Walter Nicholas Holsapple

He's here! I'm smitten. I can easily spend 8 hours straight staring at him and making various "aww" sounds when he makes a facial expression. And he makes a lot. Such an expressive boy (imagine proud mom face). I imagined my maternity leave being a creative time. I wanted to dust off my sewing machine and relocate my drawing pens. I imagined Walt swinging in his swingy chair while I sewed up charming stuffed creatures. I would show him my works in progress and he would coo with approval. And though I had heard rumors, I didn't imagine that nursing would be a full-time job. Some days I feel like all I am is a pair of boobs. I am deliriously happy, just not as productive as I hoped to be, but hopefully I'll find some balance and be able to do more frequent posts. It will be difficult to resist turning this blog into a Walter-centric blog (though my Facebook is another story---I'm waiting to see one of my status updates featured here), but I want to keep it about sewing and fabric, so the pictures above all involve Walter wearing a onesie designed by yours truly with fabric markers (thanks Tracey, Spaldo and Molly). He's going to wear it again this week when he watches Star Wars episode four with his daddy.

Nesting

It has been cold and snowy in Bloomington. Partly it's been nice because snow is beautiful and it gives you things like snow days which are my favorite. I got one of those on Thursday. Joseph said I was acting like a little kid because I woke up really early and looked out the window and then obsessively checked the internet for cancellations, squealing joyously every time they added a new one and then waking him up by shaking him when the news came in that my work was cancelled. Then on Friday, my body decided I should have another snow day by going on strike and making me sick. I have been blowing my nose and sewing ever since. Little baby Ichabod (as he's known in utero) will be here in 5 weeks (though please knock on wood that it is in 3 weeks because that is still in the safe zone and I am ready already). I wanted to make him something interesting to look at while he is in the crib hanging out and I know babies are drawn to high-contrast images, so I wanted to use black and white stripes. Black and white stripes ofcourse make me thing of burglars, so the first guy is one of those, but because he will be hanging over my future son while he sleeps I am telling myself that he is a polite, thoughtful burglar that only steals pre-stolen things from bad burglars and then he gift wraps the items and returns them to their rightful owner. The other guys are just plump-bottomed silly men. I like how they look above his crib and I hope they make him laugh and give him good, sweet dreams of magical silliness.

Post-Handmade Market Post

Bernadette and Simon

Bernadette is my first Softie with removable shoes!

Moko, a butch ballerina

Neville and Moko

The Bloomington Handmade Market is over and done. I had the greatest time, it made me want to bake all of my neighbors some cookies---the good kind with large chunks of chocolate inside. I have no pictures of my booth (oh how I neglect you, blog). The market in general was very cozy, in the auditorium of this art center downtown. There were about 40 artists there and I felt a little bit like I needed blinders on, so that I wouldn't run around and cheat on my frugal "I'm broke and having a baby" self, which is to say, everyone had very beautiful, unique, well-crafted things---the kind of things I want filling up my house for my child to look at. Everyone that came in was so nice and friendly and responsive to my work which is a special feeling. A few of my plushes even got spontaneously hugged out of delight which made my face muscles hurt from smiling. I did well, but really it was nice to be a part of a community event that so many great people showed up to. Joseph and I have only lived here for a few years, and yesterday was the first time that it felt like home to me. It also probably helped that I saw about a million bright-eyed babies being bopped around in Baby Bjorns or Moby Wraps and my hormones have me feeling warm and fuzzy to the max!

I have a little bit of a surplus that is going into my Etsy shop right at this moment. This includes 2 paper-clay dolls with movable limbs and Simon (the orange haired boy above) who charms the socks off of me.

This post feels completely self-indulgent. I'm sorry!

Giant Update from a Giant Girl

Miriam

Gustav

Bernadette

Sebastian

Tuhlula

Giant because of my expanding belly (and other areas). I have been sewing towards my goal of 10 charming softies for the Bloomington Handmade Market. Which is maybe a low number, but I'm going to be easy on myself. My one and only other craft fair experience turned me into a one-woman sweat shop and I am choosing to never again revisit that version of me (she's a robot). So I took a few (glorious) personal days off of work and I have been drinking obscene amounts of tea, spoiling Albert with too many walks, being a hermit with Joseph, listening to the Talking Heads station on Pandora and sewing. It's been really great---a perfect four days. I sort of fantasize about my maternity leave being like these past four days, only with the addition of a giggily infant and the subtraction of sleep. I made a few different sort of shaped characters, one (which I haven't photographed yet) is charming my socks off and I look forward to sharing him with you. Thanks for sticking around and reading even though I could easily win laziest blogger of the year award. I have to go now, there is Chai to be drunk.

Mustache Totem Pole

I've been really enjoying Matryoshka painting these days. It's a little less labor-intensive than sewing and I get instant gratification when I paint whereas with sewing, even though the build up and suspense too have their benefits, my heart doesn't get happy butterflies in it until I turn the softie form right-side out. I also can't seem to let go of my little mustache men. Maybe it's because I am pregnant and slightly grumpy, and (not so slightly) lazy and I imagine these charming little men with well-groomed mustaches as being my own little chivalrous army. They can march around my house being extra polite. They can slice me up apples and scoop me out organic peanut butter to dip the slices in. I'll have to make sure to paint some with scarves on so that they can run outdoor errands (the kind that involve picking me up pumpkin spice lattes).

I am going to have to start sewing soon, however. It's been awhile. I am trying to build up a stock-o-handmade items for the Bloomington Handmade Market happening next month.

I hope the sun is shining where you are like it is over here! If not though, pumpkin spice lattes are instant coudy-day-blues-busters.

Lovey Dovey

She's getting married! The girl on the left, that is. Her name is Tracey and she is awesome and I love her to bits and pieces. Just so you know, in the picture we are holding our straw wrappers. We did that game where you make a knot and pull it to see if people are thinking about you. If there is a knot, then people are (k)not thinking about you, but if there is not a knot then people are thinking about how lovely you are. At this particular time, everyone was thinking about our loveliness.

She asked me to make their wedding invitations, and this is what the front looks like. They are getting married at a State Park in Vegas. I wanted to do something sweet, simple and fun because that's the kind of couple they are. Congratulations Tracey and Eric!

Surprise!

It's a boy! He's not here yet, and I am exploiting him, just slightly, while he is in the womb by using him as an excuse for my absence. But for these last few months, if I wasn't working (day job, that is) I was sleeping, and when I wasn't doing that, I was too busy eating. I had every intention of posting life goals, like I mentioned 4 months ago in my previous post, but for now I am just going to be satisfied that I am growing a person inside of me and leave well enough alone.

These last few weeks I have been feeling a little more energetic, however. I bought this book at Barnes and Noble last Sunday and I have been staring at the pictures in it ever since! I think Lotta Jansdotter and I are supposed to be best friends. Her family looks so adorable, my goodness. So from the book, I sewed my first ever project from a pattern (which I found both hard and exciting). I spent over an hour at the store trying to chose the fabric for it. I kept hoping that the little fellow inside of me would give my some kind of indication of his choice pattern via some excited kicks, but I think he was tired that day. But I hope he likes this snuggie! Joseph has already asked for a matching daddy one.

It feels good to be able to share my good news over the internets! I promise to blog again soon, I actually have a couple of projects going on to share with you. Take care!

Signing off,
Nichol and bump