Unfinished

 

I bought this pretty stack of fabrics in the summer of 2011, with grand plans for beanbag chairs and poufs. They showed up on my doorstep my first day of morning sickness with Andrew. Not only was I not in the mood to sew, but just looking at them made me feel nauseous for months after, even when most of the pregnancy nausea had passed (craaaazy, right? guilt by association?) I have come across them in my box a few times since then but haven't done anything with them. 

We painted Ellie's room and are in the process of cleaning out all the stuff that got dumped there during our move 5 months ago. I have spent several hours in there, twice now, cleaning up, and then suddenly more things appear. But it's for real this time (I think?). The boys are getting big beds soon, and the second crib will move from their room into hers. The dresser is already there. She won't actually move in there for a while yet because it's just too convenient to have her in a bassinet next to our bed! But the room needs to be done. Decluttering on my mind.

I unpack a box labeled "fabric". I survey several baskets filled with skeins of yarn, some half-used, some still unwrapped. I see stacks of felt in a corner. I open a plastic tub filled with embroidery floss, thread, bobbins, yards and yards of elastic. I sigh as I pull out bag after Joann's bag with items for various projects that I purchased and never completed. Quilts, fabrics for half a dozen skirts, Jesse Tree ornaments (begun four years ago), crocheted blankets and hats, a playmat for cars. The state of my crafting life can only be described as unfinished.

 

Very early stages of car playmat with all our favorite places

 

This fabric? Not photographing great, but a gorgeous, silky, silvery-gray swimsuit fabric. Because I couldn't find a maternity swimsuit top I liked, I was either going to make my own with a pattern drafted from a shirt I have, or have my more-talented sister make it for me. It never materialized. This stuff is expensive, ya know!?

It hasn't all been a flop; I HAVE done a lot of projects over the past couple years. And I was completely caught up on all scrapbooking over the summer (now I'm 6 months behind, but that's the way it goes?) I just can't stand the thought of all the precious time and money I've poured into starting these projects, only to have them sit in the closet for another 4 years. Or 14.

 

I emptied the bins and bags and put it all in this box. At least it's all organized and folded now, and it will sit in Ellie's closet for the time being - easy access. All the notions and threads went into the plastic 3-drawer bin.

I have never really had my own dedicated craft space, and I still don't. We have enough storage space in this house that storing these supplies really isn't a burden, but I'm tired of storing them. I need to use them. 2014 is going to be the Year of Finished Projects. And oh, we have a lot of them around here. Before the crafts will come the upstairs bathroom, nursery, and basement clean-and-clear-out - but the crafts will happen, too.

Chevron Baby Blankets

I fell in love with the knitted chevron blanket idea ever since Dana of Made posted a link to The Purl Bee's baby blankie. She was going to knit one of her own for the baby in her belly. I had a baby in my own belly, and thought I would make one too! I hit a roadblock, though, because I don't knit. At all. So she gave birth to a baby that was welcomed into the world by one of the most beautiful blankets I have ever seen, and my baby came into the world to a JoAnn Fabrics' bag full of skeins of yarn. I made a few sorry attempts at crochet, but I couldn't get it right.

Then a few months ago I stumbled across the blog Hopscotch Lane (thanks, Pinterest!) and her own version of a chevron blanket. CROCHET. With a link to a pattern! A simple pattern that a novice like me was actually able to read.

So I whipped up my own crocheted chevron blanket. And I copied her color scheme because I am unoriginal like that. And used her yarn suggestion - I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby. (I did use a slightly different shade of yellow - a more buttery, pastel shade rather than a bright hue.)

I was extremely happy with the way it turned out! And I love, love the colors. When I first started the project, I wasn't thrilled with the yarn (it didn't feel "soft" enough), but once I got it all together it felt nicer. I would definitely use it on a newborn after a couple washes to soften it up a little more.

I then decided to make another one for a friend who just had a baby girl:

Like my chair, splendidly modeling my handiwork? I thought it might look pretty to take a picture of the blanket hanging over the rail of a white crib, but when I went to prepare the shot, I thought that a chewed up crib rail with chipped off paint may not have been as visually appealing.

This one is made with Caron's Simply Soft, a recommendation from my sister-in-law. VERY soft and perfect for a baby. Originally I thought this was a strawberry-ish color scheme, but the more I worked, the more apparent it looks more like a watermelon!

The blankets measure somewhere around 30" by 30" (they are folded over in the pictures). And I have already bought enough yarn to make at least 3 more. Because I'm a hoarder of all things craft-supply-ish!