Quick projects
So I mentioned in an earlier post I like how quickly I can finish projects compared with knitting and some other crafts. Of course, this doesn't apply to all sewing projects (I've been making Isaac a quiet book for months now, and it's finally finished! See it here) so here is my round up of quick projects. Most of these projects also don't use up much fabric which is a bonus for the bank balance!
Bibs
Bibs are a great place to start if you are a beginner or just returning to sewing; they're quick, come in lots of styles and you can use pretty much any fabric you like, including fat quarters. For a pattern, either freehand a bib design onto paper and cut it out, or draw around an existing bib if you want to be a bit cheeky. Alternatively, bandana bibs can be made with a triangle of fabric sewn back to back to another of the same size either with a hem folded under or edged with bias binding. A little hack for this is to buy rectangular microfibre cloths in the size you'd like and cut them diagonally corner to corner, fold in your raw edge and cut the same size and shape from some patterned fabric to sew to the front. I kept the original edging on the cloths and folded in my front fabric just beside it to stop it from fraying. The bonus of this method is that microfibre makes a lovely soft bib which stays soft after a few washes; great for newborn skin. I think I managed to get 10 cloths for about £3.
^ A bandana bib made from half a microfibre cloth.
I used plastic snaps on the ends to allow the bib to be worn, these are easy to apply (you can probably find a video tutorial on youtube) and fairly cheap to purchase, though it's worth checking you are buying a child-safe product such as KAM brand. Honestly though Isaac rarely wears bibs unless he is eating, they just get used for mopping up and then put in the wash, so the bib is just as good without the poppers.
Toys
Little toys like this one on Pinterest can be made fairly quickly and easily by printing or drawing a template and cutting it twice then sewing them back to back. Crinkle paper can be bought to go inside of them. Alternatively, you can use other things you have lying around your house like a crumpled piece of greaseproof paper, although the sound may not last as long. I've made a couple of different taggy toys for Isaac and my advice would be to make them bigger than you think you need to; small toys may be unsafe if your baby can choke on it and they may find a larger toy easier to pick up anyway.
The next toy or taggy blanket I sew I'll be using fleece for one side of the toy and I think this will make a big difference in how practical the end product is and improve the quality, I think I'll also personalise it by cutting out his name in felt and sewing the letters on.
Little felt toys are an easy hand sewing project and can be as detailed as you like.The boundaries are unless with this too, you can take it wherever your imagination lets you and make as many as your little monster gives you time to do! For example, felt characters like space men could be made to fly in a felt rocket around a felt solar system play mat. I've started this fairytale castle playmat featuring a moveable tent, campfire and veg patch and a fixed castle with a drawbridge.
During Isaac's first few months he enjoyed looking at the felt characters I'd made and sewn onto strips of felt with velcro attachements to hang over his pram and carseat to give him something bright to look at. Another idea for felt characters is to make a few which complement each other and turn them into a mobile for the nursery (like this pin).
I've also started a collection of felt food for a play kitchen which does not yet exist! These are projects I'm dipping in and out of but each item is a fairly quick and simply make. I found different felt food items on pinterest and copied them in my own way.
Sucker pads
I'm calling these sucker pads but they are actually very versatile; they fit over the straps on his carseat and pram too so that the ones it came with can go through the wash. I made them primarily to go over the straps on the baby carrier so he can suck/ chew on those without damaging the carrier and while being easy to remove and wash.
For a note on baby carriers see my earlier post Slings are your friend.
They were very easy to make: for each one cut two rectangles of material (I used cotton) around 10x15cm, with the pattern sitting upright on the longest side. Sew them together pattern sides in leaving one short side unsewn, then turn them the right side out. Cut some thin wadding around 9 x 14cm and place inside. Fold in the remaining edge to create a hem and sew to secure the pad. Finally, cut some velcro just shorter than your short edges (should be around 8cm) and sew it on each short edge on opposite sides of your pads (one facing toward you, one facing away so that when you fold the pads over the velcro meets); this sews through all the layers and secures the wadding so it doesn't move around inside the pad when you put them in the washing machine. Repeat to create a pair (or as many pairs as you like!).
That's all for now, I'll be back later with a post about making baby clothes :)
Bibs
Bibs are a great place to start if you are a beginner or just returning to sewing; they're quick, come in lots of styles and you can use pretty much any fabric you like, including fat quarters. For a pattern, either freehand a bib design onto paper and cut it out, or draw around an existing bib if you want to be a bit cheeky. Alternatively, bandana bibs can be made with a triangle of fabric sewn back to back to another of the same size either with a hem folded under or edged with bias binding. A little hack for this is to buy rectangular microfibre cloths in the size you'd like and cut them diagonally corner to corner, fold in your raw edge and cut the same size and shape from some patterned fabric to sew to the front. I kept the original edging on the cloths and folded in my front fabric just beside it to stop it from fraying. The bonus of this method is that microfibre makes a lovely soft bib which stays soft after a few washes; great for newborn skin. I think I managed to get 10 cloths for about £3.
I used plastic snaps on the ends to allow the bib to be worn, these are easy to apply (you can probably find a video tutorial on youtube) and fairly cheap to purchase, though it's worth checking you are buying a child-safe product such as KAM brand. Honestly though Isaac rarely wears bibs unless he is eating, they just get used for mopping up and then put in the wash, so the bib is just as good without the poppers.
Toys
Little toys like this one on Pinterest can be made fairly quickly and easily by printing or drawing a template and cutting it twice then sewing them back to back. Crinkle paper can be bought to go inside of them. Alternatively, you can use other things you have lying around your house like a crumpled piece of greaseproof paper, although the sound may not last as long. I've made a couple of different taggy toys for Isaac and my advice would be to make them bigger than you think you need to; small toys may be unsafe if your baby can choke on it and they may find a larger toy easier to pick up anyway.
The next toy or taggy blanket I sew I'll be using fleece for one side of the toy and I think this will make a big difference in how practical the end product is and improve the quality, I think I'll also personalise it by cutting out his name in felt and sewing the letters on.
Little felt toys are an easy hand sewing project and can be as detailed as you like.The boundaries are unless with this too, you can take it wherever your imagination lets you and make as many as your little monster gives you time to do! For example, felt characters like space men could be made to fly in a felt rocket around a felt solar system play mat. I've started this fairytale castle playmat featuring a moveable tent, campfire and veg patch and a fixed castle with a drawbridge.
I've also started a collection of felt food for a play kitchen which does not yet exist! These are projects I'm dipping in and out of but each item is a fairly quick and simply make. I found different felt food items on pinterest and copied them in my own way.
Sucker pads
I'm calling these sucker pads but they are actually very versatile; they fit over the straps on his carseat and pram too so that the ones it came with can go through the wash. I made them primarily to go over the straps on the baby carrier so he can suck/ chew on those without damaging the carrier and while being easy to remove and wash.
For a note on baby carriers see my earlier post Slings are your friend.
They were very easy to make: for each one cut two rectangles of material (I used cotton) around 10x15cm, with the pattern sitting upright on the longest side. Sew them together pattern sides in leaving one short side unsewn, then turn them the right side out. Cut some thin wadding around 9 x 14cm and place inside. Fold in the remaining edge to create a hem and sew to secure the pad. Finally, cut some velcro just shorter than your short edges (should be around 8cm) and sew it on each short edge on opposite sides of your pads (one facing toward you, one facing away so that when you fold the pads over the velcro meets); this sews through all the layers and secures the wadding so it doesn't move around inside the pad when you put them in the washing machine. Repeat to create a pair (or as many pairs as you like!).
That's all for now, I'll be back later with a post about making baby clothes :)
Comments
Post a Comment