Need EASY but Adorable Sewing Ideas for Baby

P.,

One of the more usefuland easy things you can make is a long, one-piece gown. It is kind of like a long t-shirt that can be open, elasticed, or draw-stringed at the bottom if you don't like it open.

Sunrise Designs (probably now long-gone) had an excellent pattern for this. Perhaps you can find one through the current pattern books. If not, find a knit t- shirt pattern, make the side seams a-line rather than straight, and lengthen it about 12 to 15 inches.

Especially if you have a serger, these are inexpensive and easy to make, and very useful. I found I used these more than anything else when my son was a baby.

Good luck.

If you are in the Provo area, I would be happy to help you.

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A friend of mine makes really cute burp clothes out of cloth diapers, rick rack and iron on patches. Have fun!

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I made a shopping cart cover/restaurant highchair cover for my sisters baby. I am not good at sewing, but I did it. It is better than the store bought ones, because first of all those start at $40. Second reason is you can pick your fabric, which is sooo much cuter. Plus, it is made from your heart. I borrowed the pattern from a friend, but I am pretty sure she found it at a store. My sister loved it, and I love mine from my friend.

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I would suggest giving crochet a try. I purchased a book at Hobby Lobby for baby afghans and taught myself. Really easy and cheap. You can buy the skeins of yarn at Walmart for $1.50. Let me know how it works!!

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You could buy flannel at your nearest fabric store and make some birp cloths. I received a bunch of homemade birp cloths when I had my first son. Some were sewn around the edges with a sewing machine, others were hand sewn. I used them a ton. I purchased some flannel from Walmart and sewed around the edges fro a blanket for my son and he absoultely loves it. I have also done a flannel blanket you cut the end of your blankets about 2 inches apart all the way across and I just tied each strip in a knot. You can tie two together but I just did the one in a knot. It is a very easy process because you buy the flannel, cut the strips and tie knots and your done. There is alot of cute flannel out there. Good luck and have fun doing the projects.

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What kind of projects do you have in mind? Have you looked at patterns? We have JoAnn Fabrics here and they run sales a lot on patterns. If you can sew and read a pattern you can make all kinds of cute PJs and other things. Watch the sales for fabric. Quilting isn't hard either, in fact you can purchase a panel top. I don't hand sew much (it's slow) and I love my machine. My 3 year old daughter likes to sit on my lap when I sew and then it is something we made together. Happy sewing, babies are fun to make things for.

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Hi P.
The best blanket that was given to me (and we are still getting use out of 2 yrs later) was a simple fleece blanket. It was the no-sew fleece kind that you tie the ends together between 2 fleece fabrics. My old coworker made it for me when I was pregnant and it is now my 2 1/2 yr old's favorite blanket to lie on for naps or reading. She picked out cute Winnie the Pooh fleece w a bold color (bright pink) underneath. I've made a few as well, and they are pretty easy to make and are very soft. Another idea is a lighter weight fleece or cotton blend double sided blanket where you do a simple stitch around the end. I use one like that now when we are shopping. I put it across that shopping cart so my daughter can eat her snack and not touch the cart. Hope this helps!

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Hi!
I would try youcanmakethis.com. They have some really fun patterns and most are geared towards beginners who don't know how to follow regular patterns. (But anyone can use them.) A pillowcase dress would be easy for a little girl, or they have hat patterns, blankets, etc. Here's a link to the baby section:
http://youcanmakethis.com/baby.htm

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You can always make baby blankets with matching burp clothes that are really easy. My mother made some for me with our last baby. For the blanket you first need to decide on how big you want it. Then when you buy the fabric, double the amount you need (or buy 2 different fabrics in the same size). Then it is just a matter or sewing the 2 pieces together on 3 sides with the right sides together. Then turn it inside out (so your seams are now on the inside of the blanket) and finish the 4th side. Then you can put a decorative stitch around the edge to finish it off. You do the same for the burp clothes. Or you can make a simple patch quilt just using scraps of fabric and cutting them into squares and sewing them together.
Good luck.
J.

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I think the best thing would be to find some cute baby fabric and make her some 40" x40" receiving blankets. That's the best size for swaddling, and the only sewing would just be binding the edges. I liked stretchy fabric for swaddling my son, but flannel or anything else would work, too.

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The cutest one I've made and most used by others is the hooded towel. It is easy because you buy towels that are already stitched at the hem.
1) get the cheap short towel from target (I can't remember the length, but they are smaller)
2) a pack of matching hand towels.
3) Cut the hand towel in half and sew on your choice of ribbon over the decorated line and fold it 3/4 over and stitch the top of the finished edge.
4) Take hood part and turn inside having raw edges together (makes a triangle shape)and stitch,
5) Lastly match it up to the middle of your larger towel and sew!
There are websites that might give better instructions, but those are the basics. Very easy and got no more then $5.

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Big, double-thickness flannel baby blankets are easy and always appreciated. When you buy the flannel measure how wide the fabric is (it says on the end of the bolt, or ask the person at the cutting table), add a few inches (because the cutters never cut straight) and that's how much you'll need. Do the same for a coordinating fabric (for the back). Cut them straight and cut off the selvages, then stitch around all four sides, leaving the last 6 inches open for turning. Trim the corners so they're not bulky, then turn inside out and iron flat. Fold the edges of the opening in and iron them flat. Pin around it, then top stitch around the edge of the blanket. If your sewing machine has cute stitches, this is the time to use them! My mom's sewing machine could stitch letters, and she sewed "sweet dreams little one" all around the edge of a blanket for my baby. If you wait until you have a name, you could do that.
Then you should stitch a big square in the middle of the blanket to keep it all together. Did that make sense? You can do a cute stitch for that, too.
It seems to me that one of those organizers that you hang over the back of your car seat would be pretty easy to stitch up. They have patterns for lots of this stuff at WalMart.
I made a bunch of knit hats for my babies. I bought a cheap one for like a quarter at a thrift store, picked it apart, and used that as a pattern. Then I made them cute. Like on a green one, I appliqued eyeballs and a mouth and it was a cute frog hat. I had knit the color of Pooh, so I made one with ears and stitched a Pooh face on it.

I found this blog with ideas and free patterns:
http://www.sewmamasew.com/blog2/?p=233

I hated those flannel burp cloths. They're cute but my boys spit up way, way too much volume. But you could do some decorative stitching around some cloth diapers (my favorite burp cloths), or sew ribbons onto it (my sister did that and it was cute).

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I got some blankets for my son that a couple of different people made for me, and they were the best blankets I ever got! They are fairly easy to make. You pick out two complementing pieces of fleece fabric at a fabric store, then you snip the ends all around, put the two pieces together and tie the edges together in knots. It's something you can do while watching tv or talking. They are really warm, soft and very much appreciated that you made it yourself. Have fun!

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My mother-in-law made me some really cute and soft burp cloths; I love them, and they are easy to make. You could also try making some hooded towels, but I don't know how hard those are to make.