Baby Gown

One of my co-workers was having his second baby this week, and I made a gift just in time--I got this gown to my friend on Tuesday and little Sadi was born on Wednesday!!

I found quite a few tutorials and pictures for onesie gowns online, but none of them were quite what I wanted so I ended up combining several ideas.

My biggest concern was keeping the stretch of the onesie--I don't make many clothes for bitty babies because I want the clothes to be as comfy as possible and to me, that means knits. I just prefer to have soft, stretchy, cotton fabrics against a baby's skin when they're still little. That problem was solved by attaching the skirt fabric to some stretchy elastic and sewing it on top of the onesie--the knit is the layer closest to the skin and the elastic ensures the tummy area won't be restricted or tight.

 My secondary concern was appearances. I planned to monogram the onesie, but I thought the gown would still look too plain without something near the skirt/bodice seam. I saw some super cute versions that had ribbon sewn around the seam (the skirt wasn't overlapped on the bodice in those versions), but that eliminates the stretch (see concern #1). Solution: I made a cute little belt of sorts out of some ribbons and elastic.

I think the belt would also make a cute headband!

The gown can be worn either way--I tried to stitch as neatly as possibly (while stretching elastic, no easy feat!) so that the belt is optional. I didn't want anything that would tie (safety concern) or be restrictive. I made some elastic ribbon by layering two kinds of ribbon on some elastic and sewing it to be the same length around as the onesie so it would stretch equally.The belt needed a little something more, so I made an organza flower. I am now totally addicted!

These are just different sized circles, layered and sewn together with some pearls in the middle. I used primarily organza but then I read you can use any synthetic so I threw in some hot pink satin as well. You use a heat source (candle, lighter, etc) to melt the edges enough so that they are sealed and the circles curl up. Super easy, super fun! (I might have run out and bought a dozen colors of organza after making my first flower...)

Font is the 2" size Monogram 1 from 8Claws

As you can see, I also added some embroidery to the onesie. I cut the onesie off and monogrammed the baby's initials before attaching the skirt. It was much easier to embroider that way, but a little trickier to determine the placement (this is why I like patterns and instructions--I'm not a big fan of trial and error--too much rework!)


I love the finished result, almost enough to want to have another baby to sew for! I will stick to sewing for friends--several of them have new babies or babies on the way ;)

Bibs for Selah

Today I got the chance to celebrate my friend Candy's pregnancy at her baby sprinkle.  I have been sewing in quick spurts when I can (this whole time full-time job thing seriously gets in the way... ) and almost forgot to take pictures.  Luckily the soon-to-be-mommy-of-4 just left the bibs unattended while she was chatting with her other friends and I managed to snag some very last-minute photos. 

"Golden" font by 8Claws
Shabby Rose applique from PlanetApplique

This was my first time doing "shabby" applique and I love how it turned out, even if it did shed a bit.  I thought it would be quicker than regular applique, and it was, in terms of stitchout time.  But it's offset by the time spend clipping the edges.  I really like the effect, though, and would like to do some more of this type of design soon.

"Harlow" font by 8Claws
Redwork cross from DesignsByJuju

This was also my first time doing a "redwork" design.  I thought this would be faster too but it took foooorrrreeeevvvveeeerrrr.  I think by about the fifth time the machine stitched over the same lines I wanted to scream.  Granted, I was doing this around midnight the night before (hey, gotta grab the rare moments these days when I'm awake AND have the energy to work in my sewing room).  And though I didn't pick the designs with time as a consideration at all, I was kind of disappointed because I thought they would be quicker.

My beautiful friend Candy and
lots of diapers for baby Selah

I really had fun making these bibs.  I think they are my new favorite thing to embroider.  They're affordable, come in lots of colors, are easy to hoop and are just a great canvas for being creative.  I know I make it sound like I love everything I make, and sometimes it's just because I blog during the post-project glow, but I really like how these turned out!  It's so much fun (and a little scary) seeing how designs stitch out for the first time, and I will be adding "Harlow" and "Golden" to my list of fonts to use again!

Quick Clippies

Ugh, too much getting up with the baby at night and not enough sewing makes me cranky!  I am chipping away at my projects, little by little, and do have something to share:

Ta-da!

Try not to be overwhelmed :)  These are some flower felt stitchies from GG Designs Embroidery.  There are 3 different centers you can use (this is the plain), and, as you can see, you can applique some fabric in the middle.  I made these to go with the purple peasant dress you've seen a lot of.

See?  They match!

So, I've got more automotive sewing to do and some programming (as my alter-ego).  Then I should be cleared up to embroider lots of shirts for my 3 best girls (my daughter and my two nieces) and that's when it will get exciting!  I've also got some winter sewing I want to do, including the top from an Oliver+S pattern I purchased during a recent fabric.com sale.