Sun hat - HELP NEEDED!

The last week I felt better than all the weeks before ... so I guess the whole morning sickness business is getting better. There are still times when I feel really bad and unfortunately I can not make out a pattern - so it's always like a surprise and I can not plan anything really - but still better than feeling bad almost all the time!
Since I was feeling so good yesterday as well, I felt like starting a new project. I have not been sewing in WEEKS and was really eager to sew something. I had bought a couple patterns for childrens' clothing weeks ago and was looking through them. I could not bring myself to making a dress - which I plan on doing before summer - but still wanted to make something that my daughter could use on our upcoming holidays. We FINALLY - after weeks of searching for holiday homes that will allow dogs - booked something and I am VERY excited about it. We will be going to the Baltic sea at the beginning of June which is about 4 hours away from where we live. We were actually planning to go to Denmark as last year - much easier when traveling with a dog - but when I knew I was pregnant I figured a 7-hour car trip might not really be what I want ....
Anyway, that was not what this post was supposed to be about. So, I wanted to sew something for my daughter and decided that I want to make her a sun hat. We are of course hoping that we will be needing one! ;-) And the ones she ownes are a bit tight ... so I figured it would be a good choice. Also the pattern stated that this would be a good project for a beginner. Well, I thought, there you go. Perfect!
It turnes out ... NOT REALLY! I am almost done with the hat. It took me yesterday and today. And ... well, it looks cute ... but is WAY to big!!!! *CRY*
I AM NOT going to undo the whole thing! However, I also don't want to wear this hat myself because of the color choice! I guess you will understand. And I am not a good enough sewer to have an idea how I could save the project!
The hat was supposed to be reversible. I did not yet attach the second part of the brim yet. I am kinda thinking maybe I could somehow incorporate some elastic band at the bit where the hat and the brim meet ... so it would make it smaller. But I guess it would probably look funny cause it would bunch up the hat ...
If it was just a bit too big I would just add some ribbon to the sides. But the hat is quite a lot too big ....
Anyone out there who has some idea - ANY IDEA - how to save the hat???

This is the side I already completely sewed together.



This is the "inside" which is still open.


Just in case you are wondering - how is it possible to end up with a MUCH too big hat if you are using a pattern?
WELL ... all you have to do is make your husband measure your kids head ... and NOT checking!!! (BAD CHOICE!) But to be fair - that only accounted for a fraction of the excess size. As I am not very experienced with sewing my main fear ALWAYS is that the piece turnes out too small. So I tend to rather add a bit when drawing the pattern on the fabric, cutting it and sewing it ... cause I am so scared that I migh take away too much ... Also I am not very good yet at estimating the seam allowance so sometimes on the fabric I add more than I actually use when sewing. If you only have like two pieces this will make your final piece a bit bigger - but still works out fine usually. BUT if you have like 6 pieces - as with the hat - and just add for example 2mm at each side of each of these pieces - well, YOU ARE SCREWED!!!
And the worst thing, I actually DID realize that it might end this way already when I started out drawing the hat BUT did not go through the maths and figured ... well, it can't make THAT much of a difference. Oh yeah, right ...

Happy Easter!!!

Paper eggs

I just wanted to show something my daughter made yesterday. As I was feeling quite well yesterday I wanted to craft something with her. She loves crafting at the moment ... so I figured I should take advantage of that. But I had not prepared anything ... so what we did was very very simple. But I still love it since she really did do everything herself. (Well, except for the pattern - I made an cardboard egg pattern that she used.)
She drew around the pattern, cut it out, wrote on it and glued colored paper on it. It's nothing really special - but I love it just for her handwriting! I still can't believe that she can "write" Oma (grandmom) and Opa (granddad). She also can write mom and dad (in german Mama and Papa) and her name. I would have never expected a child of three to be able to do that. I distinctly remember when I was trying for the first time in my life to write the capital letter "M"! I used a ruler cause I could not get the lines straight! And I was SEVEN!!!

ABC book

I am feeling better today - hopefully this will last a bit - and therefore thought I take the chance to write a post. As I already said, I did not do much during the last weeks that I could write about. But I am very excited about one of the presents for my daughter for Easter. I already started making it sometime last year. I actually wanted to give it to her for Christmas. In the end we decided not to give it to her at Christmas mainly for two reasons
- we had so many other presents already
- I was not completely done yet ;-)
I had started during the last year to make an ABC photo book. You know those picture books that have one letter of the alphabet on each page and a picture of something that starts with that letter? Well, that's what I did. I never really liked those books in the stores. For some reason I either did not like the pictures, or the choice of things that they used for different letters, or both ... :-)
So I decided to make her a book using photos of things she knows, people, animals, places we have been to - that kinda thing. I figured even if she would not like the ACB-part of the book - she definitely would enjoy the photos. I had started this project I think already in summer last year. I made it on the computer with digital photos. I used a free program from a business that makes photo books. To order the book did cost quite a lot. (Way more than the books at the store - so this is definitely NOT a way to save money!) But I just like the personalized book so much more - I think it is worth the money!
I was at the beginning thinking of making one by hand - the good old fashioned way. :-) But I figured if I order all the photos I would need and buy all the supplies (different papers and stamps and stuff) ... it would probably end up costing not that much less. I guess it would have taken about the same amount of time ... not sure though. But I would have had a big mess of papers, cuttings, scissors, glue ... lying around in my house for months!!! The computerized way definitly is less messy. ;-)

Well, as I said it took me ages to finally finish the book. But when I got it in the mail about 2 weeks ago I was so happy! It turned out wonderful! And I am also very happy we did not give it to her at Christmas - since now seems the perfect timing. She is very interested in letters. She can write a few - like the ones in her name. And she just started to be able to identify the sounds at the beginning of a word, which she could not do AT ALL at around Christmas time. So I guess it will be perfect.
Here are a few pictures of the book:


Obviously the first page in the book - Arzt means doctor, Ameisenbär is an anteater, and Auto means car. Here a few more pages:


I really can't wait to give it to her! :-)

Why I am not writing ...

First of all, I am really sorry, for not writing in such a long time. I haven't been feeling well lately and most days I did not even switch on my computer. If I did switch it on I just did it to clean out my email-inbox so it would not overflow ... which it did regularly anyway ...
The reason why I am not well is that I am pregnant. I am very excited about it! And my husband and my daughter are really excited, too. However, at the moment morning sickness is rather a "all-day-long sickness". Also I don't have any energy - not for writing and also not for doing anything interesting to write about. I barely have enough energy to go to work, take care of my daughter, just do the things that really NEED to be done. I have been a bit better the last two days ... so I am kinda hoping that it will get progressively better ...
I am in the 10th week now. People keep telling me that it will get better after the first trimester. Well, with my daughter I was feeling miserable MUCH longer! But I hope I am more lucky this time. :-)
So, even though you probably won't be hearing alot from me in the next weeks I hope once I get my energy back and feel better I can post more interesting stuff.