Baby Shower Favourites

Do you like to walk on the wild side and avoid baby shower registries?

Me too.  However, even if you have your heart set on buying your daughter/sister/friend/co-worker a Bumbo, you can always add a little homemade gift.  The following are my all-time favs.

(1)  Burp Cloths

Make a set of these (four is a good start!) for the Mama-to-be and she'll thank you forever.  Honestly!  I had a stack for Rowan and I made several for friends.  We all L.O.V.E. them.  Find the free pattern and tutorial here.

Why are they awesome?  They're easy to make.  If you're new to sewing, this is a great project.  There's more cutting involved than sewing!

They're multipurpose.  Here's my list of uses:

• catching baby spew (well, that's a given)
• to protect bed linens while nursing laying down
• emergency nursing cover
• emergency car seat protector (because mega diaper messes always happen when you're less than 5 minutes from home)
• public washroom change table pillow (when folded in half)

They're also very absorbent thanks to the layer of cotton quilt batting in the middle of the flannel.  Needless to say, if you only have a little time to make a little something for the new little someone...this should be it!

(2) Wipes Clutch

I'm not going to go on and on about them again.  There was already a post about that.  A great no-sew gift that's sure to be a diaper bag favourite.

(3) Owl Toy

They're crinkly, they're squishy, they're soft.  They're a.dor.a.ble!  And yes, they've already been posted.  Great for when baby is around 6 months old.  Made with felt, flannel, cuddle fabric, grosgrain and satin ribbon for a super-sensory experience.

Happy fabric shopping!

Flower and Dot Cuddle Blanket

I saw this absolutely adorable baby boy blanket tutorial on Pinterest a little while ago. 

Super duper cute, right?  I'll admit that I was tempted to make one for Rowan.  The only thing that stopped me was the fact that he didn't need another blanket.  Thank goodness for the arrival of my niece!  I changed things up a little to make it more....flowery and polka dotty :)

Instead of flannel shirts (which is a fantabulous design element), I used flannel fabric in three corresponding colours; about half a meter of each.  You'll also need one meter of cuddle or minky fabric and cotton quilt batting.  I used Warm and Natural in the Baby/Crib size, which is 115 x 150 cm (45" x 60") and needed to be trimmed down a bit.

The top of the quilt is done in a striped rag.  It's not a full-out rag quilt; just one layer of flannel was sewn (wrong sides together!) with a 1.5 cm (1/2 inch) seam allowance.

The flannel was sewn to the cotton batting down the middle of several stripes.  I laid the blanket top on the cuddle fabric with wrong sides together and cut the cuddle fabric 6cm (2") wider and longer than the blanket top.  To round the corners, I used this uber sophisticated device called a bowl. 

Get yer straight pins!  You'll need a whole whack of these for the next step: edge folding.

Fold the cuddle fabric in towards the blanket top 2.5cm (1").

Fold again the same amount so that the cuddle fabric is overlapping the edge of the blanket top.  Pin all the straight edges this way.

The rounded corners can be tricky to do neatly, but I figured out a method that works well for me.  If you have a different way, then bugger off and do whatever it is you do so well :)

Find the center of the rounded edge.  It doesn't have to be exact...just guesstimate.  Fold (as per the straight edges) and pin.

The diagram above is either going to tick you off or help you.  I hope it's the latter.  The center fold that you just did is number 1.  Move to either the right or left side (number 2) of the center.  Fold the fabric (as per the straight edges) and make a little tuck towards the center and pin.  Complete another tuck (number 3) and pin.  Do the opposite side in the same way, making sure to tuck towards the center. 

Repeat on all three remaining corners and you should have something that looks like this!

The last step is to sew around the cuddle fabric edge (see the 'He's All Boy' blanket tutorial for this).  While sewing, be sure you're catching the fabric itself and not just the fluffy bits.  

All done! 

Sweet Baby G

My niece Gillian arrived last week!  Her parents opted not to find out the gender (which I'm in favour of....personally), so I decided to wait until the little darling arrived before I got to work on baby gifts.  The next few posts will be covering all the goodies I managed to throw together in a few days.

Starting with another onesie dress and matching headband.  These dresses are so simple and quick to make.  Find the tutorial here.

Because I was in a hurray, I didn't take step-by-step photos of how to make these matching rolled fabric flowers.  Fear not, it won't be the last time I make them!

Sweet baby Gillian.  It's easy to forget how tiny they are...

...and how easy they are to photograph!

Have a great Thursday.

Homemade Baby Cookies

I had an epiphany in the baby food aisle in the grocery store the other day.  As I reached out for a box of organic vanilla baby cookies, like I've done many times before, I had this thought: "Hold up...I don't buy cookies.  I make cookies.  I've always made cookies.  WTF?!?  Why am I not making my own baby cookies?"

So I did.  I used the Baby Cereal Cookie recipe from Wholesome Baby Food.  I'm not sure if it's the baby cereal I used or what, but I found myself adding a LOT of oat flour (about a cup) to make the dough the correct consistency to roll out.

I also only baked them for 15 minutes so they would be soft.  Crunchy cookies = more crumbs. 

Unsurprisingly, they're a big hit with the boy!

Wipes Clutch

Babies are messy creatures. 

Any excuse to plaster my son's image all over this blog!

As a (somewhat fashionable) mum, I am always looking for ways to make my life a little more glam.  Even the messiest chores can be spiffed-up with a little fabric and a hot glue gun.

I used a baby wipes clutch tutorial to transform a lackluster wipes case into a chic clutch.  It was so much fun to make, I thought I'd make another for a friend who is expecting her daughter any day now!

I was fortunate to receive stacks of hand-me-down wash cloths.  I use them in place of wipes at home, but for a while I was still buying the disposables for my diaper bag stash.  I discovered that these cases are roomy enough to hold five pre-moistened (I mix a drop of baby body wash with a cup of warm water) cloths!  Great for wiping bums but also handy for sticky fingers.  That's my little eco-friendly tip of the day :)

Yes, a wipes case needs bling.

 Wiping and diapering has never looked so stylish.

Big Butt Baby Pants

Rowan is a cloth diapered babe, ergo his butt is a LOT larger than disposable diapered bums due to all the extra padding.  Clothing manufacturers make pants to fit the single use variety because unfortunately, they are the majority.  That's all I'll say about the cloth vs disposable debate because I want people to like me...I mean, my blog :)

I'm a teeny bit obsessed with Made By Rae.  Partly because she sounds like an absolute riot, and partly because her sewing creations kick tushie.  I made some baby tights for R-man a few weeks ago (to use as long underwear) and I've tried other patterns of hers and have loved them all.  However, these Big Butt Baby Pants are a real gem.  Perfect for a cloth-swaddled tot due to the extra panel in the back, OR can be used for disposable bottoms; just make a size smaller than what baby is currently wearing.

I really should have ironed them....

The first two pairs I made are out of linen, but I feel like they're a little too light for winter, so the next pair I make with a light-weight fabric will include a lining.  I nabbed that idea from this post over at Made. 

One of the above pairs debuted at a weekly baby group that has started with some mums I met at Salsa Babies.  They gave me an awesome idea.

Note the 'lazy person's' ironing board above the shirt.

Use men's shirts!  Off I skipped (err, drove) to the closest thrift shop to peruse the pickings.  I selected items from the XXL section so that I would have enough fabric to work with.  I brought home a camel corduroy (above), a cool coloured plaid and a green fleece.

Not sure what he'll put in his pocket.

I really like the cord/plaid combo on the pants above.  I probably should have used a more appropriate colour of thread, but I didn't have any on hand.  When you start making baby pants, the adorable-ness consumes you and they must be finished immediately.  No time for a trip to the fabric store.

 

This one I've coined 'The Oscar'.  Rowan has been a little grouchy lately due to teething, and when I need to lighten the mood in the house, I stick him in these.  It doesn't help with his pain, but it certainly makes me smile. 

Woohoo! Big Butt Baby Pants!!  So fast, so easy, I may not be purchasing pants for a loooong time.

Owl Hat

I've only been talking about making this owl hat since the fall.  This little beauty is crocheted; a skill I've put on the back-burner for the past few...years...so I was glad to dust off the ol' crochet hooks.

This is attempt #2.  The first was WAAAAYYYY too big and will be stowed away until Rowan's noggin is larger.  It could take a few years, and I realize that I may forget that I have it....but one can always hope.

Old Blue helped keep the wee man quite cozy on the Rideau canal at Winterlude!  He slept through the first 5km and woke up to demand some lunch the same time it started to snow heavily.  I was quite content to spend some time in a heated chalet while most of my friends completed the remaining 2.8km.

He was the perfect age (6 months today!) for Winterlude this year.  Old enough to sit (great for restaurants, as shown above), but young enough to not yet be mobile and squirmy. 

A big THANKS to Sarah for the Winterlude photos!  My camera battery died before I was able to get any pictures of us on the canal.  You'd think I would have brought my battery charger as the same thing happened last year!

 Owl Hat Outtake:

I had to include this...caught the sneeze!  Hee hee!