Good morning — greetings from Portland! At the last minute, my mom, K and I decided to make a whirlwind trip to the City of Roses. I was lucky enough to finally meet up with a bevy of the sweetest sewing blog friends, and it was a grand treat and much too short. More on that later, because today, I have a special project to share.
A few weeks ago, Victoria of As It Seams reached out to me with a sweet idea: the lovely Rachel who creates the most beautiful clothes and takes some of the most stunning photos in blogland is ready to welcome her fifth child — how about if we each made her a small sewn item that would then be part of a baby mobile? I adore Rachel, and loved the idea, so of course I was in.
Sadly, my first attempt looked nothing like what I sketched out. I call it my mutant ninja sheep, though it resembles a turtle, so I suppose I could keep the original moniker. K thought it was a dog with a pillow on top of it. I do like its closed eyes…
Attempt number two is a fabric origami boat. It took a few tries for me to get the hang of folding the fabric, but I refused to let it beat me. I sewed two nani IRO scraps together to make it double-sided, and it was sort of like wrangling a temperamental fabric coaster. Again, K inserted her opinions and said it looked more like a hat. That works too. Incidentally, one side of the boat is a lighter colorway than the other side, though they’re both the same print. The sheep is made from the lighter colorway as well, and the head and legs are felt.
Victoria was inspired by a similar handmade mobile she received from her friends when she had her son, then her daughter. It’s such a personal and thoughtful gift — I think it’s brilliant! I remember receiving so many baby goods when I was pregnant with K, and I appreciated them all, but the handmade ones always pulled extra hard at my heart strings.
Dear Rachel,
Though not perfect, these little mobile pieces are crafted with the best of intentions — not unlike what motherhood feels like on a daily basis. Wishing you a smooth and joyous transition from a family of six to seven! You are super mama!!
xo,
s
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