Ellis will celebrate her first birthday one week from today. She has sprouted new front teeth for the occasion …

and is working on walking …

She loves books, so I created one from her outgrown baby clothes …

complete with a peek-a-boo flap a la Pat the Bunny …

It is full of siblings …

parents …

and extended family …

with a NanaPopPop thrown in for good measure …

because every birthday is special, but first birthdays especially so …

And while I was too in-the-zone to stop and take process pictures along the way, here’s a look at the stitched spine …

which was great good fun to cobble together.

Last, but not least, for all of you who predicted it would be so very soft to the touch …

you were so very right!

Ellis is almost one year old …

and what a year it has been!

As I did with Parker, I have requested E’s outgrown clothes in hopes of making a patched coverlet. But the reality is that the littlest ones wear mostly knits, and the few outfits that are made of woven cloth are teeny tiny, which means I am far from having the requisite yardage.

But knits there are (or were) in abundance. So, I’m working out of my comfort zone …

Even going so far as to use the sewing machine …

Not one of my strengths, but hand stitching will bring it all together in the end.

To be continued …