Christmas Bibs for One!

Bib under construction.

I can't get enough of those blue eyes!

One getting into my sewing supplies. Those two thread bobbins entertained him for about 1/2 hour!

I debated between making 1 red bib and 1 green bib but decided instead to make 2 bibs that are red on one side and green on the other. That way I never have to hunt for the red bib or green bib, I can just turn it around to match or contrast with his outfit. I still have some fabric left over. Enough for 2 more bibs or something else... I'm not sure yet what I'll do with it.

Bib and Shirt for One

This picture was taken in August I think. Shirt is a size 2. It's a bit big, but it's the smallest t-shirt pattern that I have. I LOVE the fabric. It is so vibrant.

Bib is also made by me. A simple lightweight jean that goes with everything and makes his eyes POP. There's cotton flannel on the back, but I have a few different jean bibs for him so I'm not sure which fabric is on the back of this particular bib.

One's costume (more pics)

These were so cute that I had to share them. (You can see pattern details here.)

I have a secret. I forgot to remove one of the pins, in the armpit section of the costume. So every time I picked him up to reposition him, I was poking him with the pin. And I thought he was just crying because he was tired. *Mommy Fail*. I'm so sorry One. It is a testiment to your sweet disposition that we STILL got some amazing pictures.

No-Sew Fleece Baby blanket

This is really easy. I had a piece of orange fleece leftover from the diaper covers I'd made when I was pregnant with One. It's roughly 1 metre (or yard) square. I cut 3" squares from each corner and then fringed the edges into approximately 1x3" strips (DO NOT cut the strips off of the blanket. It should be attached at one 1" end).

Then use sharp, small scissors to cut a tiny slit in the middle of each fringe, where it connects to the blanket. Pull the fringe through the hole, all going through the hole the same direction. That's it! It is small, so it works up in a few evenings of working while watching tv.

I've made knotted fleece blankets before, but I like this better. It's faster, easier on my hands, and I find the knots uncomfortable when they get under my body when I'm lying down. The pull-through fringe leaves a much smaller lump which is barely noticeable.

This blanket is so soft and washes well. It's great folded in half as a lap blanket in the stroller, wrapped around him in the baby carrier, or placed over him in the crib.

I picked up these fabrics yesterday. I'm not sure what I'll use them for. Any ideas? I only got 1 metre of each since I'm not sure what I'll do with them yet. I was thinking maybe some bibs for One but I'd like to make something more fun... I could get about 3 bibs out of each I think. I might do 1 of each, or 2 bibs that are each red on one side and green on the other, and then do something else with the rest of the material.

Do you see the frayed edge on the green and the other, serged, edges on the green and red?

My teacher was telling us how she stores her fabric. The first thing she does is serge the cut edges, then she washes the fabric. (If it's dry clean or hand wash only, you can take it to a dry cleaner that has a Hoffman - a really big iron basically - and pay them a few bucks to iron it for you, this will effectively "prewash" it.) Jean needs to be prewashed several times, as many as 4-5 before it stops shrinking.

Serging it has two purposes. First, it prevents the edges from fraying in the wash. This saves you fabric and saves wear and tear on your washing machine. Secondly, it lets you know which fabrics have been prewashed, so when you pull it out of your fabric stash years later (at least, if you're anything like me hehe), you know by the serged edge if it's been washed.

These were the first ones I've washed since getting that little tip and what a difference it made! I didn't have to pick loose threads out of the machine, or out of the sink drain. I did miss one edge (on the green fabric) and it was very clear that serging made a difference. I had a big knot of loose threads from that one unserged edge.

I then immediately take it to my ironing board, iron it, and fold it right sides together. I usually cut out 2 layers at a time, and transfer the pattern to the wrong side so by folding it with the right sides together, the wrong side is already up and layered for me to transfer and cut it out. When I get an idea, I like to immediately go and start cutting it out and sewing. I don't like to wait to prewash, iron, and fold. Since it's all done already, I can just go and right away start on my project. I love it! It also prevents wrinkles from getting set in. If I don't iron it very soon after removing it from the dryer, it's hard to get the wrinkles out.

Bib for One

I made this bib a couple of weeks ago. I used my own pattern, created specifically for my son. (You can buy bibs made from this pattern from my store on Facebook - just search "Joyful Journey Baby".) I think I got this jean fabric in the scrap bin at Fabricland. I get most of my fabric from there. The edges had a wonderful fringed look to them that inspired me.

Before sewing the bib together, I used a scrap to sew on a fake pocket. I decided against putting a real pocket on because I was concerned about it not getting clean enough if he stuffed bits of food or whatever else in there. So the pocket is sewn shut.

I usually sew the bibs right sides together, leaving a gap, turn it right side out, and topstitch. This time I just topstitched, wrong sides together, all the way around. I then threw the bib in the washer and dryer a few times (just kept throwing it back in everytime I did a load for a few loads) and it created the fringe that I love so much.

The sewing was so much easier than sewing, turning, and sewing again. Also, I think that because the denim is so thick, turning and topstitching would have left a very bulky seam allowance and would not have looked very good. I sewed one up in cotton flannel to see how it would behave in the wash, to see if it will work the same way and look nice or if it will just fall apart. I haven't washed that one yet so I'm still in anticipation of how it will turn out. I love this one though. It has heavy duty snaps (I don't like bibs with hook-and-loop tape. It sticks to everything in the washer and dryer).

I like how it turned out and I'll be on the lookout for more jean fabric on sale.

Anna Q