I've been in the mood for some fabric crafting and sewing.  Plus, I've been doing some bread baking.  I often give loafs of bread away when I make an abundance and that made me think of this post when I showed you how to make a bread cozy to use when gifting bread.  But, I had just had a conversation with a friend about how many people there are out there that do not know how to sew! I thought it might be fun to come up with a no-sew version of the bread cozy.  So, I did and I'm really happy with the way it turned out! 

     As you already know, Alicia recently had a baby a number of weeks early.  He is doing great!  Just after he was born, I flew off to go and give her and her family a hand while the little guy was in the NICU getting stronger. (Lindsey gave some tips about how to help NICU parents on this post!)
     Before I left, my granddaughter pulled out her sewing machine and we worked together to create a special gift for the baby.  Here is what we made! 

     We got into my stash of flannel fabric and found an adorable elephant print and a chevron stripe that coordinated with it.  We wanted to make a receiving blanket with a matching burp cloth.  My granddaughter loves elephants, so it was the perfect choice.  Here are some other choices you might love:

...And don't forget a solid or coordinating stripe or print for the back of the receiving blanket ! 

REMINDER:  Be sure to prewash and preshrink your fabric before sewing your items.  Flannel is notorious for shrinking and getting a little misshapen and you want that to happen before you cut it out and sew it together.  Plus, you will want nice clean fabric to give as a gift to a baby! 
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To Make The Blanket, we used a little over a yard to cut matching sized squares of the main color fabric,  (the elephants) and the backing fabric, (the stripe). 

• Placing the fabric wrong sides together, we pinned the pieces together matching the raw edges.  
• Using white embroidery floss, we tied the fabric together in about 5 inch intervals from top to bottom, left to right. 

     The burp cloth was made much like the blanket only on a smaller scale.  But, instead of tying the fabric together, we simply sewed them right sides together and flipped them right side out before finishing the edge the rest of the way and top stitching around. 
      The burp cloth fabric measures about 8 inches wide and about 18 inches long.  You can adjust these measurements according to how much fabric you have and the way it lays on your shoulder.  Burp cloths are very forgiving and can be sized according to your personal preference.  6 inches by 12 inches could also work! 
     I like to make the burp cloth with double flannel fabric to help it be nice an absorbent.  It can't be simply cute, it has to be functional!  I may have added, (I can't remember), and extra layer of flannel on the inside of the burp cloth just to give it more thickness and absorbency. 

The Stuffed Elephant:  We used Simplicity Pattern 2613 to sew the elephant from gray fleece. 

     The pattern was so simple to make that my granddaughter did most of the sewing by herself and she is an age 13 beginner!  I was very proud of her.  That girl has no fear of trying new things! 
​     We didn't want the eyes to be able to be pulled off and choked on by the baby, so we embroidered them on with embroidery floss.  Then, we used some of the left over fabric from the blanket to make a bow for his neck.  We loved how it turned out! As the baby gets older, I'm sure that he will love it as well! 

      There is something especially special about handmade baby gifts,  I think.  These little works of art can become heirlooms one day, or a cherished blanket that the child adores.  Not only are handmade gifts nice and helpful for mom and baby, I know that my granddaughter felt a lot of pride and happiness, a sense of accomplishment from making it for them.  When I came home from my trip, she asked me if it was appreciated.  I know it was and will continue to be loved by her aunt and cousin.  I hope you will have reasons to give these special gift ideas a try. 

• An Easy 9 Patch Baby Quilt
• An adorable Baby Gift to Make
• A Baby Quilt finished! 

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     I've been crocheting a lot since before Christmas.  I latch onto a project and make a million of that item for everyone and then I find something else to make and the pattern continues.  I guess I am channeling my mom who did knitting and crocheting throughout her life.  
     My most recent addiction has been to crochet diagonal double thick pot holders.  I made them for all of my girls for Valentine's Day in different.  They are so simple to make, made in a inexpensive cotton yarn, they are simply single crochet that you do in the round around the original chain.  Here is a great pattern to follow.  As I was making these beauties, I started using two yarns to make stripes and designs and also to use up small bits of yarn, creating new designs.  I had a little bit of variegated black and white yarn that I wanted to use up.  My girl, Charly, has a lot of marble in her kitchen and I wondered if I could create something that would coordinate with her pallet.  She liked it!  
    

    I had to buy more yarn to try to recreate the look.  The yarn wasn't the same as I had used for hers, but I think it still looks good with the marble.  I tried to start and stop randomly after a few rows of white, adding the black variegated yarn as I went along.  I wanted the affect that marble has with thinner then a few thick places of the veins of dark color.  Or, just a simple striped pattern would work fine I think.  Just choose a main body color and then add stripes of a thinner accent. 
     Of course, I couldn't stop there.  While shopping for yarn, I saw the scrubby yarn in the same black and white pattern.  I thought, "Wouldn't it be nice to make a matching set of kitchen item?"  
​I had never worked with the scrubby yarn before, so fair warning, it is hard to see your stitches!  Use really good lighting! 

      For this scrubby, you need to crochet 2 sides of the circle.  One side will be with the scrubby yarn and one will be with coordinating cotton yarn.  The pattern will be the same for each. 
Chain 3 then connect the ends together with a slip stitch, forming a circle.
Chain 3 and then Double crochet 9 times into the circle.  Join to the top of the chain 3 with a slip stitch.
Chain 3 then double crochet twice in each stitch around.  Join with a slip stitch into the chain 3 again.
Chain 3 then double crochet in the stitch right next to the chain 3.  In the next stitch, * double crochet twice, in the next stitch double crochet once. Continue alternating from the * back to the chain 3.  Join with a slip stitch and you are finished! 

After you have two circles completed, put them wrong sides together and join them either with a single crochet around using the scrubby yarn, or stitch with a needle and the cotton yarn, your choice. 
There you have it!  A cute pot scrubby!   
*NOTE- You can make your circle a little bigger if you would like a larger scrubby.  
                    The nice thing is that these are machine washable.
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      Well I couldn't stop there!  I had to make a dishcloth as well! 

     This is simply single crochet like the pot holder.  I chained 36 and then crocheted in the back loop only to get the ridge effect.  I added the dark yarn in 2 rows after a wider band of white.  

      A wonderful thing about these projects is that they make up so quickly!  I love to work on them while watching TV in the evening.  I can get an entire set finished in 2 evenings! 

      So many people are getting marble or Quartz countertops today that I thought that this set would make a great little gift for a bridal shower, house warming gift or just because.  

You could even make a dish towel if you would like, or trim one with a bit of crochet.  
​Let me know if you give any of these patterns a try! 

     I have long been a fan of Project Runway with Heidi Klum and Tim Gun.  They always take the contestants to Mood Fabric to purchase their supplies.  So, when Mood invited us to be affiliates for them, I jumped at the chance! 

     First, I hopped on their website and ordered this gorgeous knit fabric.  I've been on an infinity scarf kick over the holidays, crocheting a bunch of them for the women in my family.  I decided to try my hand at sewing a couple of them for Lindsey and Alicia as well.  (Maddy says that she doesn't wear scarves.)

     The nice thing about making infinity scarves is that from 2 yards, you can get two scarves, so they make an inexpensive gift.  You can give to two people or keep one for yourself and give one away. 

• 2 yards of fabric of your choice.  Mine is a light knit from Mood.
• Thread to match fabric
• sewing machine
• pins
• Scissors
• Needle​

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Pin the side, leaving both ends open.  
​        3.  Stitch 5/8th of an inch along the edges.  I was able to use lines on the fabric to help me keep my lines straight. 

        4.  After stitching the side, reach your hand through an end and pull the other end up to match raw edges together.  This will cause the right sides to be together.  Pin around the top of the edges to sew the ends together, but leave a   4 to 5 inch opening on one side for turning. 
       5.  Sew around the pinned area, starting and stopping at the opening, then turn the scarf right side out through the opening. 
       6.   Use a needle and thread to stitch the opening closed, folding in the seam allowance. 

     This fabric from Mood is so soft and has such a nice drape to it! 
      Wear the scarf by putting it over your head, give it a twist and then put it over again.  Then, arrange and fluff the cowl around your neck.  Lovely! A scarf can really complete an outfit and add warmth to your neck that helps to keep the rest of you warm through the chilly winter months.   I'm pretty excited to try out some other fabrics to match some outfits of my own and I know just where to shop! 

        The first time you log onto Mood, they will offer you a 15% discount.  And, when they sent me my order, I received a coupon for my next order!  There is also a sale button that you should check out on their site! It is so much fun shopping for fabric from the comfort of my computer chair!  Check out ​this print that I just found on sale! 

        Later, I'll share my crochet pattern for an infinity scarf.  They make up so quickly and depending on the type of yarn you use and the stitch you use, they have so many different looks.   If you start now, you can sew and crochet all of your gifts for next year in no time! 

Other Sewing Projects:
Scrap Fabric Basket
Harvest Apron
Child's Apron from a Fat Quarter
One Strap Drawstring Tote