Kyle keeps taking pictures when Hazel is really cute and I have no make-up on. Oh well. This was after bath time the other day. Our baby is getting so big! She has figured out that if she kicks while she's in the bath, she can splash.
My sister Betsey recently took up a new hobby of cross-stitching, and made this lovely surprise gift for Hazel. When everyone was in town for Hazel's blessing we took it to a frame shop, and I finally was able to pick it up a few days ago. I love how it turned out. Sorry the focus is bad, I don't have a great camera and it wasn't working for me. At least I turned off the flash so it doesn't have a huge glare.
A slightly closer view without the frame:
A fuzzy closeup on the frame and mat we chose:
My sister Betsey recently took up a new hobby of cross-stitching, and made this lovely surprise gift for Hazel. When everyone was in town for Hazel's blessing we took it to a frame shop, and I finally was able to pick it up a few days ago. I love how it turned out. Sorry the focus is bad, I don't have a great camera and it wasn't working for me. At least I turned off the flash so it doesn't have a huge glare.
A slightly closer view without the frame:
A fuzzy closeup on the frame and mat we chose:
My sister Helena had a baby boy on December 27th, which was her daughter Kate's 4th birthday. He is the first grandson on my family's side, so we are all excited! Here is a picture of Kate and new brother Andy. (Helena DOES have a great camera.)
I made a blessing dress for Kate that has since been used by Elizabeth (my brother's daughter) and Hazel, but we had no boy outfit, so I got to make one for him. I had some troubles with it--I got the collar sewn on and realized that its center and the center of the vest were about 1/2" off from each other, and it looked horrible and it was impossible to fix, so I had to start over on the top. That was quite frustrating, but I knew the second time through to be really careful about marking and lining up centers. I finally got it finished last night, and I'm very pleased with the result! I hope that Helena likes it and that it looks cute on Andy. Now I have to go mail it to them so it can get there before Sunday. I don't usually cut projects this close, so I'm glad to have finished this.
I made a blessing dress for Kate that has since been used by Elizabeth (my brother's daughter) and Hazel, but we had no boy outfit, so I got to make one for him. I had some troubles with it--I got the collar sewn on and realized that its center and the center of the vest were about 1/2" off from each other, and it looked horrible and it was impossible to fix, so I had to start over on the top. That was quite frustrating, but I knew the second time through to be really careful about marking and lining up centers. I finally got it finished last night, and I'm very pleased with the result! I hope that Helena likes it and that it looks cute on Andy. Now I have to go mail it to them so it can get there before Sunday. I don't usually cut projects this close, so I'm glad to have finished this.
I used a satin-back shantung, which is actually the same fabric that my brides-maids skirts were, except not periwinkle. =) I used the satin side for the vest, collar, and leg bands.
It feels good to be making progress. This was my first sewing project since Hazel was born, and Kyle was a big help taking care of her so I could go downstairs to sew. It also felt good to get Hazel's cross stitch hung up--her room is looking more complete now.
2 comments:
Barbie,
I too am jealous of the beautiful pictures Helena takes. My camera is not nearly as nice as hers, but I have found a few tricks that make a huge difference and make me happier with the pictures.
The most important thing is the light that you take the pictures in. Spontaneous snapshots have to be taken whereever they happen, but if you're posing the baby for pictures, try to find a lot of natural light. Having the light come from just one side, like through a window, makes intresting shadows, and pleasing pictures. Outside at noon is about the worst time to take them though since light shining from dorectly above makes funny shadows under the eyes and nose. Also, try not to have the subject backlit by taking a picture with the window as background.
You can play with the fill light in Picasa and brighten some dark pictures. They also have a really good redeye fix.
The other trick is to make the subject fill up the frame. Take some close-up pictures of just the baby's head. It sounds weird, but it really makes a difference. If you go on Helena's blog, and look at just the pictures she's posted this last week or two, you'll see what I mean.
Good luck, and take lots of pictures with whatever camera you have. We're so lucky to have digital cameras where we can see the photo immediately to know if we got a good one, and also only pay to print the good ones.
If you do decide to inveset in a better camera, don't feel like you have to pay $600 and carry around a giant thing with a huge lens to get decent pictures. You should know that you can get a fairly decent pocket sized point and shoot camera for about $100-$150 these days. You should look for options like optical zoom and a high number of megapixels (mine has 7, and that's plenty for printing 4x6 photos).
I admire you for what you are able to do with limited time, and having to go back to work. This comment is only intendeed to help you make the most of the time and resources you have.
love Karen
You both look adorable! Hey, I'm jealous that Kyle takes pictures of you and Hazel at all. I'd love to have more spontaneous stuff like that.
The outfit looks wonderful! Thanks so much! I expect I'll need care instructions--Andy is sure to spit up on it.
I love Betsey's cross-stitch, too. Beautiful!
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