Archive for the ‘Cloth Diapering’ Category

The double baby shower was last night, so I can post the set that I made for the second mom now. Oh, and I happened to hear that she did read my blog post about the first mom’s set and almost convinced herself not to scroll down and see if hers was posted, too. Hee-hee . . . I’m so glad I kept it a surprise!

This mom uses cloth diapers, so I had a great time sewing diapers and knitting soakers for her. She also sticks to natural fabrics like cotton, hemp and wool because of her children’s allergies.

I recycled two 100% cotton knit receiving blankets into four fitted diapers for her using the free Darling Diapers Newborn Pattern.

And, I knit her two soakers (wool diaper covers). For this first one, I used the free Snapdragon Soaker Pattern and Mosiac Moon’s Coastal Sunset colorway on Cestari.

I knit the second soaker using the Frantic Mama Soaker Pattern which also happens to be available free. (Both soaker patterns are quick and easy to follow and produce really nice results!) The yarn is this one is Purewool in their Omekua colorway.

I think both moms really liked the sets that I created for them. I can’t wait to see their new babies wearing them!

 

Yep, still pregnant and trying to stay busy until it’s time. Little bit really needed a diaper bag. I bought the fabric for it quite some time ago (Bloom and Grow by Riley Blake), but I hadn’t found just the right pattern. I know I could have made one up–I actually started to a few times, but sometimes, you just want someone else to do all the thinking for you. Yesterday, I happened on the Ladybug Diaper Bag pattern from Sew Spoiled and fell in love!

The pattern is a downloadable pdf, so I was able to get started right away. I spent most of the day working on it yesterday. (I actually thought maybe all the up and down, standing to sitting, that making an involved bag requires might help get labor started. It didn’t work.) I purchased my copy of the pattern from the website YouCanMakeThis.com. They have a 20% off code that is good through today: SUPERSALE.

I did make a few modifications, not because there was anything wrong with the pattern, but more to make the bag exactly what I wanted. I’ll detail those as I go.

Here’s the front. The biggest modification that I made was taking 3″ off of the width. I tend to be pretty minimalistic in the things that I pack in the diaper bag, so a slightly smaller one works well for us (yes, even with cloth diapers). I also brought the magnetic snap on the front down about an inch. I wanted it to close a little more tightly than the one in the picture on the website.

And, the back. I did two elasticized pockets here as the pattern recommends.

Here’s another modification that was really easy to make–a little “hidden” pocket on one of the side panels for my cell phone.

Inside, I added a divider to make it a mom & baby bag. Here’s the mom side with a couple of pockets for business cards, a pen, etc. I left out the zippered pocket, but now I wish I’d maybe put it in the divider.

Here’s baby’s side with three elasticized pockets instead of the two that the pattern calls for.

The pattern was really easy to follow and understand. The pictures of each step were great! If you’ve purchased any of my patterns, you probably already know how much I appreciate pictures of each step. I think they make getting a great result from a pattern so much easier.

A few of my favorite things about the pattern itself: The look of the front of the bag is so unique and really attractive. The small flap closure makes getting in and out of the bag quick and easy, but still provides some protection for the contents inside. The adjustable strap is awesome for going from shoulder to stroller–you could even add some length to the strap to make it long enough to go across your body, if you like to wear your bags that way. Adding iron-on interfacing to both the inner and outer pieces (although it does take awhile to iron it on) makes a really nice finished bag that stands up on it’s own (a great feature in a diaper bag).

Since this will be my “purse” for awhile after baby arrives, I just had to add a matching wallet and key fob. The wallet pattern can be found at Wired Up Designs.

I’m so excited about using my new bag. I think I’ll work on adding a few more accessories while I wait for baby . . . a changing pad, a wet bag . . . hmmm . . . what else?

 

 

Ah, the waiting . . . It’s interesting that when I reflect on the things that I’ve learned in life, I see how much God has taught me about waiting, yet I still find it hard to be patient and trust His timing. I am so ready for baby to be here, but so far, there’s not much sign that says it’ll be happening right away. While I wait, I’m relaxing a lot and really enjoying my new-found love of knitting! It’s so nice to have a hobby that I can do while I have my feet up (in hopes that I might actually have ankles again someday).

 

 

 

This little sock monkey set was inspired by the sweater in the picture below. I didn’t knit the sweater–it was actually a gift from a very sweet friend. When it arrived in my mail, I knew right away that I wanted to make a whole set to go with it!

I started with embroidering a sock monkey on a newborn-size laptee (from my Little One Layette pattern). Then I added a pair of knitted Picky Pants longies in newborn and, of course, every little sock monkey needs a hat!

The longies, hat and sweater were all knit with Patons Classic Wool which is readily available at craft stores like Michaels and Joann, and is a great wool to start with if you’re just learning to knit!

Then there’s the Eliott Elephant set. It’s entirely possible that I’ve been daydreaming about this set since I found out that we’re having a new little boy. The elephant fabric is so cute! I made this one in size 0-3 months with small Picky Pants, so it might not fit right away. The yarn was custom-dyed by the very talented Tasha of Eva Baby Designs on BFL.

I had plenty of the coordinating Eliott striped knit, so I also made a matching hat and a pair of knit pants (from my LOL pattern, as well).

Now, I just need this baby boy to come out so he can try out these clothes that I’ve been working so hard to create just for him! I know, patience, mama–baby will come when it’s time . . .

It’s getting close to time to welcome our new little one! We love using cloth diapers, and I especially enjoy sewing them myself. I’ve actually been working on diapers since not long after we found out that we were expecting. There are so many patterns available now, and they all have advantages. I thought I’d show off our newborn stash now, and then, as we try out each pattern on baby, I’ll report back with feedback.

I tried to make our newborn diapers from prints that are gender neutral so that they can be used again for another baby.

I also used knit fabrics to make all of these. The stretch in the fabric will help them to fit longer than if I used woven fabrics.

In case you’re counting, that makes a total of 40 newborn fitted diapers and 12 covers. I also have quite a few smalls finished, but I’ll save those for another post. Aren’t these adorable, though? If you’ve never tried cloth, you really should give a go. I promise they’re much easier to use and care for than you think they are!