Nuther baby giftie

I had to miss my friend Michelle's baby shower today since we were at Maker Faire, but one of the many baby gifts I made last week was a very special one for her new baby girl, due around Thanksgiving. You see, she and her hubby have a special place in their hearts for a little hedgehog named Alpine, who unfortunately led a very short life. I found this awesome pink Japanese hedgehog fabric at Craft-O-Rama a couple of months ago, and though Miss E tried to claim it repeatedly, it was a no-brainer for this gift.

To top it off, I just happened to see a hedgehog softie tutorial a week or so ago, so the gift was exactly what I was looking for. I just love the baby hedgie that can pop into mama's pocket ... and the reversible pocket is just too clever. Instead of felt for spines, I used ribbons (hey, I was on a roll), so it came out as another lightweight, easy-to-grasp baby toy. I did make it a tad bigger than the one in the tutorial ... but you already know I can't follow any directions perfectly, without adding something. What can I say? Top it off with a hedgehog, pink flannel and minkee ribbon blankie, and my gift was ready to go.

My sis delivered it today ... Happy baby girl #2 to Michelle!

Baby Palooza

*whew* I did it. Starting last Friday, one week ago, I started cranking out baby gifts. The first was a set for my sister's sister-in-law, who is due to have twins in the not-too-distant future, so her shower is fast approaching. I needed to have that in my sister's hands before vacation, so I finally managed to bring my sketch to life. I had this idea a few weeks ago, sketched it out, and then had to wait until I had time. I was going nuts because I couldn't wait!

And ... I love them. I have dubbed them "Baby Beans"; the lil' bitty baby burritos. Don't even think of stealing my idea! Ha! ;) “lil’ bitty” because they are small. “beans” because they are human beans, as in the children's novel "The Borrowers" (Mary Norton). “burritos” because they are completely swaddled. How's that for a writeup on something so small that a three-month-old can hold it? I used a bunch of ribbons as hair and feet (yeah, I know they are swaddled, but use your imagination here!)

On top of that, I had recently seen some "loveys", so I extended my ribbon and bright colors theme to make some small blankets with ribbons as well. I did a patchwork of the coordinating Erin McMorris fabrics, along with pink flannel, and backed it with cream-colored minkee that has raised hearts. Too cute, really.

Then, somewhere in the middle of making all of that, I had to pause and make a burp cloth for Miss E to use for her dolls. I dug out an old (yes, used!) Gerber diaper, added a strip of flannel and some ribbons, and voila, a fancy burp cloth for my little mommy. It's not very impressive, but she likes it.

I forgot to photograph the other lovey I made to match the brown floral bib I made a while back and still haven't delivered, so maybe someday I'll post that. I have another lovey almost done that is four different squares (all four used on the twin beans) that I just need to add the ribbons to and sew the back on. I'll get to that after vacation. It was just for Miss E, who really doesn't need it, but still wanted one for her dolls. Oy. It's all about the dolls, isn't it?!