Sneeky Peeky

Here's a little preview of the new diaper pattern I am working on. This is a fitted diaper. for all of you non-cloth diapering types out there, that means it is just the soft, squishy, absorbent part. It would need a separate waterproof cover.

The pattern is not just for fitted diapers. It will include options for covers, all-in-ones, and pockets (ok, we will call it a "stuffable" diaper for the sake of not getting sued by the pocket diaper people). It will also include fun finishes like fold over elastic and ruffly leg openings.

I am still making a few little tweaks to it, but it's pretty much done.

Throw Pillow Bodacity

My couch got a much needed face lift today.

I scored some lovely Amy Butler fat quarters on Ebay, and this is what two of them became. Both pillows are machine quilted. I used some left over batting from Kyle's monster play quilt and muslin that used to be a play yard sheet. The pillow forms are from the sad, sad pillows that came with my couch. So, both pillows cost me a whopping $4.80.

I love you, Pottery Barn...but you know what you can do with your $40 pillow covers...

Let There Be Lumpia.

Today a friend and I had a mini lumpia making party. We rolled up the tasty little Filipino spring rolls while our sons tore through my house like a couple of preschool-age tornadoes.

Lumpia Shanghai Recipe

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 lb mild Italian pork sausage
1 large carrot, shredded
1 medium onion, diced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon diced garlic
2 eggs
a few grinds of black pepper
50 lumpia wrappers (Keep covered with a damp paper towel, to prevent drying out.)

Directions:

In a big bowl, mix up everything except for the wrappers, like you were making meatloaf or meatballs.

Place a wrapper on your work surface. Grab a small handful of the meat mixture (2-3 tablespoons) and work it into a rope as long as your wrapper is wide. It should be about 1/2" thick. Lay this along the edge of the wrapper. Roll tightly, straight up; no fancy folding in the sides or anything. Use a bit of water on your finger or a pastry brush to seal up the edge. Repeat.

When you are done rolling, use a sharp knife to cut the lumpia in half.

Now you can either pop the lumpia into Ziplock bags, and into the freezer; or you can fry them up immediately, and eat until you pass out.

To prepare them, just deep fry over medium heat until golden brown.

You can serve them with sweet and sour sauce, sweet chili sauce, or soy sauce with a squeeze of lime and a dash of spicy vinegar.

Enjoy!

Mr. McCrazy Tongue Reads a Book.

Tag-a-rific Toy

Here is a fun little tag toy I made this morning. It's for my cousins baby boy. It's even crinkly, thanks to an upcycled Doritos bag! It's kind of interesting, all the materials in this toy are remnants from things I've made for other people.

Ribbons- Carol's ribbon sleeve ren faire corset.
Red Ribbon- Kyle's monster play quilt.
Farm Print Flannel- Katie's diaper covers.
Red satin backing- Marlene's Victorian corset.

Did I mention I love to make stuff for my favorite people?

This Baby's Butt is Covered

Here are some lovely diaper covers I whipped up for my friend Katie's baby boy. I had quite the little sweat shop operation going on in my dining room. I did the cutting and sewing, while Katie's husband applied snaps, and Katie ironed the fabric.

The pattern is my own. I hope to offer it for free on here, as soon as I have the time.

As you will notice, I am now the proud owner of a snap press. It was $$$, but sooo worth it! That thing rocks.

Ami-what?...Amigurumi.....

This is my first attempt at amigurumi. It's a fun little Easter bunny for my cousin's 3 year-old girl. She is the only little girl in the family, so she gets all my girly crafts. Like this one.

I think it turned out alright. I did make one mistake though; I used yarn from hell. I used that fuzzy, cobwebby acrylic stuff. If you feel the urge to use fuzzy yarn for amigurumi, just don't. My hands were killing me from trying to force the crochet hook through all those little fibers.

I used this pattern. It was OK, but I did need to to add many more rounds to the legs to get the "string bean" look shown in the picture.

She done went and did it....

Do you like my redneck speak? I do.

So, I warned you all that this was coming, and here it is. This is my fabulous new sewing pattern for cloth pads. (Now available in my Etsy shop.)

If you think using cloth pads is weird, just Google it and you will see that loads of women are using them. More and more ladies are switching over to cloth.

Take that, Kotex!


P.S.- I have been REALLY sick for over a week, and may not be working at full mental capacity.

P.P.S.-I know all the Filipinos are LOL-ing at the name of the pattern!