Spinoff: What have you made/would you like to make for your DC?

[Aletheia]

What have you made by hand for your baby/ies? What would you like to make? For my not-yet-made-much-less-arrived baby, I'd love to make my own bedding, diapers, mobile, and some clothing.

This is foolishly ambitious as I don't really sew. Yet.

In any case... what have you made? Do you have pictures? Inspire us!

[newyorkgirl]

Okay, I'll bite. :) I knit, so I made a few things for DS. There's more that I plan on making, but it'll have to wait until he's a little less demanding of my time. :) Plus, I was on bedrest for a little over a month when I was pg, so I had plenty of time to knit.

A blanket
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/anemone720/sheepblanket.jpg

A cabled cardigan
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/anemone720/bcablehoodie.jpg

A snuggle (I have yet to sew the zipper in, but I plan on doing it soon!)
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/anemone720/snuggle1.jpg

[Sneak]

I don't have any pics online yet, but I have made lots of receiving blankets, burp rags and some bibs. I also make these in little sets and individually for friends who are having babies and stuff. I just find the receiving blankets that you buy in stores are so tiny....way too small to swaddle a baby so these are really big (about 42" square where the bought ones that I have seen/received are about a foot smaller). As I get better at sewing, I plan to do what my mom did - make lots of sweatpant/sweatshirt outfits, nightgowns, and all halloween costumes. We always looked forward to these outfits so would love to try to do that for her as well...using my mom as a teacher.

[BooeyJ2]

newyorkgirl Holy crap you are good!!!! I looooooove the cardigan! The blanket is super cute too! :)

What have I made for my DD?

Hmm....does breastmilk count ;)

[PaulsGirl]

NewYork! I'm impressed!!!!! Wow, you do beautiful work.

[Sneak]

NewYork - amazing work! You are very talented!

[newyorkgirl]

Thanks, all. I wouldn't be totally honest if I denied that a (tiny) reason for posting was so that I could brag a bit. :p

But it's really easy to learn to knit, and then make something for your baby/babies. I picked it up from a book.

[Aletheia]

newyorkgirl, I LOVE the blanket with the little sheepies! I am super impressed. You've inspired me!

And since I'm not even PG yet, lordy do I have time. Right now, time can't go by quickly enough. ;)

[dana b]

newyorkgirl omg, that blanket is adorable. you could make a fortune selling your stuff, you have great taste.

[mrstim]

LOVE all the stuff Newyork!!!! I honestly hadn't thought about what I could make!! :embarrased: I agree, though, you could make a FORTUNE!!

a

[Aletheia]

If anyone has made any bedding, I'd love to see photos or hear about how you did it!

[aprilshowers]

newyorkgirl, those are beautiful! You have every right to brag! Can I ask where you got the patterns? I have so many friends' babies to knit for right now that I haven't started on anything for DC's impending arrival yet :( Did you happen to make anything special for your DS' coming-home outfit?

Actually, I do have some sweaters put away for future gifts that may end up on DC instead. And I am planning on knitting some soakers if I can find a good pattern.

What a fun thread, Aletheia!

[newyorkgirl]

aprilshowers, DS was born in July, so I didn't think it was right for me to put him in a wool sweater to go home! ;)

The blanket is from Vogue Knitting On the Go: Baby Blankets 2 - I did it in Debbie Bliss cashmerino aran and Berocco plush (for the sheepies). The cardigan pattern is in Debbie Bliss' Baby Cashmerino pattern booklet and it's done in said yarn. The snuggle pattern is from Nursery Knits by Zoe Mellor and I did it in Rowan wool/cotton yarns. Baby sweaters are pretty easy to make - at the basics, you knit four rectangles (front, back and two sleeves) and you sew them together - because the sweaters really don't need any shaping. But you can, of course, get all fancy schmancy if you like. :)

[lowcountrywed]

newyorkgirl

Those are amazing! I knew I had seen that sheep blanket pattern before- I love that. I'm a knitter and currently pregnant and have been in a knitting slump lately. What is your favorite knitting book for babies/kids? I want to ask for some for Christmas.

[newyorkgirl]

lowcountrywed, Debbie Bliss is one of my favorite knitting pattern designers. Her patterns are generally pretty easy to follow and, if you use her yarns, oh-so-very soft!

For baby books, there's Baby Knits for Beginners, The Baby Knits Book, Baby Cashmerino, and Special Knits. For older babies, toddlers and kids, I really like her Junior Knits book.

Other pattern collections also come from another yarn and design company called Rowan. They have Rowan Babies and Rowan Pipsqueaks, plus the Miss Bea books.

You can find these at your LYS (local yarn store) or many online yarn shops. I would totally recommend my LYS (where I also teach a couple classes and used to work part-time) because they have an online shop, but I don't know whether I'm allowed to endorse them since I'm on their payroll. :)

[HGMorgann]

I did the bedding for my DD. I also crotched a blanket, some booties and a couple of hats. Bumpers are pretty easy, I found some old ones and just made a cover for them. The blanket was pretty simple - sewing squares together. The crib skirt was a little more tricky, mostly in regards to attaching it and making it fit right.
http://filebox.vt.edu/users/riclegg/crib5.jpg

[aprilshowers]

aprilshowers, DS was born in July, so I didn't think it was right for me to put him in a wool sweater to go home! ;)Whyever not? ;)

Thanks for letting me know where the patterns are from. I think I might just have to invest in that Vogue book - I sent DH the link to your pictures and he's all excited about the sheep now too! Let me tell you, there is nothing as cute (at least until your child is born!) as getting an email from your husband with the subject "Sheepies" :D

lowcountrywed, I haven't made any myself but the patterns in the Dale baby pamphlets and books are adorable.

[lady1297]

I've made a lot:

Bedding
Curtains
Crib skirt
blanket
diapers
clothes
Bibs
Cross Stitch pictures

I enjoy doing it and find it relaxing.

[Aletheia]

I thought I'd bump this up. I might have time over the holidays to start a project... the question is, which one?

[HGMorgann]

Do you knit or crochet? A little beanie hat might be a good start.

[newyorkgirl]

Agree. A hat is a good place to start - it doesn't take as long as a baby blanket, so you'll finish and get the good feeling of accomplishment/completion - then you can start on something bigger. :)

[NYN]

erika: do you know of any online stores that sell nice wools for making a baby sweater? i'm just too lazy to drag my butt into the city w/ this weather. also, any reccomendations you have on what materials to knit w/ would also be a great help.

[emschwar]

HGMorgann - remind me never to show your bedding to my DH, or we'll have to have a hokie nursery for #2!

I cross-stitched a onesie for Noah (I'll have to find some pictures) and made him 2 pairs of pjs. Oh, and his halloween costume, how could I forget that?!

[newyorkgirl]

Teba - nice wools - I like using Baby Cashmerino and Cashmerino Aran lines by Debbie Bliss. These are cashmere/wool blends and are super soft. The downside - not machine-washable and pill easily. Rowan also makes a line called RY Classic (or something like that) that has a similar blend. Then, if you want 100% wool, there are two lines that make a soft superwash wool - Mission Falls (their 1824 line) and Karabella (Aurora 8) - that make them machine washable (but do not throw them into the dryer).

Online stores that might carry these yarns:
www.purlsoho.com
www.theknittinggarden.com
www.knithappens.net
www.theyarnco.com
www.royalyarns.com
www.yarnmarket.com
www.personalthreads.com (sometimes has good discounts for discontinued yarns)

You have to be careful, because a lot of wools are not superwash and can often be very scratchy, which is why I like using wool blends. Debbie Bliss and Rowan also make a wool/cotton blend that is also very nice.

[NYN]

thanks!

[mom_to_zoe]

I'm a knitter too. I've made a bunch of things for DD and for my new nephew. I've made a poncho and a sweater for DD and a cabled baby blanket in the softest cashmere/angora blend wool for my nephew. Here is a picture of my nephew on the the blanket:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v704/ekpaster/dscn1763.jpg


I've also made Halloween costumes for my daughter for the past two years and one for my nephew. Here's a picture of my daughter's costume. She was a zebra.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v704/ekpaster/DSCN2709.jpg

I really like the book Knitting for Babies.

I've also knitted Christmas stockings for DD and my nephew. That was a fun project with lots of color work and shaping. You can buy kits to do stockings with a pattern and all the yarn you need.

[Allegra]

holy cow erika! amazing! do you accept commissions for custom projects? :D

Allegra

[jennylou]

Okay, I have crocheted for years and can not crochet a hat, but all of you insist it is easy....what's the secret?

[emschwar]

I found my pictures:
here's Noah's halloween costume:
https://www.searsphotos.com/ImageServer/dep_show_line_item.aspx?I=F8D9EC9B-9F10-43E8-ACD9-464125211EA2&C=Nat

And his jammies (elmo got matching pants):
http://images.costcophotocenter.com/3458272723232%7Ffp4%3Enu%3D3235%3E33%3B%3E437%3EWS NRCG%3D323243477%3B%3C66nu0mrj

And his onesie:
http://images.snapfish.com/3458272723232%7Ffp3%3B%3Dot%3E2329%3D598%3D873%3DX ROQDF%3E2323657%3C366%3C%3Aot1lsi

[newyorkgirl]

Allegra, it takes me so long to get things done that, if I did custom projects, my clients would probably all lose patience with me. :) I do, however, knit for friends on occasion. :)

[Katie&Micah]

bump!

I'd like to make some bibs for dd, does anyone have any suggestions? She's a huge drooler so they'll either have to be very absorbent or waterproof in some way.

[jennylou]

katie - bibs should be pretty easy. Do you sew at all? You can even make one from an old hand towel. (http://sewing.about.com/od/sewingforbabychildren/ss/towelbib.htm) Seems pretty easy and a towel should be absorbent.

ETA - I've made a dress for DD. I bought some fleece tonight for a new coat for her. I'm actually shocked that's all I've made for her - I guess that goes to show she hasn't been one of those easy babies!

[Katie&Micah]

jennylou

I don't sew, but my mom is planning on teaching me and this will be a project we tackle together. I was planning on tracing a bib onto the fabric and I guess sewing a couple layers together. I was thinking of using chenille, but a towel is a good idea. I could probably get a few bibs out of a large towel and maybe just sew a prettier fabric onto the front?

Another thing I was thinking of was using PUL (I think that's what it's called) that is used for cloth diapers as a layer in between 2 pieces of cotton fabric to keep it from soaking through to her clothing. But maybe that's more trouble than I want to go to.

[GiaGia]

Hmmm, I don't think I've made anything (except breastmilk;)). I wish I could sew. If I had a dime for everytime somebody said "Oh, that's so easy if you know how to sew, it'll save you a fortune!" I guess I did paint a plate for her at one of those pottery places, wohoo!:o One of these years when I have more free time I'm going to ask for a sewing machine for xmas and take the time to learn to sew, knit, crochet...something, lol.

[Irish Elf]

I'm cross-stitching DD a stocking for Christmas. And I've taken some of her onesies and ironed on cute sayings to make them more personal. She will have a pink onesie with a skull & crossbones, one with the smiley face and another that says "I love Rock & Roll" which she does. Classic rock that is.

Also I have made her a garbage can and wall art for her room because I couldn't find anything I liked.

[polarama]

There is a great tutorial for Babylegs on Flickr, but I'm not a great sewer so it's taking me forever to figure out. Once I do, I'll try some of those.

I also started on some small stuffed animals from World of Knitted Toys.

[Pine Tree]

I started to knit a coming home blanket, which is the size of a washcloth right now . . . and DD is 6 months old. Oops.

I cut up some flannel to make wipes - does that count?:p

I am so impressed by everyone's work! What beautiful keepsakes too.

[Marisa]

Katie -- PUL is pretty great for bibs -- not absorbent, but waterproof and easy-care. I've made dozens with PUL on the back and a cute print on the front and it works out great. The ones I made two years ago for DS are still going strong (and yes, he still wears them occasionally, say when he's eating soup and wearing a new shirt!).
Like so: http://www.funkygiraffe.com/images/bib.jpg


Terry is a great, easily available option that will be absorbent but not necessarily waterproof. You can easily sew a pretty print layer to schnazz it up -- just sew the two pieces together wrong-sides-out, turn it the right way, and topstitch around the outside of the bib to keep the layers from slipping.

You can also use fleece, just regular fleece, as the backing layer, and that should provide some waterproof-ness.

[Katie&Micah]

Marisa

Thanks so much for the instructions and picture!!

polarama
I'll have to try and find that. That sounds like another fun project!

[happy1nuv]

emschwar -- where did you find the material/how did you make the onesie? i LOVE it!!! (the word part)

[emschwar]

emschwar -- where did you find the material/how did you make the onesie? i LOVE it!!! (the word part)

The mom's milk onesie? I cross stitched it. I made the words/pictures in a word document, then used a kit that allows you to make a pattern from any picture (it's basically a transparency with the grid on it), used waste canvas and stitched it on. You could easily do an iron on transfer though. I might still have the word file, if you want it.

[happy1nuv]

ahhhh... i always forget you can cross stitch more than those kits! thx

[Jess71903]

I made 2 mai tai style carriers

This one in red and also a purple one.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2006/1660292376_0cc90322f8_m.jpg

they are made from heavy fleece and did not require any sewing (my kind of project!). It just took 2 L-cuts. I got the pattern at here (http://www.mamatoto.org/Default.aspx?tabid=118). So easy and I absolutely love it! It's so soft and cozy.

[mgrace]

Wow, all of this stuff is awesome. I so need to learn how to sew!

[pacificbliss]

Wow! There are some beautiful things posted here. I stopped in because I want to sew a stocking for DS :)

[Sophia]

I made quite a few costumes, including the most complicated, DD1's Mulan and Bo Peep costumes (DS's Buzz Lightyear costume was storebought)--even had to heavily modify other patterns because nobody made "official" versions.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/72/179275651_843602b523.jpg?v=0

I also made quilts for them.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/60/179275649_fcf54529b1.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/70/179275652_a61aa5d3c5.jpg?v=0

And quite a few different dresses for DD1.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/173/474484089_484af2d413.jpg?v=0

DD2 has been far more demanding. I've made BM for her--does that count? :p