Friday, December 05, 2014

All Abuzz

My parents recently found an older model Bugaboo Bee in a yard sale, which they very generously purchased as an early baby gift. It's easily the nicest stroller we've ever owned, and I never thought I could love a stroller so much! With a little TLC, it was ready to go. However, it came with a very, very pink canopy -- and while at the time there was still a possibility that our little one might be a girl, I knew I wanted something more neutral. The perfect excuse to indulge in a specific fabric I've been drooling over for ages: Birch Fabrics "Flight" Organic Canvas in Mineral.

 A rare sale popped up while I was hemming and hawing over the price of that fabric -- and a coupon code, to boot -- so I took advantage of that to buy some of the same fabric in knit. I have plans to make several coordinating accessories, including a new Baby K'tan (I love the one I made for Rosa, but was wanting a change from boring brown knit), a carseat canopy/nursing cover/blanket (still mulling over my options for that), and a pair of little baby pants and a hat. And a stroller organizer? Maybe, perhaps?

But first was the stroller canopy:


Would you look at the size of that canopy?! It really keeps the sun out , but it can be retracted for a better view. 

I absolutely love how it turned out! I traced the canopy pieces and did a trial run in some old decorator weight fabric, but in the end decided that I really just needed to disassemble the original canopy and use the pieces as a pattern. The results were much better.

I love the way it buttons on to the stroller in the back:




I ended up lining the canopy with grey linen -- the original canopy had serged seams inside, but I decided I wanted the extra weight and the nicer finish of a full lining. It made a few things more complicated, but was well worth it.


You can catch of glimpse of Rosa in her "stroller coma." As soon as you strap her into
a stroller, she totally zones out.

I couldn't resist attaching the original canopy tag:




I'm so thrilled -- and relieved -- that this worked, and can't wait to use the stroller for our newest addition in a few months, Lord willing (though Rosa has become quite attached to the "twoller," so I'm not sure how she'll feel about being supplanted!).


Stopping for a little chat on our walk

Now to get busy using up the rest of my fabric!

5 comments:

  1. Beautiful fabric!! I really love this.

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    1. Thank you, Mrs. Cote! It was actually quite fun personalizing the stroller -- I think I'm glad the old canopy didn't work out. :-)

      Blessings,
      Shannon

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  2. That's a great fabric choice, and so "you." :) Well done! What a blessing to have a nice, smooth stroller. We've never had a really nice stroller with our three babies -- when we were recently at my brother's house for a visit, we borrowed their old stroller to take Rosie for a walk, and I was amazed at how lightweight and easy to push it was! I can't remember the brand name. I'd be tempted to look for one myself, but I mostly use a double stroller these days, anyway. :)

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    1. Thanks, Laura! We purchased a sturdier umbrella stroller about two years ago, since the one we had was virtually useless with a child over fifteen pounds. :-) I was shocked at the difference! It's a tad bigger, but so much better. I *just* sold our double when we got this troller; I'd never really been a fan of it and hadn't used it in months (though it was incredibly helpful after Rosa was born). But again, perhaps if we'd had a nicer double stroller, I'd have been happier with it. :-)

      Blessings,
      Shannon

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  3. I love how it turned out!! I don't really like my double, but it does the job... I'd love to someday get a double jogging! It's my dream stroller... I have a single and it's so smooth and easy to push! Maybe someday :)

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