Handmades for Baby

Last week was crazy as I was finishing up several projects I'd been making for the first grandson and had the deadline of the shower on Saturday to get everything done.

These are burp cloths I made using cloth diapers with strips of cotton fabric sewn down the centers.  They are nice and thick and a good size.  I had no idea it was so hard to find cloth diapers - had to go to several stores to find them!  I also covered a travel-sized Huggies wipes container with some scrapbook paper I had on hand.  This was super easy to do with Mod Podge. The edges were covered with tiny rick rack and then I glued on painted chipboard letters and a button.

This is my favorite project - a very soft little tag blankie.  It's about 8 inches square.  The monkey fabric is soft fleece and the other side (not shown) is a soft, bumpy "minkie" fabric in green.  I used scraps of ribbons I had in the blue and green color families for the tags, making sure to include both shiny satin ones as well as rougher grosgrain ribbons.  I think the baby will love all the textures.

My daughter had chosen this fabric for a nursing cover.  This will provide her with some privacy when nursing in public.  This was really easy as it is essentially a hemmed rectangle with an adjustable strap.  The top edge has a piece of boning encased in the seam so it stands away from the body a bit to allow mother to see the baby.  I used a great tutorial for this on this blog: Diary of a Quilter.

This is a baby blessing ring. I used a choker necklace with a removable post on the end and looped various ribbons over the ring.  The tag says: "A baby is a blessing, sent from above, a gift sent from Heaven for everyone to love.  Place cards and precious mementos of baby on this blessing ring as a special keepsake and reminder of all those who love you." All the cards from the shower were hole-punched and threaded on the ring to keep.

I also made a "Hospital Survival Kit" using a clear "paint" can. I embellished the bottom with strips of patterned paper and rhinestones and used a Cuttlebug alphabet die for the title.  I filled the bucket with items that might come in handy during labor or afterwards and things that might not get packed in the regular suitcase. She has instructions not to open or peek until she gets to the hospital so it will be fun surprise.

This is the embellished top of the can.

I'll share some of the shower decorations and photos tomorrow.