Pattern Review: My Green Cloth "Curves"

*I'm playing a bit of catch-up with posts like this one, that I'd started months ago, but then got too sick to finish.  Hopefully I can get caught up before the baby comes in a few weeks.

This pattern turned out a pad that ended up being a gift.  I'm actually a little disappointed that I gave it away, because I'd really like to try it out in real life, not just the sewing!

The Shop: MyGreenCloth
The Pattern: Curves

In a previous post, I reviewed another pattern by this designer, Courtney, and described the interaction with her, which was great.  There had been a mix-up with a pdf, and she very generously accommodated me.  I decided to buy all of the patterns she has in her shop (there are three).  So this was the next one that I tried.  

Once again, the pattern was easy to print and assemble.  And once again, the instructions for including a hidden PUL layer were a bit muddled to me.  There is a set of instructions there for it, but they are short, with very few pictures, and those pictures don't explain just how to do it very well.  

For some reason, I found the angles of the curves on this pad a little difficult to navigate.  You can see how they are more of a rounded corner than a nice, easy-to-sew curve.  But I found that if I just slowed down a little, it wasn't a problem.  It turned out to make a great shape, although not a fast pad to work up.  So again, maybe not the best pattern to use for your very first pad, but it would be great once you get the hang of pad-making and are ready to try something new.

One thing I do really love about the MyGreenCloth patterns is Courtney's method for assembling and stitching the core.  It's a method that saves a lot of time, because you don't have to cut out each individual layer, one at a time.  It also helps prevent the layers from slipping around and distorting the shape, which is a problem I've had before.  So this is now my preferred core assembly method.

This pad works up to be about 3" across and (if I remember right - curse me for giving it away before measuring!) about 10.5" long.  That's a little wider than what I would wear as a day-to-day pad, but will be great for me as an overnight or during the daytime for postpartum.

Pattern Review: My Childhood Treasures Peasant Top

When I got my new sewing machine a few months ago, I decided to try it out on a new pattern. The machine had me in tears, but the project sure turned out cute!

The Shop: My Childhood Treasures

The Pattern: Natalie Peasant Top

I have a little girl who has been a bit jealous of all the things I've been making for other people.  So when I saw the pattern for this sweet little peasant top, I knew it was the one to fill the need. 

This pattern is just 2 pieces, the main body and the sleeves.  It has options for long or short sleeves, and the short sleeves can be a puffed sleeve like I chose to make, or a flutter sleeve.  The instructions come with loads of details and pictures.  It's also sold in baby sizes, but this one comes with sizes 2-10.  

When I was a teenager and young adult, garment patterns were only available from the fabric store, printed in all the sizes on the same piece or pieces of tissue paper.  The sizes were never true, and it was a monster to try and cut out the size you wanted, while still preserving the pattern so that you could use it again in other sizes.  The instructions could be hard to follow, and used technical terminology and markings that made it tough to assemble the garments unless you'd had sewing classes.  And even then, it could be daunting.  (Obviously, those patterns are still what's sold at the fabric store.)  My mom told me that she once heard an interview with a representative from one of "the big three" pattern manufacturers.  He said, "we sell dreams," meaning that the patterns weren't exactly designed for real-life use, but for drooling over.  Like a really expensive Pinterest board.

Indie sewing has changed all that, to my great relief.  The movement of independent designers has made it possible to buy patterns that are generally true to size, with easy-to-follow instructions, and patterns are instantly downloadable to your computer, so you're able to print and cut them as many times as you need.  They're actually made for average humans to use.

This pattern worked out in just that way.  It was so simple, that it kept me from returning my sewing machine!  (Fortunately, I have since developed a better relationship with my machine, so it's a good thing I started out with an easy project like this!)


There were lots of clear instructions, accompanied by excellent photos.  The instructions were broken up in a sort of step-by-step grid, which made it easy for my tired brain to stay on task and work in the correct order.  The little blouse worked up very quickly, even with my confusion over my machine.

Even now, this is my daughter's favorite shirt, and I find myself washing it constantly.  It was true to size, and I love that the design makes it adjustable (I could make it longer if I choose), with lots of sleeve options.  I also loved the elastic neck and arm bands, which have helped it keep its fit, even as she's gone through a growth spurt.

Healing Salve Recipe

In my last post, I talked about my plans to use some herbs to help my recovery along after the baby comes. (Since that time is coming up fast, most of my posts will be related to my frenzied preparations.)

I decided to share the "recipe" I use for making our family's salve here. Its been a huge blessing for our accident-and-injury-prone family. As I mentioned in my other post, the herb mixture isn't exclusive to using in salves or ointments. It can also be used in lots of other applications. (Since I'll be using the herbs in more tender areas this time, I'll be omitting the cayenne pepper for this round.)

We use this salve for bruising, scrapes and cuts, sprains, and other minor injuries. I've given tubs of it to friends who have had surgeries, dislocations, and other injuries, and they've said that it helped. Many of the herbs in this recipe also have pain relieving properties.  Just FYI,  this ointment smells funny.  Like... herbs.  It's not an offensive smell though, and I don't really mind it.

*But please note that I am not an herbalist! So please do your own research when it comes to using herbs. Some can be dangerous when ingested or when used in large quantities or for babies or small children. Don't be poisoning yourselves!

Healing, pain relief salve:
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup shea nut oil
1/4 cup sweet almond oil

2 Tbsp Dr. Christopher's BF&C herbs
1Tbsp valerian root powder
1 Tbsp St. John's wort powder
1 Tbsp comfrey root
1 Tbsp lobelia leaf
1 tsp cayenne

4 Tbsp (1 oz) beeswax (pastilles or grated works best)
Approx 20 drops desired essential oils (you can use any. For aroma or healing properties or both.)

Pour carrier oils and herbs in a sauce pan. (Everything but the beeswax and essential oils.) Heat the mixture, stirring it a little, until it's hot but not simmering, so you don't scorch the herbs. Cover and remove from the heat. Let it steep for 30 minutes or more. Heat it again, stirring a little, and remove from heat before it simmers. Cover it again, and let it steep at least 30 more minutes, but preferably overnight. The longer it steeps, the more active the herbs are in the finished product. I steep mine overnight.

Strain the herbs out of the oil using a clean cheesecloth or muslin. Make sure you twist and squeeze the herbs in the cheesecloth to get all the oil that you can out. A lot gets trapped in there. Oil will get all over your hands, but I just rub it in like lotion. :) Discard the herbs.

Put the strained oil in a double boiler to reheat it. (I like to just use a glass measuring cup in a pan of hot water, because in the end, that makes it easier to pour into containers without spilling and wasting.) Add the beeswax, and heat and stir until it melts. Remove from the heat and add essential oils while it's still hot. 

Quickly pour into clean containers, because it will start to set up fast as it cools. If it solidifies too fast, just reheat and then pour again.

I like to use different sized containers. I keep smaller tubs in my purse, in the diaper bag, in the car, etc. I store larger tubs in the fridge so they don't go rancid before we can use them.  I also plan to make a batch with more beeswax to make it more solid and less lotion-y, and pour the hot mixture into roll-out Lip balm tubes so that it can be applied directly to the skin like chap stick, instead of needing to dip into tubs or jars.

All of these ingredients can be found at herb or health food stores, but you might need to hunt for the Dr. Christopher brand herbs, as they're more of a specialty item. Containers for storage and use can be found easily and inexpensively online. 

Beeswax is sold in many forms, and pastilles are definitely easiest to work with here, because it can take some serious muscle power to try and grate a block of wax. Olive oil can be substituted for the other oils in this recipe, but I like using these because they're more moisturizing and seem to soak into my skin, instead of just sitting on top of it like olive oil tends to do for me.

Using Herbs Postpartum

Around my house, we use a healing herbal salve that I make. We use it for speeding the healing of bruises, minor cuts and scrapes, sprains, and other minor injuries. With large household, we go through a lot of it, and we also give it as gifts. 

Today I mixed up a double batch of the herbs. I'm saving half to use the next time we start running out of the ointment. 

The other half is what I'm focused on today, since I'm in a hurry to finish preparing for this little baby to join our family. I'm putting the second half of the herbs in a tea bag, to steep and then use as a compress for myself after the baby comes. The tea bag could also be used in the bath after a birth, sort of like bathing in a tea, to help speed healing. But since I prefer showers during that healing time, I'll be putting my "tea" into a small bottle, which I can use to apply it to my postpartum pads. (I'll just spritz some onto the fresh pads.)

I'll be using that with the witch hazel pads I get at the hospital. I might just make my own, reusable pads, and add some witch hazel to the mix. I'll have to see. If I do that, I'll just make small, single layer flannel washcloths that can be moistened with the tea and witch hazel, then set those on my pads when I change them. I have a large shipment of flannel arriving this weekend, and might dedicate some for this.

For now, my tea bag of herbs is steeping in a half gallon mason jar on the stove, over an ultra low heat double boiler situation.

The tea bag is simply a muslin drawstring bag, which prevents the need to strain out the herbs later on. After steeping this batch, I'll freeze the tea bags to use again later. The next time I use them, the tea will be weaker, but that's okay.

This is my first time using herbs in this particular way, but I'm hopeful that it will help to speed up my generally long healing process after the birth of this baby. Since there are still some weeks before baby comes, I'll probably freeze the finished tea in small containers until I'm ready to use it. And then any leftovers can be used for compresses, in partnership with salve.

I'll share the recipe and process for making the salve in my next post. Just know that the same mixture of herbs can be used in a variety of ways. You don't have to just mix them with oils or waxes.

DIY Flannel Wipes (With Videos)

I'm not a "crunchy mom," or an "environmentalist."  But when I find that a reusable product that works better for me than the disposable version, you betcha I'll use it!  For example, flannel washcloths or baby wipes.  

My babies are born with really sensitive skin.  For their first several months of life, it doesn't matter how quickly I change their diapers after they poop, they will end up with a bleeding rash.  We've found that disposable wipes make the problem worse.  With my first several babies, we used regular terry washcloths with plain water on their little bums.  Terry washcloths are rough and irritating, but it beat disposable wipes.  

With my last baby, his skin was so sensitive that even the chemicals in disposable diapers would cause blisters, so we switched to cloth for a time.  And that is what lead me to the discovery of flannel wipes.  I saw them recommended everywhere with cloth diapers, and for good reason!  So I learned to make them.  

Flannel wipes have been a game-changer for diaper changes in this house, and I feel pretty silly that I didn't know about them 6 babies previously.  They're grippy enough to get baby clean, but soft enough to not cause further irritation to baby's already sore bottom.  They're also great for loads of other uses.  They're good for cleaning little hands and faces.  They're great for makeup removal.  Lots of reusable-product-types use them as a toilet paper alternative, or larger versions of the same thing as un-paper towels.  For women who like reusable menstrual products, they can be used as a trifold liner in a "pocket and liner" or "base and liner" pad. Really, these little guys can be used for all kinds of things.  And they're also super cheap to make.  (Flannel can be purchased for $2.75 a yard around here.)

I was recently asked by a new mom for more information about them, and after hearing more, she wanted to give them a try.  So I decided to make a video explaining how to make them.  They are so dang easy!!  Of course, I am as awesome at videos as I am at photography, so I couldn't figure out how to upload it all in one video, and had to split it up.  But for anyone interested, here are the videos. I like to make lots of them in an 8" square size to have on hand with new babies, and they make great gifts for other new moms.

Now, I am no fan of laundry.  So I have a system for laundering the reusable wipes that keeps the work to a minimum for me.  I like to keep the clean wipes in a mesh laundry bag by my changing area or sink, so that I can just grab one or two out of the bag and wet it down just with plain water for cleaning the baby.  Once used, I put the dirty wipes into a second mesh bag.  When I'm running low on wipes, I zip up the bag of dirties and toss it in the wash with my regular laundry.  I wash and dry them in the zipped bag in a whatever load I'm washing at the time.  Then, when the load is dry, I can just grab the bag of clean and dry wipes, already collected in one place, and I don't have to do any additional sorting or folding. The bag of wipes fresh from the dryer becomes my new "clean" bag, and the other bag that I'd been taking clean wipes from now becomes the new "dirty" bag.   I don't bother with pretty folding and stacking.  I have more important things to do. 
 

Mesh laundry bags like those pictured here can be found for cheap on Amazon.com or at stores like WalMart, Target, etc. in the laundry section.  They're also frequently called "lingerie bags."  If I'm giving a new mom any of the wipes as a gift, I like to include at least one mesh bag with the gift, so it's a double bonus that the wipes and mesh bags are so inexpensive.

Checking In

I'm not sure how personal to get on this blog, since it's more about making stuff and reviews and things. But for anyone reading, I just wanted to check in and say that I've been MIA due to some pregnancy difficulties, and just haven't been able to keep up here.  

I definitely plan to continue blogging! I feel like there's a lot to be shared, and we can all benefit from each other's experiences. While I've been away from the blog, I've still been making things here and there, that I'm excited to share. A few examples:

Baby is coming soon! And while that means my mobility is much more limited now (in fact, I'm typing this up on my phone in a supine position, instead of on my computer), and there will be a time when I will be focusing on a new baby instead of a blog, I'll try to post a few things as I have the opportunity.

Thanks for checking in, and I hope to have something more exciting here soon!