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For Christmas, I made Baby B some soft new blankies that I was hoping she’d like and grow to love as her special blankies. So far, my plan is working and she seems to really love cuddling them! (“Them” – I made two so that I could rotate washing them, and just in case one got lost!)Continue reading
Sometimes I like to spend a lot of time on DIY projects, and sometimes I just want to make them as simple as possible and get them done.
This easy minky change mat cover was one of the latter kinds of projects. I made it before Baby A was born, and I completely forgot to share it until now (almost a year and a half later)! I still use this DIY change pad cover daily. It’s washable, it’s comfortable, and it didn’t take me long at all to sew. It’s basically a small fitted sheet – without mitered corners. Here’s how I did it:
Materials:
Directions:
Sidenote: Here’s darling Baby A at only two days old. How small is she?! Is is just me, or does the second baby seem to grow up at lightening speed?
(Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you decide to purchase products via these links, a small percentage of the sale will be given to me at no extra cost to you. It’s a win-win – thanks for helping support thediymommy.com!)
This year was awesome. It was the year that I settled into being a mommy of two, the year that I turned 30 and finally began to be confident in who I was as a woman and a mother, and it was the year that this little blog grew a little bit bigger.
I love to craft, I love to write and I love to be a mom and The DIY Mommy has been the perfect outlet for me to share these things with people just like me.
I want to thank you, my readers, for taking a slice of time from your lives this year to share with me. Every month, more and more of you “tuned in” to this site. I appreciate every one of you and I thank you for giving me the motivation to write, photograph and share.
Here are your favourite tutorials from 2012 that I’ve posted according to how many views they’ve received. Between you sharing them with your friends, the rise of Pinterest , and me spending more time to write, some of them have reached over 22,000 unique visits which I’m truly amazed and humbled by. Thank you!
I wish you all the best in the coming year. May 2013 be full of wonder, baby cuddles, and craftiness!
by Christina Dennis
This post on how to sew a generously fluffy boutique blanket has been quite popular for the last few months, and I’ve also received a few questions via comments and emails on how this blanket would work for babies (as a great shower gift, perhaps).
When it comes to baby & toddler blankies, I think it’s important that they not only be soft but washable and sturdy as well. While the fabric I used in this tutorial is wonderful for a living room throw or a master bedroom accent blanket, I like to use quilting cotton instead of decor cotton for the primary side of a blanket like this. Here is my suggested method on how to slightly tweak the boutique blanket to make it a boutique blanket perfect for a baby!
Materials:
I purchased my fabric for this project from fabric.com:
I make all of my baby blankets to measure about 35 inches wide by 29 inches long (which uses up almost a yard of cotton quilting fabric nicely and then you can use one yard of minkee for two blankets because it’s 60″ wide).
Directions:
Follow all of the directions for the Boutique Blanket. Optional: Sew an extra line of stitching 2″ inside the topstitched line, as shown in the picture below.
These cuddly blankets make a beautiful gift for a new little baby bundle and they’re fun and easy to sew! If you’ve sewn a cotton + minkee blanket like the one in the original Boutique Blanket post or like one shown here, please comment and let me know how you found working with the fabrics together. I love to see all of your projects!
by Christina Dennis
My little girlie is 9 months old now and she loves to ride in our stroller. She’s still a little slouchy though, and the straps that hold her in can dig into the side of her little neck – ouch! These sewn strap covers are very soft and super easy to sew. You can use scraps to make them and they can prevent carseat or stroller straps from rubbing baby’s neck.
Materials:
Instructions:
Cut four 5″ x 5″ squares out of the minkee, two 5″ x 5″ squares out of the quilt batting or fleece and four 1″ x 1″ squares from the velcro.
Put one minkee piece on top of the other, right sides together. Place one batting/fleece piece on top of that. Pin all together. Sew 1/4″ from the edge all of the way around leaving a 2″ opening.
Turn the square right-side-out (with the minkee on each side) and stitch 1/4″ along the edge, closing the hole as you go. Stitch one velcro square (the “hook” side) to the upper right corner and one to the lower right corner. Flip the square over and repeat using “loop” sides of the velcro.
That’s all! You’re already finished your strap covers. To use them, simply wrap them around a carset or stroller strap, fastening the velcro at the back. The nice thing about using velcro is that you can adjust the width of the covers easily depending on the width of the straps you need them to cover. You now have nice, soft strap covers for your little one!
Christina Dennis is the creator and designer behind Golly Gee Baby, a collection of unique and colourful baby clothing and accessories that are ethically manufactured.
by Christina Dennis
There’s something about little folded tags and bits of ribbon that capture a baby’s attention. There little hands like to grasp the silky tags and their little mouths like to chew them! My babies were no different, so when they were little I made them these sweet ribbon loop blankies to cuddle and play with. These blankets are very simple to sew and small enough to bring in the car or stroller. You can attach plastic links to them and attach those to a stroller or carseat so that the blankie doesn’t get lost! I like to use super-soft minkee fabric for these little blankies to add to the tactile fun!
Materials:
Directions:
Christina Dennis is the creator and designer behind Golly Gee Baby, a collection of unique and colourful baby clothing and accessories that are ethically manufactured.
by Christina Dennis
I love soft, cuddly blankets! My favourite combination for a blanket is to sew it using cotton on the outside and buttery soft minkee fabric on the inside. The result is a substantial, high-quality blanket that is wonderful for a baby, for a living room throw, or for a bed!
Minkee (or “minky”) fabric can be very thick and slippery. It also is a pain to cut because it can be so furry – fuzz can fly everywhere! In this tutorial on how to sew a “boutique” blanket, I’ll share how I work with this fabric. It’s a little tricky, but the results are beautiful.Continue reading
Update: You can now view a video tutorial for these soft baby slippers here.
From what I’ve read, soft-soled shoes are the best for young babies (pre-walking age). I wanted some soft-soled shoes for my little daughter, but had a problem finding some that (a) were inexpensive and (b) didn’t fall off of her little feet! This pattern for Soft Baby Slippers is a pattern I’ve drafted and tested on my baby girl. Continue reading
By Christina Dennis
Good, old-fashioned blocks are a great toy for Baby. They’re wonderful to grab with little fingers, and to practice passing from hand to hand. Here’s a simple pattern for soft blocks made out of fabric, ribbon and polyester fiberfill. Hang them, stack them, toss them — they’ll have many uses!Continue reading
By Christina Dennis
Sewing a custom bib for your baby, or as a gift for a baby shower, is fun & easy! You can use scraps of fabric you have leftover from other projects, or purchase some special fabric, like laminated cotton, that works especially well for bibs.Continue reading
I'm Christina - a DIYer and decorator living on the Alberta prairies in a home we built ourselves. My goal is to inspire you to create a cozy home and life you love!
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