So while I have been dithering over four unfinished objects in various stages of slow progress, I thought I'd share what my amazing mom has been sewing in the last... well, week. (Not jealous, not jealous, not jealous. Phew!)
Long-time readers may recall the time she sat down and sewed 67 cloth diapers while I was pregnant with her first grandchild. Those will be going to my soon-to-be niece along with some new wardrobe pieces.
Here's what my mom has to say about her new daily baby sewing habit:
I'm trying to stick to my fabric stash that I've been collecting since Z. A lot of the fabrics were from when I was making diapers for her.Second, I'm using free patterns I found from this site: Sew Things for Babies.
Third, the fact that I'm using stashed fabric and free patterns which are piled up on my sewing table allows a little freedom as I go. I've also been limiting myself to one outfit a day.. so I enjoy it as I make it and don't get burnt out doing it.
This little baby is going to be living on my brother's farm up in Maine, hence the need for some snuggly swaddle wraps!
I think my favorites are the kimono-style dress above, and of course the polka dot dress. I think it might be leftovers from this little dress I made for Z...
So. Anyway, more stuff for you soon, but speaking of habits... I've been a bit busy the last few weeks working on developing some new habits of my own and returning to some old ones. Mainly:
- Moving around. I have been ridiculously sedentary for the last, oh, four years. Sitting on the couch knitting is NOT exercise and was starting to feel kind of... yucky. So. I joined the NYC bike-sharing program and I've been commuting home from work. I was scared at first but I've found some good routes and now I'm addicted to it. I've also been doing more active play with my daughter on evenings and weekends. I feel... awesome. It's so weird!
- Trying new recipes. I used to make so many things from scratch - pasta, bread, soups, desserts, even homemade cheese. But after we discovered my daughter's food allergies, we got into a rut working with limited time and ingredients ... and we've been cooking the same few allergy-safe meals OVER and OVER and OVER.
So my husband and I have both made it a priority to plan meals ahead of time, try new recipes and adapt them for our restricted no-dairy, no-eggs, no-nuts, no-mustard and no-sesame household. We even got a slow-cooker and have been experimenting with soups and stews (not always successfully, I'm afraid).
- Packing lunch. Every day. Eating deli sandwiches or soups for lunch isn't just expensive, it's kind of gross. I've packed my lunch in the evening (usually leftovers plus fresh fruit and veggies) every day for the last two weeks and I SO look forward to opening my PlanetBox every afternoon at lunchtime!
- Keeping to a very tight budget. I'd been living under the delusion that we had already sliced our expenses to the bone, but when we really took a hard look, it just wasn't true. Money has just been flying out the window in little dribs and drabs — a movie here, a takeout meal there, a fabric purchase here. So we're using YNAB ($6 off referral code here) to do a total budget makeover... but until we can have more wiggle room, I'll be sewing and knitting from the stash ONLY. Which is not exactly a hardship, considering the size of my stash...
Phew! More soon. Have a lovely weekend, all!
P.S. I've set up a Facebook page for Polka Dot Overload if you prefer to read your blogs that way... come over and Like me if you like!
Busy life!
ReplyDeleteCrock pots are pretty cool, I guess. I have a hard time remembering to fill it in the morning, but I think that has a lot to do with the fact that I'm a SAHM and I don't have a properly designated "morning".
A meal you might like is: chicken (breasts or leg quarters) with some minced garlic and salt sprinkled on top. Surround with whole cherry tomatoes (heirlooms are particularly yummy). Eat as is or cut up the chicken and serve it over pasta. Some herbs that would work well with this would be oregano or lemon thyme.
That sounds delicious -- we'll give it a try! The slow cooker is good for us because we chop up all the ingredients at night, put them in the crock in the fridge, then I can stick it in the slow cooker before going to work. The bad is that it really seems to dry out chicken, even thighs or legs.
DeleteDo you cook it on high all day? I add a bit of broth or water around my leg quarters. I also leave the skin on. I hate dry chicken.
DeleteIt was on low BUT because it was sweet & sour chicken I had cut the boneless thighs up into 1-inch chunks. Maybe that was why the dish was doomed!
DeleteWow, your mum is a dynamic lady! Thanks for the link to the baby pattern site, will check that out. Your daughter looks adorable in her polkadots too.
ReplyDeleteYeah, she really is! (my mom = dynamic and my daughter = adorable).
DeleteWas just thinking the same thing about budgeting.
ReplyDeleteI've been doing oatmeal, and have been thinking about making my own granola.
There is a lentil/spinach dish on allrecipes.com that would work for you guys. I like to add a bouillion cube or two to it. This stuff is great on potatoes, or on rice. Freezes well, and you can make cheese/lentil quesadillas for yourselves for work.
Just a thought, could mashed sticky rice serve as cheese in your daughter's portion, say a bean and sticky rice quesadilla for school?
Oooh, I love that recipe idea. We actually have a great faux cheese we buy for my daughter, Daiya tapioca cheese ... it melts and everything. So I could make hers with that.
DeleteWe eat a lot of oatmeal!
And yeah, budgeting is so key... it's a pain in the butt to track every penny but it's much more of a pain in the butt to live paycheck to paycheck or not be able to afford to go on a little family vacation, etc.
Limiting herself to one outfit a day!?!?! Holy cow! Your mom is a sewing monster!
ReplyDeleteSounds like some excellent new habits! I hope you keep them up.
My mom is out of control... she started sewing her own clothes when she was 10.
DeleteWhen I was a kid even though she worked full time at a demanding job she made a large percentage of our clothes and hers, and quilts, and couch covers and curtains and... she's just amazing!
Woah, that is some serious grandma sewing! Awesomeness.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was living in a warehouse full of vegans and trying to cook for everyone once a week, I reeeeally liked this cookbook: http://www.theppk.com/books/vegan-with-a-vengeance/ It's full of things like a dairy-and-egg-free pancake recipe that actually works, and explanations of how to get the textures of things to come out right without using eggs and so on. There are plenty of (actually good!) recipes in there that ought to work with your daughter's allergies, and you can totally add meat to things if it makes sense for you.
Oh, I love that cookbook author. I have her Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World (best cupcakes I've ever made for little Z) and Vegan Brunch cookbooks! I'll have to check that one out too.
DeleteI already knew that your mom was amazing from Z's party goods, but this is BEYOND!!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I really, really need to learn to budget. I suck at saving and that's just not OK with 4 rapidly growing kids. I've been thinking about joining the bike share, too. But I'm terrified of riding in the street!
For the bike share it is ALL about finding the safest routes for me—ones separated from the street or on quiet streets! I really like riding the greenways that are TOTALLY separated and run down the river side.
DeleteI'm fond of my Mr Bento, but lately, I've just been bringing lunch in glass storage containers. I like hot food, but I'm wary of microwaving the plastic containers from Mr Bento.
ReplyDeleteWay cool that your mom is so stoked and productive, too!
I never microwave plastic and I sometimes bring my lunch in Pyrex glass containers... but the PlanetBox bento box type thing comes with a glass dish that fits inside for anything that needs to be heated up.
Delete