Free Pattern Friday: Sewing For Baby

Babies are so much fun to get ready for.  Starting afresh, they need everything.  Thanks to the fabric store and a sewing machine, customizing baby's world is easy.  Thanks to the internet, and the generosity of creative crafters, there are many free patterns that make sewing for baby, and customizing their world easier and more affordable.

I thought I'd give you a little round up of some free sewing patterns that will help you prepare baby's environment for their arrival.


The Anywhere Chair, perfect for traveling with baby.

Free Pattern for Baby Sleep Sack, great for those wiggly little babies that can't keep their blanket on.

Oversized Diaper Bag, for all of babies diaper changing necessities.

Contoured burp clothes. I made these for my last baby and loved them, especially when backed with minky.

Knot Top Infant Cap, you can find my version here.

Baby Toms.

Baby Boy Cap, just what a little guy born in the Fall/Winter needs.
There are of course many many more free patterns available, but this will give you a good starting point. I still have some sewing to do before I welcome our third little guy in six short weeks. So much to sew, so little time.

Tutorial With Pattern: Chevron Pintucked Sundress

I've been in a bit of a creative funk lately.  I just haven't had the energy or much of a desire to sew, partly due to a project that was more trouble than it ever should have been.

When I get in a rut like that, the best thing to do is make something that isn't on my to-do list at all.  Something that doesn't have a deadline, and is just for me.  Since I don't have any girls of my own, dresses are especially fun to make, and this little pin-tucked sundress has recharged my lil' sewing battery.

If you missed my pintuck tutorial earlier this week, and you're not familiar with the technique, you'll want to check it out before getting started.

Materials:

1 package Double Fold Bias Tape-any width will work

3/4 yard main fabric

10 inches of secondary fabric (for underskirt) 

Chevron Sundress Printable Pattern

Sewing For Baby: Burp Clothes

Every new baby needs a burp cloth at some time or another.  While not all babies seem to have quite the same projection, burp clothes are a nice thing for any new mother to have on hand.

I used some of the scraps of material that I had on hand from the mitered corner receiving blankets, and some minky from the car seat canopy and cuddle square, to make a few quick burp clothes.  I made two different styles of burp clothes.  The two shown above are based on a free pattern from Cloud 9 fabrics, you can find the pattern and tutorial here. 

They are flannel on the front, and cuddle fabric on the back.

I also used up some fleece and flannel to make some serged edged burp clothes.  Both styles of burp clothes come together really quickly, and would make a nice, practical, and inexpensive gift for any new mom and baby. The great thing about the fleece backed burp clothes is that it provides a moisture barrier, that way nothing seeps through the flannel and onto your shirt. You can find the tutorial for the fleece and flannel burp clothes here.

Thanks for reading, and for all of your kind comments on our "nursery".

Sewing for Baby: The Pacifier Pocket

One more baby item crossed off the list.  A pacifier pocket, it's something that I tried to make when Clark was using a pacifier.  My version was square, terry cloth, and all together poorly designed.  I hadn't been sewing long, and my stash of fabric was sad to say the least.  Ashley of Make It and Love It, recently shared this cute little pattern for her version of the pacifier pocket on her blog.  The pattern and tutorial are free for personal use, and are much better designed than my first attempt.

I decided to make a couple of different pouches.  The green version was made from scraps from the car seat cover that I recently made, and the orange version is scrap from Clark's rocket quilt.

I pretty much followed the pattern as she wrote it.  The only change was on the closure.  Snaps and I don't always get along, so I opted to use velcro in their place. I also topstitched around the edges of the pocket flap, because I just can't resist.

The project was pretty quick and painless.  There was a bit of frustration easing the curves at the base of the pocket (you'll notice the puckers on the green pocket), but that was all due to my lack of patience.

If you have a pacifier taking babe in your life, and need a good scrap busting project, this one's for you.  You can find Ashley's tutorial here.

 If you were wondering, the pacifiers fit nicely into the pocket, with pacifier leashes and all.