Tuesday, June 14, 2011

It's been awhile. . .


Did the end of the school year completely wipe you out?  It's such a bittersweet time that we just can't miss a minute of, but I am happy it's come to an end! The arrival of Summer has been a bit slow around here, but I am glad to say that the sun finally came back and the heat is on!  We are settling into the "no schedule" routine of Summer.  I know that sounds odd - to clarify:  we have goals for the day, but can be flexible when a friend calls for a playdate or popsicles or lemonade just can't wait.  I am hoping for lots of creative time and that my paperstack will be a little shorter for a few months. 

Something fun for baby. . .

Spring brought a few new babies into our life and the burpcloths below make for great gifts for any Mom.  You can never have too many burpcloths.  When my girls were babies I loved to use the thick cloth diapers made by Gerber for burpcloths.  Every part of the diaper is thick and absorbs evenly.  They make really lovely, personal, and practical gifts.  Enjoy!

I start with one cloth diaper and two 2" strips of fabric backed with fusible webbing (I use Wonder Under).  It's best to cut a slightly larger (5"") strip of Wonder Under and iron that onto the BACK (wrong side) of your fabric, then measure and mark your 2" strips to cut.  I usually cut the strips with pinking shears for give it a cute edge and it ends of doing that little raw/ruffly thing when it's washed.


Peel back the Wonder Under and remove the paper.  Set your fabrice strips at both ends of the diaper.
I set it up to cover the blue stitching at the bottom and I choose the embellish the side that is not
stamped "Gerber". 


Once your strips are where you want them begin to iron them onto the diaper and get ready to sew! 


I sew a straight swtich around the edge of the strip rounding the corners and backstitching at the end.


The cloth's only take about 15 minutes to make and they are a very special and unique gift.