You might remember the Princess and the Pea set I made for K last summer as a surprise on our road trip. Well, the other day I decided to throw the mattresses in the washer to give them a good cleaning. I figured since they were stuffed with bamboo they would be ok; alas, I was wrong. The bamboo balled up into little clumps making the mattresses much to lumpy for a princess. Funny, I thought using bamboo meant it would be machine washable (instead of my usual stuffing choice - wool)
Before (Picture taken in sunny Virginia)
I took advantage of the opportunity and with my little helpers made an assembly line to re-do the mattresses. I used a seam ripper to open them all up then I gave five to K and five to C. I showed them what to do and they both happily went to work pulling all of the stuffing out and then re-stuffing them with more bamboo (we will hand wash them from now on). Then we all went downstairs and sewed the mattresses closed again.
After (Picture taken in Oregon - what a difference!)
There was a slight problem with our mattress makeover... they ended up a lot fuller than last time, so the Princess couldn't get into bed. The girls and I quickly came up with a solution. We went out to our wonderful forest backyard and gathered some sturdy sticks. Then we brought them inside to dry out (it's always raining here). Once they were dry, we sawed or broke them to the right size, used some hemp cord to hold each piece in place and fashioned a ladder.
Another fun use of nature's bounty, and now the Princess can safely climb into a lump free bed to sleep uncomfortably on top of a pea. Peace is restored in our fairytale land.
Wishing you all a beautiful week!
42 comments:
Just wanted to say hello from Austria - your princess is wonderful with all these colourful mattresses :)
So sweet! That set still blows me away, it's absolutely stunning! And the ladder is a perfect addition!
I love that set and the ladder is fantastic! Really sweet and how perfect for your girls. I will certainly keep this in mind for when my daughter gets a little older. Thanks for sharing!
I'm glad you were able to fix everything! That is such an adorable set.
I love this idea! How clever. It's been fun looking at all the wonderful projects you're working on. Thanks for sharing.
So cute, Nicole! I wish I could sew!
Im glad everything worked out as it is such a beautiful set. I made one a few years ago for my daughter but instead of a princess she sewed a little felt mouse to go with it.
That's good to know since I stuffed all my kids Easter toys with bamboo for the same reason. We'll handwash them now! The ladder to the Princess and the Pea bed is adorable. I really do love that set.
That is adorable ^_^
That is a lovely way to spend time.
Did you make the princess doll as well as the mattresses?
That is a lovely way to spend a day.
Did you make the doll as well?
so lovely. i like the set. and the ladder of course!
That is a precious little play set. So creative.
Blessings
Diane
That is pretty funny that the sensitive princess' mattresses came out lumpy after washing. That just won't do! What a cute playset you have made, and the ladder is adorable. love, Beth
That is just so sweet!
I once washed a machine washable throw form Pier 1 that I LOVED. It was filled with that poly stuffing to quilt it. It all balled up in corners and it upset me so much. Good thing you could fix that set.
Where did you get the little doll? I love those and my daughter loves little things. A set like that ( or similar) looks like something she would love.
yet another amazingly sweet use of creativity.
I am so loving that little bed and the ladder is gorgeous.
I love this set! Hmmmm...maybe you should consider selling some in an etsy shop? :)
So amazing. Perfect little set for creative play and storytelling. Your beautiful photos and inspiring ideas are always a source of light for me. Keep it up
So sweet. Love the ladder, it seems perfect for the set!
Hehe...very sweet indeed....yes I think bamboo would swell with water, machine washed or not..all worked out well, and the Princess can rest easy....
Absolutely beautiful!
I love every piece of this Nicole!
What a gorgeous play set you have created and the ladder is incredible! xo
I like the big fat mattresses. Seems like the rework might make the princess more comfy.
Sweet set. I need to make one, one of these days.
This is absolutely beautiful and inspiring! What a very special little plaything.
Don't worry.. it isn't ALWAYS raining, just from Halloween until the 4th of July. Just you wait for July and August though... green grass, clear skies, dry, warm days. No humidity, just a week or so of really hot temperatures to remind you it's summer. Those two months, and the couple that follow it, are why we live here. You'll see.. it'll be worth it :)
adorable!
Would you please pleeeease post a tutorial on how to make the little princess doll? pretty please?
you are such a good mommy...I love your pictures, the Oregon one is a lot better!
I love the ingenuity! :-)
Best wishes, Kara
Everything here is so cute.
I can't stop hitting the "older post" link and look at all the beautiful pictures there is.
Peace!
Lovely post.
Nicole
Thank you so much everyone! The girls have been having a blast with the ladder and new fluffy mattresses.
I did make the set except for the doll. She was an old Kathe Kruse doll that my oldest lost interest in, so I knit her a new outfit, called her the Princess and the Pea and now she can't put her down. Funny, huh?! I know I promised many months ago to post my pattern for the dress but I seemed to have lost the notes I wrote down while making it up. I will keep searching, though.
I still haven't had the chance to re-do the bag, either.. eeek!
This is such a sweet idea, I love the addition of the ladder.
Beautiful beautiful beautiful!! My daughter is asking for one now.
Wow, this is extraordinary. You have put so much time and energy into creating this, and you are truly so amazing
This is just magical,and I'm going to have to make my Ruby one for her second birthday in June.
wow, you knit that tiny dress... did you make that adorable doll??? I love it! I just used bamboo batting inside of the folksy quilt. good to know!!! I would have fallen over gasping if it clumped up after all of that work. This is so adorable!
Thank you so much ladies!
Mary - oh goodness I would have fallen over too!!!
I am SHOCKED about the bamboo! Good to know, thank you so much for sharing that!
Love the ladder!
lisa
Where did you get your princess?
the doll came from Magic Cabin many years ago. HTH!
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