Custom Burp Cloths

After making a few of my own burpies I decided to go a different route...

For these I bought some new prefold cloth diapers from Target and added some personal touches.

Sewed on a strip of flannel fabric down the middle...

And added a decorative stitch in a matching thread color down both sides.

Also made a couple for my sister...

And taught myself how to add a monogram using my sewing machine.

(Too bad I didn't spend a lil more $$ to get a machine that did it all for me... Had to do this all by hand!)

Another Diaper Bag Sewn By Me!

Same design as the owl print corduroy one I made. With just a few adjustments. 

There's now 4 pockets on the front.

4 pockets across the back.

And 6 pockets on the inside lining. (Two of them made to perfectly fit my camera and my cell phone.)

I really like the colors on this one. The green fabric was an awesome find at Walmart. $3 for 2 yards of it! (Only wish I had bought more...)

Ruffled Camera Strap Slipcover

You know you want to make one!

I don't own a fancy schmancy camera just yet, but I have lots of friends who do... Christmas present?

This is from the same blog as yesterday's post... 

What can I say? I love KevinandAmanda.com

The Cutest Lil Halloween Bags!

Found this super cute bag on Etsy. My youngest son is obsessed with owls so I'm instantly drawn to them too. Everything in this Etsy shop is really cute. Definitely a new favorite!

DIY Halloween Trick or Treat Bag

This year I made my boys their Halloween Trick or Treat bags. My aunt had given me a bunch of really cute Halloween fabric that she had laying around. (She had giant tubs FULL of fabric and has let me go 'shopping' at her house just to get rid of a fraction of it.)

I came across this tutorial the other day and thought they turned out really cute. Love the idea of embroidery... but I've never done tried to do it. This looks like an easy one to learn on.

Diaper/Wipes Case and Some Burp Cloths

 

I made these for a friend of mine who has a baby shower coming up.

(I hope she doesn't see these ahead of time!)

The diaper/wipes case is big enough to fit a travel size wipes case along with 2-3 diapers. These come in handy when you use more than one diaper bag... Just pull this out of one bag and put it in the other! The closure on this is a magnetic snap, but velcro would work just as well.

With the burpies I couldn't decide on what I wanted to make them out of. I wanted something absorbent... and I know that flannel will probably have the spit up roll right off. (Although I have tons of baby print flannel that I need to use up!) So I bought some terry cloth fabric... washed it and sewed one. I didn't really like the texture of it. A bit rough for newborn skin. So the next one I made with some white minky. Perfect. I'm not sure how absorbent minky is, but it's super soft!

I've decided I'm giving her both of them... I figure the one with the terry cloth would be good for some of the bigger messes as the baby gets older.

I'm definitely going to be making lots more of these in the next month or so. I need a diaper/wipes case to match my new diaper bag! I also need a bunch of new burp cloths for Baby Josiah coming next January. Not to mention for my sister and her new baby coming in February! :)

I have LOTS of sewing to get done in 4 months.

My New Diaper Bag

I found this cute owl print corduroy fabric on sale at Joann's a couple weeks ago and I couldn't resist. I knew I wanted to make something for myself out of it... I decided on a new diaper bag. I've been dreaming of sewing myself a bag for about 5 years now. (Crazy, right?) So I finally took the plunge yesterday!

I think it turned out really cute!

This bag measures about 18.5" wide by 12" tall. Magnetic snap closure on the top. 3 pockets on the outside front, one large pocket in the back and a large zippered pocket on the inside.

Now that I've finished the bag and have put all my personal belongings in it I can see a few improvements I would make for the next time... 

Instead of just putting interfacing in the pockets, bottom and straps I would also add it to the main body of the bag. Not sure why I didn't... I guess I figured having the pockets lined would be good enough. It works ok without the extra interfacing, but I think I like the feel of a more sturdy bag. 

I would also add a Velcro or button closure to the large back pocket... or even splitting up the back pocket to 2 smaller pockets. As it is right now it kind of falls open when the inside of the bag is full.

Another thing I would add is 2 pockets on the inside. One to fit my cell phone and one to fit my camera.

Other than those small improvements I really love this bag and I'm happy I decided to make it. I'll probably make one for my sister as a Christmas present with the improvements and see how I like it. Once I get things right I might even decide to start selling these! We'll see...

Toddler Backpack Pattern

I saw this tutorial last year and have been meaning to make it ever since. Now that I have a new sewing machine and some cute fabric to work with I have the motivation! I'm thinking these will turn into some Christmas or even birthday gifts for the boys. (There's really no difference since their birthdays are so close to Christmas anyway...)

 

I love that this tutorial even has a free pattern that you can download and print out. Can't get much easier than that! And can you imagine all the fabric possibilities with this one? I'm thinking a SpiderMan/Red one for my oldest and maybe a car/truck/blue one for my youngest.

Sewing Machine Cover

In case you haven't heard, my husband bought me a new sewing machine last week! I love it and have made several things on it already. Pretty soon I'll be able to start posting more of my own work along with a link if I made it using a tutorial.

Which brings me to this...

I had thought about buying one of those hard cases I saw for sale at Walmart... but how much more fun would it be to make my own?! I have this gorgeous table cloth that I bought from Target last year that I plan to use for it. It's too big for the desk I've been using it on. (I actually fold it in half.) So there's plenty of extra fabric for this project!

I found the picture above over at Make it and Love it. 

However, there's also a great tutorial over on Nap Time Journal.

I Spy Bags

I've been meaning to make one of these for about a year now. I think they would make good toys for car rides and for staying quiet in church. I just need to get to Joann's and buy some of the plastic material and I need to find a store that carries the beads... 

Someday.

 

There are many tutorials on the internet if you search. This particular one was found here.

Lipgloss Cozy

Anyone that knows me knows that I am obsessed with Chapstick. 

I need one of these A.S.A.P.!

The tutorial can be found here.

Hanging Fabric Storage Baskets

My boys would probably rip these off the wall, but they're still really cute and I still want to make them someday... Maybe if I ever have a girl. ;)

Tutorial can be found here.

Baby Blanket Inspiration

I'm always on the lookout for cute projects to do for the newest baby boy that's joining our family next year. I just wish I had a sewing machine to make all of this stuff!

The squares for these were made out of a thrift store find.. some brand new, in package receiving blankets. The original post can be found here.

Make Your Own Fabric Keychain

I first came across these cute fabric keychains while searching through Etsy. I figured there had to be a tutorial out there some where... so I googled it and came across The Idea Room via the blog Ucreate. She has one of the easiest and best picture tutorials that I found for this. You can find the instructions here. Can't wait to get my new sewing machine so I can make these!

Rag Quilt

I actually just made one of these for my son, but haven't uploaded any of the pictures yet. It's the first (and only) quilt I've ever attempted to make. I love how easy they are to make! You can google "Rag Quilt" and tons and tons of links will pop up with instructions on how to make them. Here's one that I just happen to love the look of.

Found here.

Sew Your Own Cosmetic Bags

I think I'm drawn to all the sewing projects because my sewing machine died this month and I'm in desperate need of a new one! So far it's looking like I'll be waiting til January til we can afford a new one. :( This will have to stay on my to-do list until then. These cosmetic bags are so cute! I can't wait to make some for my friends and family.

Download the instructions here.

Super Cute Tote Bags

Found this tote bag tutorial on the same website as the Hobo Bags I posted about a few days ago. I just love all the detailed pictures and the simple instructions. Also love that there's a printable version of the instructions!

Tutorial found here.

Printable version here.

Beautiful Nursing Cover

Both my sister and I are pregnant with babies due at the beginning of next year. So yes, babies are very much on my mind! I really wanted a cute nursing cover like this when I was pregnant with my second son, but never wanted to pay the price tag. Now that I have a sewing machine and plenty of fabric I plan to make a few!

The one pictured above can be found in this tutorial.

Baby Binkie Bunnies

Last week I found out that I'm having yet another baby boy due (#3!) at the end of January and that means I have nothing but baby on my mind! (Ok maybe not since I do still have a household to run and two little ones to fed, dress and take care of.) 

When I saw this cute lil bunny I knew I wanted to make it. How adorable is this?! Seriously. Then I took a look at all the other stuff this awesome blog contained... 

Oh my. I'm in heaven.

Fabric Beaded Necklace

I keep seeing these fabric beaded necklaces pop up every where on the internet. I think they're so cute, seem easy to make and there's so many different color options for you to choose from! This is on my definite to-do list. 

Tutorial can be found here.