Sewing Therapy

I think I have had some post-partum depression/ hormone crazy/ whatever you want to call it since having Mara, and I recently re-discovered my passion for sewing. I'm not sure what jump started it, but I'll attribute it to my friend Kerry who made Mara some skirts, bibs, and bows for her baby shower. And maybe this is all part of the post-partum craze, but at least I'm having fun! I actually talked with a therapist at my 6 week post partum checkup which wasn't super helpful. She talked a lot about herself, told me how to do deep breathing, told me to take more time for myself, and then gave me some coloring pages.  hmm. I did actually try taking time to color with Dean. It was lame. I also started escaping on wednesday nights to attend Institute. A woman in our ward studying at the UChicago Divinity school (Liz Brocious) is the teacher and she was teaching from the gospel topics essays. I love her more "liberal" and scholarly approach to mormonism, and it is refreshing to be able to look at the church and the church's history with a more critical lens and compare it to Christianity in general. But maybe that is a post for another time.

ANyways, at some point, I think I decided to try making a baby gift for Norah's baby Isla (simple bibs, hair bows, etc), which turned into lots of baby dresses and tops, plastic snaps on everything, way too much fabric bought from Joanns, crib sheets in every material for every size crib, pacifier clips, and even skirts for me. Dean started getting really jealous seeing me make all these adorable dresses for Mara and then taking a bazillion pictures of her so then it turned into sewing for the boy: pajama pants, wallets, stroller buddies, shorts, t-shirts, etc. I have so many patterns I want to try. It's this whole new huge world of hobby fun for me. After spending so much time and so much of myself taking care of kids, literally 24/7, it is so nice to focus my brain on something else (even if it is for them) and do something creative. And there is this whole world of online creatives who inspire each other and collaborate and have some really fun tutorials, patterns and ideas. And I'm proud to say that I had no idea what instagram was until this year. Also foundation makeup. no idea. Welcome to 30.

When I was about 14 (the end of middle school) my parents said I would get a big reward if I got straight A's at the end of the year. Well I got a sewing machine. Joseph got a computer. Go figure. Sexism at its finest. At least I can say that my reward lasted longer, even if Joseph's ended up making him more money. I still have and use the same sewing machine. Sigh... I remember going with my mom to buy it from Joanne's in Antioch. Delores Jepson worked there and said I could have free lessons from her to learn how to use my machine but I never took the lessons. I sewed a lot in high school. It seemed like at least every week I was making something to wear, or a bag, or refashioning old clothing to fit differently. I would go to Walmart and buy skirt or dress patterns and look through all their discount fabric while my mom was shopping. I specifically remember making pajama pants from a cotton or flannel? rubber ducky and bubble print fabric, and I still have in my closet a dress I made, spaghetti strap cream colored with dark blue flowers going up from the bottom. I also made Norah presents back in the day, like a fleece tied blanket, and when we were really little there was a time where Norah and I hand-sewed felt clothes for my trolls. I think I still have those somewhere too. Talk about an heirloom piece.

I have had a nice camera for awhile, and I just upgraded to a nice new macbook pro, so now I have more convenient means to document some of the things I have been making. Part of me wants to just try new patterns to prove that I can do it and to have a cute item to show for it, but another part of me wants to actually become a really good seamstress, or whatever you call it. The first bib I made may have been the first thing like that I've sewed in years, and my lines were all over the place. I didn't know how to turn smoothly while sewing and everything was just a bit clunky. But in the last month I've learned a ton of professional and proper techniques from the internet that I never would have learned back in the day.  Kerry went to a fashion school and actually learned how to sew professionally. The one class I always wish I had taken at BYU was a pattern making class, as well as some of the other sewing classes. Well Kerry was very supportive and told me to just practice and that you'll learn a ton that way and she is right! I am sad because Kerry and her daughter Nora (Dean's age - a week apart) just moved back to Boston, but it is so nice knowing I have a sewing friend. And I am finding more and more sewing friends here in Hyde Park the more I look for them. I'm just glad my hormones are stabilizing more here at 6 months pp and now I have more hobbies and friends to connect with. Maybe my hair will stop falling out sometime soon too.

I started with some easy bibs and hot glued some bows together as a gift for Norah's baby Isla. 

I made these strap things because I bought this stroller used and it didn't have any, and the excess strap was hanging down all over the place. p.s. I love phil and teds. 

This is the snappy toddler top from prettyprudent. 

It was a 3-6 month, but it was a little big. The neck needed to be drawn narrower I think to fit the neck better. Oh well. To Norah's house it went. haha. 

After we got some pictures of Mara in it, of course. 

My first geranium dress. madebyrae. I think this was the free 0-3 month pattern. I bought the pattern in larger sizes with the expansion pack just because I loved it so much. It is so satisfying to see it come together. 

Like i said, snaps on everything. They are so fun to put on. You poke a hole in the fabric, line up 2 snap pieces with the fabric between, and then use a tool to squeeze them together. So satisfying. I told spencer he might come home to find snaps on all his underwear. 

little geranium in 3-6 month with sleeves and collar. Fabric is just quilting cotton from Joanns. 

Different colored snaps. so cute. 

My model. Gotta add a matching bow. pardon the crazy hair. 

Well after about 15 more pictures of Mara, Dean got jealous and pulled her pillow away. 

Time to sew for Dean.

right after i get one more picture of Mara...

Made this crib sheet and ended up giving it to baby cousin Aiden with some bibs and a pacifier clip and a Richard Scarry book.

Mara's crib sheet. 

Dino flannel pj pants for Dean. pattern from danamadeit.com

oh to be 2 again...

Shark shorts! and skinned knees. "racer shorts" pattern from danamadeit.com. Kerry turned me onto her. Dana's great. and mormon, what do you know. 

my first tshirt for Dean, made from an old men's tshirt. I found a local thrift store that has .25 cent wednesdays and I loaded up on plain large men's tshirts last time we went. pattern from, you guessed it, danamadeit.

Later I tried freezer paper stenciling on said shirt, also from Dana. We love Mr. Rogers right now. Print your image onto freezer paper, cut it out with an exacto knife, iron the freezer paper to your fabric and then paint over it. I used a paint medium with regular acrylic paint, but it faded after i washed it, so maybe i didn't heat set it well enough.  

another tshirt

This one I added a label. It says "love mom" awwwww. I also want to get/make some size labels. This shirt is a free 4t pattern. 

Mara's blessing dress + a sun bonnet. Dress is geranium dress from madebyrae, bonnet is from purlsoho. both size 6-12 months. 

It's hard to see, and for some reason its rotated sideways, but I embroidered little bunnies and leaves on the collar.  I will get better pictures soon. 

I also tried making a Cleo skirt from madebyrae, but i wasn't super impressed. There was a deal where if you sign up for creativebug you get Rae's Cleo pattern free. Kerry tipped me off to it, so we both signed up, got the free pattern, and then cancelled our subsciption. haha. It is a gathered skirt and for my size waist has sooo much fabric it is so unflattering. The perks of having 2 children an abdominal surgery 6 months ago. I even tried sizing down 3 sizes, but it still is too much fabric, so i'll try an A-line skirt next in similar style for a hopefully more flattering fit.

Anyways, the madness never stops. Next on my to-sew list: raglan shirt for Dean (arms cutout different, like a baseball shirt), henley collared shirt for Dean, pj pants for me and/or spencer (maybe matching???   ..no), Sullivan dress for Mara (it has a scalloped waist hem!), and knit summer shorts for dean and mara. I have amassed quite the collection of used tshirts and clothing to use as fabric, so let the sewing begin!