The Adventures of Izzy and Isaac

My quiet book for Isaac is finally finished! It took a long time but it's definitely worth it, I love how it's turned out. So, here we go with the tutorial :)  Before starting your quiet book decide what size you would like to make the pages so that all the pages are the same size! Standard size is 9" square. It is also a good idea to decide how you will bind your pages before you begin; if you choose to bind them down one edge you may need to leave extra space for your binding. There are a few options when it comes to binding - you could sew button holes into your pages and thread string or ribbon through it to hold all of your pages together, or use metal rings through these button holes. Alternatively, you could join your pages at the edge like a traditional book, or use the method I did of sewing the finished pages onto a long piece of fabric in double page spreads, stacking these together and sewing down the middle -more details on how I did this will be co...

So I mentioned in an earlier post I like how quickly I can finish projects compared with knitting and some other crafts. Of course, this doesn't apply to all sewing projects (I've been making Isaac a quiet book for months now, and it's finally finished! See it here ) so here is my round up of quick projects. Most of these projects also don't use up much fabric which is a bonus for the bank balance! Bibs Bibs are a great place to start if you are a beginner or just returning to sewing; they're quick, come in lots of styles and you can use pretty much any fabric you like, including fat quarters. For a pattern, either freehand a bib design onto paper and cut it out, or draw around an existing bib if you want to be a bit cheeky. Alternatively, bandana bibs can be made with a triangle of fabric sewn back to back to another of the same size either with a hem folded under or edged with bias binding. A little hack for this is to buy rectangular microfibre cloths in the s...

I wanted to do a slightly off topic post showing my appreciation for some of the baby toys I have got recently now that Isaac has started to be able to reach and grab for things. As baby shower and new baby gifts we got lots of lovely soft toys given but when Isaac was about a month old I started looking at different toys because I just wanted to buy him things O.o and he had so many clothes! #selfconfesssedshopaholic The first toy we got that Isaac properly appreciated was the Vtech Giggle and Go Baby Snail ( amazon link ; not affiliated). It has a ring to clip to the car seat which is great because we did do quite a few car journeys when he was very little, and then it has lights and sounds in the shell which Isaac loved to look at from a young age. As he has grown up a bit he's now able to pull the hanging ring himself and self-soothe while he's in the car seat. I'd recommend this toy to everyone from about 2 or 3 months (oh and the songs aren't terrible to have st...

When I'm not sure what to make next, I check  Pinterest  (and usually spend like an hour pinning projects for later...) honestly, I have more stuff pinned than I'll probably ever make.  As a Brownie leader and a teacher, I've always been a fan of Pinterest for ideas; I now have a sewing board and a baby board , chocked full of projects.  One of my first projects when I started sewing for Isaac was  this free hoody pattern  which I made from one of my husbands christmas jumpers he wasn't going to wear again, which was great because there wasn't anything lost in making a bad job of it; I didn't have to buy fabric or the pattern - just printed it straight off the internet. I've also found links on pinterest to tutorials to make your own patterns from existing garments as well as templates for appliques etc. Usually I just use it to save ideas and out my own twist on them.  I'll be referencing pinterest a lot so thought I'd b...

To follow on from yesterday's post  'Where do you find the time?'  I wanted to talk a little bit about slings & baby carriers. These are absolutely fab for keeping baby content while having hands free. Babies love to be held and know they are close to Mama, which is great for days when you want to cuddle on the sofa and watch TV, but not so great for days when you want to get something done (see research regarding  The Fourth Trimester , babies need time to get used to life outside the womb). Enter stage right: the marvelous invention that is the sling. When using slings it's important to follow TICKS guidelines (found  here ): T - Tight (Keep the sling tight so baby is held close + isn't going to fall out!) I - In view (You should be able to see your baby's face and airways) C - Close enough to kiss (You should be able to kiss baby's forehead or head by moving your chin - it melts my OHs heart when he sees me testing this one ;]) K - Keep baby...

[Disclaimer: this is my first ever blog post, please be kind!] When you have a new baby some people expect you to stay in the house wearing pajamas all day, taking frequent naps and eating lots of biscuits. I'm not saying that none of my days go like that but I knew pretty early on that wasn't what I wanted parenthood to be for me. With baby unexpectedly in the nicu it was a while before I could take him home and choose to take him outside.  As well as being out of the house people asked me a lot while my baby was very young (and still now) how I found the time to sew. While I was pregnant I read something that said just because you're a Mum, that doesn't mean you have to stop being you, when I stopped going to work this became quite pertinent; I needed something that was for me as a person not just as a mother. I've always been crafty but sewing was never something I was great at... I'd made a few things with a lot of help from my Mum but wasn't con...