Crib Skirt Cut Out

I spent the better part of my on-my-feet hours today cutting out all of the pieces for the crib skirt. I had cut out the panels I needed for the curtains first since they were the biggest pieces. Next, I needed to cut out the pieces for the crib skirt, and then finally with the leftovers I could cut the tabs for the tab-top.

Since almost all of the pieces were perfect squares, I decided to use my rotary cutter and rulers. This seemed to work very well with the cotton-as-linen. However, when I got to the silk I really struggled. My cutting surface was not big enough for the long cuts that I needed to make. So I had to move the cutting pad under the silk mid-way through cutting a piece out. Trying to keep the silk and the pattern in one place while moving a rubbery surface underneath didn't end up working out so well. I also struggled with keeping the silk squared off. I'm not sure if it will be noticeable, but I found it very frustrating as I went.

So now I have all of the pieces cut out and ready to be thrown together. All I have left to cut are the tabs for the tops of the curtains and the two big panels of the curtain lining. Hopefully it will start coming together quickly now.

Still no baby. I'm now 9 days past my due date...

Baby's Room!

I am a few days over my due date with my first child, a baby boy. I have been planning to sew curtains and a crib skirt for the nursery since my husband and I decided to start a family. We decided on the theme for the nursery (woods/forest) back in March when we found out we were having a boy. Pretty soon thereafter, the plan for the linens in the baby's room started to form.

I am sewing a side-drape, tab-top, single-panel curtain in white faux-linen with a green silk border. The crib skirt will be done with matching fabrics with a similar width band at the bottom. I'm using McCall's 4855 as the pattern for the crib skirt. Below are samples of the fabric from Fabric Warehouse.

I didn't have everything in place to start working on the pieces until my third trimester, which I found terribly exhausting. It is only now, as things are winding down at work, and the baby is getting ready to make his entrance into the world, that I am finding time to try to put the pieces together.

I have never made curtains before, so the size of the fabrics has been a little intimidating. It's also my first time working with silk, also intimidating. So far, I have washed all of the fabrics, and pressed the fabrics for the curtains. I have a little more fabric to press, and then I can get going on putting things together!

I am a little disappointed with how the silk came out of the wash. I read online that dupioni should be washable on the lowest setting and can even be dried on low in the drier. So I tried these steps, and ended up with a ton of little creases. I knew that I would need to be able to wash the completed pieces, as they will be in a child's room for many years. So I'm glad I started out with washing the items, but I mourn the luxurious even drape of the silk when it first arrived.