Tick, tick

Now that could be the clock ticking down as we near closer to D-day... counting down the days now at only 10 days till my due date (last chance to place your guesses in the baby stats game in my sidebar!). Or it could be me, slowly ticking of the items on my list of things to do before bubs arrives.

I now have the nappy bag completed and filled with stuff for the baby's stay in hospital. We hardly took anything when Austy was born as the hospital claimed to stock everything you needed except the going home outfit, but this time I know better. Luckily this bag is big enough to store either a days worth of cloth nappies, or 4 days worth of clothes. Since I'm happy to use disposables while in hospital, there is plenty of room for nightgowns and day wear for bubs, with a few extra changes as well as that first cloth nappy and going home outfit. Austy hardly fitted the little gowns they had for him there and they tied around the neck which I was unsure about, so I ended up getting Austy's Dad to bring in a few bodysuits for him during our stay. This time I'm all prepared.

Here's the nappy bag in all it's glory. Not the best pics as the battery went flat on my camera while I was taking them, but you get the idea. I used some of my favourite quilting fabric - the bag designed for MY liking rather than for Austy's Dad or for the baby. We still have Austy's old very boring plain kapoochi bag if Austy's Dad wants to use it, but I last time I found that because of the milk bar, the baby was always with me anyhow, so I figured I should have a pretty nappy bag just for me!! So here it is in my favourite colours, with bag feet and lots of pockets!!

And another tick - Austy's big brother tee-shirt that the baby will "give" him on the first visit to the hospital. We figured that first visit he will be fascinated with the baby anyway and so thought a tee would be fine. Each day he visits after that he will get quiet play type toys - I have wrapped in my hospita bag a box of wooden jigsaw puzzles, a foam "tools" lacing set (where the kids thread shoelaces through holes in the tool shapes) and a zoo themed felt board. They should keep him amused so that we can all be together for longer, without Austy's Dad having to rush him home before he destroys everything.

Unfortunately when tried to embroider the design directly onto the tee, I felt it was safe to leave the machine and fold some washing, only to hear a long beep and check it to find a big tangled knot at the back and a hole gobbled into the t-shirt. Sometimes this embroidery machine really does my head in... you'd think it would be simple, press start and walk away. But no. I managed to salvage it by sewing the design to a patch instead and appliqueing it on. Austy won't know the difference...

Oh, and that's my nursery curtains you can see in the background - the sheers are all done, and this one blackout curtain, with the front two blackouts yet to be cut and sewn. I would do them tonight but some electrical work done today has meant we have no lights tonight... Hopefully tomorrow night.

And finally, a huge welcome to my newest nephew, Ashton Tomas, born on Monday and a great test run for Austy at hospital visits. Of course we all had a cuddle of the little man, and Austy was sooooo well behaved, and even more excited to sit up on the bed with his Aunty Katy and hold Ashton in his lap. Check out the huge grin! I can't wait to see how excited he is when it's his own baby brother or sister he is cuddling. He is going to be the best big brother around!

Round Robin Returns!

Remember back in February, when I put together this centre block? Well after a little trip around Australia, it has now returned as a quilt top all ready for me to finish off and quilt! Although it will have to stay on my WIP pile for a little while as I have to do te last round on Emma's before doing anything on mine, and still have two more curtains to make for the baby's room, a few more nappies and some hand stitching on the nappy bag. And at least one of bub's quilt's might need to get done first too.

But that doesn't stop me staring at it lovingly!! Emma did the second round, which pushed my block slightly off centre with some gorgeous kaleidescope blocks and adorable little seahorses. I love how she used the print to give them eyes - so clever! Don't miss seahorse number three poking his head around my centre block at the top either - very cute! I think with some quilting close to the edge, perhaps with some metallic thread, these little guys might be forced to come out of hiding a little more, despite their shy nature. They are too cute not to show them off!

Then Emma sent it off to Perth, where Helen raided her stash, brightening it up with the stripey border which reminds me so much of many of Helen's quilts. It ties in with the turtle shell fabrics nicely and livens it up a bit out of all the batiks. I remeber seeing her sneak peak on her blog when she did it a while back, feeling a little gyped because she didn't show off very much of her section at all, but now I can see it would have been a dead give-away!

Finally, AJ found the perfect batik fabric for the outer border, calming down the busy-ness of the design and adding a simple but very beautiful fish and seaweed applique to the bottom corner, all done painstakingly by hand - practising for that Noah quilt we've both been working on I think!

All in all I adore every bit of it, and wouldn't change a thing. This round robin (my first ever) has certainly been a wonderful, challenging, inspiring and very creative endevour, of which I have loved being a part. I have a good idea what I want to do with Emma's, I just need to find a little time somewhere...

New nephew arrival day

My new nephew is about to make his entrance any minute now, (my sister is in the throws of labour as I type) so here's another little set I whipped up for him to go into a basket full of goodies. I think I need to make Austy a PJ set similar to these little baby sets (but with t-shirt and shorts instead of course).

And a couple of baby bibs for the gift basket:

Lastly, something for my baby... due any day now! I have been terrified of fold-over-elastic but when my purchased PUL nappy covers (Tots Bots size 1) arrived looking rather large for a tiny new baby, I decided I should give it a shot. I wasn't sure how much elastic to buy so unfortunately what I have left won't make another. So I have an excuse to go shopping again... The next ones will be coloured or printed - a little more exciting.

While the elastic on the legs (over the leg gussets) was a little challenging, I'm happy with how the cover turned out. A much better size too! Although by the size of my bump, if this little one hangs out in there too much longer, it may be a whopper!! Another size update tomorrow after my ob appointment. Last check it was measuring a week ahead, and starting to engage. I'm hoping for next week to give me a little more time to finish the curtains and some more nappy sewing. Austy's Dad is hoping for the 14th... or even the induction date on the 19th. Hmmm... no thanks - going by last time induction does NOT always mean a quick labour - just excrutiating and painful!!