a hippie with a minivan

NaBloPoMo 2010

Well, it is November 1st which means that it is the start of NaBloPoMo 2010.

I debated whether to do NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) this year and decided that I would. This is the third year that I will be participating… if not for anything else then the fact that it gets me back into the habit of blogging on a regular basis. It also gives me the drive to think about posts to write, take more pics of the things I make and do so that I can share and just helps my blog continue to grow and change. Summer is so hard for blogging so it really is the time to get back on track…

If you blog and sometimes go for a long time between postings then NaBloPoMo is a great incentive to keep you blogging and get back into the habit of blogging on a regular basis! Check out the site, register your blog and start blogging… Share your link here also so that I can check your blog out also 🙂

(taken at the family cabin)

Hallow'een in Pictures…

Wilhelmina’s 1st Hallow’een…

A great spread on a friend’s table…

Anxious to go…

Traditional pic in front of our tree…

Little kitty… all bundled up on a cold Hallow’een night…

Eyes full of Wonder…

Favourite spots…

What a great Hallow’een weekend…

DIY Babywearing coat

Oversized old coat….

New Babywearing Coat 🙂

I have seen instructions online, but like many things, I like getting the idea and rolling with it my way. The main thing that I saw in other instructions was to buy a coat a size or two bigger and cut a panel out but not all the way down to the bottom.

My coat was a bit snug on me so cutting all the way down to the bottom and adding some material made it fit perfectly. It also gives more space for her growing…

So… my first step was to put Wilhelmina on my back and see where her head was… then draw a line on the coat were I thought it should be and check it in the mirror… The width of the opening was about 10 inches and then the panel extended all the way down to the bottom of the coat.

This is an important step: sew two parallel lines around the panel and cut between the lines so that the coat and stuffing and all the layers that may be in the coat remain intact.

This coat had a bottom drawstring and a waist drawstring, so that I could keep on using the drawstrings to cinch the bottom and waist, I sewed over the string at the back a few times to secure it. In the hole that the drawstring passed through in the bottom panel, I took out the cut string and replaced it with an elastic… That way there would be no air going up the back of the coat when it was done.

In the opening that was on the coat at the top I put in a double layer of a thick ribbed knit (same as with the side panels) this small panel is just to make the opening warm and comfortable for Willa… It is about two inches high (folded) and sewed in and topstiched. I stretched it a bit while sewing so it closes the opening slightly so that there are no drafts that can get in…

Now, working with just the panel itself that has been taken off the coat, I figured I needed about 4-5 inches of material on each side to make the pouch, so I cut out 4 pieces of ribbed knit, about 5 inches at the top and then tapering down to about 2 inches at the bottom. The length is a bit longer then the length of the panel (so that you can hem the bottom).

I then put 2 layers together and serged the edges, finished the bottom and lined them up with the bottom of the coat panel and sewed them to the sides of the panel and topstitched.

For the last piece (the top of the panel) I cut out another two pieces of the ribbed knit about the length of the panel + the width of the side panels… and about 5 inches high (so that it would end up about 2 inches when folded and sewed in) I serged the raw edge and then sewed it to the top of the panel, stretching it slightly as I sewed. Then I finished it by topstitching.

The last step was to sew the finished panel to the coat. Starting at the bottom, I sewed each side. The top part of course extended past the opening so I sewed it down and then folded it over and topstitched it so you could not see the rough edges.

I also added a elastic so the panel behind her neck would be more snug and again, protect from any drafts… it also helps keep her arms in the coat.

This is the finished back….

The bottom and middle drawstrings are still usable from the pouch forward. The elastic at the bottom keeps out drafts and the top pocket is all warm and soft for Wilhelmina…

I just put her on my back in the carrier of my choice, slide the coat over both of us and we will stay warm together. This will definitely last for at least two winters of growth if not more…

Not bad for a 15$ thrift store find, about a .5 m of ribbed knit and about 3 hours of interrupted planning and sewing… 🙂

How times have changed…

Last time my mom was over she left some old birthday/ welcome new baby cards and miscellaneous papers from when I was tiny…

The cards were fun to look at, but the other documents were, well a bit scary…

One is book that she got when she was pregnant with me, and the others are two little pamphlets that she received in the hospital concerning feeding.

The pregnancy book was full of information for the pregnant mom. What to expect each month, what is happening in her body, what to eat, ideas for exercise etc… I skimmed though it a bit and then happened to read something that stopped me in my tracks… a page of recommendations…

Here are a few:

Avoid X-rays unless the doctor deemed it necessary (I guess my mom’s doc did find it “necessary”)

Do not ingest any Baking soda or antacids during pregnancy. (Really? What’s wrong with Baking soda?)
Limit alcohol and cigarettes if you can. (No!! Wait!!! that cake has baking soda in it… here’s a cigarette and a martini instead…)
Avoid getting cold. (so… don’t go outside 6 months of the year)

Of course, this was followed because there were not many other ways to get information about such things in the 70’s… and of course, doc knows best… right?

It gets worse though…

I’ll post the hospital feeding policies and recommendations next….

EC and Babywearing…

This summer a friend passed along my name to a new and amazing Montreal buisness called Melons & Clementines for the potential of giving babywearing classes. This little shop in the NDG district of Montreal is all about breastfeeding. Clothes, accessories, pumps, babywearing shirts and carriers. Not only that, but while you shop, you can sit down and have tea and a lunch while the kids play in the kids corner, all in a very breastfeeding friendly environment. They also have a private room and a schedule for lacation consultants for moms that might need help.

I talked over the phone with two wonderful women that started this little shop, Renee and Marie-Maude, and I went to meet them soon after to talk about what they needed and soon after we set the date for the first workshop. Not only am I giving a babywearing workshop but also an EC one, and not only is it great to meet new people and talk and share about two subjects that I love, I am also making a small amount of money (at least to cover my transporation… lol)

If you are in Montreal, do go and have tea and hang out, you won’t regret it… and if you are looking to learn more about EC and/or babywearing, come to one of my workshops… the next one will be this saturday, with EC in the morning at 11am and babywearing at 1:30pm… (the schedule on their site will have the next workshops when we set the dates)