Burp Cloths

     I did warn you I'm going a little nuts on the baby projects, right?  Well, I am.  Today's pin is about burp cloths.  There are lots of kinds of burp cloths, and while you wouldn't think that the shape matters so much, I spotted these from Homemade by Jill and immediately knew they had potential to be better than most.

     I loved the peanut-shape, and that they focused on absorbency without sacrificing it for cuteness.  As an example, some people have made burp cloths as gifts from prefold diapers (flat cloth diapers, with a thicker middle section) that have fabric added to them, but they don't always think about the fact that the fabric they add, often quilting cotton, decreases the absorbency of the cloth.  I love that these are both cute and absorbent, because of the flannel.  Note: when I printed the pattern from Jill's website, I thought it printed too big, because it seemed huge.  I didn't think about seam allowance, shrinkage, and just generally wanting more coverage, not less, while burping an infant.  Thankfully an experienced mom made the pattern, not me. :)

 

     For various reasons, I made some changes to my burp cloths compared to how Jill does hers.  Instead of using batting, I used two extra layers of flannel; I can't comment yet on how they compare as far as absorbency, but I'm not fond of using batting and I got the flannel on a great sale.  The other thing I changed was to have finished edges instead of ragged edges.  I love flannel rag quilts, but I know how much they fray, and I thought these might be nicer as gifts with a more finished look.  Because I was using the extra flannel layers instead of batting, it was easy for me to sew the burp cloths with the outsides facing in, flip them around, and sew once more.  I have no idea how I would have done that if I had been using batting.

     I found that my edges looked nicer on the cloths I sewed a bit further from the edge the second time around, but either way (whether you have a 1/8" allowance or 1/4" allowance) they look great.  Aren't these fabrics cute?

DIY Thread Holder

     I'm pretty sure I saw this pin ages ago, and I'd been meaning to get it started for a long time.  At first, I was intimidated because I thought I wouldn't be able to do the drilling at home, but I figured it out, even in my little apartment!

     So Melissa at Melly Sews did her project by cutting out a piece of wood into her custom logo, but I didn't care that much about making it a particular style/font of "S" (for my last name), so I just bought a precut unfinished wood S at Hobby Lobby.  I also found a great website to buy them from, if you do care about the specific font or size, but Hobby Lobby was cheaper for me.  My letter S was 0.5" thick, and 18" tall. 

     I bought some long skinny dowel rods (0.5 cm thick) at the same time, and went to work.  First, I sanded the letter S with a hand-saving sandpaper sponge, and then I decided where I wanted my dowel rods -- make sure you use some actual thread spools to help you determine spacing!  I got a drill bit that was the right size (3/16" I think), and started drilling.  I didn't drill straight on all my holes through like she shows she did; I thought it worked better to drill only partway in.  The dowel rods I cut with the sharper section of pliers, and then sanded the ends down too. 

     With a little Gorilla Glue wood glue in the holes, the dowel rod pieces were ready to go in (plus a little pressure for adherence), and then it's just a matter of letting the glue dry.

      I decided not to paint mine, since the wood was the same color as my desk in my sewing room, but it'd be easy to spray paint a fun bright color it if I ever change my mind. Ta da!

     Of course, the first thing I wanted to do was go buy more thread to fill up those spots, but I guess I will wait and just have room to grow. :)

DIY Baby Wrap (Moby Wrap Style)

     I'm pregnant! Cue all the baby craft projects!! Actually, I haven't held back all that much, but now I'm really not holding back!  Seriously, my craft budget has been...flexible lately. ;D

      Today I'll show you the DIY baby wraps I made, for about $14 each!  I found this pin on Pinterest, linking to Mile High Mom's blog. 

     Her instructions and photos are straightforward and easy to follow, so I'll just make a few comments on how my project went.

     First, if your baby's father is interested in babywearing (hooray for involved dads!), you will probably need at least 6 yards of fabric.  I almost got less than that because my first choice of fabric had less than 6 yards on the bolt, but I changed my mind and I'm glad I did.  Since we have no baby to practice on yet, we are estimating how it will fit, but I think it's still helpful.  For me (5'7", normally 120 lbs), 5 yards probably would have done just fine because as it is I criss-cross in back and tie in front.  For Andrew, six yards gives him enough to tie in the back, with no additional criss-cross. He's 5"11", and around 190 lbs.
[Here's Moby's instructions, so you know what I'm talking about.] 

     The fabric I chose was a jersey cotton material, and with a coupon at JoAnn's, 6 yards cost me about $ 28, for enough to make two wraps.  It has a good amount of stretch, but not too much (no spandex), and it won't fray so I didn't bother to hem it (score!)

     I did cut triangles off the ends, like she suggests, and I think that helps reduce the bulk at the ends. 

     One additional thing I did was sew on a ribbon tag where Moby puts their tags, so that Andrew and I can find the center easily.  I just used a simple gray ribbon, but it looks pretty nice with my dark purple fabric.  If I were making this as a gift, I would put a "Made with Love" type of tag there.  You can always tie your wrap with the tag facing in, too. 

     I can't wait to use our wraps! Andrew is excited, too, and was kind enough to model my finished product for this. Just pretend there's a baby in there.