Baby Shoes & Burp Cloths

I have been collecting sewing patterns for quite awhile now but have put off starting any sewing projects. I kept telling myself not to make a mess with sewing stuff until the house was packed. Well, the house was packed and I had a baby shower coming up so I decided to tackle some of the new patterns I discovered. (Thanks to the ladies on Ravelry mostly.)

First, I made up a set of four burp cloths -

From Projects

I read this pattern to get ideas but quickly made up something I preferred. I didn't like the idea of the raw, frayed edges. I prefer a cleaner look and I didn't like the thought of baby spit up on a frayed edge (ew), so I decided to try two things - a top-stitched edge and bias tape. I used a shaped burp cloth that I had on hand for a "pattern" and just traced it onto the flannel. It would be better to trace onto paper but I didn't have any of the right size on hand, so my cloths weren't as symmetrical as I would have liked. Those that I sewed wrong side out, flipped and then top-stitched went very quickly. It's very simple.

I did make a "sample" cloth for our own use. I took it as a chance to try out machine quilting and try my hand at the bias tape. I read quite a few online tutorials before my first attempt but it really feels like something that will just take some practice. Thankfully, the picture doesn't show the many flaws in my sample burp cloth and, eh, it's just something to protect my clothes from spit up anyway. I also had enough batting left over to turn some old flannel I had on hand into two more burp cloths and a small changing pad. Those are still in the works.

Then, I made up a pair of Baby Kimono Shoes -

From Projects

This was something entirely new for me and I was delighted they came out as well as they did. Unfortunately, I do not have access to a serger (nor any idea how to use one), so I had to get creative with overstitching the seams. It meant the seams were still a bit unfinished for my taste, but it's fairly well hidden. They take just scraps of fabric to complete, but do require a fair amount of patience on my part. I tend to prefer larger projects and find the small size to be rather tedious. I love the final product and ended up with enough scraps to make several pairs - perhaps someone else would be interested in a pair? I haven't attempted any alterations to the pattern but do have something in mind to try next time!

Knitted Stuff - Booties

It seems this blog fell silent just as I started it. Partly because the house "stuff" took over my attention for about a month and partly because I had only gender-specific projects going. I will post the gender-specific projects as they get worn or as I think of it after baby Hoot arrives. In the meantime, most of my at-home hours are spent putting together a pregnancy journal. I don't feel that scrapbook pages share well via pictures (seriously, pictures of pictures?) but I'll sneak a few pictures in here once it's compiled.

As for gender neutral knitting, there's a reason you all aren't seeing much knitting or even much mention of knitting. I seem to have lost my knitting mojo during this pregnancy - something I certainly didn't expect. I have started probably a dozen projects, only to rip them out. In fact, the two pairs of booties shown here were ripped out before I finally got to the end result. There has been some conjecture over why this is the case, but I mostly chalk it up to my sudden indecisive nature and a change in my knitting guage that is throwing me out of whack. Regardless...here, finally, are two complete pairs of booties.





Pattern - Grandma's Favorite Baby Booties
*available at Crazy Girl Yarn Shop











Pattern - Cuff Booties
Simply Baby by Debbie Bliss
*if you live in Iowa City, the book is available at the library

Cooking with Kids - Monkey Bread

I love cooking with Lil Hoot. Yes, cooking with kids takes longer, makes a bigger mess and can often yield more unpredictable results, but we have already made so many fun memories and have so many great pictures. She actually started in the kitchen with me just before her first birthday. Our first recipe together - Monkey Bread!

I am certain that the reason I choose Monkey Bread is in no small part because of my fond memories of making Monkey Bread with my grandma as a kid. We may have only made it once - I really don't know, but I loved the name, the process and the end result so the whole thing sticks in my mind. We used canned biscuits and cut them up, but since I have a fondness for making things entirely from scratch, I used this Monkey Bread recipe from Smitten Kitchen.  You can, of course, just substitute canned biscuits, most recipes I have found call for 2 cans, usually Grands! biscuits (which are by far the best of the canned taste-wise).  I might have bought a bundt pan just for the purpose of making this bread.

I have little to add to this recipe, she's incredibly detailed, but here's our experience...

First, Lil' Hoot was only a year old so I made up the dough during her nap and let it rise so it would be ready for her to help afterward.  If you have older children and are just using biscuits then grab the kitchen scissors and let 'em help with the whole process!

Second, if you do choose to make the dough from scratch - I did not own a stand mixer at the time and I did mix it all by hand, totally doable.  It is better that it be slightly wet rather than slightly dry (as I found out later).
Third, who needs a fork?  Prepare for butter everywhere.  Prepare yourself that your child will eat plenty of butter and sugar throughout this process.  We just dipped the pieces in each bowl with our fingers.

Fourth, she does note this in her recipe - taking it out a smidge earlier is better than later otherwise you get a dark (rather tough) crust.  Personally, I found the glaze can make up for some dryness though.

And, in keeping with tradition, we made this Monkey Bread to take to a family gathering at my grandma's house.  She helped me make the glaze and I know we added some extra vanilla but I don't recall how much.  The glaze isn't too picky, just add a little bit at a time until you get it to the point that you like it. 

Then serve and enjoy!  Happy baking and don't forget to include your kids.  They learn valuable life (and math) skills while bonding and making memories that everyone will love for a lifetime.

Nursing Cover

The cover is actually almost square, it's just skewed in the photo because of the boning and the sofa.

After I saw a few of my friends using a nursing cover, I got the idea to just make one myself. Realizing that this was just a big rectangle with straps, I set out on an internet search to discover dimensions and what made the "stiff neck" piece (corset boning). I took some inspiration from the covers I found on Etsy - Nursing Covers. And found a step-by-step instruction here - Breastfeeding 123.

Being one to never follow a pattern word for word - I altered the size of the cover for two reasons - the size she gave was too big for me. Also, I wanted to use the fabric I had left over from the diaper bag, which has a definite pattern and turning it sideways looks funny. Mine is approximately 24"x 26".

I also didn't like having the back of the fabric exposed and since both my fabrics are lightweight, I decided to stitch them together and flip right-side out, rather than just hem around the edge of one piece of fabric. I tend to have straighter edges this way also. Plus, this means the only visible hems are at the top edge. I did one line across the lower edge of the straps, under where I inserted the boning, and one across the top of the fabric to confine the boning and add double support to the straps.


I also cut the straps way down. I didn't like the construction of her straps, so I made straps the same as how I made them for my bag, only without any added "stiffening" fabric or interfacing. The tutorial I use for straps is here - Sew, Mama, Sew.

Since I had everything on hand except the corset boning - I spent only $1.36 for this cover.

Diaper Bag

For me, preparing for the arrival of Baby Hoot includes crafting. Sometimes it's practical and money-saving, other times it isn't money saving but comes with the bonus of being personal and handmade. The first completed project is actually for me. I had more than enough of this fabric in my stash and set to work on making the large diaper bag pattern I have on hand.

Thanks also go to my friend Bekah, who has the first bag made from this pattern and was willing to be a guinea pig by allowing me to make one for her. I made a few modifications from the pattern this time, though it looks almost identical from the outside. The fabric I had in my stash, so I only had to purchase the interfacing, matching thread and a packet of snaps (about $8).



The straps are narrower and slightly shorter since I am shorter and have small hands. At the suggestion of a fellow crafter I used a fusible interfacing to stiffen the fabric rather than the duck cloth (thick canvas) I used previously. This bag probably isn't as stiff, but it's lighter and easier for my sewing machine to handle. I had only used fusible interfacing once prior to this project and it was not a successful adventure. This time around though I was better prepared with the suggestions of a much more experienced crafter, my own failed experience and much more detailed instruction. It still took a few tries and I almost gave up, but eventually I found the right pressing style, speed and temperature to make it work.

I replaced the velcro pocket closure and zipper top with a snap side closure and top closure. I have found that I tend to use and prefer snaps. I thought this would be easier as well, but sewing them in took more time than velcro and probably the same length of time as a zipper. I re-inforced the snaps with a plastic grid backing, which increased my frustration a bit but I appreciate the extra stability. The bag is large enough to have used more than one snap as a top closure, but because it's mine I chose to only do one snap.


I also added two more inner pockets, one sized for a cell phone and the other for keys. I tend to use the pockets of my current purse for these items and know that I will appreciate having these additional pockets.

As you will notice, it is a LARGE bag and while I like big bags, I do think it's too big for running errands. It is my intention to use this bag for extended outtings and overnight trips, as well as our trip to the hospital. Only time will tell how satisfied I am with the final product, but for now I'm glad to have started my collection of homemade baby items.

PS - For those of you that noticed, I have made a pair of baby booties, but I decided I don't like the final product so look for that yarn to show up in a different project later.