Pins, Needles, and 38 Weeks

Want to know the most boring thing in the world? Waiting around to go into labor. Everyone else in my life is excited. I'm bored, nervous, restless. Passive. It takes the patience of a saint to be so passive, and I am certainly not one.

Pins

I made a pin cushion for myself. Cute, huh? I've been needing one for my hand-sewing basket. Pin cushions are so fun and easy. I keep on squishing it, like a tiny pillow. Eeek! :o)

Needles
I've considering acupuncture to get labor started. But that would mean doing stuff, like calling for an appointment and leaving the house.

38 Weeks
51.5" around.
57.5 lbs gained.
1,000,000 items crossed off the list.
1 amazing journey.

I made it to my goal of 38 weeks (8.5 months) pregnant, and I feel DONE. I'm so glad I didn't have the frightening experience of pre-term labor and seeing struggling preemies in the hospital. But now I want nature to step it up already. Carrying twins past 38 weeks is considered just as risky as delivering early - not enough space to grow, placental break down, etc, etc. Plus, I'm uncomfortable and bored. Oh and whiny. And cranky. And, I'm sure, a real pleasure to be around.

Sigh. I'm trying to enjoy the moment - the end of pregnancy. The quiet house. Eating with two hands. But it's hard to relax when I feel so ready for this new beginning.

We are on induction stand-by today, so we call Labor and Delivery every few hours to see if there is space. If so, we dash right over and get things started. Meanwhile, I'm getting a pedicure and taking myself out to lunch on this beautiful September day.

Oh, and if we don't call you (immediate family) or post something online, and you are really, REALLY wondering if I went into labor, please visit this website for more info: www.haveyouhadthatbabyyet.com. :o)

37 Weeks

Yep, still here. The boys seem pretty content for now, but an eviction notice was posted by my OB today - next Tuesday is induction day if they don't get going on their own. I am getting pretty eager to meet them (and to be able to roll over in bed without the help of a crane), but every day in the womb is another benefit to their development, so I'm trying not to complain too much.

But when they DO get here...

...there will be a little quilt for each of them!

I finished the second baby quilt/play mat today. Did the weather cooperate for photos? Why would it? Overcast and windy, as usual.

As with all quick projects, there are things I question. Maybe white satin binding would have looked better? Or a more thought-out plan for the quilting? Perhaps skipping the basting was a mistake? All things a newborn child will notice, I'm sure.

I pretty much machine- and hand-quilted vertical and horizontal lines until it looked done. I placed them randomly and didn't mark them (hence the "straightness"), though I did attempt to get 4-5 lines horizontally and 3-4 lines vertically for each patch.

The back is a big piece of Kona Medium Gray. My hand-quilting is picking up speed. I'm kind of impressing myself, especially since everything else in my life is so slow!

I hope the two quilts are different without one being "better." I like them both a lot. Got to pop the new one in the wash to make it nice and softy.

Since my considerate little guys have outlasted my WIP list, I have a couple more ideas to keep my hands busy until they are full of babies. One is another fabric book, this time with different textures.

Corduroy, satin, velveteen

Another is a little pink and white dolly quilt. I have these bits already pieced from a baby quilt I made a few years ago for a friend, and I want to use them up and get them out of my sewing stash. Luckily I have a couple of friends with little girls, so it will have no trouble finding a home.

Or maybe I'll just sit back and enjoy the quiet before the storm. Hmm.

What about all those WIPs that I haven't been mentioning...the ones I ambitiously set out to complete in May? Weeellll...in the interest of transparency...

1. Quilt Bee  FINISHED
2. Brother Quilt FINISHED AND GIFTED
3. Mumu FINISHED
4. Scrappy Matching Pillows FINISHED
5. Spring Sampler - Sitting in a basket, neglected. Might become a dozen little items, or a full quilt if I regain steam. This was the last iteration I considered before becoming overwhelmed and shoving it back in the basket.

6. Emma's Trip Around the World - It's waited almost 70 years; it can wait longer.
7. Paisley Sunrise - I guess I will be tugging this out to soothe myself until the babies are 5 or so. Meh, what's the rush? I wanted it as a task more than a finished quilt anyway - something for my hands to do when they need it. So maybe the kids will actually be 10 20 before I experience that need again!

Proudly, I can say "the spool is half full" and I have finished more than half of the projects I set out to complete. Not too shabby.

I'll keep you updated on my progress, quilt friends, but it probably won't be for a couple of weeks. To tide you over, what does a 37-week twin-pregnant belly look like? Well, here it is, in all its glory:

And how do I feel about pregnancy coming to an end and getting to meet my sweet babies?

More stitches and fewer stretch marks over at Lee's:

36 Weeks!

It's like crossing the finish line. 36 weeks is considered full term for twins, and we have made it to this critical milestone!

This means our little guys are less likely to have extended hospital time and the developmental problems of preemies. Yay! Fingers (legs?) crossed that we can make it to 38 weeks, which is the optimal time for twins to be born.

Maybe the babies are just waiting patiently for me to finish my WIPs ;o) The list is steadily dwindling.

I completed the little ball this week (pattern from I Love Patchwork: 21 Irresistible Zakka Projects to Sew by Rashida Coleman-Hale). It is so cute! I love the feel of the linen, the interesting pictures in each hexagon, and the size, which is perfect for little hands. I also enjoyed making something totally by hand.

Right in the middle of taking pictures, Mr Awesome couldn't resist playing with the ball. What in the world am I in for with three boys in the house?

That book, White Butterfly by Walter Mosley, is pretty good, by the way.

Notice that my camera is "fixed"? Um yeah, I had it on the wrong setting. How pro.

I also finished up the Gobbi mobiles. What in the heck, you ask? They are part of the series of infant mobiles recommended by education pioneer Maria Montessori.

I've long been intrigued by Maria Montessori and her methods and philosophy. It resonates with my husband and me, and seems like a natural extension of the way we already live. While we'll probably not have a perfect adherence, it's been a wonderful inspiration as we choose purposeful ways to begin our parenting journey.

One thing I wanted to invest in from the start was the lovely infant Visual Mobile Series. I've bought two Montessori mobiles from the lovely bellascasa on Etsy, the Munari and the bell and ring. But I figured I could easily make the Gobbi and octahedron mobiles myself. Okay, so it wasn't actually easy...but they came out alright.

One of Montessori's key ideas is freedom of movement. Here is our babies' play space in the living room. It features a futon covered by a quilt (someday I'll do a post on that one), a low mirror, the Munari mobile, and a couple of low shelves with items that will interest the babies. The bookshelf is bolted to the wall, so it is earthquake-safe (a genuine California concern), and won't topple when tiny movers use it to pull themselves up.

The babies will have access to the toys on the low shelves (when they are able to creep and reach), and just out of their grasps are some beautiful picture books that we look forward to reading to them. Yes, including some of the Philosophy for Beginners series - Mr Awesome's picks :o)

My final WIP is the second baby quilt. I've started the quilting, some by hand with perle cotton thread, and some by machine. I need to make some choices about the quilting pattern - only horizontal like it's twin, or horizontal and vertical to match the piecing?

Celebrate more progress here:

30 Weeks

An ultrasound yesterday revealed that my most important little works-in-progress are coming along nicely. They are about the same size: A is 3 lbs 5 oz, B is 3 lbs, 6 oz, though A is measuring slightly bigger. Factor in the margin of error, and they are probably right about the same size. A is now head-down (yay!) and B is head-down, but on a diagonal (oblique). I am feeling really good, especially considering I'm the size of a full-term pregnancy and I still have about two months to go.

I was showered with lots of love and generosity on Saturday; my good friend, mom, and husband conspired to throw a wonderful baby shower. We had a great time. I really loved all the homemade gifts, and the thoughtfulness that went into purchasing items for two babies. Seeing the nursery fill up is exciting, but also surreal. Someday our sons will come out and be among us in the world. I still can't believe it.

Since my mom was here for the weekend, we got right to work in the sweatshop sewing area to make things for the babies' room. Most pressing was a set of six curtains. Our lovely nursery is located in the heart of the house, and has not one or two, but three sets of double french doors. If we want the babies to sleep (and WE DO), we have to get curtains up to make it quiet and dark in there.

Obviously still a WIP!

Let's just say we had our work cut out for us with 20 yards of curtain.

We made the curtains double sided, so they are extra thick and also look nice from the other side. I picked the classic Joel Dewberry's Herringbone for the living room and hallway doors, and a cheerful mix of Kona Snow and Take Flight in Cherry for the kitchen. The ties are simply linen.

Living Room

Kitchen

Inside the babies' room, there is one set of yellow elephants, and two sets of a pieced combo of AMH's Bubble Burst, Kona Charcoal, and a teal polka dot.

Choosing this combo was a day's work in itself. Originally, I got the polka dots for the whole length of the door. But a cursory drape pre-sewing was displeasing - polka dots and elephants together sort of look like the circus. Fine for some, but it wasn't working for us. After convening a committee of family members, we came up with this new combo. I like it. It's cheerful and bright, yet boyish.

Since we can't paint the walls, I like having all these warm, colorful fabrics in the room. I would have gone with a full panel of Bubble Burst, if I had it to do over again. I had no idea how difficult it is to choose curtain fabric for such a large area. But, as my wise husband said, the kids will want to change it in a few years anyway.

But the whip-cracking fun didn't end there!

Mom and I made a couple of fabric boxes for the boys' toiletries. There is nothing better for these than a cotton/linen blend. I loved using my best fat quarters for my sons, in a place where I will see and use them every day. And later on, I'm sure they will enjoy storing their own little toys inside. I've been practicing some embroidery stitches so I can put their initials on the boxes.

 Of course I couldn't resist a little treat for myself too. My Bernina has a new pal - a little fabric box from some Far Far Away that I have been hording.

Sweet, sweet organization.

I can finally cross the last of the pillows off my list. It was easy to whip up a pair in ultra soft AMH velveteen - just made a simple envelope closure. (We're knee-deep in pillows over here, and I love it.) Mr Awesome observed that our apartment is slowly turning more 70s with this recurring mustard fabric/potted plant theme...but he's not complaining.

 This cozy spot is quickly becoming one of my favorite places.

What could possibly be left to make for the nursery, you ask? Here is the current list:
1. Fabric books
2. One more receiving blanket
3. A small wall-hanging
4. Cloth ball
5. Tidy up that crazy place.
6. I'm considering making a rag rug for their bedroom floor. Braiding a million yards of cloth - yay. Stitching together said yards - meh.

Manageable! I think it just might happen.

Meanwhile, I have a few non-baby items brewing:
1. A wall-hanging for a friend
2. Paisley Sunrise
3. All I have left to do for Mumu and my brother's quilt is to cut away the binding basting and stitch in my signature. Victory! They'll get their very own blog posts very soon, but I did spread them out to admire them in the eye of the crafting storm nursery.

I can't wait to show them off to you! Check out more great WIPs at Lee's:

29 Weeks

Only 7-9 more weeks to go!

The past month or so, I'd really been feeling the pressure to get "everything" done, so we'll be "ready" when the babies arrive. As time - and with it, the ability to reach anything below my knees - slips by, these terms are becoming amorphous. "Ready" to bring home two infants? Probably not possible. "Everything" has transformed from a picture-perfect nursery, completely toddler-proofed home, and every personal goal for the next ten years met, into the basic baby essentials, a few handmade items, and enough furniture-rearranging to make our home functional for our new, 4-person family.

29 weeks

I'm not saying I haven't tried to fight reality by making long to-do lists, but I have started to divide them into essential and nonessential columns. Finishing all my little projects (and starting 75 others) seemed totally do-able two months ago. But fabric, I've discovered, is pretty heavy. And big. And requires a lot of crawling around on the floor.

Some things (like making quilts for each baby, walking more than a block at a time, and seeing anything below my belly button) are going to have to wait until after - much after - they are born.

And that's okay. My new mantra, like all things pregnancy, is to enjoy the (very slow) process. Little by little, I'm completing small projects, and it feels really good to fill the nursery with handmade touches to welcome our babies.

A few receiving blankets, the perfect weight with a combo of voile and flannel;

Some black and white blocks to hang by their changing table so they have something interesting to look at (and later grab for);

and a matching pair of taggies made out of my husband's old flannel shirts. They are so soft!

The nursery inherited our slightly worn cotton throw pillows, so the living room got a new set (fabric selected by Mr Awesome, no less!). I am so grateful to my mom for helping me out with these. Ironing and cutting yardage is too much for me, so she cut, ironed, and pinned, while I sat at the machine and sewed. A beautiful partnership!

Looking at this picture made me laugh a little. I guess we really like things that come in twos.

These blocks came from the Mumu scraps. When I finish that quilt's binding, it will go on our bed, where the pillows might join it. For now though, I'm enjoying all the pillow comfort I can get on the couch.

As for Mumu itself, it's currently somewhere in this pile, along with my brother's quilt, Paisley Sunrise, and a couple of minis, and God knows what else. My sister, visiting for the weekend, aptly commented, "Wow. You have a lot of quilts." I guess so. How did that happen? They are everywhere.

I've also got a little hand-piecing going - a beautiful cloth ball from I Love Patchwork. I want to put a bell into the ball so the kids will get a cool sound when they play with it, but my husband assures me everyone will think it's a cat toy (we don't even have cats). What do you think?

Check out more WIPs at Lee's: