February Catch/Round Up!

Well, that was a bit of a break there, wasn't it? I have a pretty good excuse, though, and I'll even get a doctor's note if needed...

We welcomed our fourth baby at the beginning of February! Yes, I agree, he IS perfect! He was due the first of March...so we weren't even a little bit entirely ready for his arrival. Our community swept in, though, and we had LOTS of help with house cleaning, meal bringing, clothes collecting and organizing...really all the "ings!"

Oh, except...not sewING, of course. To be completely honest, that's the only thing I had actually *planned* to do during February before his birth, but you know what they say about "best laid plans." Actually...what do they say? I don't know the end of that quote! Something about mice? Anyway... #higquatro had been home for about a week when my oldest looked at the baby, and then at my sewing machines and said, "Have you even made him anything at all?" THAT IS A DIRECT QUOTE, FOLKS!! Oy. Talk about Mommy guilt. Or is it sewing guilt? I don't know. There were too many postpartum emotions to sort out, I think I just decided to laugh and say, "Nope!"

All that to say, February was a light sewing month for me, and that's FINE! (Right, #babyhig?!) I did squeeze just a few things in there, though, in no particular order:

Rainbow Ruffle Set -- Test

I abandoned all reason and signed up to test the Unwind Joggers for Simple Life Pattern Co during the last week of February. It may not have been an advisable choice with a super brand new baby, but I really enjoyed the sew! And just check out these mermaid rainbow viiiiiiibe!!

          

   

I whipped up a quick Dakota Dolman (also SLPCO) to make it a full lounge set. I've had that rainbow French Terry from So Sew English for a long while...I think I was planning to make her a mermaid blanket when I first got it, but this is better. These are a size 7 pant, and a size 8 dolman, which I cropped slightly and skipped the band so that they pockets of the joggers wouldn't get covered up. I really like the jogger pattern, and plan to make some for the boys soon, sans ruffle. I love a good unisex pattern! 

Valentine Hand-Warmers & Large Rice Bag

Unfortunately, I don't have any very clear pictures of these Valentine treats I made for my students. I was teaching a handful of the world's coolest fourth graders, and when I had to go on maternity leave much sooner than I planned, I think we were all a little bummed. I made these hand-warmers as a Valentine's Day treat to let them know they were still on my heart, even if I wasn't there! I love non-candy/food gifts, especially since one of the kids deals with severe allergies. They're basically mini-rice bags in the shape of hearts (for the girls) and squares (for the boys), made from flannel. I sewed them wrong sides together and used pinking shears to finish the edges of the fabric--they were super quick and turned out perfectly! Our hybrid school puts a big emphasis on outdoor time and hiking/nature-walks all year long, so hopefully they'll enjoy these during the colder months. 

While I was at it, I used some of the fox flannel to sew up a large rice bag just for us to use at home. I have had the same rice warmer since college; it was given to me by my best friend's sister in law. I get regular headaches and migraines, and rely heavily on that toasty treasure to deal with the pain. In February, we were working hard to keep our preemie's temperature at an appropriate level, and utilized the rice bag for that purpose as well. Thus occurred to me as I was making the Valentine hearts that we would enjoy another rice bag for our house! I don't have a picture of it at all, but I've used it several times already!

Riley's Scrap Pillow

This is our gigantic chocolate lab, Riley. He is nine and a half, growing a nice white-whisker beard, is very clumsy, enjoys peanut butter, and likes to show his affection by taking pillows from the couch, cuddling onto them in the evenings by my feet, and passing gas. So I decided to show my affection by making him his own pillow, and stuffing it with fabric scraps. It's heavy, but he seems to like it! 

So, a great month for our family, and a light month of sews: February 2022!

Be back *soon* with the March round-up!