Homemade Baby Gift

Here's a little baby gift that I made recently. 

I found a reference on etsy of the onesie and thought it was super cute. I didn't save the image or reference, but I used the same idea. I just cut out a bunch of circles, laid them out on the onesie how I wanted them and sewed a line straight through them.

 For the skirt I just made up a pattern on my own. HERE's a great reference for the

average sizes for certain baby ages. I used this as a reference when making the skirt.

 

For the shoes, I used THIS pattern that I blogged about earlier.

I also have a fall wreath that I need to post about! Stay tuned!

Hooded Lion Towel

My husband and I are expecting a baby this September. My husband likes lions so I decided to make a lion hooded towel. You can totally skip the lion part of this tutorial and just make a plain old hooded towel. I plan to make a plain one as well.

Here's the final product. I don't have a cute child to model it yet, so the cutting mat with have to do.Want to make your own? You'll need:

• One bath towel
• One hand towel
• Sewing machine, thread, etc.
• Felt (if you plan to make your towel a lion).

Start with your hand towel. Find the middle and cut it in half (I forgot to take a picture of these two steps with my yellow towel...oops). I used a rotary cutter but fabric scissors will do.
Once you cut your towel in half, fold it in half again (hamburger, not hotdog) and grab something round. An embroidery hoop or plate will work. The edge my finger is on is your cut edge, and is the edge you'll be sewing on.
Trace and cut your rounded edge and then sew it together. It doesn't have to be rounded if you don't want it to be. But I don't dig the pointy hood look. It'll look like this. You can see the seam start at the top left corner and follow the curve around to the bottom near the middle.
So now your hood is essentially done. Unless you plan to lion it up. If not, go ahead and skip a few steps.

To make the ears, cut strips of fabric (mine were about two inches wide) out of the remaining part of the hand towel. Sew them down one side to make tubes. Turn your tubes inside out and then sew the sides together so they look like this.
With the rest of the hand towel, I cut two triangles and sewed them to two corners of the bath towel (Be sure to hem that outside edge). This is so the kid can put their little hands in there and hold the towel around themselves. And because I thought it was cute.

**Note: I attached to two triangle pieces after I pleated the towel (steps below). If you do it first, just make sure to pleat the towel on the same edge your little hand holds are...so it'll all be at the top when wrapped around your little one***
Now get your felt. I cut 4 strips of brown felt. Each strip is 5" by 24". Fleece would work too, or a knit that doesn't fray.
Grab two of your brown felt strips, stack them on top of each other, and line them up on what will be the front or brim of the hood. I measured 2 1/2 inches out and then drew a little line on my sewing machine in washable marker so I was sure to sew right down the middle of the strip. You can't tell, in this picture but the right side is lined up with the towel. So your "mane" will start about 2 1/2 inches away from the front of the hood.
It's wise to pin it on. I didn't. I don't like using a lot of pins. My mom would be bugged that I didn't pin though. I did however pin the ears on beneath the brown felt, right where I'd want them (a few inches away from the center seam on both sides). So when I sew the brown felt on, I also am sewing the ears on.
Result:
Fold your felt toward the front of the hood and grab (as pictured). Then grab your next two pieces. Sew those right down the middle (you could do a basting stitch first to make sure you're centered) just behind the first set of felt. Mine ended up being about a quarter inch apart.
Once your 4 felt strips (2 sets of 2) are attached, start clipping them. I cut every inch. Make sure to stay about 1/4 inch away from your seam.
Now, the lion hood is done. On to the bath towel. Grab your towel and find the middle (Marked with a pin).
I wanted my towel pleated. You can skip this if you want to. If you want pleats, measure 4 inches away from your center point on both sides and mark with a pin. I chose 4 because I thought it looked good, feel free to make your pleat larger or smaller.
Fold the towel so the outer pins meet the middle one.

Then pin it in place. Do this to both sides.
It should look like this. Then sew along the edge to keep the pleat in place.
It will look like this on the outside of the towel.
Find the middle of the hood, pin it to the middle of the towel, and attach.

In hind sight, I should have done this next part before I sewed the triangles to the towel, but I decided to sew some felt in the shape of lion paws on. I just drew what the paws on a piece of paper and cut them out to use as a pattern. I then hand sewed them on.
So, there's the hooded lion towel tutorial. I hope it wasn't too confusing. If it was, feel free to contact me and I'll answer any questions.

Creative Spotlight: Becky's Onesie Extender

So...maybe we're all a bit Baby-Hungry at This & That Creative this week??  Here's my spotlight.  Apparently all bodies (even babies) aren't necessarily "created equal."  Having ridiculously long legs myself and having a sister with a ridiculously long torso (neither of us over 5 1/2 ft.) made for some interesting fashion challenges for our mother growing up (and even now as adults!).  My friend, Becky, over at good times :) came up with this great idea for her long-torsoed little one.


Hi!  I'm Becky and I truly am one of  the plainest janes out there.   I love being organized and clutter-free.   I enjoy being green.  I also love to create.  I love new ideas which is why I love sites like this.  I am not the type of person who can think of ideas on my own; I pretty much always see things and then come up with how I want to make it.  So here I am sharing one of my projects:

I have a long child.

As a result, many onesies don't fit her. See below.

(yes, I let my child play with garbage.) (often, in fact.)

So I created a ONESIE EXTENDER! (insert trumpet sounds here!)

I made it from a onesie that was pretty badly stained up the back so I didn't feel bad cutting it up. :) It is DEFINITELY not the prettiest thing and I was actually quite amazed at its ugliness, but it works and it doesn't show once she's fully dressed so it is just perfect!

Hooray for no scrunched body!!!

And here she is. All dressed and pressed and ready to go. (can any of you name where that is from?)

And one last pic of her goofy mouth! She is constantly playing with her mouth and tongue!

Becky's original post can be found here:

http://dontblink18.blogspot.com/2011/02/project-onesie-extender.html

Creative Spotlight: Star's Crib Skirt Tutorial

Hi! I'm Jennifer and I will be posting on Wednesdays for a bit while Ashley enjoys her brand new baby.

I am a big fan of A Load Of Craft. Star makes some really cute stuff and provides great, easy to follow tutorials. She also has an etsy shop if you're interested. A lot of my favorite tutorials are baby related (I'm 4 months pregnant and I have been dying to make a lot of her ideas). I especially love her crib skirt tutorial. Check out her blog for the full tutorial on this cute crib skirt (as well as tutorials for loads of other great stuff)!

(Image from Star's blog)

My good friend had a baby (Ruby) last October and asked if I'd make her a crib skirt. I used Star's tutorial and it rocks. It's detailed, full of pictures and pretty simple to execute. The crib skirt I made for my friend's baby turned out so cute and I'm really excited to get cracking on one for my little one! Thanks for the great tutorial, Star!

(I also redid her rocking chair cushions...perhaps we'll get to that another day)

Spotlight Winner

I know I'm obsessed with all things baby these days, but I'm due in a few weeks, so I guess that makes sense.

Lelanie from To Sew With Love shows how to make a handy diaper and wipes organizer. The diapers are stored in the main portion of the zippered pouch. A second zippered pocket is on one side of the pouch, while the wipes are easily dispensed through an opening on the other side of the pouch. Get the tutorial.

I am all about things that make organization easier. Thanks Lelanie!

Nursery Inspiration Boards

My best friend is due with her first baby in August.

She doesn't find out what she's having for another month

but that doesn't stop us from getting started on the

nursery design process.

She lives in this great little apartment outside San Francisco

and the baby's room has these floor to ceiling windows

which are amazing! Unfortunately it's a rental so paint

isn't really an option, so I decided to design with some bold

colors for the furniture and accessories so it livens up the space.

Here are the inspiration boards I designed for her:

Bright, fun, playful, and a little bit whimsy with the

owl details and the banner.

And for the boy:

I went with a natural and woodsy feel, but also a

bit of whimsy with the cardboard deer head.

The vinyl "forrest" is also a great alternative to paint.

Inspiration boards are a great way to put ideas together

before buying items for a space. If they don't look good

next to each other on the computer screen then they won't

work together in a room.

I can't wait to find out what she's having so

the shopping can begin!

Cloth Diaper Tutorial

I'm about to have another baby, and I have been considering cloth diapers for quite some time. I found some statistics that finally cinched the deal for me:

*Disposable diapers contain traces of Dioxin, an extremely toxic by-product of the paper-bleaching process. It is a carcinogenic chemical, listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. It is banned in most countries, but not the U.S..1

*Disposable diapers contain Tributyl-tin (TBT) - a toxic pollutant known to cause hormonal problems in humans and animals.2


*In 1988, nearly $300 million dollars were spent annually just to discard disposable diapers, whereas cotton diapers are reused 50 to 200 times before being turned into rags.4

*No one knows how long it takes for a disposable diaper to decompose, but it is estimated to be about 250-500 years, long after your children, grandchildren and great, great, great grandchildren will be gone.5

*Disposable diapers are the third largest single consumer item in landfills, and represent about 4% of solid waste. In a house with a child in diapers, disposables make up 50% of household waste.5

*We estimate that each baby will need about 6,000 diapers7 during the first two8 years of life. The following estimates are based on prices in San Francisco, California.

*Disposables. For these calculations, let's assume that a family needs about 60 diapers a week. In the San Francisco Bay area, disposable diapers cost roughly 23¢ per store-brand diaper and 28¢ for name-brand. This averages to 25.5¢ per diaper. Thus the average child will cost about $1,600 to diaper for two years in disposable diapers, or about $66 a month9.

After seeing these statistics, I decided to give them a go. I wasn't interested in prefolds, and buying the ready made diapers is expensive, so I decided to figure out how to make my own.
I started by making a pattern using a size 1 diaper. I figure I'll make 15 about size 1, and then I'll make 15 about size 3, and that should last me.

Then I cut the fabric. I chose a really soft cotton fleece, and that kitten fabric you see will be on the inside of the diaper. It was super cheap, and even though I don't love it, no one will see it. I cut 2 of each kind.

Next, I made a soaker by cutting 6 layers of the cotton, and I sewed it to the kitten fabric only.

Next, you sew the white and the kitten together and turn it to make a finished edge.

Next comes the elastic down each side. Make sure to stretch it, so it will conform to baby's leg.

Last, comes the Velcro. I sewed a long strip to the middle, so the diapers can grow with baby, and then I sewed a square to each of the sides. (This picture was taken before the edge was finished, so that's why there is still a rough edge.)

And then you fold it all together! This way, I don't have to deal with prefolds and plastic covers, and the like.

Let me know what you think. Would you cloth diaper your child?

Baby Boots

My little niece was just born this last week (she is adorable by the way), and I wanted to make her something different. I have been still making these baby shoes for a lot of my friends that are expecting, but I wanted to put a twist on it. 

I found these adorable ChickPea Kid little boots at Extraordinique and knew that I wanted to make something similar.

 

I had no pattern to go by, so with trial and error I made my own pattern and ended up with this! I lined them with a furry inside so they would be super soft--perfect for a little baby.

I am working on making the pattern that I made available as a PDF with instructions. If enough people are interested, I'll make it available for download. So let me know! :)

Guest Post: Tea Rose Home and her Swaddle Blanket

I just love Tea Rose Home.  Sachiko is seriously talented!  And I was so excited she agreed to post today! :) You have to check out her blog.  Everything she makes turns out amazing!!

Hi everyone! I am Sachiko from Tea Rose Home. On my blog I share sewing, quilting, repurposing ideas (and don't miss the free tutorials!) and sometimes yummy recipes too. I host link parties every Wednesday. If you love to see what people are working on and want to be inspired, come visit me and join the fun!

Amanda asked me to be a guest blogger for her blog, and I am totally honored to be here. Thank you for inviting me Amanda!

Today, I am sharing a tutorial for a self binding method to make swaddle blankets. I hope you will enjoy it!

I have made so many blankets in the past. I think this is one of the most easiest ways to make baby blankets. It might be a little confusing at first, folding the corner, but once you get used to it, you can finish a blanket in no time!

I have made so many blankets in the past. I think this is one of the most easiest ways to make baby blankets. It might be a little confusing at first, folding the corner, but once you get used to it, you can finish a blanket in no time!

{You will need}

1- 43" X 43" flannel (It was 44" wide flannel, I cut off the sides to get rid of the writings and thickness. This fabric will be the outer border.)

1- 36" X 36" flannel

Matching thread

{How to}

1. Mark the middle for all sides for both fabrics. Lay them together with right sides together. First, pin the middle of the four sides. Then pin the edges starting in the middle make your way outwards to the corners.


2. Start sewing using 1/4" seam allowance. Remember to leave a 5" opening for you to turn the fabric inside out later.



3. Fold the corner. Draw a line to help you to know where to sew. Use the picture as a guide.



4. Cut the excess off. Repeat the process for the other corners.



5. Press the seam towards the outside with an iron.



6. Turn the fabric inside out. Iron. Pin the opening and top stitch all around the blanket.



7. Ta-da. That's it!


Wasn't that fun? I have been going through my stash and made some in the past few weeks. They always come in handy for baby showers and such. I hope you enjoyed the tutorial!