be listing later on today....

A new sweater

2010-08-04T06:06:00.000-07:00

This is the sweater I knit when I wasn't supposed to be knitting. It seems I got lucky with the little ones sleep habits last week I was able to stay on top of sewing and get this knit up. I had *just* enough yarn, actually the second arm is a row or two short of the other so I barely made it. It's kind of a cropped version of the original pattern which is the Elliot Sweater by Teresa Cole it's a freebie on Ravelry. It was a nice easy pattern and I'll probably end up knitting another later one in the fall. I think my next knitting project will be the Mossy Jacket http://fpea.blogspot.com/2007/01/free-pattern-friday-mossy-jacket.html But with a camping trip next week and some new custom orders (yeah!) I really won't be starting this one for a couple of weeks.

(she loves it by the way!)

Buttons

2010-08-03T07:35:00.000-07:00

I finished knitting a sweater for Rowan last night (after I said no knitting for the week). It needs buttons so I got out the button jar. Most of these buttons are vintage from my mom and aunts, I decided to try letting Rowan search through them too. My son used to love to just sit and look at the buttons actually he still likes to look through them. Rowan though....I wasn't sure how it would work out, she still (at 17 months) likes to taste everything and sometimes doesn't transition well from things. It worked out all right though and I did find some buttons for the sweater. I'm hoping to get them sewn on while she naps so I better keep this short!

More canning, these are some bread & butter pickles. I'm branching out a bit in canning recipes and it's keeping me motivated. I also made a double batch of relish this week it's yummy. I'm going to get another batch made so we have enough to share and last through the year. I'll try to post the recipe, it's a good one.
And a custom order. I had two custom orders to complete this week and they're both done (yaaa!) This is a stack of flannel topped pads.

Off to sew on some buttons.

Gardening Notes 2010

2010-07-30T10:10:00.000-07:00

I realized this year that I need to start making notes on our veggie gardens so I can remember what to change for the following year. Our garden will grow again next year and here's some changes we'll make:

-plant more spinach (3-4 plants)
-plant more cucumbers (I didn't think this would be necessary but I'm not getting the quantity I need to make enough relishes and pickles)
-plant the tomatoes even further apart
-onions
-potatoes (so we can enjoy fresh baby potatoes)

August 4
-zucchini for baking & grilling

I'm sure the list will grow.

one pair down

2010-07-25T09:36:00.000-07:00

I finished the wool longies I previewed a couple of posts ago. I finished the leg while on the drive back from Toronto yesterday. I had planned to start knitting more longies for the fall and winter but I'm going to hold off a little bit, just in case there's any potty learning vibes happening. Next on my needles will be a cardigan or pinafore of some sort.

I'll be busy with customs, and canning (relish is next) this week which won't leave much time for blogging or knitting. Hoping to post again towards the end of the week!

nonpaper towels

2010-07-21T09:19:00.001-07:00

These nonpaper towels are going out for a trade (and just wait to you see what I'm getting in return...babywearers keep posted!) These are nonpaper towels, made from two layers of flannel so you can use them again and again...plus they're waaaayyy prettier than tossable paper towels. Just keep them in a basket on the counter to grab when you need to do a quick clean. They measure 12" x 12" so they're also a great napkin size. Though we have lots of reusables in our house we don't have any nonpaper towels (but also don't use paper towels) so I should try to make some for us too.

Canning = Sugar?

2010-07-20T10:59:00.000-07:00

I got started on some canning today. I made a batch of icicle pickles, a batch of raspberry-banana jam, and a batch of raspberry-mango-banana jam. All the raspberries were picked locally, the bananas and mangoes not so much ;) but we had them so I used them up.

My partner and I have been talking about our dependence on sugar lately...white, refined sugar specifically. We're wanting to cut way back on our use of it. We figure that for baking we could use raw cane sugar and start looking into other alternatives like stevia. I've taken to using honey in my coffee, it took some getting used to but it's fine now. But canning-without sugar?? We did read that you can use up to 50% honey in place of white sugar in jam making but we make a lot of jam here so financially it's not really an option. Today I used 5 cups of sugar rather than the called for 6.5 cups of sugar (that's per BATCH of jam!) yes, that's a lot of sugar even at my cutting back. And the pickles (being a sweet pickle) took 3 cups of sugar. That's 13 cups of sugar I used today-in those jars in the pictures!! Really if you have any ideas on canning with less sugar or other alternatives please, please share!

Todays harvest

2010-07-18T10:09:00.000-07:00

Today we picked these pickling cucumbers from the garden, I think we're about to be inundated with tomatoes and cucumbers. We're just a couple of weeks away from prime canning season. And the eggs of course, we usually get 4-6 eggs per day from our five chickens.Laundry on the line....I enjoyed some quiet time today putting out the laundry while the kids were inside with my partner. I took my time to enjoy the quiet and I was extra ornery about how I hung the laundry so that it took me longer :) It's been weeks since I hung the diapers in the line so they're due for a sunning, today the wipes and family cloth also made it onto the line.

Some crafty bits

2010-07-16T10:02:00.000-07:00

I just added some pads to my shop, I guess we can disregard my last post about stocking every other week. It seems just as easy to stock weekly, rather than having a bunch of listing to do all at once. Today I added some bamboo velour and some cute cotton prints, more with PUL than usual. I also finished up a little custom order of more purple.
Look at this, I've been wanting to make a few of these bowl covers for a while and I did get one made this week. I've been reaching for the plastic wrap way too often lately.

Even better than the wrapping gizmo is what's inside...homemade guacamole (my baby LOVES this stuff!) You can see the inner of the bowl cover here too, it's nylon so I can just wipe it clean or toss it in the wash. I've got to make more of these.

And knitting, after two kind of disappointing projects I took a break from knitting. The knitting bug came back though and I've started a pair of longies for the fall. It seems that after 6 years of knitting these diaper cover thingies I may actually know what I'm doing! I just bought this new pattern http://hyenacart.com/EviePants/index.php?c=0&p=34615 and I'm so impressed with it, I highly recommend it. This picture is from yesterday and I'm further ahead now, I've got the gusset done and I'm onto the first leg. I cast these on last Sunday and these are going pretty quickly for me. The yarn was a custom hand dyed by a WAHM, http://hyenacart.com/Yarnoodles/ when I was newly pregnant with my now 16 month old!

Upcycled Star Wars Style

2010-07-10T11:08:00.000-07:00

I sewed these bibs up yesterday, they turned out amazing! I also made a couple of non Star Wars bibs for my youngest (she's over due for some top quality mama made bibs!). Anyways, the Star Wars bibs have been added to my Etsy shop. I'm sure when my three guys see these bibs they'll insist that their sister/daughter is their rightful owner, so somebody go grab them!

Summer Stockings

2010-06-27T10:18:00.000-07:00

Summer has arrived, our kids have their last day of school on Tuesday. Summer holidays scare me a little, they jolt me out my usual routine. And well, we have three kids....I'm out numbered! Naturally I'll have less sewing time since I'll be busy with outings, lunches, dishes and just doing my best to maintain order!

I still plan on sewing and stocking through the summer months, I'll be posting a stocking schedule here and at my Etsy shop. I'll likely stock my Etsy shop every two weeks rather than weekly. I'll remain open for customs too. Custom orders take priority over shop stocking sewing so they're a great way to get exactly what you want. I'll try to keep custom slots stocked at my Etsy shop, if you don't see any spots just send me a convo.

yummmm, hand dyed bamboo velour

2010-06-27T10:04:00.001-07:00

I've got some new bamboo velour dyed up. It's been months since I did any dying. I'm so pleased with how the colours turned out, and I finally figured out brown! I'm excited to sew some of these up, and of course they're also up for grabs for custom slots too.

pink & purple

brown & purple

green & brown

blue & green

These are a custom set of liners, 3 are topped with bamboo fleece and three are topped with bamboo velour.

Purple Please

2010-06-07T09:51:00.000-07:00

This custom is for a young girl who requested her pads and wetbags to be all in purples. (I love working on this type of custom!) Here's her wetbags, one hanging wetbag and one double pocket travel size.

And some pads to start out with 8.5" regular, 7.5" light, and 7" liners.

Her mom also requested some 7.5" light pads in bright colours, I hope she likes these.

Our evening walk

2010-06-06T17:26:00.000-07:00

Thank you and a shop update

2010-05-26T11:24:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've done a shop update. I've been feeling a bit stuck with pad sewing. I still believe in cloth and love sewing it but sometimes I start to feel like I should simplify my design. I start to think of shortcuts, maybe I shouldn't top stitch the entire pad, maybe I should use cheaper fabrics, offer less options, use only a single snap closure. I begin to think all these things so that I can make more pads, make them faster, produce more. Recently I was re-energized by customers who left me wonderful feedback like this...

"The ten pads that I purchased two years ago are still in good shape after many washings. I hope to stock up on enough to carry me through to menopause!"

"Beautiful! Thanks so much for the speedy creation and shipment of my custom order. These are my favorite style/size "light" pads of the many I've tried, so well made and attractive, and the original one I bought from you two years ago is still going strong!"

These comments remind me that my job is not to mass produce and although I may tweak designs here; the care that goes into each pad and the unique design and features of CCC pads are what makes them work so great and stand up so well. So thank you to my many wonderful customers! Here's a picture of a recent custom order....

I just stocked this nursing pad set today, it would make a great gift. Washable nursing pads are amazing. My daughter is 15 months and I still need nursing pads, imagine all the money I've saved using cloth nursing pads over the last 15 months! These ones are made of organic cotton sherpa, they're very absorbent.
Simple bamboo velour topped pantyliners, these are so soft. I hope you can see the detail on the snaps, they each have an embossed daisy on them.

Win a County Cloth Creations pad!

2010-05-18T07:59:00.001-07:00

Andrea at Glimpse Reviews recently gave birth to her third baby and has written up a review for a County Cloth Minky topped postpartum pad. Head over to Glimpse read Andrea's review, post a comment and you'll be entered to win one 10" flannel topped pad!

http://glimpse-reviews.blogspot.com/

A vintage pillowcase dress

2010-05-17T07:54:00.000-07:00

My aunts are avid thrift shoppers with a weakness for vintage linens. This pillowcase was one of their finds, and I've hung onto it knowing I'd have a use for it someday.

This project was so easy and so fast. There's lots of tutorials out there on how to sew one up here's the one I used
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art55523.asp

This pattern uses elastic across the chest and bias tape to close up the raw edges around the arms and create the ties. It turned out perfectly and this will fit our little girl for a long time since it starts off as a dress and can be used as a shirt as she grows. You can put a shirt under them too for cooler weather. Versatile clothes are the best. I've got a few more vintage pillowcases I'll be making into dresses.

just a tip, this pillowcase had some little stains on it but I washed it and hung it in the sun and the stains are gone.

While I was searching for a tutorial for the little dress I re-discovered this site http://sewmamasew.com/tutorials.php#i6 it's loaded with sewing information and inspirational sewing projects. I love this idea for a patch http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/?p=922 it's making me want to put away my knitting needles for a while and do some hand sewing.

Freshly collected (and just washed) eggs.

Shining again

2010-05-10T10:44:00.000-07:00

It's so nice to feel the sun again.

New life to some jammies...

2010-05-06T10:11:00.000-07:00

I've been spending a lot of time thinking about up-cycling and re-purposing clothing. I've got plenty of projects swirling around in my head so I'm really hoping I can blog some of them out. This project is honestly kinda boring but it's practical. I do have funner projects brewing :)

So fixing up some jammies....the toes on this pair of sleepers has blown out. But this tutorial may also be helpful if the legs on your kiddos sleepers have gotten to short or if your little one (like mine) is going crazy in footed pj's. Now that our daughter is walking footed jammies are also driving me crazy. After getting this pair fixed up I realized I could also cut off the legs and arms of the sleepers and turn them into summer sleepers.

You'll need scissors, a sewing machine (you could also hand stitch too), thread, and some scraps of knit fabric (an old t-shirt with some stretch would work well). I used my serger but a sewing machine will work just as well.

First cut off the feet of the sleepers *be sure that you cut down far enough from the bottom snap to allow you sewing room below the snap, otherwise you'll be hitting the snap when sewing and that's just a pain* On this pair I left about 1.25" below the last snap and it was perfect. Baste along the bottom edge about 1/4" this just helps keeps the pieces aligned when you sew the cuffs on later.

Cut two rectangles from your knit scraps, these will become the cuffs. Make them approximately 5" by 3.25" (the pair of sleepers I'm working on are a 24m size so depending on the size of your sleepers you may need to make the rectangles smaller or larger). Fold them in half so that the two shorter end meet. Sew along this end, leaving 1/4" seam allowance.

Then fold the rectangle into itself so that seam becomes hidden (I should've taken a better picture of this). What you'll have is a cuff so the raw edge will be sewn onto the raw edge of the leg of the sleepers and the folded edge will be the bottom of the cuff.

Now pin the cuff to the sleeper legs. Pin them together so that the raw edge of the cuff and the raw edge of the sleeper meet and they're right sides together. Then sew along the cuff, leave a seam allowance of 1/4" or so. Remove your pins and fold down the new cuffs.

See, good as new! I know my daughter is going to love her new found foot freedom in these jammers :)

Smitten with Chickens

2010-04-16T08:30:00.000-07:00

Back in September we ordered some sweet little chicks, they've grown! They've been producing eggs for several weeks now. The chickens spend most of their days foraging in the yard. Little Rowan is smitten with the chickens and often looks out the window saying 'pauck, pauck'.

My Saturday Market skirt! I was so happy to stumble across this pattern http://portabellopixie.typepad.com/portabellopixie/2010/03/sewing-bits-and-pieces-.html my brain went to thinking of all the fabrics I could use. I thought it would take forever to finish it but it wasn't too bad at all. Now I just hope it warms up a bit so I can wear it!

Wool love...

2010-03-09T07:17:00.000-08:00

I posted a photo of the wool pants I made for my girly yesterday and I'm so happy that they actually fit her! I had to share some pictures. Yesterday I was going to drive the 30 minutes into to town to thrift around and find her some new pants but I'm happy I stayed home and made these instead.

More customs & trades

2010-03-08T09:02:00.000-08:00

This first set was a custom with flannel & cotton prints. These have hidden PUL in them.

I sewed these up for a Croatian trade partner, they're topped with hand dyed bamboo velour.

Finally a pair of shoes to fit the baby! I made her some cozy pant from recycled wool too :) She's outgrown almost all her pants so I'm glad I got these ready. I did a yoga style waist band on these for comfort, the waistband is wool too so these will also double as diaper covers.

Last weeks crafties

2010-02-23T07:27:00.000-08:00

Last week I made some birthday gifts for my family members, here's a few of them some were finished just. in. time. and missed the photoshoot. MIA are a charcol knit beanie, and some yummy chocolate covered caramels mmmmmm.
A little tote for nephew to tote his cars in (very important for a 2 yr old)

Rowan liked it too :)

A reusable car trash can for my brother in-law, who's been waiting for one of these for well over 2 years.

A pair of up-cycled wool slippers for my brand new baby neice.

And a grown up pair for my partner on Valentines

The kids were feeling crafty too....

Customs orders, a trade, and knitting

2010-02-11T14:59:00.000-08:00

Here's the most recent custom orders, a size pack of 11" Strawberry Shortcake and more 12.5" minky topped pads.

Then some boxy bags for a trade, I'm awaiting some yarn & soft soled shoes in exchange :)

I made this mini shawl for me using the Far Away, So Close pattern http://www.sweetmamasmallsugar.com/ This is the second pattern I've used from SMSS and they're very user friendly.

Tweaked

2010-01-29T06:59:00.000-08:00

I've been sewing a lot of heavy flow pads in the 12.5" and 13.5" sizes and got me thinking about how I could tweak my 11" size pads. It's a very slight modification but the 11" pads now have a little more flare to the front and back. I've listed several of the new design in my Etsy shop, there's even a couple of very slight seconds listed as well as an 'old' style 11" reduced for those who (like me) like a bargain ;-)

This weeks custom orders - tie dye flannel

2010-01-24T10:39:00.000-08:00

What is it about tie dye fabric? It brings out the hippy in us, or maybe it's just pretty and practical! Each of these is topped with a pretty dyed flannel. There's a selection of 10", 11", 12.5" and 13.5" pads.

Any knitting readers out there?

2010-01-15T06:33:00.000-08:00

Knitting is one of favorite hobbies, truthfully it's not my strongest hobby and it's taken a long time to for me to learn but now I can mostly knit something that turns out ;-) I've started making these projects bags to help keep my knitting tucked away and safe from curious babies and pets.

This is my most recent knitting project, I've become addicted to baby hat patterns. This pattern is called the Knox Hood available from http://hyenacart.com/PlumKnit . It turned out pretty well, but most importantly Rowan likes it and it keeps her noggin cozy since she can't pull it off ;)

2010-01-14T10:58:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since my last blog update! Ten months after Rowan's birth I finally feel like I'm getting more accomplished in pad production again! These first two pictures are just two of several pads I'll be listing on my Etsy shop tomorrow. There's a lot of blue going up tomorrow!

This alien print...I just love it
And these flannel owls glow in the dark! This is the last bit of this print I have except for maybe a couple of scraps that could maybe be turned into a liner or two.

I've been working on some custom orders lately for heavy flow pads, this order was all done in minky. Minky is so soft, it also washes up very well and leaves little to no staining. I have a custom spot just for minky pads listed in my shop if you'd like your very own minky pads.

That's all for now...the babe is napping but who knows how long (or short) that phenomenon could last ;-)

A Busy Baby and Falling Leaves

2009-10-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

Super Baby crawling on the furniture at 7 months!

Last Saturday we went out and raked the leaves up under one of the maple trees, then we walked up the road to see the neighbors sheep.

2009-09-20T07:30:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in months, there's too much to catch up on; life is busy!!! I'll update with a few pictures....

A growing baby~ Rowan is 6.5 months now and she's an insanely busy baby, I can't even imagine how get a single thing done once she's crawling!

Chickens~ We got 5 chicks at the beginning of September, they'll bring us plenty of eggs in a few more months. This picture was of the little cuties the day we got them, now they're about 4 weeks old and they look more like some strange type of prehistoric dinosaurs...not cute anymore! Back to school & back to work. I did some sewing over the summer but now I'm getting back into some custom work. This was a fun order-

A must read blog and moving news

2009-06-15T09:38:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I got an email from Andrea at Glimpse Reviews. A group of Mamas who review mom, baby, and kidlet products. The majority of products reviewed by these mamas are made in Canada by Canadians!! She wrote up a great review for County Cloth products, have a peek and be sure to enter the give away contest for some County Cloth goodies :)

http://www.glimpse-reviews.blogspot.com/

WE'RE MOVING! We'll be moving our family on June 27th, we've been busy cleaning and fixing up our new home and with barely two weeks till moving day we're on a tight schedule. I'll continue to have open shops and be mailing until June 25th (or sooner if I sell out of stock).

After June 27 I'll be offline for most of July (yes, offline with no internet access!! Ahhhhh) so I won't be able to reply to emails with any speed at all but will do so as I'm able. I'll aim to start restocking my Etsy shop in July and I'll start stocking at Escape again on August 5th http://hyenacart.com/Escape/ Be sure to check into Escape on August 5th when we'll be doing a special Zoo themed stocking.

laundry, nurse, laundry, nurse.....

2009-05-06T06:24:00.000-07:00

this feels like what I do all day long! Each day brings a minimum of two loads of laundry, we try to be conscious of how much laundry we produce but with two play loving boys, baby spit up and dirty diapers it never ends. And now that the spring weather is here I use the line as much as possible so that takes a little longer and I only wish I had a super capacity machine!!

Our littlest nursling is thriving and growing so quickly. She's a restless little nurser though so I can't even multi-task by doing computer work while she's feeding. I made a ring sling a few weeks back, initially I didn't think Rowan enjoyed it since she'd start fussing when I put her in. Now that I've figured out how she likes to be carried in the sling it's been a lifesaver and I see myself developing an obsession with making more slings for us. I've also gotten a lot of use out of the wrap carrier I made but when she's fussy the ring sling is much easier to pop her into quickly.

Regardless of all my nursing and laundry I've been able to continue to sew (for others anyway!) and keep my Etsy shop with some stock in it. Also, I haven't announced to my own customers that I've joined a new congo on Hyena Cart named 'Escape'.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Hyena Cart a congo is where a group of WAHM's join together to sell their specialty items. We've got a very talented group of Mama's and I was honoured when they asked me to join them. We'll be stocking every third Wednesday morning at 11 o'clock and you can always be sure to find new items.

http://hyenacart.com/Escape/ have a peek, we stocked today!

I've been taking custom orders and I've been a little slower in getting them done but most orders have been going out within two weeks. I will be closing for custom orders as of today. We just bought a house and we have a quick closing date.

It's a wonderful house that carries the label 'handyman's special'. Yup, this house needs a little love and attention before we move in. I should be ready to take orders towards the end of July (providing our Internet gets hooked up alright in the boonies!) I'll be spending May & June packing and focusing on getting our new home comfortable for the kids in July. I will continue to stock at Etsy and at Escape on HC during May & June though so be sure to check in!

look who was outside my office window this morning...

Babymooning!

2009-03-11T08:22:00.000-07:00

Our daughter was born Tuesday March 3rd! We had a long and uncertain labour that resulted in a wonderful birth experience. Born naturally and delivered by our wonderful team of midwives. Here she is! Weighing in at 7lbs 7oz and 20" long.

I'll be taking some time off from custom orders but I hope to start adding some more stock to my shops towards the end of March. Thanks for all your kind wishes and support!

Ready to diaper....

2009-02-25T11:22:00.000-08:00

I think we're ready to diaper our new baby! I knew I wanted to cloth diaper my son but he arrived early and he was 3 months old before I got him out-fitted with a cloth diaper stash. This baby is ready to go from the start!!

I decided to keep it pretty simple for the newborn and size small stash since they grow out of these sizes so quickly. Here's most of what we have for the early sizes.

A new set of washable cloth wipes, each with one side in velour the other side in flannel.

Fitted newborn diapers. I made the first two in the top row from some pretty bamboo, I did the rest of them using flannel since I had it on hand.

Newborn PUL covers xs Thirsties, 2x Proraps, 2 x Bummis Super Whisper Wraps

A few all in one diapers. All in one diapers aren't my favorite type of diaper but I thought it would handy to have a few. I used Zorb in the cores of these so hopefully they'll dry fast.

More newborn diapers that were made by other work at home moms....I hope I have the names right! Top row: 2 x Lullaby Diapers, BV pocket fitted by Mandie's Menagerie (love this diaper!!) 2 x Primm n' Proper size 1 fitteds, 1 x Kissaluvs NB

Wool covers! The little pink bloomers from Luxe Baby and they are so soft & pretty! The other wool cover is a size small and will be nice to have for the warmer months.

I knit these little wool longies before finding out that we're expecting a girl. I figure they're still perfect for her though. I also knit the little sleep sack, I debated how much use we would get out of one but now I'm almost wishing I'd knit 2 of them.

I love prefolds when I diapered my son, they're so simple (and cheap!!) I was able to find these locally for $1.50 each (cdn) they're the unbleached infant size. I dyed six of them (wish I'd had some more colour variations) and the other six I did some appliques on. The best thing about these prefolds is once the baby out grows them we can still use them as inserts for pocket diapers. There's also one preemie size embelleshed prefold that I bought from Snowflakes on Hyenacart.

Do-It-Yourself Postpartum Pad Tutorial

2009-01-20T07:50:00.000-08:00

The cost of investing in postpartum cloth can be overwhelming especially with all the other expenses of maternity clothes and baby gear.

I created this tutorial with a few things in mind....I wanted it to be possible to create super affordable pads (even if you don't have a sewing machine) and wanted to create a pattern that could incorporate recycled fabrics. You can also buy the fabric and notions you'll need at a fabric shop.

This pad uses microfleece as the backing with a core and top layer of flannel. The flannel edges are finished using a simple scissor snipping technique just like a rag quilt.

This is the first tutorial I've done so please feel free to leave questions and comments, I'll try to respond to them quickly but I'm expecting a baby myself so I may be hmmm delayed!!

What you'll need

Paper

to draw the pattern out on

Flannel

re-use some old sheets or receiving blankets; just be sure the flannel isn't thread bare....you want it to be absorbent. New flannel is pretty inexpensive and there's lots of fun prints to choose from

Micro fleece

re-use a blanket, pj pants, or purchase some at a fabric shop

Notions

Scissors, thread, pins, Velcro or snaps

First off is the pattern, I don't know how to make a pdf pattern so I've included some pictures with the measurements for you to trace out, I used a piece of legal size paper to draw my pattern on but newsprint or tissue paper also works well.

You can see the measurements on these drawings. The first picture is of the piece you'll use to cut the micro fleece bottom. If your paper is folded in half the wing measurement will be 4.25" out from the centre. The second picture is the pattern you'll use to cut the core from using flannel.

To sketch these measurements out try folding your paper in half so that the sides are symmetrical.

Once you have your pattern pieces cut and ready you can start cutting your fabrics. For each pad you'll need to cut 1 micro fleece bottom piece and 7 layers of flannel cut for the core.

Set your microfleece bottom aside, you'll be working on the core next. Pin your layers of flannel together and get ready to sew them. You can sew them by hand, or with a sewing machine, leave a 1/4" edge with the right side of the fabric facing out. Just a simple straight stitch.

The nice part about this pattern is that there's no turning & top stitiching so it saves you some sewing work....especially nice if you're sewing them by hand or if your sewing machine is a clunker that hates too many layers!! I used the same technique to diaper doublers for my sons diapers, I had an old singer that was great but didn't like many layers.

I've used my sewing machine to stitch the core together. (sorry for the dark picture)

Once you have your core layers sewn together you're ready to do some snipping. A sharp pair of sewing scissors will make this job easier. Snip into the outer edge of the pad (just be careful not to snip through your stitches!) snip at about 1/4" intervals all the way around the pad.

This is the same technique used to make the popular rag quilts. Once you've washed your pads a few times the raw flannel edges will fluff up.

Now you'll need the microfleece base. Centre your core on the microfleece and pin it securely. Next, attach the core to the microfleece by sewing a straight stitch about 1/4" from your first row of stitching.

Once the core layers area attached to the microfleece base you're almost finished. You'll just need to attach fastener to the wings. I've used poly-resin snaps and a snap press. If you don't have access to a snap press velcro would work well or some snaps that you can sew on (available at a fabric shop). If you're stuck a plain old safety pin would work too :)

Semi-Custom Sale Ending...

2009-01-20T07:34:00.000-08:00

I'll be finishing up the semi-custom sale on January 22, it was lots of fun and I hope those who ordered enjoyed their pads. I enjoy working on a semi-custom order basis so I'll certainly be offering something similar in the future. Here's some pictures of orders that went out during the promotion. There's still a couple more days to get your order in before I remove the listings from my hyena cart shop.

www.hyenacart.com/countyclothcreations

Semi Custom Sale

2008-12-31T11:48:00.001-08:00

I really need to downsize and update my stash of fabrics so I've been running a semi-custom sale at my shop on Hyena Cart. This allows you to choose your own size (from panty liner up to the 12.5" overnight size) and you can also add PUL if you like...this means I don't have to guess what I should make and you get some choice!

http://hyenacart.com/CountyClothCreations/

I'll be running this promo for a bit longer, when you check out use the discount code 'save10' to save 10% off you order.

Wait time is reasonable too, I've been sewing orders up as they come in and putting them in the mail within one week. Here's some pictures of a few semi custom orders that I shipped out

today...

I promised forever ago that I'd be adding a do-it-yourself postpartum pad tutorial and it's on it's way! I have all the pictures taken, I just need the time to sit down and type out the instructions....and time has been very short over the holidays with both the kids home from school. It's back to school next week though PHEW! So I'll have some un-interrupted computer time :)

Suedecloth is here!

2008-12-12T17:01:00.000-08:00

I ordered some suedecloth to make some diapers for the new baby and also for my nephew... and maybe some postpartum pads for myself :) Suedecloth is a popular fabric for diaper making since it's soft and has great moisture wicking abilities, it's also great at resisting stains (always a bonus!!). I've added a couple of suedecloth pads to my Etsy shop, I really like this fabric for pads since it soft like Minky but a bit trimmer. It's a tricky fabric to photograph since it has a bit of a sheen to it, the colour on the left looks black but it's a deep purple, the other is a really nice cranberry red.

getting back to custom orders

2008-11-24T11:17:00.000-08:00

I've just re-opened for custom orders, this was a fun order to do. Four pads topped with hand dyed bamboo velour (12.5" & 11") and one pad topped with cotton (11").

Socks for me

2008-11-24T11:03:00.000-08:00

These socks took forever! I don't usually knit with such fine yarn (no patience!) but this yarn
was gifted to me and it was so pretty I was determined to knit these socks up.

It's a start....

2008-11-24T10:50:00.000-08:00

I've been working on a stash of newborn diapers. I didn't start cloth diapering my son until he was three months old. He was premature so even at his 3 month weight of about 12lbs most the diapers I had were huge on him. This time around I'll be more prepared for the newborn stage.

These diapers have a snap down to let the cord heal; they are nice and adjustable so they should grow with baby from approx. 6lbs up to 14lbs.

Here's some newborn AIO's (all in ones - no cover needed)

I'm still working on a turned and top stitched side snapping version, this is my first attempt.

An update for November

2008-10-31T11:25:00.000-07:00

Here's a little preview of some pads I have cut and I hope to sew them this weekend, there's a few new fabrics so I'm excited to get them done. I'll remain closed to custom orders for most of November. Hopefully by the third week of November I'll have gotten most of my not-so-fun essay and teachers college application done, then I can focus on sewing again. Still check for me at Etsy and Dibble Dabble since I'll be doing the odd stocking.

I've got piles of things I want to get sewn up including lots of diapers for our baby girl who'll be arriving in March. I also have some fun ideas planned for my blog so keep checking back in. I'll get them posted in early December... I need to get them posted so these ideas will stop consuming my brain at 4:00 am!!

Snowing...

2008-10-21T12:29:00.000-07:00

It's been snowing here for almost the whole day, the snow started as big soft flakes and has turned a little nasty with a cold icy wind. It has me feeling festive...even though Halloween hasn't come yet and we haven't even carved our pumpkins! Here's some cute flannel prints I picked up yesterday; they're so cheerful :)

A great big custom order...

2008-10-21T11:37:00.000-07:00

Here's an order that will be going out later on this week.
A big bunch of cotton topped pads with hidden PUL for a mom and her three daughters.

A couple of custom orders....

2008-10-04T11:37:00.000-07:00

I just re-opened for custom spots, here's some pads I got worked up at the end of the week. The first set are topped with softer than soft bamboo velour. I love the prints in the second set!

Newly Dyed Bamboo Velour!

2008-09-25T14:55:00.000-07:00

I finally got more bamboo velour dyed up! Nice deep colours this time...but I also have some of these softer shades of pink & blue/green still left:

Newest Bamboo Velour colours!

Lagoon

Raspberry Cream

Wings

Falling Leaves

Stocking today at Etsy!

2008-09-19T08:20:00.000-07:00

I'll be adding lots of goodies to my Etsy shop including double pocket wetbags, seasonal pads in great prints, minky, and some pretty flannels too! http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5111482

$5 Pads on September 10th!

2008-09-08T08:48:00.000-07:00

We're having an end of season clear out at Dibble Dabble on Wed. September 10th (@ 7pmest). I've gone through my basket of flannel scraps and I'll be offering flannel topped pads for $5! They'll be available in thre sizes (8.5", 10", & 11") and you'll be able to pick your prints too. Here's a pre-sewing preview of what I'll have up http://hyenacart.com/DibbleDabble/

I stopped at the fabric shop, just for machine needles but I found some pretty fall & halloween prints too. I'll be adding them to my flickr gallery Here's a peek at a couple of my finds: http://www.flickr.com/photos/countyclothcreations/sets/

Seems like forever!

2008-09-05T10:06:00.000-07:00

It seems like forever since I've posted to my blog! Just a quick note for today; I'll be stocking at my hyena cart shop tomorrow (Saturday Sept. 6th). I haven't had the time to stock on HC since July but I did manage to get quite a few pads made up this week and a couple of wetbags too. Oh, I had my shop re-done, I hope you enjoy it! All my previews up so go on and have a look... http://hyenacart.com/CountyClothCreations/

This post is quite boring I know, but please keep checking back I have some fun blogging ideas in mind including a quick tutorial for DIY postpartum pads, since I'll be needing some myself next March (yup, a baby on the way!)

(Dill) Pickled

2008-08-19T08:12:00.000-07:00

I make these dill pickles every year, the recipe comes from my step-dad's family and a few years ago he and my mom taught us how to make them. I make them every summer for my own family. Yesterday I got 25 jars done with some perfect little cucs from a local farmer.

A Postpartum Custom...

2008-08-19T08:05:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all of you who have contacted me for custom orders over the summer. It's been a challenge to find time to sew & do regular stockings but I'm happy to be able to work on customs. School will be back on in a few weeks so I'm hoping I'll be able to get back to more frequent stockings.

Here's some postpartum pads that are ready to go. The pink & white floral pad is a new design I hope the mama-to-be will test it out for me. She also requested a medium size hanging wetbag too.

Freshly dyed bamboo velour

2008-08-14T18:19:00.000-07:00

I finally got more bamboo velour and dyed some of it up, the colours are very soft & pretty. I'll be offering some of the blue shades on August 20th at Dibble Dabble when we're having our blue theme stocking.

Europe Bound...

2008-08-07T13:41:00.000-07:00

This order is off to Europe, I wish I could go with them! This customer requested three wetbags and four pantyliners.

I've gone a little overboard on fabric this month, here's more cotton prints that arrived today. There's a new Alexander Henry skeleton print (have to look up it's name!) and the Ruby Red Slippers were too cute so I bought them too. Then some calmer Asian inspired prints, Geishas & Kyoto (love this print!).