a diaper pouch.

One of the first things I decided to make for the baby, along with a car seat cover, was a diaper pouch so that I could toss it into the diaper bag and have a changing pad, diapers and wipes all contained and not floating around the depths of the diaper bag. I had also heard from other moms that it is handy to have all the changing materials together so I can grab them easily if I don't want to take the whole diaper bag with us to change a diaper.

I had seen a few tutorials around the internet for this sort of thing and I decided to go with this one from Bugglebee Handmade. Overall I found the tutorial really helpful and descriptive. The only thing I ended up being disappointed about was how tight the changing pad, diapers and wipes fit into the pouch--I wish I would have made the pouch a little bigger so I don't have to work so hard to fit the changing pad into its pocket. I'm hoping over time that with use the pocket will stretch a slight bit. If I end up using this pouch a lot, I'll probably replace the outside pocket with one that has elastic on the top so it will accommodate the changing pad better.

 

 

I used a charcoal curtain that I found in Ikea's clearance area for the back of the changing pad and the pouch--it is a heavy, durable cotton that will hold up to being pulled out of the diaper bag countless times. The pink and orange floral fabric is a laminated cotton so I can wipe it off if we have any little accidents.

 

I made the bias tape using a new-to-me method from Prudent Baby and fabric that I found in my fabric stash--I think it is from the cheap fabric section at Walmart. I had a little trouble with making the bias tape, not because of the method or tutorial, but because I apparently have issues cutting fabric straight and lining up edges. :c)



a car seat cover.

One of the first things that I made for my new little one was a car seat cover. I had seen a few tutorials on Pinterest and the concept didn't seem too hard, so I jumped right in.

 

I used this tutorial on Sew Dang Cute Crafts to make the basic cover. I didn't make a window in mine, but after using the final product for a couple of months now, I think I might go back and add a little window--it would be nice to be able to peek in and see the baby quickly without waking her. 

 

 

I made the cover and straps before I had my car seat at home to work with, so I didn't know if my cover would fit very well! Thankfully I only had to fold up and sew the corners of the cover so that they wouldn't drag on the ground--otherwise the cover fits really well. At first I was concerned that it looks funny with the corners this way, but the look has grown on me and I've decided to leave them as such so that if we have a different car seat with any future kiddos I can adjust the cover to fit by ripping out the stitching.

 



I also waited to attach the straps to the cover until I had my car seat so I could adjust their positioning to work for me, rather than using the measurements that were recommended in the tutorial I used.

a new hamper for a new baby.

I'm a little late in posting the things I made for baby Abby while I was pregnant, but better late than never!

I found this $8 hamper at Ikea and decided that I could easily make a cover for it to match the nursery.

I debated whether I should use the existing liner in my design or not, but after lots of consideration, I decided not to. I wanted a cover that I could toss in the washing machine occasionally and I'm not sure that the plastic would wash well (at all?). Instead, I carefully removed the liner from the bars and used it to make measurements for my own cover.

 

 

I used a dark denim tablecloth that my sister gave me a few years ago and some Velcro I already had in my sewing stash leftover from another project, so this project was really cheap--only $8 for the original hamper!