With Love, From Grandma (& Amy Butler)

Two weekends ago, I had another shower to celebrate the upcoming arrival of the girls.  There were about 30 people who attended the shower and I am still humbled by the generosity of all of our family and friends - especially in these hard economic times.
Of course, every new mom begins to realize that the necessities are just as important as the nice-ities.  Especially with two, if the buying guide says you will need 8-4oz bottles, that means 16 at the least (I'm factoring in that with two new babies, there will be little time to wash, so extras may be needed!)
But, then there are gifts that are given that have nothing to do with need, although they MAY serve a purpose.  They are a reflection of the love that is already waiting for the twins.  My mom spent many, many, many hours at the pedal of her sewing machine, working on this "project" - that's what she affectionately called it.

All the fabrics are designed by Amy Butler.  And, it was all hand cut, laid out, pieced, sew and even hand-quilted.

This is a closeup of one of the 9 squares that make the quilt.  Every single one is different.

We have pretty much everything that we need for the arrival of the twins.  And, I keep telling myself that the stores will be open after they get here - so if there's something we've missed, we can certainly go get it!
Yesterday, I did some final work on the nursery including putting up the monitors and making the pom-pom mobile - or what resembles a mobile.

The pom-poms are super easy to make and there are lots of tutorials online to follow.  I used the Command hooks by 3M for a removable way to affix them to the ceiling.  What you can't see is the mess of fishing line that is holding them all together.  Another thing to check off my list...which is a good thing, because I am pretty much immobile right now and have a feeling it won't be long until those little ones make their debut.
Happy weekend!

30 Weeks and Counting...

Well, this is what 30 weeks looks like...

 

 Even with two little blessings wiggling in there, I've managed to keep the gain to about 30 lbs.  I still have at least 4 weeks to go, but I'm feeling good that after they make their big debut, I won't have a huge uphill battle on my hands as far as the weight loss goes.

The crib skirts are FINALLY finished.  I'm not gonna lie, they were a labor of love - if we are so lucky to have a 3rd, I doubt that there will be a custom crib skirt.  Some of the time was dedicated to fixing mistakes and now that I know how to go about it, the next one might be easier.  But, I can understand why the complete bedding sets on Etsy are priced at $300+!

I used a tutorial from Positively Splendid for inspiration, but I ended up kind of doing my own thing as I went along.  Her measurements for the amount of fabric you would need are spot on though.

After cutting all the fabric (with the help of my mom, might I add) I was in Target and this caught my eye:

This ready made bedskirt, turned the right way, was almost the exact measurements I needed.  So I thought to myself, "Self, why would you spend time making this, when you can buy it off the shelf for $12?"
This is what it looks like unfolded:

The lighter part in the middle is what stays under that mattress.  So, I basically measured the depth I would need and cut it horizontally so that I had one piece that had 3 sides and one piece that had only 2 sides.  Then, I bought a plain full size sheet like the one I used to make the curtains, and attached that so it was the front piece of my second crib skirt.

After trying many different versions of ruffling, I went to JoAnn's and bought elastic and sewed the fabric directly to it.  I found this the easiest way to make ruffles.
And then, everything got attached:

The quilting hoop idea I got from Pinterest.  It's a great way to make inexpensive art that goes with your decor.

It's so nice to have it all done!