seven months of colin

Check out this cute little seven-month-old!

Colin favorite activity this month was probably bath time. (Which is good, because he's getting a lot more baths to wash off all the day care germs.) He's just starting to sit up in the bath and is discovering the joy of splashing. He can soak the entire bathroom in a matter of minutes with his spirited water-smacking! He also thinks trying to grab a stream of water is the height of comedy.

His army crawling technique improves every day, and he's quite fast now! Sometimes, he gets up into a hands and knees pose and rocks back-and-forth a few times before resorting to the army crawl/leg kicks to propel himself. He can sit unsupported very briefly. He loves bouncing up and down in the jumper so much that sometimes he bounces himself to sleep in it! (I love his dramatic pose in the jumper photo below.) While his nap timing is consistent, the duration is not. Sometimes a nap is 10 minutes and sometimes (rarely) it's 2 hours! It makes planning our day a little challenging, but we're not going anywhere anyways so it doesn't really matter.

He is generally a pretty happy baby unless he is hungry. Then he gets MAD. If he's crawling around exploring and decides that it's time to eat, he crawls over and pulls on our feet or pants until we pick him up. If we don't respond right away, he can get really loud, really quickly! He likes all the foods we've introduced including cereal, peanut butter, pears, apples, bananas, sweet potatoes, carrots, prunes, and green beans (though he likes those better if they're mixed with fruit). He still has no teeth... but plenty of drool! He has discovered his tongue this month and is constantly sticking it out at us like a little snake.

He's back to a reasonable sleep schedule after several bad nights followed by a few nights of sleep training. When he wakes at night, I can usually settle him to sleep by popping the pacifier back in his mouth and holding his little hand. Unfortunately, he's now out of arm's reach since I had to lower the Pack N' Play mattress! I caught him (almost literally) climbing over the edge last week! He has also been pulling up on the bottom stair and even crawled on top of a small toy bin and got stuck like a turtle.

Colin adores Mae. He thinks everything she does is hilarious. She finds him equally entertaining (unless he manages to get a hold of her hair or one of her coloring pages). I just love seeing them interact! They are so cute with each other!

Happy seven months! I wonder what month 8 will bring. Teeth? Puffs? More baby gates??

a sweet little apron

Behold, the only handmade gift I made this Christmas. I gave Kelsey this apron for our sibling Secret Santa exchange. The pattern is the Sweet and Sassy Apron by Modern Vintage Designs on Etsy. I love the long ties and the sweetheart neckline. The instructions are easy to follow and all the seams are enclosed. The only change I made was to add a white lining to the skirt, since the print of the main fabric shows up better against a white backing.

I tried a little harder to shop local this year, so I was so excited to find the perfect fabrics at Make.Do! The main fabric is Cotton + Steel Amalfi Explorer, which is perfect for my travel-loving sister! I think she should make a bucket list of all the landmarks featured, since she's already checked off several in Europe!

I made this apron pattern once before as a gift for Emily. I still love that bird print fabric. The aprons got quite a workout with all the holiday cooking and baking over Christmas!

harry potter crib mobile pattern

My most popular blog post, by far, is the Harry Potter crib mobile I made for my nephew. It has almost 3 times more views than the next most popular post and even shows up in the top results of google image searches!

Over the last few years, I’ve received almost 100 emails asking to share the pattern. I recently reached out to everyone who contacted me and asked if they’d be willing to share photos of their projects. I was thrilled to receive so many responses. I think these little characters have been stitched up on 4 continents now!

I absolutely love seeing all these amazing creations. My favorite part is how each person adds their own little touch to the project. There are baby mobiles galore but also garlands and Christmas ornaments. Can’t sew? No problem. Try glue! One resourceful crafter even cut the shapes from wood and painted them! Make sure to scroll through the photos, appreciate all the beautiful handiwork, and get inspired to make your own felt Harry Potter. Plus, if you're looking for ideas for a Harry Potter nursery, there are several great inspiration photos here!

If you’d like to make your own felt Harry Potter characters, send me an email using my new contact form. Click here or click the “contact me” link on the right side of the page. Be patient, since it sometimes takes me a few days to respond.

Now enjoy browsing through all these beautiful projects!

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Lauren made this adorable mobile for her niece, and since then she has gained a nephew who also loves it! I spy some cute ribbon that says "under your spell" with pictures of magic wands. I also like the use of googly eyes, and especially how they look with Harry's glasses. That's one happy baby under the mobile!

M. Hagan made this mobile for her friend's baby. I bet anyone who receives a handmade mobile can feel how much love went in to every stitch!

Maria made this mobile for her baby's nursey. Aren't those owl softies and lamp just perfect for a Harry Potter nursery?

Tiff bought a custom music box that plays the Harry Potter theme on this mobile she made for her son Elliott. What a perfect idea!

I especially like the wooden ring Ashlee used to hang all the pieces on this mobile she made for her friend! 

Check out the mobile Shauna made for this Harry Potter-themed nursery! I like the little star buttons she added to Dumbledore's hat. The Gryffindor crochet blanket and canopy are perfect, and I see a cute plush Hedwig in that crib!

Lara made this mobile for her baby. I'm pretty sure I used the same hanger; I can hardly tell this one apart from the version I made. She also got the stuffing amount just right to make cute puffy little characters.

This mobile was converted to a wall-hanging when the baby grew tall enough to reach it. It makes a perfect garland! Also, isn't this such a sweet quote for a Harry Potter nursery? "It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be."

Eve made this mobile for her best friend's baby. The stitching on this is so neat and precise!

Lindsay made this mobile for her friend's son. His favorite characters are Harry and Dumbledore! That Marauder's Map blanket is such a perfect accessory for a Harry Potter nursery, too.

Christopher made this mobile for his daughter's nursey, proving that this project is great for dads, too! Also, let's take a moment to appreciate that cute crib sheet, Hedwig's cage, and Platform 9 3/4 sign!

The twine wrapped ring and white stars give such a sweet, simple style to this mobile Cailin made for her baby.

Josephine from Denmark made this mobile for a friend's baby shower. I like how she made the scarf stripes with embroidery thread to match Harry's tie. Also, I have serious ceiling envy (if that's a thing); that wood ceiling is so cool.

Johanna found me through the blog of someone else who also made this pattern! I love how this mobile looks with the walls in this nursery. Make sure to follow her sewing adventures on instagram! https://www.instagram.com/johannassystagram/

Jennifer added Dobby to the group. I love the green eyes she used for Dobby and the golden ones for Hedwig! The eyebrows also add such sweet expressions to the characters. Make sure to check out the beautiful felt creations on her etsy shop! https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/JennyBits

Adrienne made this beautiful mobile for her sister's baby. Her variation on Hedwig is soo cute, and I like the extra embellishment on Dumbledore's hat.

Carol made this mobile for her first granddaughter. Here's a couple screenshots from the cute video she sent me. I love seeing a mobile in action!

Susan made this mobile for her grandbaby. I can't get over those adorable pudgy baby arms!! Also, I had to do some quick research on that Harry Potter activity cube in the background of the photo, and I found a tutorial link here if you're looking for additional Harry Potter crafts! https://www.craftingcheerfully.com/harry-potter-baby-activity-cube/

Frosty made a mobile for her friend's baby. Here are some great in-process photos! I sit on the couch while hand stitching and usually end up completely covered in bits of thread.

Caitlyn requested the pattern while she was providing childcare for essential workers. Two of her students teamed up to make these characters, and they did a fantastic job! One student has even progressed from hand sewing to machine sewing!

Korena made this mobile for her grandson, who loves it! I like the stars she added to Dumbledore's hat and robe. Check out that brick wall and those Harry Potter crib sheets!

Gaby from Costa Rica found a great alternative to felt and hand stitching. She cut the figures from MDF and painted them. Aren't these amazing? I might need to make a wooden mobile in the future!

Anna made this adorable little group of characters. Don't they look so happy all together??

Connie sent me some in-process photos of her mobile. Hermione is all stitched up, and now Connie is starting on Ron!

If you're a little intimidated by the thought of all the hand-stitching, you can follow Betty's lead and use glue instead! This gives a nice, clean look around the edges.

Kim made this beautiful garland for her cousin. I have really enjoyed seeing all the creative ideas for displaying these characters!

Liz made these ornaments for her granddaughter. How cute does Hedwig look sitting on Harry's shoulder?? I also like the stitching on Hermione's hair.

In addition to this blog post, I created this new page where I can continue to update and add pictures as I receive them. So, please keep the photos coming, and check back often to see the latest responses!