asteroid B612

The diaper bag scenario is frustrating. These are the options:
* use the stupid Enfamil bag you get when you leave the hospital
* throw it all in the abyss of a tote
* spend a lot of money for something sleak, yet boring, from Babies'R'Us
* spend even more money for something really cool looking

I opted for:
* make your own! just the way you like it!

When I saw the red fabric at Ikea a few months ago, I knew it was for my mom bag. I'm calling it a mom bag, b/c I made it with a long-term view, and it's useful for more than just diapers, ya know.

It's a simple messenger style bag. With just a flap to keep it all together. I don't like to mess with fasteners, which is why I find a tote style bag appealing. But totes just don't work for this purpose right now. Everything sinks to the bottom and that's very annoying.

Here's the bag with the flap up. Lots of nice little compartments easily accessible without having to dig through the bag. Cell phone, pens, small notebook, chapstick, gum, etc.

Inside is a big pocket for a changing pad, which is just an all-purpose waterproof pad that I got at Babies'R'Us. I'd like to make a coordinate backing for it, but we'll see if I have time. I still need to get a toggle button to hold the pocket closed with the loop I already made. It's kind of floppy right now. (I envision this becoming useful for a laptop someday.)

There are three pockets on the other side where I can stash diapers and wipes and whatnot.

Watter bottle or coffee mug holders on each of the ends.

Velcro straps on back to attach a custom food bag I have yet to make. We're always packing peanut butter sandwiches and other snacks, and it gets annoying to have that floating around the main bag.

And I'm all about this: ties at the bottom to attach a rolled up blanket (or wrap!) for further outdoor fun.

And that is my cool new bag. I'm totally basking in its awesomeness!!!

(T minus 5 days 'til vacation!)

Baby shoes for a church shower this evening. The new mom doesn't know if she is having a boy or girl, so I came up with a gender neutral color scheme.

QUACK!

The orange and stripey is Ikea fabric. The top is corduroy and the insides are flannel. Should be nice and cozy for the fall. I'm getting better at these. Sewing a couple of pairs by hand for Marlowe really helped me fine tune my mind around the process.

I'm totally in love with these ducks. The funny thing is that every time I stitched their beaks it felt creepy. I was sewing a mouth! For some reason that felt weird. duck, duck, duck.

Feel the baby pants love! These are so fun and SO EASY and so fast to make. I made this little set for the little girl who was born a week and a half before Marlowe and who shared the baby shower with us last week.

I finished up another pair of baby shoes for the baby. I picked a nautical theme for this pair. I made a skirt last summer out of the same fabric I used for the sole, so, hoping I can squeeze my post-partum self into an elastic-waisted skirt, we may get a little matchiness going. heh.

We love sailboats in this family. Chris and his family have always enjoyed sailing, and growing up, C prowled around nautical museums on family vacations. If the boat is wooden, all the better. One of our first big outings after we started dating was Chris taking me out sailing for the first time in my life. Other memorable sailing occasions include renting a sailboat for an afternoon in Bermuda (our destination for a family cruise that my great-aunt and uncle took us all on) in 2002. We sailed all over finding patches of reef. Then we'd hang over the side of the boat and stick our head in the water with goggles on and snap pics with an underwater camera. Way better than snorkeling. haha! That was so fun! Then, of course, there was the wild ride in a harbor in Maine last summer for E's first sailing experience.

Sailing is great. The thing that strikes me every time we manage to get out on the water is how quiet it is--skimming across the water so noislessly. Occasionally the rush of water adds a little punctuation to the quiet.

Boats are special icons in our family. When I look at sailboats, I think of some really happy times with C and hope for future fun times with our boys.

...while I wait.

I figured that I really ought to make some baby shoes for my own kid. I found this linen in the scraps bin at the fabric store, and it's SO SOFT. I love it!!! I may just start a new affair with linen.

My mom still has my sewing machine, so I hand-stitched these shoes. It actually didn't take very long and has been kind of therapeutic. The onesie is just a simple applique with that awesome applique fusible stuff.