More baby sewing

About 90 percent of my sewing for the under-5 crowd is for just one little guy.

I have a special sewing relationship with this dude. I think it's because the first thing I ever really sewed was the baby quilt I made for him.

And since his family added a new baby brother last spring, I've been neglectful in sewing for said new brother.

So here's my attempt at evening things up. This is the 6-9 months size, which should be just perfect come fall.



It's the Anna Maria Horner Baby in the Hood Jacket from Handmade Beginnings.

My mom sent me the blue fabric months ago, and the rest is from quilt scraps. The buttons came from my aunt's stash.



The pattern was easy to follow and had a few nice details, like an elastic hood and top stitching.



I added a little label with the kiddo's initials and a bit of twill tape for hanging purposes.



I think -- from start to finish -- the whole thing took just a few hours. Love it.

:::

This project also took a few hours. With equally successful results, I'd say.



Strawberry-rhubarb pie. Killer.



I make some variation of this recipe almost every time for the filling.

-- 2 boxes of strawberries, cut in half (I never measure ... it's just two of the little fruit boxes they come in)
-- 2 bunches of rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
-- about 1 cup brown sugar
-- about a half cup white sugar
-- 2 pinches kosher salt
-- thickener of your choice (I used 2 tablespoons tapioca flour this time and really liked the results)
-- juice of 1 orange
-- zest from one orange (you zest and then chop the zest into tiny bits if you're concerned about texture)
-- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
-- spices (sometimes I add a bit of ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, etc. It's different every time)

Adjust the sugar to your preferred sweetness level and dot the filling with about 2 tablespoons of diced butter once you pour it into the crust.

This pie had an all-butter crust. I think all-butter is the way to go. For sure it takes more time, but it pays off. Here are a few tips that make a big difference.

-- Keep your butter cold. Like REALLY cold. Like after you chop it into cubes, stick it back in the freezer for 15 minutes to get it cold again.
-- Use a pastry blender. It's not that much extra work, and really it's less work if you're like me and don't own a dishwasher to clean the 1,864 parts that are needed to make the average food processor run.
-- After you get things to dough state (and DON'T OVER-MIX!), gently push the dough into two balls (if you're making a top and bottom crust) and wrap it in plastic wrap. Flatten by pressing down as much as you can. It'll make rolling out easier after the dough chills.

Well ... that's all I got.

And this. This is awesome. I don't eat meat. A few weeks ago the dogs got into a pile of mail and chewed one thing in particular.



I love it.

More sewing projects coming up ... now that I have time to sew!