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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A dog with a pillow on top and a hat… Haha it really is funny π The ornaments are lovely.
I thought that was pretty darn funny too, Jenya π Thank you!
I love the boat! Using fabric for origami is a good idea. btw- sheep would have been my first guess.
Excellent! Glad that you would have guessed sheep, Kristi π It looked so much cuter in my sketch, though.
I love that you gals did this! Rachel is definitely one of the kindest people in blogland!
Rachel really is so kind. I’ve had some of the loveliest email exchanges with her – she’s the real deal π
You’re ninja sheep is soooo cute. I love his sleepy eyes too, he looks like a dreamy, cloud sheep! And clever, clever boat. Thanks so much for joining in. I love that the final result will be so quirky and original…
Thanks Victoria! And thanks for including me in this fun project – I loved it!! I thought of the boat when I saw your fish, which is so, so sweet!
Sanae! I just can’t believe this! I am so touched that you would do this for me and our new baby! Really, I can’t tell you how much it means to me! I am so surprised. I saw the posts while waiting to see my midwives this morning and I literally got teary in the waiting room! (Do I get a pass on public crying being almost 40 weeks pregnant?). The ornaments are so perfect! Thank you so, so much for taking the time to make this for me. I just really feel at a loss for words in describing how special this is to me! Thank you. <3
It’s my pleasure, Rachel! I had so much fun working on these, and it speaks volumes that you inspire such a collaborative project π Hope your appointment went well, and I’m looking forward to hearing baby updates!
hehe i love it, sanae! the sheep/dog/turtle is adorable and funny, and the origami boat is really great! i’d love to see how you made it. hey and now i can actually picture K saying that stuff, haha! π
I absolutely love YOURS, Kristin – so beautiful and thoughtful! I might do a tutorial for that little fabric boat…who knows? π
What a precious gift! I can’t get over how perfect this is . . . clever Victoria for thinking of it! Rachel will adore it. And you are spot-on in your note Sanae – motherhood is a daily journey of non-perfection but with the best of intentions!
Thanks Lucinda! I wish mine had come out more that way I envisioned it, but as always, it’s the thought that counts, right?
Ahhhh… So sweet Sanae! I love them both! I have to admit that I struggled with my ornament as well, hahaha! It took a few tries to wrangle up my little guy. But the idea behind it all is so precious and beautiful!!! Enjoy Portland…
Natalie
XXX
Thanks Natalie – your little cloud is so charming! Kudos to Victoria for coming up with such a unique and heartening idea. I agree that these types of projects that connect us is what make blogs worthwhile! π
such a sweet idea!
Isn’t it? I just love it!
oh they’re adorable! and such delightful fabric! thanks for your sweet comment on my post – i felt the very same way about meeting you, it was such a special treat and it just cemented everything i already loved about you! plus, seriously, watching L and K play together kind of tugged at my heartstrings π
π We’ll have to plan a longer get-together next time, Gail, it just wasn’t enough time! I loved your mobile ornament as well — a linen dress! How perfect!
beautiful!
Thank you, Asmita! It’s headed to Rachel now, I hope it makes it in one piece!
I absolutely love the quirky quality of handmade! What a sweet and thoughtful baby gift. And what fun to collaborate with so many lovely, talented ladies! Rachel’s blog is *amazing*, and of course I got a little teary reading about Tarikua’s adoption story. What an inspiring family!
Rachel is so incredible on so many fronts! I’m a huge fan and consider her a friend. And yes, the other women are so talented and it makes me feel so good to have discovered this community, you know?
These are such delightful, sweet ornaments! What a fabulous idea! I love your origami boat, and the sheep is so very sweet.
Thanks so much, Fiona! They were fun to make for sure!