#babyschep's nursery progress: Quick Mobile Makeover

It's been a few weeks since my last update, so I'll start by sharing the biggest news:

BabySchep is here!

We had a planned repeat Cesarean delivery and had to return to the hospital for some phototherapy, so I haven't been quite up to the task of finishing the posts about this little guy's nursery.  We are both doing much better now, so here goes nothing:

A few weeks ago I whipped up a quick mobile makeover.  Lil' Schep had a jungle themed nursery, and I just happened to still have his crib mobile: 

Planets in the background!  More on those later.

We handed down most of Lil' Schep's baby stuff, so I was surprised to find a box of things we forgot to give to some friends who were expecting.  I think that was God's way of making sure we didn't spend too much on baby number 2!

 Sneak peek of BabySchep's quilt...

First, I liberated the jungle buddies by snipping the strings as close to their bodies as possible.  I gave these little guys to Lil' Schep for him to play with.  He thinks they're cute, and there isn't anything cuter than a cute little guy thinking something else is cute.  Does that make sense?

Bump photobomb, lol. 

My wonderful husband used our Cricut machine to cut out some felt stars.  I opted for felt because I wanted to be able to leave the edges raw.  As much as I usually enjoy hand stitching, I was just too tired to have to stitch anything shut by hand at this point.

I reused the strings from the original mobile and stitched them right into the tips of the stars.  I used a narrow (approximately 1/8") seam allowance, and left a small space open for stuffing, then simply finished sewing the hole by machine.  Easy peasy.

It was truly rewarding to be able to start and finish a project in one night.  I had purchased a battery operated mobile to replace the old wind-up one that came with Lil' Schep's original one, so this entire makeover was less than $15.00, and works like a dream.  Now that I'm on maternity leave, I should actually have some time to type up a few more blog posts.  This time, I'm linking up with Finished or Not Friday, TGIFF, and Finish It Up Friday.  Until then, God Bless.

#babyschep's nursery progress: Wall Art!

So, it's been forever again--pregnancy #2 is kicking my butt.  I came down with pneumonia the other day, which is not fun when you're this pregnant!  Don't worry, I'm doing much better now, just dealing with the regular aches, pains, and fatigue that come standard with being super pregnant and working until your due date.

Well, y'all know I've been blabbing about my new Cricut machine lately.  I don't mean to brag, and I'm certainly not getting paid to write about it--I'm simply excited to learn how to use it.  One of the main draws of the machine for me was its perceived ability to cut out detailed applique designs for my sewing. 

Now most non-sewers would use cardstock or fancy papers (which is a much cheaper alternative, btw!), but I happen to have over 100 bolts of fabric hanging around from my soon-to-be-closed online fabric shop. 

As I revealed earlier, I've selected a space theme for BabySchep's nursery, and we painted the nursery deep, dark blue.  I thought that this Michael Miller Glitz print would really pop against the dark blue background. 

I fused Heat n Bond Ultrahold to the back of a dark blue solid:

This is a no-sew fusible adhesive.  Given that this will hang on the wall, I figured no sewing would be necessary.  After fusing the adhesive, I peeled away the paper backing and stuck the bonded fabric to one of the purple strong grip Cricut mats.  I used the bonded fabric cut setting on the Cricut, and cut out the Bible verse I had chosen for this particular piece.

I find it mesmerizing to watch the machine in action!

And here's what it looked like after weeding away the unused parts.  It's obviously not in order, as the Cricut software organizes the cut to minimize waste. 

This was my first go-round trying fusible applique cut out by the Cricut.  What I learned: 

• The grip on the purple mat is a tad too strong.  I struggled a little bit to remove the finer pieces without ripping or distortion.  I've since had success using the standard grip green mat, even with the paper still attached. 
• I cut too deep.  I used the standard "bonded fabric" setting on the machine, and it ended up cutting into the mat as well.  It later cracked along one of these cuts when attempting to remove a different project.  Not a huge loss--you can use the mat from either end, so it's still in usable condition.  I've since learned that you can use the "cardstock" setting, even with the paper still attached. 
• Designing takes time.  My laptop is fairly old as far as computers go, and it took quite a while to manipulate the design to a manageable state.  I think I'll download this font onto my newer desktop to see if it handles the editing quicker.  UPDATE: Since I first typed this post, Cricut has since updated their Design Space software, and my computer handles it much better now! 

In the end, I think the product turned out great:

Applied heat to both sides.

Pretty cool, huh?  I bought some inexpensive FISKBO frames from IKEA, and now I've got some personalized wall art! 

 

I'm still debating whether to hang this one on the wall, or to leave it on the floating shelf.  I'll wait until the rest of the verses are done (I've now trained my husband to use the Cricut!) before I decide. 

 

We've managed to get a few more projects finished/underway for BabySchep, so I'm sure I'll be sharing those soon.  Linking up with Finish it Up Friday (do no-sew projects count?). Until then, God Bless!