Stuffed Animal Part 2. Now for the Giraffe. (A continuation of yesterday’s post.) I guess it doesn’t take a lot more explaining but here’s another cuddly little friend for you all. Cut out your giraffe, the same way you cut out your elephant. But now, you’ll need to make sure and add your ribbon to the neck, as well as the tail. Then pin right sides together, with lots of pins. Because remember……the minky slides around a lot. Sew all the way around, leaving a 3 inch opening along the back. Turn right side out, pushing the legs and head out with the eraser end of a pencil and stuff full of batting.
Hand stitch that opening closed and you’re…….. ……done. ***And remember, if any of the directions seem vague, please refer back to yesterday’s post Related posts: Binky Clip. For some reason, it’s really hard to find a good pacifier clip at the store. You know, one that will actually stay on, even if your curious baby is pulling on them with their chubby little fists. I had a friend give us a pacifier clip for our daughter more than a year ago, that we loved……and the little binky was always located at the end of the ribbon. Then when we had our little boy this past summer, another good friend gifted us another one, which we have loved as well.
This tutorial is patterned after the one we received for our little chubs this past summer (Thanks Marcie!!!!) And I decided that everyone should be able to make their own. Or gift them to other moms. They really are a necessity if your baby sucks on a binky. I’m not sure where everyone gets the clip part or if there is some secret type you should be purchasing……but I found some name badge clips at Wal-Mart for cheap.
And then pull the ribbon tight and continue gluing it around the bottom side of the clip. Cloth Blocks. Here you go……..add some more fun to the cloth baby toy collection. Go on, downsize that scrap box. What you’ll need to make one block: 6 squares of fabric….any size will do. (The block pictured is 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches.)BattingThreadSewing Machine **Seam allowance is 1/4 inch for this project.** Start by cutting out your squares. Then, sew 4 of your squares together to make the main body of your block. Then, snip little corners (1/4 x 1/4 inch) out of all four corners of your two remaining squares.
Then pin it to the main body, with right sides together. Sew it into place. Do the same with the bottom but leave one side open so that you can turn it right side out. Turn it right side and and poke out the corners so that they are nice a sharp/crisp. Fold down both sides of the opening a 1/4 inch and hand stitch it closed. All done. Now you have a block (or blocks) to accompany your rings. Filed under Baby, Children, Gift Ideas, Sewing. Basic Stuffed Animals – Part 1. Here are some basic but oh-so-precious little stuffed animals. Here’s a quick tutorial for the elephant. And because of time (or a lack of) I will post the giraffe tomorrow. :) You’ll Need: Scrap cotton fabric for the front piece (or any kind, really)Scrap minky for the back piece (don’t know what minky is??
Click HERE. Draw any sort of animal shape. Cut out your animal as the size you’d like it and then place it on another piece of paper and trace around it about a 1/2 inch. Then cut this larger pattern piece out and use it to cut a front piece out of your cotton and a back piece out of your minky. Then pin a couple of piece of ribbon to the back end, as a tail. Then place your pieces right sides together and pin very well. Then sew slowly along the entire animal (1/4 inch), leaving about a 3 inch opening somewhere along the animal to be able to shove batting in. ***You might need to clip along any severe curves before turning right side out, so that those curves will lay flat So sweet.
Re-pursposing: Drool Bib. Do you have a drooler? Is your baby teething and you just can’t keep the front of their clothes dry? I talked to my sister several weeks ago and her little lady has this problem.Teething is su ch a bummer.But all of the bibs she has are huge and cover all of her sweet little outfits. We don’t want that, do we? So I made her a couple of bibs using some knit from an expired (haha…) shirt…..and smaller than most other bibs. They’re small and simple……perfect for the average drooler. (If your baby drools excessively, you may need a plastic/vinyl backing.) I just cut around one of our bibs as a guide…..but then really shortened it and took it in a bit at the sides too.
Then I cut out 2 of these shapes from a knit shirt. The I sewed the two pieces right sides together, leaving the the bottom open. Then I trimmed the corners and clipped the curves. And finally, I attached a flower and a snap……..and we’re done. Go on, make some for your own munchkins. Related posts: 2-in-1 Bag: Stroller Bag into a Messenger Bag. Looking for the Pip and Bean giveaway? Scroll down or click here.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Okay, stroller users. We need to talk about a few things. Do you have one of these bag problems while strolling around with your little kiddo(s) in tow? Your purse/bag handles aren’t long enough to fit over both stroller handles, making it difficult to find a place to hang your purse?
You decide to sling both straps over one of the stroller handles but it hangs too low and then wacks you in the leg each time you take a step? Can you relate? Well, we are heading down to FL for a week getaway and my word, I’m tired of the bag/stroller dilemma. So I needed a quick-acting conversion bag. So, here’s my solution. This bag begins as a stroller bag with 2 snap on straps on each side, holding the bag up high and out of the way.
The heavy duty snaps attach and release quickly, making the transformation speedy. Then un-snap the two side straps, removing the bag from the stroller. Thanks Lizzie. Pacifier Pocket – (tutorial plus FREE pattern pieces) I sewed up another project for The Sewing Republic (by Bernina), a while before we left Georgia……and they now have the project listed and ready for use. Remember the others I have sewn for Bernina? Ruffled Scarf, Snuggly Owl, Autumn Door Hanger So, for today…….A Pacifier Pocket (cleverly named by Sewing Republic) Since having another baby, I quickly remembered how much I hate losing pacifiers/binkies/paci’s. This little pocket does the job. I love having a clean place to store them too……….which is also very accessible.
I know you can find these little totes in the store…….but hey, why not make your own? Just un-snap, loop through a bag strap, and re-snap. You can throw it in the wash every now and then to keep it clean too. Nice and easy and perfect for gift giving. For the full Pacifier Pocket tutorial and free pattern pieces……….click here. Afraid of using snaps? This post is sponsored by: Related posts:
Wearable Blanket for Baby. The weather outside is really chilly here in Colorado. And the heater has been inching upward. And we’re in a basement……so it’s extra cold. The two bigger kiddos keep their blankets on…..but our littlest one (who turned 8 months old yesterday) wiggles and turns and flops all night long. So, nope, she never keeps her blanket on. I’m sure you have seen those little zippered blankets in the stores. You know, the ones that the baby can sort of slip into, like a sleeping bag……….but with arm holes.
Well, you know me, I am always trying to save a few bucks and make something myself. (okay, let’s be honest……even if I don’t save a few bucks, I still like to figure things out and make things I see in the store. And since I want to make several of these (so that one can take a turn in the wash), it actually saves me some money by just making them myself. It adds a nice layer of warmth over some jammies (yeah, that’s just a long sleeved onesie……but generally I put this on over fleece jammies). Sippy Cup Leash: Re-visited & Improved. Remember when I made the sippy cup leash over a year ago, here? Well, it needed some improvements. Before moving across the country last winter, I realized that the sippy cup leash needed an upgrade.
The velcro on the old one was finicky and didn’t stick as well after a while…….especially if the sippy cup was completely full and heavy. (Sorry if you made one and had the same trouble…) Anyway, I created a new one for our long trip cross-country 9 months ago, eliminating the task of retrieving dropped/tossed sippy cups from little hands back in their car seats.
And I never shared my newest upgrade. It hasn’t been a secret, I just kept forgetting to share. I now make them with elastic. And oops, if the sippies take a tumble, they won’t go far. And they attach simply to any sort of bar or strap…..by simply pulling the elastic portion through the loop at the other end. Then pull tight to secure the sippy cup leash in place. Our leashes spend most of the time in the car, attached to the car seats.