Double Bow

I recently wrote about a big rainbow in my life. Well, now I have a full double bow.


My adopted daughter, who cut the heart shape in the fabric I recently turned into this quilt...


...had a little girl in May. In another lifetime, my daughter took an unauthorized field trip (ran away) and spent the next several years battling, well, battles. There's a lot more to the story I won't go into in public because her life is not my package of dandelion seeds to scatter in the wind. Suffice it to say, I finally received a mailing address and sent her the finished quilt for the baby. My daughter sent pictures of the baby in the quilt. Communication has been improving since then, and she recently asked if I would make some baby clothes "like you used to make for us when we were small."

I can't tell you what kind of happy tears were falling all over the place at that request.

I went through my stash of patterns, most more than 20 years old. Back when sewing patterns were two or three dollars each...

Because both my kids were older when I adopted them, I had not invested heavily in baby patterns.

I discovered I had only ONE pattern for a newborn to six months. YIKES! I don't have much experience in the newborn department, so I can't make up patterns without an idea of size. (The baby is across the country, and mom is math-challenged like me. The best I could get out of her was "newborn to six months." I didn't even know the weight until I finished writing this blog post.)

I went online to buy some baby patterns because I figured that would be cheaper than the always-distracting trip to a local fabric store, because, you know, there's fabric there, and I'm addicted. If I buy patterns online, all I get are patterns online.

BUT HOLY MOLY!!! I guess it's been a while since I bought a sewing pattern!!!!! $12 for baby patterns, and $18 for adult dress patterns?!?!? (Good thing I didn't go to the store!!!) I was able to keep my impulse spending completely under control. I bought only three baby patterns.

My goodness!!! I could have bought seven or eight ready-made outfits at Walmart for the same price!!!

But homemade is sew much better, right??? :)

While waiting for the online purchase to arrive, I pulled out some sock yarn and an appropriately sized crochet hook. I looked up a few baby patterns on Ravelry and found a suitable one to adapt (because the skein of baby soft green acrylic yarn that won't cause the baby to itch wasn't a full skein). When I began this project, I wasn't sure I'd have enough yarn. The yarn in my stash is so old, I didn't think I'd be able to match it.

Here's my interpretation of a classic baby dress:


And here's how much yarn was left over when I got done:


I had never blocked acrylic before, but I knew, in theory, how to do it. I pinned out the dress on a clean towel on the spare bed and steam ironed the skirt on a high setting without actually touching the iron to the yarn. Sort of a hoverboard maneuver.


This is why we block:


And this is why we are willing to take the time and effort to block:

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