I've been at my sewing machine a lot lately, mostly making things for the baby. I guess the nesting instinct is kicking in big time. Here's a little show and tell:
In the interest of economy and the environment, everything in this post has been made using repurposed and thrifted materials, including shirts, sweaters, sheets, and towels.
Four pairs of baby pants sewn from t-shirts. I first got the idea of recycling adult shirts into kiddo pants from SouleMama's The Creative Family but there are some online tutorials as well including this one and this one. Tiny baby pants don't take much fabric, so I've sewn Maia a few pairs of pants as well from the same shirts.
More wool soakers from thrifted sweaters -- somewhat girlier than the last set. I finally made some newborn-sized soakers so I'll be able to use them right away. I hesitated for a while since babies outgrow newborn stuff so quickly, but ultimately decided that the time and money to make each soaker was so minimal I should just go ahead and make them.
A set of flannel burp cloths, using this tutorial. I'm also in the process of making another set with flannel on one side and terrycloth on the other, but my sewing machine is wigging out on me. The bottom thread keeps breaking. Does anyone know what's wrong? I thought maybe it was a thread tension thing, but I've tried several different tension settings.
A stack of double flannel baby wipes using a thrifted flannel sheet. I didn't use cloth wipes with Maia but thought I'd give it a try this time. One of these days I'll get a serger, but for these I just used a zig-zag stitch around the edge.
And, last of all, here's my first attempt at making diapers using Rita's Rump Pocket pattern. I've made four of these but probably won't make more. These need an insert and also a cover, since they are just made with a layer of flannel (same as the wipes, above) and a layer from another thrifted sheet. AND you have to fasten them with a pin. Sounds like too many variables for me. I have some fitted diapers and some Bummis super whisper wraps that I bought off a friend. I might just use those and supplement with prefolds and wool soakers. I only used FuzziBunz with Maia and am afraid I'm going to miss them, but they are so darn expensive, even second-hand!
I've placed most of the above in baskets under this handmade changing table which is on loan from a friend. We didn't have a changing table with Maia so I'm actually pretty excited about this. Also this little corner of our house is the only sign so far that a baby is on the way (besides my belly and waddle walk). The sketch is one I did in college. Not sure if I'll keep it up. Oh, and the sheepskin (another hand-me-down from a friend that I'm excited about) is just there temporarily until I find somewhere else to put it.
Okay, show and tell over. Back to normal art-related programming tomorrow.
