Fourth Daughter

Our fourth daughter arrived earlier in the week. Please excuse my absence from this space while I dress her up in handmade woolens (we're having a cold spat here) and cover her with kisses.

Quick and Dirty

Or at least that is how it felt to get this quilt done. I am starting to go a bit nuts with waiting on this baby and needed to do something to distract myself; something to get my mind off every twitch, twinge, contraction and ache. I decided cleaning up the sewing space was in order and that's when I (again) unearthed this quilt-in-progress. It is actually the first quilt top I ever pieced, before I understood anything about cutting, sewing, quilting, fabric or the like. In fact, I think that this top has been pieced and folded up for just under 6 years. So I pulled it out, spread it out and did the best I could to sandwich it with a back, and pin it, while being 40 wks. pregnant.

It didn't turn out great. The quilting is haphazard, wonky, imprecise and pulled and puckered in all the wrong places. But the quilt is done. I also tried out a fully machine-sewn binding (fantastic tutorial here) this time around. I love it and will definitely use the technique again!

And in the end I don't really mind the way it looks. The monochromatic purple, while arguably overwhelming, is soothing to me for some reason. I like the squares, the rows and rows of shifting color and pattern. The quilt has been washed and was quickly appropriated by my youngest for her use. In fact, she accompanied me the whole time I quilted it, giving me positive feedback now and again, "that looks GREAT mama!" she would say to me from time to time. Underneath her sassy exterior, and often-times challenging modus operandi, she can be my biggest cheerleader.

Maybe there is something in this last bit of pregnant frenzy that is teaching me about what life will be like with four little ones. It won't always be perfect, the way I planned, or seamless, but it will be full of fun, and full of unexpected pleasures in unforeseen places.

Big Sister Cardigan

I finished up her cardigan about a week ago. She has worn it almost every day - only taken it off once to be washed. I think that it is the perfect sweater for her. Easy to pull on and off - and the red is just so 'her.' The best part? Whenever she sees it around the house she runs over and gives it a kiss. It is that precious to her, and hence, all the more to me.

The pattern is sweet peasy (rav link), a child's version of an adult sweater pattern that is also available by Heidi Kirrmaier. I loved the pattern, but did switch things up for construction and made this a seamless top-down knit; also knit the arms in the round. The cotton linen blend washed wonderfully, but it did shrink a bit in length (these photos are pre-washing). I still think it will look cute for many months to come.