Cheep Cheep

Here is the latest item for my shop, another applique bib of chicken birds. They are so cute I don't really want any baby sick on them, but I have to accept that that will happen!

Little birdies and a Flickr Group!

Another day another 5am start! It's alright for babies they can go back to sleep again whenever they want. Grr.

As I am up now I will tell you all about a few things I have been up to this week. First up, new item listed on Folksy, an applique bib which is the first in a series of Chicken Coop Bibs that I am making using some cute chickenwire pattern background fabric. Added a waterproof layer inside to make it all the more practical. I have been producing quite a few bibs lately but most of them are going straight onto the baby!

Also I have created a Flickr group to view by Made by Dolly Folky items, other makes, and hopefully in the not too distant future other people will post photos of stuff they have made from my Folksy Tutorials etc (when I have done some!!!!)

On the home front what I have mostly been doing is making 40 gingerbread biscuits for the toddler group party, which was a bit of a mammoth effort. They were put out as an activity with icing and sweets to decorate them with. Unsurprisingly, this table was very popular and the biscuits and sweets disappeared in the twinkling of an eye!

Weekend OVER

Sitting here writing this from an unusual perspective - but I am so glad the weekend is over! Nothing like being stuck in the house with two children, no car, middle of nowhere to just tip you over the edge............ Most of the time I love it, but for some reason this weekend I just couldn't handle it. Perhaps because I knew the other half was at a party! Them days are over sweet lady.

I am just moaning now though as I did have guests over on Saturday who kindly played with the children and were very relaxed/relaxing. Thanks guys!

Amusing BLW photo of the week has to be this lovely attempt to eat melon. It was so ripe and squishy, it seemed like the perfect food for a bit of one-tooth-and-a-determined-gum action. Added here the before and after shots of the melon slice, for those non-believers who think no way can a 6 month old baby enjoy melon.

Bunnies! and Funnies

Got more than a few thoughts to catch up on at the moment. Just when I was getting organised I was struck down by a tummy bug BAH HUMBUG. But I am better now and have got a bit of time so here's all my nuggets (har har) from the past week.

First merely another spotting. On the lawn this week, we have mostly been watching...bunnies! The most gloriously cute baby bunny has been nibbling the grass outside our window and melting our hearts. Daughter's love of rabbits was in full flow until she realised that they were the ones eating her seedlings and probably the strawberries too. Now she says crossly 'Stupid Nibblers'.

On the subject of nibblers, we have been continuing to try weaning the baby, who resolutely refuses to eat any finger food, but can successfully negotiate a spoon into her mouth. So here is the latest snap of her trying the technique known to the BLW fraternity as 'The Loaded Spoon'. I am obviously not managing to do this whole self-feeding thing properly as it's meant to be a non-pureeing adventure, but at least she is enjoying herself. Her skin will be lovely too after all that porridge smeared on it!

'But what..' I hear you enquire, 'of the sewing?'. I gave myself a blister cutting out fabric on Saturday and have now purchased a large amount of fibrefill, so now I have recovered from my lurgie you should see some more activity on this front. Promise. As long as I don't get side tracked.... and I have to finish sewing sequins onto some tabards for the Pre-School Carnival Float first.

How about this? Weeks Target: Finish at least 1 thing, put it on Folksy.

More bib photos and a 'happy' pea face

Still onwards with the prototypes phase of my production and this time a simple bib shape that I am trialling. It has one fastening on the shoulder. The one in the picture has the worst ever buttonhole finishing! Also a terribly dodgy bit of stitching at the shoulder seam but let that be a lesson to me. But on the positives I like the shape, it is not as all enveloping but still covers down the front well enough, and looks a bit quirky opening where it does.


My bib tester and general cutester has been trialling a number of new foods this week. BLW has met with reticence on all fronts apart from mine, but she seems to love spoon feeding?!? Latest success was pea and pear mixture but you wouldn't know it from the face.

A Weaning Adventure

Despite vascillating somewhat between pureeing the baby's food (traditional approach) and giving whole foods (baby led weaning approach) I have been looking online for some support. Very excited really about the little scrap's first forays into feeding. Her attempts on a banana earlier today were very heart warming albeit messy. She is seeming to love sitting in the high chair when we are eating dinner - at last! She can see what we are doing at table, and follows everyone's movements with a distinctly gleaming eye, making little chewing faces! Will try her with some carrot batons tomorrow during our sunday BBQ and see how we get on.

Wrap Me Up Bib

Spent most of yesterday afternoon tinkering with ideas for bibs. Last baby I weaned, I hated all the rubbish bibs available which were either far too small/big, covered the wrong places, were 'wipe clean only', smeared food onto the child when you were taking them off etc etc. This time I decided to make some of my own and the first one is off the production line. I am pleased to say that I think that I have cracked it, as the bib fastens securely at the shoulders, is fully machine washable, and adjusts from 6m to whenever. The bib can be worn crossed over at first then just over the shoulders to fit a larger child (my 4 year old tried it on and it was fine!). I got the idea and shape from a great book 'Little Clothes for Little People' (Lia Van Steenderen 1987 Exley). I made this one in two cottons for a reversible look. We'll see how it survives the any-day-now puree onslaught!