Category Archives: baby accessories

Fingertip Towel Burp Cloths

If you were to open up a baby’s head – and I am not for a moment suggesting that you should – you would find nothing but an enormous drool gland. Dave Barry

Ferguson babies spit up and drool. A lot. Both of my children were so inclined and my grandbabies have continued the family tradition. Consequently,  I like to be prepared with about 3 dozen burp cloths when a new baby arrives. Neither my daughter-in-law nor my daughter feels that this number is excessive.

Long before my first grandchild was born, Callie, a young mother, told me that she and her friends agreed that a baby can never have too many bibs, booties or burp cloths. I’ve taken that to heart and often include a stack of burps with baby gifts.

There are many styles and patterns for these necessary items, but I prefer to begin with a fingertip towel. They launder beautifully and are quick and easy to make, requiring nothing more than a little embroidery and trim along the bottom. Of course, the embellishment is not for the amusement of the new arrival, but rather an effort to put a smile on the face of the weary clean-up crew.

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Fagoted Bonnet

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Before the name “fagoting” was deemed politically incorrect by some in the heirloom sewing industry, well known designer Kitty Benton published several patterns named for this technique. There were patterns for fagoted bibs, bonnets, round yoke dresses, collars and more.

Fagoting, or “bridging” as it is now sometimes known,  is the joining of lace to lace, lace to ribbon, or the joining of any two finished edges with any one of several handwork stitches. By enlarging the above photo, you will see that several different stitches have been used to join the pieces.  To maintain an equal distance between the two edges, the pieces are hand basted to a paper pattern with lines defining the space to be filled with the stitches.

 

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Linen Bib

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When my daughter was pregnant with her first child, Alastair, I mailed her a package every Monday with something I had made for the baby.  This bib was undoubtedly the quickest and easiest of all the projects and yet it is one of her favorites.

When it comes to practicality, the dressy double linen bib is good for drool but not much else.  For church or a formal occasion, it will keep a teething baby’s clothing relatively dry while looking so much nicer than a lime green  “I love Barney” bib.  But it’s not much good for a meal of Spaghettios.

An elegant machine embroidered monogram reaffirms that Baby is dressed for An Occasion.  OESD’s Dazzle Alphabet is the source of this design.

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Brother-Sister Bishop and Bubble

It is so much fun to see Laurel and Robert in matching brother-sister outfits. Why I have no pictures of the two of them together in this set is a mystery to me. Perhaps,  I was just too busy enjoying my first two grandchildren to take many pictures.

These Easter garments were made some time ago but the children looked so sweet in them that I am strolling down memory lane in this post. Both Laurel’s white angel sleeve bishop and Robert’s bubble are easy care polycotton ready to smock garments. Their mother always appreciates that. And it is much easier to customize them than I originally thought.

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Antique Carriage Baby Shawl

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I’ve probably made a dozen of these antique carriage baby shawls in the past few years and I never get tired of it.  This project is both modern AND old fashioned.  For me, it doesn’t get much better than that.

It old fashioned because it is made of 100% cotton heirloom goods with an old fashioned design.  It is modern because gracefully endures heavy laundering and even looks good (but not best)  without ironing.

 

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Swiss flannel and a sturdy English lace provide durability while the machine embroidery designs provide nostalgic charm.  I’ve made this in two sizes, 30 x 30 and 36” x 30.  My daughter-in-law loved the 30” square for a nursing cover up.  It was light weight enough that neither she nor my summer grandbabies sweltered in order to maintain her modesty.  The larger size is nice for wrapping or covering older babies.

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Fleece Lamb Baby Blanket

For years I admired the gorgeous embroidered wool blankets featured in Australian Smocking and Embroidery.  The first time I was invited to teach in Australia, I treated myself to enough gorgeous and extremely pricey 100% wool Onkaparinga (I just love to say that name–onka-pa-RING-a) to make  a baby shawl just like those Aussie blankets. They were definitely old fashioned.

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Strasburg Sailboats

This Strasburg Children ivory linen suit was a beauty, but as plain as Quaker oats, with absolutely no embellishment. It was pristine and charming in its own right.  Nonetheless,  I thought this size 3-month outfit could be made even more wonderful for unborn Alastair.

In anticipation of grandchildren, I had purchased some exquisite  hand shadow work booties from Farmhouse Fabrics. As soon as I had the Strasburg suit in hand, I knew the sailboat pair would be a perfect match.

NOTE: The photos have been edited for greater contrast. In so doing, the color is distorted. After the photo was taken, I replaced the white ribbon with 3/8″ ivory antique silk grosgrain. It was more tailored and more suited to the quality of the booties.

 

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Pack ‘n Play

Good bye playpen. Hello Pack ‘N Play!

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As soon as I knew that our first grandchild was on the way, I found myself at Babies R Us in a state of shock. I had birthed, burped, breastfed and badgered two beautiful, bouncing babies into happy, successful adulthood.

And yet here, in the mall of moppets and mothers, I was a stranger in a strange land. Nothing was the same, nothing was familiar. I had less than 6 months to get up to speed, to be knowledgeable about a grandmother’s tools of the trade.

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Nivia diaper set

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When I saw this baby boy outfit in Sew Beautiful magazine, issue 121, I knew I would make it for Alastair.  The style is so unlike any heirloom baby patterns that I have seen.  He is shown here with the bib covering the unusual front, but it is shown below.  Even his father noted the masculine military look.

With all its charm, it really is more old fashioned than modern.  It needs to be ironed.  But Rebecca is willing to do that for this sweet suit.

 

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Usually, I change one thing or another when a project moves me to duplication.    On this set, I stitched it almost exactly as shown.  However, if I recall, the magazine sample was made from linen and I chose cotton Swiss flannel.

Another small change I made was to substitute some very pretty vintage, almost brown, pearl buttons for the off white buttons as shown in the magazine.   From other articles in the same issue, I added the coordinating bib and bonnet. Continue reading

Grandma Bag

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When an unexpected opportunity to “take the baby” arises,  I like to be ready.  So rather than make the routine diaper bag transfer from Mama to Nana, I keep my own Grandma bag at the ready.

In my humble opinion, this home made cheerful carryall beats the plain Army green or khaki canvas so popular today.  Where’s the fun in plain olive drab?

Some might argue that it is the contents of the bag that are important, not the bag itself.  Well, hear me now and believe me later, this bag carries all the basics and more.  But if you are challenged to amuse a baby for 25 minutes in the doctor’s waiting room, I’ll betcha dollars to donuts that this bag will keep that little one quieter longer than the Army bag.

And my, oh my, the contents!  There are miracle products that make today’s grandmothers green with if-only-I had-had-this-when-you-were-a-baby  envy.  More on new (to me) amazing baby products later.

 

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