Baby Gifts

Sewing baby items is perfect instant gratification. I like to keep some cute colours in different materials on hand for those days where nothing is going right. When my seams aren't lining up, when I accidentally cut the fabric wrong, when my machine doesn't want to stitch a certain fabric, when I finish an extra long seam, only to find mistakes (when the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad!). It's days like those that I need something to go my way. So I pull out a bit of cotton, and a bib pattern, or a bit of fleece and a baby hat pattern, or whatever. Baby items are small, quick to make, hard to mess up, and adorable. In less than half an hour, you can have that "I made this!" feeling all over again, and go back to your project refreshed.

The only problem is: I don't have kids. And I don't plan on having kids anytime soon, so I'm not about to sew a bunch for a non-existent baby. However, I know plenty of existent babies! More than a few of my friends have kids, and about half a dozen have had a baby this year, or are pregnant right now. So I sew for them. A couple of months ago, I posted about the baby shower gift I made for my brother. I would have (and probably still will) make more for his little girl, but other friends are having kids, so this gift was for somebody else.

First, I made a handy little roll-up change pad again. The backing is cotton, the front is minky (chenille, cuddle fleece, what-have-you), and inside is a layer of flannel. This one was about 18" x 27", and then I added a cotton border. I also added bias tape ties to keep it rolled up.

Then I made two bibs. These ones close with velcro, and have backing. One is back with flannel, and the other is backed with minky, so they're both absorbent and soft.

The last thing in this particular gift package is a pair of burb cloths. I know there is some disagreement on the best size of burb cloths. Some prefer the really big almost-blanket-sized ones, and some people prefer the skinny curved ones for their shoulder. I decided to make these ones long and skinny, because every new mom needs variety. I also reverse appliqued an "A" for the baby's name onto the bottom corner.

I mailed this whole little package off earlier this week, and I am so excited for the new mom to open it! I love sewing baby things, I love giving gifts, and I love sending mail.

I'm thinking about sewing more baby gifts for Christmas - some cozy fleece hats, some Christmas themed bibs, maybe even a tutu. We'll see. ;)