>Whether “Green” means saving the environment or saving your wallet, this is a super cute baby gift:
A set of cloth wipes (double sided of course, I find them to be better to work with), baby wash, and a small spray bottle. It’s the perfect starter kit for using cloth wipes. Depending on the budget (cash and time) you could add a cloth diaper or a wet bag. I chose to add a book instead. Besides the cute wipes are adorable all by themselves.
>This is one of those projects I finished a while ago, but was unable to post because it would spoil the surprise.
Pretty cute, huh? I love the pink cupcakes, it was such a cute ribbon, only it was a little slim for the pacifier clip, so I used some plain pink gross grain ribbon, and stitched the cup cake ribbon on the top.
Supplies:
Ribbon
Clip- you can find these on ebay, but make sure they are certified lead free, don’t want to go getting babies sick, especially with lead!!
First cut the ribbon down to the length you want, then heat seal the edges by running a lighter across the edges quickly.
Then put the ribbon through the clip, and fold a little of the ribbon between the two layers of ribbon so you don’t have the edge showing, and stitch along the ribbon, go back and forth a few times to make sure it’s very secure!
For the top make a loop, once again hiding the edge, and sew back and forth a few times so that it is nice and secure (don’t want it coming undone!)
Here’s a front view.
Then you’re done. Quick and easy, yet super adorable. Perfect as part off a little baby gift. Though you may want to talk to the new mommy before making it, some people have a big problem with pacifiers. Truthfully, I have no idea why, I don’t see them as a big deal, but neither of my kids used them (we tried, they refused) but really, when it comes to kids I’ve realized some people have big ideas about how kids should be raised, and they are not afraid to let it out. Kind of scary sometimes.
>So, I got myself some no fray chiffon and it’s so sweet! Soft and pretty. Anyway, I whipped it out for a sweet little baby onesie. Lots of ruffling! Which with this stuff is super easy.
Yes, that is snow in the background, I made this is January, but had to keep it a secret since it was a baby gift (yep, I made it MANY months in advance, which is only like me when I actually want to do the project, I mean it took me 6 months to re-button my husband’s shorts, and it was only one pair!)
Supplies:
-A onesie
-no fray chiffon (mine is 2″ wide)
I started by cutting my pieces, I wanted them to be frilly so I made the chiffon go across 4 times (really I could have done it 6 or 7 and it would have been a bit more adorable)
I brought my pieces over to the machine and did a long length straight stitch (love the stuff in the background, my daughter was doing a craft too)
I stitched down the middle of the chiffon, though it would look cute down one of the sides, too.
This is how they looked after the machine.
But I ruffled them more.
And some more…
Then laid them out on the onesie and stitched them to it. You could use pins to hold it in place, but I can’t really stand pins and avoid them at almost all costs (sometimes they are just unavoidable)
The cute puff of ruffles on the front.
And my favorite, the butt ruffles. Ahh, makes me want a girl… so for now I have to live vicariously through others, which is probably better, I make the clothes, oogle over the baby wearing the clothes, and then don’t have to deal with the rest, win win huh?
Ok, so does it seem like everyone you know gets pregnant at the same time? Yeah, I always feel that way. But, it does give me a great reason to sew. And right now, lots of GIRLS!! Woo Hoo! No offense to boys, but really, girls are so much more fun to sew for.
Anyway, in just a few days is a double baby shower (both girls, yeah, so exciting)
So, for one I made the Itty Bitty Dress (Pattern and directions FREE over at Made By Rae) And I made my own little headband to go with it (fitted for an infant, because otherwise it wouldn’t fit when the dress fits) Oh, and I have enough fabric to make 2, since any daughter I have HAS to come home in a green dress. (Long story, I’ll have to let you in on it later)
I love the color, and the little flowers, very girly, not pink (her daddy is already tired of pink, but really, pink is SO cute!)
Then for another friend (who has already talked to me about cloth diapering, and she’s already bought hers, but this one is SO adorable, she’s going to have the cutest little bottom!)
A one size, pocket diaper (made with my own pattern, ’cause that’s how I roll, hehehe)
Ruffled bottom
White diaper, with pink snaps, and yes, those snap caps are heart shaped.
Ahhhh! Makes me want to have another baby, but I want it to be a girl… and yeah, that’s probably not going to happen. Maybe I can dress up my son?! (Only joking… mostly…)
So, I got a request the other day to change a woman’s pre-folds to fitted diapers. Something I haven’t yet done… until tonight.
SO simple!
I started with a pre-fold:
Cut it into a diaper shape, I used my diapers to figure out how wide I was going to cut, and I kept it the length because that’s what she wanted.
Then I sewed FOE around it (yeah, shocker, me using FOE) She didn’t want snaps or velcro, she’ll be using a snappie, which works out perfectly, if it’s too long, she can fold the front down a little bit, and it’ll work great. Plus, there won’t be any snaps rubbing on the baby. So, win win!
I’ve been bad about blogging lately. Like, I haven’t done any at all, and at first I felt like I was being a horrible person. Then I realized, I don’t have to blog all the time, and if people don’t read this, well, it will be fine. I’m sure someone will use something I show, and that’s enough.
Anyway, something I was working on is a pattern for a One Size Pocket diaper. And I’ve made it!! I’m so excited, really, I have used a pattern I bought for a long time now, and there are many things I’ve changed about it, but then I realized I really didn’t like much about it at all, and I started from scratch. I used a combination of diapers I have and the pattern, and things I’ve seen that I like, and the things I’ve tried that I like, and now I have a new awesome diaper. It fits WONDERFULLY and it looks cute, and it’s trim enough (well, one size are never super trim, but I’m happy with the compromise I’ve struck.
I still need to add the snaps to make it smaller. But, I think it’s come out really well. And my son’s not on the smallest waist setting like he is on the other one size diapers I have, which gives me peace of mind that this will fit a smaller baby too. See, I didn’t start using one size diapers until he was a medium almost large. So I’ve never tried them on a smaller baby, but I’m hoping to, I know a few babies, maybe my friend will let me try it on their baby. Now, to figure out how to make it a digital pattern.
>Another Spring De-Stash project, and yes, Little Man is potty training, so these aren’t too useful for me right now, but I was asked by a few people how I actually made them, so I made a few more, I can use them when we’re out running errands, right?
So, the supplies I used:
Old T-Shirt
Scraps of Fleece
Scraps of elastic (I used 1/4inch braided elastic, not the soft stuff)
Terry Cloth and Microfiber (For the inside)
So, I start by cutting out my pattern. I used another diaper as my pattern, but you can search online for free patterns, or you can buy one, or make one from a disposable diaper. I cut out 2 layers of a T-shirt,
And one layer of fleece. You can use micro fleece, but I have lots of regular fleece around, and I’ve used it on diapers before and it works great, a little more bulky then micro, but it doesn’t make a big difference. Next, you would sew a soaker (just a few layers of microfiber or terry cloth shaped like a rectangle placed in the middle) I don’t sew mine in, I make mine more like a pocket style because my dryer, well, it stinks. But a normal fitted would have the soaker sewn into the fleece layer, and put between the fleece layer, and the t-shirt layer. Yeah, so I make mine different, but that’s the beauty of making your own diapers, they are catered to you!
Then I use the serger around the two layers of t-shirt, and the fleece, If you don’t have a serger, you would sew a straight stitch around the diaper with right sides together, then flip it right sides out. You might want your opening in the front, I prefer it in the back. But I’m also making them more pocket style.
For the length of the elastic, I pull the elastic taught and stretch it from where I want it to start, to where I want it to end. Then I cut out two, one for each leg hole. Then I make a third one, in the same way, across the front.
Here’s me trying to get another picture of me trying to show you how to figure out the elastic length.
Ok, then I place the elastic between a layer of T-shirt, and the layer of fleece. I put the elastic where I want the leg gusset to start, and sew it in place next to the edge, and sewing across the 1/4 of the elastic, making sure to back stitch to keep it strong. Then I pivot my fabric and sew along the side of the elastic, without sewing the side of the elastic, and holding it taught (that’s what my finger is doing) I sew a little, pull a little more down.
So, it will pull up a little behind, but that’s how it will end up anyway.
See, I can pull the elastic from the inside.
When I get close to the bottom, I take a pin and put that across the 1/4 elastic close to the bottom.
See my pin keeping it in place?
Before I hit the pin, I pivot my fabric and sew over the elastic’s 1/4″ side and back stitch for durability. Now, you could just sew the elastic directly, but if you do it like this (The style is “Casing”) then it’s easy to put in new elastic if it gets over stretched, or after a while when the elastic stretches too much.
So, you do that on both sides, and you would do it on the back, but since I’m making it more of a pocket style, I used FOE on the T-shirt material on the back.
Here it is on my daughter’s Pegasus, I use a snappie so I don’t have to spend money on snaps of velcro.
The back side, with the white FOE on the top back.
