Something for us

I started making this quilt when I was pregnant with Titus and VERY sick. Not only was I throwing up every few hours, but I was taking an anti-nausea medication that did nothing except make me feel like my arms were going to fall off. (It's always a bad sign when the pharmacist says "huh - this used to be prescribed as an anti-psychotic," when she hands you a bottle of pills.) I was completely worthless, so Brett took Moses to his parents' cabin to leave me alone in my misery. I decided I was going to do something productive with my "freedom," so I pieced this together using a charm pack (I think that's what it's called...) I bought at the Twain Harte drug store. I spent the entire day piecing it, quilting it, making and attaching the binding... and then the mere sight of it would make me dry-heave, so I was forced to pack it away.

Well, the other day I found it amongst my fabric stash and realized that the leaned association had worn off enough for me to finish stitching the binding. Now Titus has his very own little quilt. I love having a baby quilt just for him - the other ones we have are technically Moses' (though he is very good at sharing them). Titus loves it - all the little patterns and the red and white backing are really eye-catching.

I tried to do a cutesy photo shoot of Titus and the quilt, but most of the pictures turned out like this:

so I gave up. That's why there are no kids in the pictures in my shop. :)

Welcome Home

Baby Titus - you are an amazing, beautiful miracle. We love you!!!

In Which I Realize that One of the Up Sides of Bed Rest is that Strangers Can't Talk to Me

Many apologies for having no picture to go with this post. In 9 days (and believe me, I'm counting every hour at this point) I will be off bed rest, have my new baby in my arms, and be well on my way back to creating decent blog posts.

In the meantime, however, I thought I'd entertain you with some of my favorite quotes from this pregnancy. While my pregnancy with Moses was full of people telling me how "cute" I looked, this one has been full of people murmuring to each other and pointing as I walked by, slowing down in their cars as they passed me for a better look, and saying all SORTS of ridiculous things to me about my "condition." Before bed rest (aha - I have stumbled upon a wonderful reason to be locked up in the house!) I had to reassure every stranger I passed that no, I was not about to give birth, no I was not pregnant with twins, and yes, I was sure. It got old. Here are a few of the best ones:

1.) "Wow, you look really uncomfortable." Well, sheesh, if we all went around telling people in line at the fabric store what they looked like (punctuated by a genuine "wow," no less), we would all hate each other.

2.) "How do you sleep at night?" Isn't this something you say to axe murderers? Seriously.

3.) And now for my all-time favorite quote. I still can't believe this one. Brace yourself:
"Are you pretending to be pregnant?" Yep. That's what she asked me. I know because the only response I could muster up was "Did you just say 'are you pretending to be pregnant?'?" She confirmed that she had, in fact, asked me that question and continued to look at me quizzically. When I realized that my non-verbal response of complete shock wasn't answer enough to her question I managed to get out a "No." I mean, who in their right mind would go to the craft store dressed as a pregnant person? And if a person was for some reason to do that, why would they dress as an "uncomfortable looking" pregnant person who looks as if it is hard to sleep at night? Very strange.

I guess the lessons to be learned here are never to talk to a pregnant woman about how she looks, and don't try to guess how far along she it. You will be wrong and she will feel weird. Unless the comment comes from her 2 year old son, in which case it is just funny, no matter how mean it is:

4.) "Mommy, how your shoulder got so big?" *sigh*

And, though it is somewhat unrelated to the previous quotes, I will conclude with this gem I received at the doctor's office, from an actual doctor:

5.) "Take this while you're dry heaving." This was said as a bottle of some weird medicine was shoved into my hands. The woman has obviously never dry heaved. I'm still trying to envision how one could possibly take anything WHILE dry heaving, and how that substance could possibly do them any good. I never opened the bottle.

So thanks to all those strangers I have a reason to be glad for bed rest - I mean, if they thought I looked weird a month ago, what in the world would they be saying to me now?!?!

Craft Show... Lessons Learned

Back in September, when I didn't have internet access to keep you all updated on Junie None news, I participated in the Saratoga Art and Wine Festival. It was my first craft show and I was super nervous - so nervous that I forgot to bring my camera. So this picture is (again) from my friend Jen of some of the products I had on display.

Now, I will be honest and confess that I had what those in my professional field call "delusions of grandeur"; in the days leading up to the event I imagined selling out of everything, being mobbed by adorable mommies snatching up blankets and bibs, and even dreamed of the new sewing machine I would buy with my earnings. Well, by the end of the event I had experienced another psychological phenomenon: reality. I sold a few things, but in the end I broke even financially and DEFINITELY put more into the show than I got out of it. Several lessons learned:

1.) People generally don't go to art and wine festivals for the art. They are there for the wine. If I ever do a craft show again, I will do one that is strictly craft oriented, as I think it will attract more people in the market for hand-made goods.

2.) Things you never thought you'd need: white duct tape, tiny safety pins, a change of clothes to put on after you set up, and WATER - who would have thought that an art and wine festival could sell out of water. Hmm... In order to be completely prepared, in the weeks leading up to the event you will also need a toddler who naps at least 2 hours per day; a husband who is willing to take endless requests to build things, hang things, and paint things; and a personal chef, housekeeper, and chauffeur because you won't have time to do ANY of the things you are supposed to be doing.

3.) Bottom line: don't do a craft show when you are 7 months pregnant. It's really not a very good idea for a multitude of reasons, not the least of these being the frequency with which you will need to use the one bathroom which is three blocks away from where your booth is set up. Also, you will cry. Being pregnant adds this hazard to pretty much any occasion, but doing a craft show is really stressful and tiring, so there is just no avoiding it.

To sum up, I will think long and hard before agreeing to do a craft show again. It was a humbling and exhausting experience, but I DID learn how much my family and friends are dedicated to supporting me in this Junie None endeavor. So many people (namely my husband, dad, and mother-in-law) helped me, and even more showed up to support me, and that was really touching. And at the end of the day when I was a weeping, humbled mess, nobody said anything about how few blankets I had sold. They just fed me a nice italian dinner, drove me home, and put me to bed, happy to have me back and hoping I would wake up with enough energy to run a load or two of laundry.

Junie None Designs: Expanding!

... Well, not the business. The designer is expanding (that's me). I'm so excited to finally be able to share our news: I'm pregnant! It's been a LONG 14 weeks, since I get extremely sick (we're talking major throwing up if I even move) for the first 3 months of pregnancy. So that's the REAL reason this blog and my etsy shop have been so neglected. But I'm feeling much better and each day am able to reclaim a little bit of my life. I'm excited to get back to sewing, excited to be able to post some fun pregnancy-related posts here on the blog... heck, I'm even excited to clean my house! It's amazing what 3 months of being an invalid can do for one's perspective.

I do have to give a huge shout-out (did I actually just use that phrase?) to my husband, who has been an absolute SAINT while I was sick. Every morning he got up early with the little guy and let me sleep in as late as I wanted. He went to work late, took Moses to work with him many days, and came home early. He did the grocery shopping, made all the meals, did the dishes, and even vacuumed and dusted the entire house (all this while running his landscaping business). He never hesitated to make a late-night trip to the grocery store to find me the ONE THING I could eat and made me toast at all hours of the day. Best of all, he did it all without even one sigh of frustration or accusing look in my direction as I sat suffering on the couch. He was WONDERFUL - much better that I would have been in his position. What a stud. Thanks Brett!