B-B-B-Baby Bibs

These baby bibs rock. 

I had seen these "tie" bibs around the interwebs before, so I can't take full credit for them.  However, I did decide they'd look great on men's shirting fabric.  Which I couldn't find.  And I didn't have time to go thrifting either.  BUT I did find a few nice seersucker fabrics that worked just fine.

Here's a few close ups.

They are all cotton with a white cotton flannel backing.  Gotta be easy wash since babies just spit up all over them and drop food on them. 

I made my own freezer paper stencils.  I only had to make two as the wax held up for more than one use.  I also wanted a nice wide, fat tie.  Several samples I saw on line were too thin for my liking.  I kinda also wanted to make bow ties, but stuck with just the regular tie.  And I think they're FUN!!!

I used a small piece of velcro on each to secure behind the neck.  I made sure the softer, fuzzy side was on the top piece so if it overlapped, it would be softer on the neck than the stiffer, pokey side of the velcro.

And I top-stitched the ties in place, through all the layers to keep them from shifting around.

  These four bibs were made for my fella's soon-to-be nephew.  Name TBD.  :)

Burping Babies

Let's face it.
Babies burp.
A lot.

So what better thing to have handy for new parents but lots and lots of burp cloths!  These are for a co-worker who just welcomed a new baby girl, Isabella.  And of course, a new baby girl needs girly burp cloths, yes?

I took my inspiration from Purl Soho's blog, The Purl Bee.  I really liked the Oxford Burp Cloths made from soft cotton flannel and Oxford shirting.  I just didn't have any shirting fabric handy and couldn't find any that didn't have a "manly" feel to it, so ...

... I picked out some girly, pink fat-quarters.
And pink thread.

Aren't they pretty?
AND functional!
Plus, these work up pretty quickly. 
A tip?  Fold the yard of flannel so it's four layers thick and stack the fat-quarters on top.  Use a rotary cutter and "square" them all at once.  Since the flannel is "shifty", this will ensure that everything is the same size.  Next time, I'll use a bigger round object for my corners.  I wish the curve was a little more ... curvy.

I also think my photography is getting better.
I'm paying more attention to light and backgrounds and stuff.
Ooo...

What a Bride Needs

What does a bride-to-be need for the big day? 
A dress, of course.  Shoes.  Cake.  A groom.
All those are kind of "givens", but sometimes the unexpected arises.

And so we have the Emergency Bridal Kit!
... all tucked inside a clutch that can be used for the big day!

Above are the goodies inside the kit:  mints, lip balm, hair pins, bandages, a mini-sewing kit, dressmaker's tape and a little "mini" to calm any jittery nerves.

The dressmaker's tape comes in a little tin (far left), but I only included a few strips in the kit just for emergency gapes or slipping shoulders.  I had to include a L-A-R-G-E tin of mints because I couldn't find something smaller, but it still fits in the bag.

I made a mini-sewing kit from some simple felt.  It includes a few buttons, a sewing needle, some thread and safety pins.  Before packaging, I slipped the hair pins onto one of the pages in the sewing kit.

The clutch was done in a silky, textured white exterior.  I thought about simple white cotton, but I thought something a little "shinier" would look a little dressier.  The bag exterior fabric is interfaced as is the interior fabric.  Since the white fabric is a bit sheer, I didn't want any color bleed through of the purple lining.  Plus, the interfacing gives the bag more structure.

The bag was pleated before binding the interior seams with fabric.  It was a new-to-me binding technique I was trying out.  I really liked it.  Since the exterior fabric was kind of slippery, it was easier to seam it this way.  Plus, the fabric binding helps protect the fabric edges from fraying due to friction.  You can see a bit of the seam binding in the pics below.

I made a little side tab for the removable strap.  This way the bag can be a wristlet to wear or more of a cosmetics bag to go inside another bag.

Since I made this for a specific bride-to-be, I knew that her favorite color would be best for the lining.  AND since I happen to have easy access to the shibori dyer who lives here (hee hee hee) I could get exactly what I wanted for the lining.  AND he happens to be the bride-to-be's brother!  So it could be a gift from us both!

BTW I love this particular tying method for the shibori.  It reminds me of sea urchins or sand dollars. 

And I love to wrap presents so here's a shot of the package.  I'm a little "Martha" when it comes to gift wrapping.  A little extra fold or tuck here or there adds a little extra "oomph".  And double-sided tape is a wrapper's best friend.  Trust me.  Get it.  Use it.

More Crochet Goodness

*** Post updated on March 26, 2013 with written pattern for motif.  ***

Suzanne and I wrapped up our second batch of crochet seminars at the shop today.  And let me tell you -- people LOVE crochet!  :)

... and I'm really tired.

BUT had the sample completed for our second class set for the end of March.  It's also from The Happy Hooker by Debbie Stoller.  This is the "In Bloom Bag" - details can be found on my Ravelry Project Page.

Here is the pattern for the motif on the bag.  I improvised the design.  Please feel free to use for your own personal items.  It does not require much yarn.  Scraps are usually plenty.

MOTIF INSTRUCTIONS

Color A - Center of motif
Color B - Outside of motif

Stitches Used:
CH = Chain
SL ST = Slip Stitch
SC = Single Crochet
DC = Double Crochet (and Standing DC)
PICOT = (CH 3, SL ST to 1st CH made)

PATTERN
· With Color A, make a magic loop.
· CH 1, 8 SC in loop, SL ST first SC to join, tighten loop.
· CH 4 (counts as DC and CH 1) [skip 1 SC, DC next stitch, CH 7, DC same stitch, CH 1] repeat 3 more times, joins with SL ST to 3rd chain of beginning CH 4, fasten off Color A.
· With Color B, join to any CH 7 space using a Standing DC, continue in same CH space with 3 DC, PICOT, 4 DC, [SC in next CH 1 space, (4 DC, PICOT, 4 DC) in next CH 7 space], repeat 2 more times, SL ST to top of Standing DC, fasten off Color B.
* Note: Pattern assumes worsted weight yarn. If using a lighter weight yarn, you may wish to add another DC on each side of each Picot to fill in the chain space.