Baby Mobile

Ever since my cousin introduced me to this bird mobile a few years ago I have wanted to use the bird pattern in a nursery.

When I first started deciding what to put in my son’s nursery I didn’t want to make that exact mobile because I thought it was more appropriate for a girl's nursery. I found this other mobile on Pinterest that I liked and thought it was easy enough to make on my own.

After a snow storm that broke many branches from the trees in the back yard I found the perfect branch for the bird mobile. I kept it just in case. As I cut out hundreds of circles and assembled the spheres for the second mobile I decided that I could combine the two mobile ideas. This is what I came up with:

Pacifier Clip Tutorial

Here are some pacifier clips that I made recently. I found that they were so easy to make, and very inexpensive as well. Since I don't have any kids yet I don't know how much they are really put to use, but as a soon-to-be mom the idea of them sounds great! If your baby pops their pacifier out of their mouth it could easily end up on the ground and need to be cleaned or simply get lost in the hustle of everyday life. As long as you have a few scraps of fabric, all you need is a suspender/mitten clip, velcro and possibly some interfacing. I have seen some fancy pacifier clips with embellishments or multiple fabrics, but I chose to keep my simple to suite my style. They are very easy to make and don't take very long at all.

If you'd like to make your own, here is what I did:

You will need fabric, velcro, a suspender/mitten clip and interfacing (if you are using thin cotton)

Cut fabric into a 14" x 2 1/2" strip:

Fold in and iron 1/4" on each side of the fabric:

 Fold and iron 1/4" on both ends:

Sew the seam down on the two short ends (this will allow you to have clean seams once you fold the fabric in the following steps):

Fold the strip in half and iron down:

Cut your velcro into two small squares and place on one end of the strip (space them about 3" apart):

Unfold and open the fabric fold to sew the velcro down. Make sure to also unfold the seem so you don't sew it down with the velcro. If you sew the velcro onto only one side of the fabric, the back side will look clean.

The next step is to cut the interfacing (remember that you don't need it if you are using thicker fabric). I found that the easiest way to measure what size you need is to fold the fabric in half and place the interfacing inside:

Once the interfacing is inside the fabric fold, cut along the edge (be sure not to cut your fabric):

Place the interfacing inside of the seams (you may need to trim the end of the interfacing because of the end seam you sewed earlier):

Fold fabric in half and pin to hold into place, then sew shut (as close to the edge as you can):

Sew down the other side of the strip. It should look something like this:

I found these suspender/mitten clips that provide a strong clasp (just a few dollars at the fabric store):

The last step is to sew the clip onto the fabric strip. Do this by pulling the fabric through the clip and sewing down:

And you're done!



Baby Burp Cloth Tutorial

I found that making burp cloths are so easy and they can be made with scraps that you already have! I made some with the left over fabric that I used to make my son’s crib bedding (they match the nursery!).



The burp cloths in this tutorial were made with an animal print that I bought long before I was even pregnant. I thought it was so cute I just had to buy it to add to my fabric collection…I knew I would use it someday! My favorite thing about sewing your own projects is that you can costomize them with your own fabrics to match your style & taste.

 A standard burp cloth is 10-12 x 15-20 inches. I chose to make mine 10 x 18 inches. I wanted to use the cotton animal fabric, but for more absorbency I used a layer of flannel. For the back, I used white chenille…it is amazingly soft but can be tricky to sew because it stretches.

Start by cutting your fabrics:

• Front (blue) and Back (white chenille, not shone) 10 ¼ x 18 ¼ inches (1/4 inch is for the seam allowance)
• Front strip (animals) 9 x 10 ¼ inches

 Iron ¼ inch seems on both sides of fabric strip (animals).

Center strip onto flannel piece, sew down. I used a zigzag stitch.

Align front and back of burp cloth right sides in, pin together (if you use chenille I suggest using a lot of pins because it tends to stretch when you are sewing it).

Sew ¼ inch in on all four sides, leave an opening (2 or 3 inches) so you can turn it inside-out (or is it outside-in?).

After you turn inside-out, flatten the corners and edges, then sew around the outside, about ¼ inch from the edge. Where the opening is, make sure the fabric is folded in. When you sew ¼ inch around the edge, it will seal the opening shut.

And you’re done!

I hope this was helpful! I would love some feedback (this is my 1st tutorial)! I am looking forward to using my new burp cloths with my son! 

Hello!

Hello Everyone! I have never been interested in blogging, but for some reason today I had the urge to create one of my own. I have been in a creative mood lately and hope to share some of that creativity with you. As I anxiously wait for my first born I have been filling my days with sewing and craft projects for my son's nursery. I am finding that I can make almost everything for the nursery without spending tons of money! Other tutorials online have given me inspiration to create some of my own! I have also been told by some friends that I should start my own blog so I can keep them informed with my life (the military has and will continue to relocate us to many places far away from all of my friends and family). So here is my attempt at a blog...I hope you enjoy! (Bare with me as I figure everything out!)