Sweet Baby Bunting

I don't normally take orders to sew for people as I really don't have time - and there's always the worry that something goes wrong or they don't like the finished product.

However, now and again it can be fun, especially when it means making bunting as cute as this for tiny newborns.

It does take a little extra time than usual to personalise but it definitely makes it more special.

Natural Treasure Basket for Baby

Time for baby girl to start exploring a bit more. I can't believe it's around two years to the day since I posted a picture of a similar treasure basket. 

Treasure baskets are a wonderful way for babies to explore everyday objects that you have around your home. Sometimes they have a theme - the theme of this basket is natural materials. 
'The Little Book Of Treasure Baskets' has lots more ideas and tips for putting together baskets of your own.  

Remember - safety first!  Never leave your baby alone while playing with a treasure basket and only give them objects you feel are safe for them to explore.

Floral Cushion for Baby Room

I just finished this sweet cushion with pom pom trim and coordinating spotty fabric on the back for my baby girl's new room.





It goes well with a cosy blanket I made a couple of years ago which has been well used and much loved.


It's made mostly with Cath Kidston fabrics and backed in pale blue fleece which is super soft and cosy.  It's ideal as a play mat and washes and dries easily.
It also makes a lovely cuddle blanket on chilly days.

 The storage buckets can be made in a flash in all different sizes and are perfect for storing nappies, wipes, cotton wool or even toys.  If you want to make them I would advise using heavier weight cotton or if you choose lightweight then you'd be best to iron on or sew in some fabric stiffener so they stand up and aren't too floppy.
These have be super useful!

Easter Chicken

This week when my fabric order arrived I was lucky to receive this cute little pack of goodies for free.  What a lovely treat, I just love a freebie!

But what can you make with such itty bitty bits of fabric?  

Well I decided I was going to make my 5 month old baby girl an Easter treat and here it is.

A cute and cuddly Easter chickeny-bird-type-thing!

I've tried to make it interesting for a baby by combining all the fabrics, colours and textures and I only allowed myself to use the contents of the pack.

The bird has:
A head crest made from ribbon loops and scalloped felt
Felt feet with crinkly-noisy paper inside
A hidden bell in his tummy
A hidden squeaker in his tummy
A felt beak and wings

If you want to have a go at making him here's a very rough guide....

Cut two squares or rectangles roughly the size you want the bird to be - mine was roughly 15cmx18cm including seam allowances.
Cut out two sets of feet (4 feet in total)
Cut a beak shape, a scallop frill for the head and two scalloped shaped wings (with heart detail if you like)
Cut the legs - two strips about 5cmx20cm
Cut two eyes using the spotty fabric
Cut six lengths of ribbon that can be looped - so cut double the height you want them to be




In addition to the contents of the pack, you will also need:
Thread (white, and black for the eye)
Toy stuffing (and rice is optional)
Crinkle paper
A bell
A squeaker
Double sided Bondaweb


I think that's everything?

so here's what you do...

1. Sew the feet together leaving an opening at the heel of the foot of about 2cm, insert the crinkle paper if you have any (I just used cereal packet paper)

Fold the leg parts in half and stitch from top to bottom (seam allowance 1cm) and then stitch across one of the openings.  

Now turn both legs through to the right side.  A chopstick or similar makes this easier.  Press each leg piece with the seam running up the middle.

Push the closed ends into the foot opening and stitch across to secure.


Fill the legs with toy stuffing.

2. Stitch the hearts onto the wings and then position and attach the wings onto the body fabric.






3. Fold the loops and sew them onto the head frill

Head frill tucked in at the top, beak to the right 

4. With right sides together, sew around the body shape ensuring that the head frill/ribbon and beak are tucked correctly into position.  Leave the bottom of the body shape open.


5. Turn the body through and gently press it.


6. Now add on the eyes - I ironed some Bondaweb onto the back of the eye shapes and then ironed them into position.  Then sew the pupils on - I just stitched a couple of french knots.

This is the bottom opening with the side seam (where the beak is)
now running up the middle.
Place a leg inside the chicken on either side of this seam.

7.  It gets a bit fiddly here.....
Turn the body back to the wrong side and twist the bottom opening so that the seam sits in the middle of the body.  

Insert the legs so the are fully inside the body (and on either side of the seam) with just a little bit sticking out at the opening.  

Pin them in place and then stitch the opening closed, leaving a small gap to turn the whole thing back through.

8. Fill with toy stuffing - you can also fill with rice if you want it to be heavier.  I filled 3/4 stuffing and 1/4 rice.



9. Hand stitch the opening closed.

That's it, you should now have a cute birdy-chickeny thing!

If you're unsure and need more guidance, please get in touch and have a Happy Easter!!

Baby Sensory Bottles

Baby girl is nearly 5 months old already and so keen to touch and explore anything she can get her hands on. 


Clear plastic bottles can be filled with a whole range of objects that baby can safely explore, just make sure the lid on on super tight!! 







This particular bottle has been filled with water, daisies and colourful sequins from one of the pound shops. 


Fascinating!

Valentine's Sensory Bins and Coloured Rice

I've been meaning to try making coloured rice for soooooo long but all the instructions I found involved using alcohol and what seemed like rather complicated and laborious lists of things to do.


And then I found a super simple one.

Basically, you just put the rice in a box with a lid, sprinkle on some food colouring and give it a good shake and then lay it out on a baking tray to dry.  It really was that easy!

Since we're close to Valentine's Day I made up a red and pink sensory bin with all things hearty and lovely.

It's definitely something I'll do again in different colours as all that pouring and filling was great fun.




....and here's another basket idea for babies, full of red things to look at and investigate.

Change Bag Pouch

This is the second changing pouch I have made and only really made this one as I left the other one behind at my sister's house last week and didn't realise how much I would miss it!







It holds all our changing bits and pieces and other essentials in one place, making them super easy to find instead of rummaging around the many pockets in the change bag.

This time though, I put an extra little pouch pocket inside the bag to hold tubes of cream, plasters, and sachets of paracetamol - after somebody asked me if I had any paracetamol and I just about tipped out the contents of my bag to find it!

It seals up nice and easily with a simple strip of Velcro.

The initial idea came from Simple Sewing for Baby by Lotta Jansdotter, although I have put my own touch to it by fully lining the bag and added a little pocket inside.  

This is a fabulous book and I would totally recommend it.  I've made many of the ideas or at least adapted them for my own use and they are super simple!

Best of all, little one is loving the camper van print.

Baby Play Mat

This is what I made last year for little one when he was only 7 months old at Christmas and he just sat on top of it like a little Christmas pudding!

The mat evolved as I worked on it as I didn't really have a set plan of exactly what I wanted to make.  I knew I wanted a range of touchy-feely fabrics and bits of ribbon and to try to make different themes/scenes, so the outcome turned out to be flower shape with each scene looking a bit like a petal.

I used bits of fabric that I had lying around, the only thing I bought was a larger piece to back it and some squeakers for inside the sun and the bus.  I'm not sure why a sun might squeak but it's been lots of fun anyway!

weather scene

The weather scene has a felt rainbow, towelling cloud with shiny lame raindrops and ribbon rays coming from the sun.

bus scene

The double decker bus is made from mix of cotton and felt and has a squeaker behind the driver.  
The leaves have different patterns and textures and some have crinkly paper inside to make a nice scrunchy sound.

dinosaur scene

The dinosaur is made from fleece and has different ribbons stitched around its back, the 'smoke' from the volcano is a piece of netting and the sandy looking ground is a piece of rough linen.

moon scene

The space scene has a moon with craters which are stitched on top of wadding to give a padded look.  The stars are the shiny lame again and the rocket is made from felt.  It can fly around the moon but it's attached with a ribbon and can be secured on the moon with a piece of Velcro.

garden scene

The garden scene has a butterfly with wings that can be lifted up and a flower with crinkly leaves.  The grass is fringed for added texture.

I tried to use lots of colours, prints, textures and sounds to make the mat interesting for a baby, but didn't buy anything specifically for the mat, I just tried to use what I had (apart from the squeakers). 

He has enjoyed using it and hopefully will continue to do so as he grows and develops, learning to use it in different ways.

I thought carefully about safety while making this as I know my little one put absolutely everything in his mouth at that stage.  It really goes without saying that if you want to make one, choose materials which you think are safe and suitable for your baby. Remember to ensure everything is securely attached to the mat and never leave your baby unsupervised when on the mat.  

Gift for a new baby

I've been so busy with work and just being a mum recently that I haven't had much time to do any sewing at all.  

But when a new little one comes into the world it's always nice to make a wee homemade something. 

Before my little one was born I made a couple of hotch potch changing mats and then when he started on solids I rustled up a few colourful bibs - both have been extremely useful and have washed really well, so this is my useful and practical gift to another little brand new bundle.....

Both the changing mat and bib have cotton print on one side and towelling on the other. The towelling is soft and cosy for a changing mat and for a bib it absorbs well. 

Initially I cut up some unused cheap spare towels I had in the house as they were a lighter weight than more expensive ones, therefore easier to sew and not too bulky.  They worked well, so now I make sure I pick up a couple now and again as they're handy to have. Ikea and most supermarkets have a value range.

The mat is finished with a little red lace and white ric rac and the bib fastens with Velcro.

Hope the new mummy likes them.