Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Gearing Up: Boys' Room Redo



We have big plans for the boys' little room. Their room is 7 feet wide and 14 feet long. I think my mom's closet is bigger than that, but my boys don't care at all. They love being roommates and love that their window faces our action packed street.

The time has come to give that room a major overhaul. Andrew is still in a toddler bed and his bed frame is falling apart. Plus we think Isaac might be ready to graduate from his crib. So, I have been schemeing for weeks on their new room and have things pretty well planned out.

The first thing on my list? Make these boys some quilts! The last two weekends I've been spending lots of time at home, fussing around my dining room table cutting fabric, sewing strips together and building two twin sized quilts. Andrew's OT has talked to me about a weighted blanket for him at night (remember his weighted vest?!? It's all about deep pressure, let me tell you!) and I spent some time researching and brainstorming ways to add weight to his quilt. People do all kinds of things. I saw lots of pockets with little bags of dried beans or rice that can be removed when it's time for the blanket to get washed. But I also kept hearing about these:



Craft Pellets!
These are what give beanie babies their weight. They are small, heavy and completely washable. So, during the assembly of the quilt I included a layer of craft pellets. And it really makes a huge difference. They weight the quilts so that the quilts are snug around you. I'm super pleased with how they worked out! And I went ahead and added the pellets to both blankets. And they both seem to like them!





Phase one of room redo? Done and done!
Next up? Painting!

12 comments:

Ruth said...

Super cool quilts! What a talented mummy you are!

Deb @ PaperTurtle said...

Can't wait to see what you do with their room. Be sure to take some before and after shots!

I love that you put the craft pellets in their quilts. I'm betting that they feel amazing to be covered up with and also to touch. I've used those pellets in bean bags I've made for little ones so that they could be washed. Cool stuff. xo

erin said...

craft pellet quilts sounds awesome! I love the weight of blankets and the heavier the better. Even in summer I like their feel. I much prefer layers of blankets to a down comforter. The best is when I get in and my hubby tucks everything super tight so I feel like I'm sleeping in a fajita.

I want to see the quilts better! Is that music fabric on there?

You're too hip!

Cat said...

I've just redone Jake's room and since I don't sow, I had to buy a quilt. It was almost mission impossible...I finally found one I liked at Target (during a visit to the US...)
Your quilt is amazing and will be "appropriate"
for a long time.
Can't wait to see more!

Mama V said...

Love it! You're so good at mixing fabrics that I would never think to put together. And you're great at re-using scraps from old projects -- I recognize some of those fabrics (and totally dig the new train fabric)!

Just curious about how this works: when you say "layer of pellets," does that mean you that gravity makes the pellets fall to the bottom of the parts of the quilt that are hanging? Or did you add pellets inside each of those little quilted squares to keep them evenly spread out? How did you manage that issue?

Andrew: I adore your little freckles!

ComfyMom~Stacey said...

Beautiful quilts. I'm also wondering how you keep the pellets spread evenly, or are they only on the edges?

Dave said...

it's kind of hard to explain, but basically I filled a few squares with pellets, then sewed them closed. Filled some more, sewed them closed. Etc. So, they are pretty evenly distributed.

Music fabric? I don't think so... Trains! and letter/number fabric. And you'll see them better when I post photos of the quilts on their beds! But...don't have the new beds yet. ;)

JIW said...

They look awesome!

Susan said...

Love the colors, Robyn! Can't wait to make a contribution to the room redo :)

Eric's mom has a quilt that we all call the "lead-lined quilt" and we recently learned that it is lots and lots of old men's undershirts. All that jersey fabric is really heavy. Craft pellets are probably cheaper than layer after layer of jersey fabric but that is another washable idea in case the pellets don't work long-term for some reason.

Susan said...

The I want comments comment :)

Melissa Belmonte said...

I want a weighted quilt!

They are gorgeous, Robyn.

I did phase one of our bedroom redo last May. Phases 2, 3, and 4 have yet to be done. January. Everything is in January for me. Supposedly.

Tabitha and Larry said...

The quilts are perfect! The fact that Andrew is able to express his desire for weighted vests and blankets makes me like you and Dave as parents even more. 6:30 am brain. Don't judge.