Super Easy Baby Blanket

This is one of the easiest baby blankets you will ever make. Seriously, I was done with this blanket in under 30 minutes. Plus with all the cute selections of super soft flannel that are available the possibilities and combinations are endless.

My brother and his wife just had a brand new baby girl. She is their fourth child but their first girl. She is tiny and beautiful. I found this London themed fabric a few weeks ago and fell in love. In anticipation for this new little bundle of joy I snatched it right up.

Seriously! Just look at all the cute little details on this fabric. I like to imagine that little picture-taking tourist is me. I have always wanted to go to England.

This fabric just solidified that. I mean I am sure I will be surrounded by jolly fellows in gingham suits and dapper bow ties. Don't burst my bubble.

Anywho, I picked a coordinating black and white print to go on the back. Perfection people.

So just how easy is this Super Easy Baby Blanket?

Well, here is what you need:

1 yard each of coordinating flannel fabrics
coordinating thread

How do you make it:

-Trim off selvage, and make the fabric even.

-Lay the fabrics on top of each other, right sides touching. Pin. Sew around the edges with 1/2 " seam allowance. Leave a 3-4" opening to turn out.

-Turn out. Press. Sew around the edge with a 1/4" allowance. I use a larger stitch to add a fun detail. I used 3.5. Make sure the hole you left earlier is properly sewn shut.

-Mark the middle.
-Sew a rectangle, or you can get creative. I sewed a heart. Doing this keeps the fabric from shifting.

The blanket is DONE.

See, I told you it was easy. SUPER easy to be exact.

Now it is all ready to go and cuddle with my newest little niece. Ack! I wish I were there to snuggle her, but I guess this blanket will have to do it for me.

Hooded Baby Towel: Tutorial

I sure love the smell of a fresh washed and lotioned baby.

Is there anything better? Nope, I just don't think so.

A sweet smelling, squeaky clean baby is just about the best.

We have finally hit the stage where Bean actually enjoys his baths. He giggles and smiles while we scrub-a-dub-dub him. After he is all clean, he gets wrapped up in a warm and snuggy little towel.

Previous to making these towels, his bath towels were pretty sad. Sure they dried him off and kept him warm, but they did not match his level of cuteness. Not even close.

Well now he has some towels that don't quite rival his cuteness, but they do get close.

AND the good news is that I am going to tell you how you can make your very own hooded baby towels.

You will need:

1 towel for every hooded towel

homemade biased tape (I use this TUTORIAL)

coordinating thread

scrap fabric if you want to applique something on the the hood



Fold the towel in half lengthwise, aka hot dog way.

Cut off both ends. One end needs to have more than the other in order to cut out the hood. My main towel piece meaured 29" long. The piece I cut the hood from measured about 16".

Once you have your main piece cut, using a plate as a template, round the corners of the towel.

Now take the 16" left over end piece.

Next, with your towel piece on a diagnol, lay the top corner (where the hood will be) on top of the extra piece. Cut along the corner using it as a pattern. You want the hood to measure 6 1/2" top to bottom.

It will look like this.

Cut off a piece of your homemade biased tape that will cover the bottom edge of the hood piece. Pin it in place.

Sew in place. Then fold over and top stitch into place.

If you so decided to sew on a shape. Now is when you would do so.

Okay, now forgive me because a picture for the next step seems to be mysteriously gone. I swear I took the picture. Mayhaps my camera ate it. Yeah, let's go with that theory.

So the next step is to baste the hood piece to the main towel piece.

Once the hood piece is attached, pin biased tape all the way around the towel.

Sew the ends where the tape meets up together. Then sew the biased tape onto the towel.

Fold over and pin in place. Make sure that the edge of the biased tape from the hood is tucked into this biased tape. Top stitch to attach.

All done. Yipee!

Now it is all ready for baby bath time...

...and for giggles and smiles from your favorite baby.

You know what? I am pretty sure these would make awesome baby shower presents too. Just sayin'.

3 Months Old

Bean is 3 months old and so stinking cute.

He is growing and getting more baby and less newborn. His little personality is sweet and a little spoiled stubborn. He is starting to let us know of his likes and dislikes. He has started being more attached to Momma and not many people can calm him down the same. He does love seeing Daddy and brother's faces, but he doesn't always want to be held by them.

He is growing weary of his bouncy chair but still LOVES his swing.

The carseat and him...well they don't get along...most of the time anyway. Looks like we are not taking a road trip any time soon.

He still needs to be swaddled to sleep. If I let his arms out then he ends up spastically punching himself in the face and then wakes up.

He sleeps great at night. Less great during the day.

He looks like Middle but has the coloring of his Daddy.

In the last several weeks he really has become this happy and smiley baby. I am not sure we have ever had a baby who smiles this much.

He went from a slight turn up smile...you know the is that just gas? kind of smile, to a full blown all encompassing smile. The kind of smile that makes everyone around also smile.

Gosh, we sure love him.

Sometimes I still get overwhelmed by the thought that I have four, count them FOUR Little Men. However, most of the time I just look back and forth between this littlest one and my other Little Men and I am wondering how I got so lucky.

Wipes Case Tutorial

While we are on break cuddling and snuggling Bean, 

I thought I would share some of the things

I did to prepare for him to come.

Enjoy!

Remember my diaper bag accessories from yesterday.

Well here is the super fast and easy wipes case cover tutorial.

You will need:

1 piece of fabric measuring 10" x 6 1/2"

2 pieces measuring 10" x 4"

biased tape

coordinating thread

First attach the biased tape to the top edge of both smaller pieces.

It will look like this when you are done.

Then with like sides facing, pin on smaller piece to the larger piece. Make sure the biased tape edge is in the middle.

Pin the other small piece on top of the larger piece, overlapping on top of the already pinned piece.

Sew all around the edges with 1/4" seam allowance. Turn right side out.

Fill your plastic wipes case and then slip the case into your cover.

See...how easy was that? Super duper easy. Grab the coordinating changing pad and some teeny tiny diapers and you are ready to go.

Changing Pad and Wipes Case Cover Tutorial part 1

While we are on break cuddling and snuggling Bean, 

I thought I would share some of the things

I did to prepare for him to come.

Enjoy!

 

So I found this oh-so-stinkin'-cute handbag and immediately decided it was going to be my new diaper bag. I have used the same $10 diaper bag for all three of the older boys. It has definitely seen better days. I decided that I could splurge a little on this happy little owl bag for this last baby. PLUS I can use it as a regular bag when Bean is old enough not to have an arsenal of baby supplies toted everywhere we go.

The bag is  Kate Landry bag...not like I know what that means...hahaha. I got it HERE.

Since this isn't meant to be a diaper bag I decided I needed a couple of accessories for inside the diaper bag.

I made a changing pad and a wipes case cover.

Originally I made the wipes case to simply hold loose wipes. I lined the sucker with vinyl and everything. ALAS, the moisture from the wipes still leaked through a little and the outside fabric got wet. The good news is that the little wipes pouch perfectly pockets a small wipes case. So wipes went into the case, case went into the fabric cover, and fabric stayed dry. 

Today I am going to show you how to make the changing pad. Tomorrow I will share the simple wipes case cover.

What you will need:

2 rectangles of coordinating fabric, 17" x 13"

piece of vinyl, 17" x 13"

biased tape, either homemade or store bought

velcro

thread in coordinating colors

used this tutorial for biased tape from MADE.

First iron inside fabric into thirds, you can see not evenly. The middle should measure about 7" across. 4" on the one side and 6" on the other. Fold it right side up and into itself...like it will be once it is assembled.

Lay this fabric inside the outside fabric with wrong sides facing. then iron the outside fabric following the inside already ironed folds.

Unfold. Place the vinyl onto the top of the inside fabric, the outside fabric should be directly under the inside fabric. Again, wrong sides facing. Pin the vinyl in place. When you pin the vinyl in place, pin as little as possible because the vinyl will not hide the holes.

Once the vinyl is pinned in place, sew the vinyl, the inside, and the outside fabric together by sewing directly in the folds. So you will sew in two places. I used a thread that coordinated with the biased tape. Sorry, no picture of this step...oops.


Next, place the one piece of velcro to the the inside fabric on top of the vinyl, but not through to the outside fabric.

Match placement of the other velcro piece to the outside fabric. Pin to just the outside fabric.

Sew in place (hey now you can kind of see where I sewed in the folds...)

Now take your biased tape and attach all the way around the edges.

Once the biased tape is sewn completely in place...you are done.

Now it is all ready to throw in the diaper bag. Now I am all prepared to diaper a little bum.

How cute are these diapers?!?

Okay tomorrow I will show you how to whip this case out. Super easy.