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!