Showing posts with label baby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baby. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Tutorial: Quick & Easy Burp Cloths


In case you didn't know, my husband and I are expecting our first little one sometime in the next month. I have been doing lots of baby sewing projects, but it feels like they have mostly been for other people's babies (we have moved past the season of wedding gifts, and now it is the season of baby gifts - do you know what I'm saying?). We don't know if we are having a girl or a boy yet, so with the sea of neutral, I am waiting to make some gender specific items until after the baby is born.

But, there are some things that I know we need before I can make correct color choices - and one of those things is burp cloths. Now, I haven't had a lot of babies spit up on me before, but I've heard it can be messy :). So, I decided to make a few burp cloths to get us started. And, I thought since I was already making them I might as well show you how I did it :).

Warning: I don't actually have a baby yet, so I am guessing at the level of absorbency needed (which I hear varies baby-to-baby). I also averaged out the many sizes of burp cloths that people seem to enjoy to make a size that made sense for me and the fabric I had on hand. The general idea of the burp cloth can be modified to fit your fabric needs.

So, I started with some very cute fabrics (Oh Boy! by David Walker) and a white towel. Everyone has an extra towel lying around, so I used one that we rarely pull out of the closet. This project would also be great for a well-loved towel that has some salvageable parts - or you maybe could use a hand towel!

#1 - Cut two 18"x7" rectangles (one from the outer fabric, one from the towel).

#2 - Using a bowl, round all four corners of each rectangle.

#3 - Pin the rectangles right-sides together, and sew around the burp cloth (I used a 1/4" seam allowance). Leave a 2"-3" opening along one of the straight edges.

#4 - Clip little triangles out of the rounded corners.

#5 - Turn right-side-out and press. Pin the opening closed.

#6 - Sew a small seam allowance around the entire burp cloth (I sewed this at 1/8").

#7 - And, you are done! See, it was a quick & easy burp cloth!

The fun part is all of the cute colors you can make them in!

Now - I have a question for all of the people out there who regularly grab a burp cloth.
How many do you need to start with?
I know it probably depends on how many times a week you do laundry - but,
How many do you go through in a day?

Thanks for reading!


Other fun baby projects:
Baby Kimono Shoes

Baby Log Cabin Tag Quilt
Bopple Ball



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Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Bopple Ball

Two of my good friends from college had a little girl...last August. We usually see each other every couple of months, but I have continued to forget to give a baby gift. Have you ever had that happen? The good thing is that I can still give a gift to her when she is a baby (6 months later isn't too late...right?) - so there are so many fun projects to choose from. I love making gifts for people because it allows me to be creative for a purpose. I can enjoy the process of making and enjoy the giving of a gift. And then, there are always the fun little project leftovers that you can use for something else (the pattern, scraps, etc.) - just an added bonus!

My grandma bought this Bopple Ball pattern last summer on our annual quilting trip (8 quilt stores in two days - yes!). The other ladies who were riding in the bus with us were jealous of her find, as it was the last of this pattern in the shop. My grandma recently made a bopple ball for my sister's little one (remember - I made those cute little baby shoes!). She actually didn't have that much fun making the pattern, but she is primarily a quilter and this pattern has lots of little shapes to cut, sew, turn, and stuff. I, on the other hand, had a lot of fun putting together this project! I enjoy tedious little projects, and the result was so cute!

I chose to use two coordinating fabrics for my bopple ball (pink and dark brown).

The arms are pink on one side and brown on the other. I lined up the arms so the pink side of the arm would be touching a brown wedge and vice-versa.

There are 14 little arms and 8 wedges going around the bopple ball.
The diameter of the ball is about 8".

Two things make this pattern a little bit difficult:
#1 - The pattern pieces are confusing. The wedge pattern piece says to cut 8 and includes the seam allowance; however, the little arms say to cut 14 (but you really need to cut 28 pieces - one for each side of the arms) and you have to add in a 1/4" seam allowance around the piece. So, once I figured that out it was a lot easier - but it wasn't super user friendly from the start.
#2 - Turning the bopple ball right side out with all of those little arms. If you have patience or need patience, this project is for you!

Other notes: There is a circle of fabric that you can place on each end of the bopple ball to cover up where the seams all meet, but I omitted that. I used two 1/4 yard cuts (not fat quarters) in order to make the bopple ball - a little less fabric than what they asked for. But, I had almost no fabric leftover. I also only used about 16 oz. of stuffing instead of the 24 oz. they asked for - I stuffed it very firm too!

I would definitely make this pattern again. It was fun, and it is so cute! It will be fun for that little girl now, and it will still be fun to toss around when she is 3. Those are the best toys!


Last time I posted a baby gift, I asked about what kinds of baby gifts you like to give. I got some great ideas - including swaddle blankets, tag blankets, and crocheting beanies. Let's keep adding to the list! What else do you like to give to a new baby?

Other baby gift ideas:
Baby Kawaii Kimono Shoes
Baby Log Cabin Tag Quilt
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Monday, January 23, 2012

Tutorial: Baby Log Cabin Tag Quilt


Do you ever need to get a gift together for a baby, and you don't have a lot of time? This baby blanket is made for that. Either you are an experienced sewist and everyone knows it so you can't show up with a store-bought gift...or you are new at sewing and you need something to give that is simple, but sure to wow. Either way - this baby quilt is perfect for that!

I originally came up with this pattern a couple of years ago, and since then I have made many versions of this blanket in all different colors. Here are three examples that I have photos of:


People love it when there baby has the little 'tags' (or in this case, ribbons) to grab and chew. However, most of the tag blankets that I have seen are little 12" squares. This size can be very useful, however I wanted to make a larger version of a tag blanket with a quilt look that can be a gift all by itself. Hence, the Baby Log Cabin Tag Quilt was born (hehe). Two layers of cute flannel + a layer of lightweight batting + many little ribbons to grab all pieced together in a baby-sized quilt = cuteness. The finished size of this quilt is about 26" x 36".

You will need 3 different flannel prints. You can buy 1/2 yard of each and barely have enough to piece together the front and the back, but you may end up hating yourself by the end of the quilt (especially when the back takes about 3 times as long to put together as the front and you literally end up with scraps of fabric that are too small to put in your scrap bin - not that I have done that or anything...). So, I would recommend maybe getting 2/3 of a yard, or maybe even 3/4 of a yard of 3 different fabrics. You may still have to piece together the back a little bit, but it won't be too bad. Or make it easy on yourself, buy enough of one of the fabrics that you can finish the whole back in it. You will also need one piece of lightweight batting that is large enough to cover 26" x 36". And, you will need about 24 pieces of ribbon, each cut to 3" long (I used 25 pieces on this quilt). Here is the breakdown:

I am using 3 flannel fabrics.




From the star fabric, cut:
one - 12-1/2" square
one - 4-1/2" x 17-1/2"
one - 4-1/2" x 21-1/2"







From the blue fabric cut:
one - 2-1/2" x 12-1/2"
one - 2-1/2" x 14-1/2"
one - 5-1/2" x 21-1/2"
one - 5-1/2" x 26-1/2"







From the chocolate fabric, cut:
one - 3-1/2" x 14-1/2"
one - 3-1/2" x 17-1/2"
two - 5-1/2" x 26-1/2"






Here is a diagram of how all of the fabric pieces go together:

This diagram shows the order that each piece is added (in ABC order) as well as where each size/color of fabric is located. It may be helpful to lay all of your pieces out in this diagram before you begin to sew.

Pieces are added along one edge of the main piece. Place the pieces right-sides together. Press the seam open before adding the next piece. Pieces are added in a spiral rotation around the center block (on top, the right, the bottom, the left, repeat). The same color fabric should only meet in an 'L' shape (the long sides of the rectangle should not be sewn to a fabric of the same color). All seam allowances are 1/4" unless otherwise noted.

1. Start with your 12-1/2" square from the star fabric. Add your 2-1/2" x 12-1/2" blue fabric on top of the square.
2. Press open.
3. Add your 2-1/2" x 14-1/2" on the rightside of the main piece.
4. Press open.


5. Add your 3-1/2" x 14-1/2" chocolate fabric on the bottom of the main piece.
6. Add your 3-1/2" x 17-1/2" chocolate fabric on the left side of the main piece.
7. Add your 4-1/2" x 17-1/2" star fabric on the top side of the main piece.
8. Add your 4-1/2" x 21-1/2" star fabric on the right side of the main piece.

9. Add your 5-1/2" x 21-1/2" blue fabric on the bottom of the main piece.
10. Add your 5-1/2" x 26-1/2" blue fabric on the left side of the main piece.
11. Add one 5-1/2" x 26-1/2" chocolate piece on the top of the main piece and one 5-1/2" x 26-1/2" chocolate piece on the bottom of the main piece.

Now you have the top of your Baby Log Cabin Tag Quilt completed.

Let's attach the ribbon. I have 25 pieces of ribbon, each 3" long, in assorted colors and textures that coordinate with my fabrics.

Choose the location of each ribbon along the outer edge of the quilt, matching up raw edges. Fold the ribbon over, so both raw edges of the ribbon are now lined up with the quilt edge.
Pin in place.

Repeat for all of the ribbons around the whole quilt.

Sew each ribbon onto to the top of the quilt with a small seam allowance (I used 1/8").
Forward and backstitch over each ribbon so that they are very secure.

Layer your batting, quilt backing, and quilt top together (in that order). The quilt backing and the quilt top should be facing right-sides together. All the ribbon loops should be between these layers (not sticking out). Pin around the edge of the quilt. Sew around the edge of the quilt leaving a few inches open on one side (it is best to leave the opening between ribbons).

Clip the four corners of the quilt. Turn right-side out.

Press the quilt, and pin the opening closed.
Sew the opening closed with a small seam allowance.

Top stitch around the entire quilt using a 1/4" seam allowance.

Quilt on top of the quilt. I used my stitch regulator (dropping the feed dogs) and did a combination of loops and little stars for my design.
You could also do straight or diagonal lines if you don't have a stitch regulator.

And, you have your finished Baby Log Cabin Quilt!

Happy Sewing!
Another project for baby:
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Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Baby Kawaii Kimono Shoes

My sister is having her first baby this month, and I was unable to make it to the shower :(. A bummer, but a reality since we live so far apart. My mom flew out for the occassion, so I sent a little piece of my gift to her - baby shoes!

I bought the pattern on Etsy a few years ago (you can find the pattern here). I have seen similar patterns for free on some different blogs, however, the pattern came with shoe sizes through 18 months - which I didn't find anywhere else. The shoes are reversible, and the gender is a surprise so I made each side a neutral color.

One side is a brown polka-dot - love!


The other side is a green polka-dot - also love!


The pattern was simple to cut out and the step-by-step pictures were very helpful. I would consider this to be for the advanced beginner or the medium level sewer (if you make them reversible). I would definetly recommend this pattern! I think they turned out cute, and I can't wait to see how they look on cute little feet!

What do you like to give/make for a new little baby?
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