Shirt-Pocket Quilt

I finally got around to making the Shirt-Pocket Quilt, which has been on my to-do list for almost 2 years now. It is made entirely out of Jared's old button-down shirts and I'm planning to hang it somewhere in the nursery (I think over the dresser/changing station). I think it will be perfect for holding small supplies, stuffed animals, etc.

(please excuse my crazy-lady hair!)

The backside is more patchwork made out of his white shirts, that I just pieced together pretty randomly until it was big enough. Even the binding is made out of Jared's shirts. Yay for recycling. There is a layer of batting inside, so I machine quilted around the edges of each pocket to hold it in place.

This is a Martha project (it was actually the Craft of the Day about a week and a half ago) ... you can find the instructions on her website here. At the center of my quilt I used a nine-patch block that included fabric from each of the pockets, which makes it slightly different than the Martha quilt. That was my friend Megan's brilliant idea.

experimenting with ads...

I am experimenting with ads, so if you see some funkiness going on in the next day or so, that is why. I've been toying with the idea for a while, but am not married to it, so if you have strong objections, feel free to email me - homemadebyjill@gmail.com. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Meanwhile ... I need exactly 100 visitors to reach my 150,000 mark. Woo! Someone suggested I do a giveaway to mark the occasion, and that sounds like a grand idea to me. I haven't decided what to give away yet, but keep your eyes peeled within the next week for a giveaway post.

UPDATE: Hey guys, I hit the 150,000 mark late Wednesday afternoon ... just slow to update! :) Thanks to everyone who comes back to visit. There are like a billion cooler blogs out there, so it makes me feel special that you're willing to spend a minute or two at mine.

DIY Babylegs

I love when projects are as fast an easy as they claim to be. I think BabyLegs are super cute, so when I saw a 10-minute tutorial on Flickr, I just had to try it (For those of you who haven't heard of BabyLegs, they are like little baby leg warmers - good for keeping them warm when they are just in a onesie (quick diaper changes!) or to protect the knees of crawling babies). Believe it or not, it really only takes about 10 minutes ... maybe less once you get going.

I dug into my sock animal sock stash, and a mere half hour later, I had a pair for ...

my baby O.,

Elise,

and Jenny!

Perfect for an on-the-go gift. I have a feeling my babe is going to have a whole drawer full of these. The Flickr tutorial is by Baby Hopes and you can buy genuine BabyLegs here.

homemade by my mom

Can I take a minute to brag on my mom? Because she is pretty amazing. My friends threw me a baby shower this weekend (thanks, guys!) and my mom shipped this Moses Basket to me for the occasion. Oh, and she made it. The basket, the liner, the bedding, the whole shebang. Incredible, right?


Isn't it gorgeous?!
I hope baby likes the view. I know it's just a tree, but it is pretty beautiful compared to the dark alley view most of our other windows provide.

Because my mom's so smart, having done this whole having-a-baby thing 8 times herself (I'm telling you - she's wonder woman!), the liner and mattress pads are all washable. Bless her heart for making two so I have a backup while doing laundry.


Last, but not least, a cozy matching quilt. Thanks, mom! You really are an inspiration.

p.s. to all of you who will inevitably ask, no, she does not sell her baskets. Sorry to make you so jealous. :)

UPDATE: Many of you asked about the fabric. The designer is Wendy Slotboom, and it is called XOXO The Cat, part of her "In the Beginning" fabric line. I saw it last night at The City Quilter in Manhattan, and it looks like it is readily available online. Just do a google search. :)

Martha Blogging show, part 2

The long line of bloggers at the Martha Show. It was so funny to see everyone with their laptops out, blogging away. Some of the guests on the show have millions of visitors every day. Millions! I can't imagine. Meanwhile, I am approaching 150,000 (cough) total visitors, which I should hit by about mid-week. Any suggestions on what I should do to mark the occasion?


I'd like to move into Martha's craft room and live there forever. Actually, the set craft room is nice, but I'd prefer the craft department at the office. It is like Santa's workshop in there.

After the show, Martha and Kevin Sharkey taped a segment for this week's Hot Dog show. I didn't realize Martha was such a fan of hot dogs! They tasted 27 varieties, some of which looked really amazing. My 9-month hot dog hiatus is coming to a close, and all I want is Gray's Papaya recession special with a pina colada fruit drink. Do you think they'll let Jared bring it to me in the hospital? :)

Martha Show! part 1

So I'm here in the audience waiting for the show to start ....


This is my baby's second time in the Martha Show Audience in just a few months ... does that make him a mega-fan like his momma?


To my right are Nichelle and Rachel from cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com. They were guests on the MARTHA show back in March for Cupcake Week!

To my left is Regan from the Dinner Tonight blog. If you haven't checked it out yet, it is awesome. I have a weekly dinner with my friend Jaime, and we often check Dinner Tonight or an issue of Everyday Food for inspiration.

Also ... in line on the way in, I met Antonio and Blanca from FriendsEAT, a food community which I am excited to check out and the AMAZING Laura Normandin, who works in the Craft Department at Martha Stewart. She blogs over at Wren Handmade.

tag blanket and toys

From what I hear, tag blankets are all the rage with babies. I first saw them on my friend BreAnna's blog (she's a woman of many talents - sews, hikes Machu Picchu, runs marathons, you name it) and she gave me a quick run-down on how to make them at our book club craft day back in April.

A quick google search provided some simple tag blanket tutorials at Mama's Doodles and Craft Blog, in case you want to make one of your own.

I also made a couple of tag toys - just simple shapes with felt details, stuffed and tagged. They should attach pretty easily to the blanket or stroller with those handy plastic rings, right?

Big News: I get to be in the audience for the MARTHA Show tomorrow ... woohoo! She is doing a special show all about blogging and has some great guests coming, which you can read about here. I'll have my laptop in hand and blog straight from the audience, so check back tomorrow. :)

Toy Society Drop

Remember when I sent a stuffed elephant to The Toy Society? Well, it is out there, ready for the finding, in Australia (fun!). Jodie from Vintage Ric Rac (a fantastic blog) did the drop, and you can read about her adventure here. I'm officially drop #17 for The Toy Society, and they have posted about it here.

Thanks again to Bianca, the mastermind behind The Toy Society, for letting me participate. If you ever need a toy dropped in NYC, I'm your girl. :)

button-up baby bibs

I made a couple of baby bibs for the little guy using this tutorial. Two changes I made from the original design:

1. I made an actual button closure instead of a decorative button and velcro.

2. I sewed two button holes so the bibs are adjustable.

Both have flannel fronts and terry cloth backing.

p.s. you'll see a lot of this fabric in the near future, because I loved it and bought a lot. hope it doesn't get boring!

Dresser makeover

Over Labor Day weekend I got to work on my nursery by doing a dresser makeover. I started out with a dresser I picked up for free off Craiglist. I love Craigslist, but this sad sack of a dresser was not much to look at (you can't expect much when it's free):


With a little tender loving care and only $15.00 in supplies, here she is now:

This is a really easy project. First, you need a piece of furniture, whether it comes from your own home, thrift store, Craigslist, etc. This dresser is not especially high quality (I would have loved for it to have been hardwood), but the drawers are roomy and slide in and out easily and it is still sturdy.

Here are the other supplies you will need:

measuring tape
screw driver
paint brush
exact-o knife
decorative paper
Mod Podge (I used Matte-finish)
new hardware

1. After cleaning your piece of furniture well, remove the old hardware.

2. Measure your drawer fronts

3. Measure and cut your decorative paper to size. I used paper made by Snow and Graham (no. 1644), found at Kate's Paperie. It was on sale the day I bought it (bonus!) and I needed 3 sheets total. A high-quality wrapping paper with a nice print would also work well. This paper was just barely short of my drawer width (approx. 1 inch) so I had to piece it together.

4. Using a paint brush, apply a layer of Mod Podge to your drawer fronts. Lay the decorative paper down on the drawer front and smooth out any bubbles. Let dry completely.

5. Trim any excess paper that may overlap the drawer front using an exact-o knife.

6. Apply two additional coats of Mod Podge to the drawer fronts to seal (let each coat dry completely before re-applying). Be careful of your brush-strokes, since they will show. Avoid leaving any drips.

7. While your drawers are drying, take a break and head out to the new Brooklyn Ikea on the Water Taxi. Enjoy the scenery from the Waterfall Project. (I love NYC!)

I went specifically to get these drawer knobs, which I think are modern and cute, and only cost $1.99 for a package of 6. While I have a little love affair going on with Ikea, walking through that maze of a store wipes me out. Good think they have frozen yogurt next to checkout. :)

8. Attach your new hardware. Put the drawers back in the dresser.

9. Enjoy your new-to-you and significantly improved dresser!


P.S. I was recently featured on a great new blog called Little Birdie Secrets. Last week they had a baby week theme and showed my diaper cake and onesie cookies in Friday's post on baby shower ideas. Thanks, Little Birdie Secrets! Check out the earlier baby week posts for some fun craft projects, including binkie clips, cute baby hangers and a nursing cover.

quick post: try this recipe!

Just wanted to pop in to say that if you love peanut butter cups, you should try this recipe from Have Cake, Will Travel. They are so easy, so fast and SO good! We gobbled them all up before I thought to photograph, but no worries - there are photos with the recipe.

Over Labor Day I did a dresser makeover for the nursery, so I'll be posting before and after shots this weekend. Yay! Back soon...