Yesterday I made some baby things for my daughter’s teacher. Love this cute organic fabric from Cloud 9 Fabrics, designed by Michele Brummer Everett. You can still find the fabric at Fabricworm and some other shops. I made two burp cloths and a blanket, all backed with Cloud 9’s new soft flannel that I picked up locally at Intown Quilters.
Today’s guest post is from Emily of The Student/Teacher. I came across her blog when she commented on a post and I saw this wonderful felt and fabric memory game that she made for her kids. I asked her if she would do a guest post for The Long Thread, and happily, she agreed! Emily has made this lovely growth chart for her daughter that is sure to become a cherished family heirloom. I know you’ll enjoy this project.
I love this photo of her daughter looking up at how tall she’ll become. It makes me have an “Oh, how quickly they grow” moment. Thanks for sharing this special project, Emily!
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Hello! I’m Emily from The Student/Teacher. I am a writer, crafter, and unschooler living near Washington, D.C. with my husband and our two young daughters. My blog is a journal of love and learning, a place to celebrate childhood and creativity. I use it as a space to discuss alternative education and to share the exciting crafts, projects, and activities that fill our busy days. As far as crafting goes, I am mainly a sewist. Quilts are my current favorite thing to make, but I love sewing clothes, accessories, and home decor, too. (You can read more about me and my blog on my About page.)
I am thrilled to share my tutorial for an Embroidered Growth Chart here on The Long Thread. This project is simply a long, narrow wall quilt designed to be a stylized version of a traditional children’s growth chart. Each patchwork square in the left-hand column of the quilt is one inch long, so these colorful bits serve as pretty stand-ins for numbers. Additionally, the horizontal rows of machine-stitched quilting that cascade down the quilt’s length serve as built-in straightedges; as your child grows, you will embroider his or her ever-changing height measurements along these lines, effectively capturing special moments in time for your family. Click here for the full tutorial!
Eco Baby Bib and Burp Cloth Set, $18 from The Fresh Stitch.
Offset Baby Greeting Card, $3 from Smock Paper.
Blue Bouncing Ball Quilt, $150 from Peppermint Pinwheels.
Letterpress Teething Toy, $20 from Little Alouette.
Crochet Teething Ring, $14 each from Koukku.
Transportation Alphabet Poster, unframed, $40 from Petit Collage.
Hey Diddle, Diddle Vintage Nursery Light, $26 from In with the Old.
Lion Embroidery Kit, $18 from Penguin & Fish.
Into the Wild Baby Shoes, $35 from Evie Lala.
Bibs and blankets and burp cloths, oh my! You can learn to sew all of these things in my new book, 1,2,3 Sew. Since we’re talking about handmade baby items all week, I thought I might go ahead and give you this sneak peek.
In the baby chapter, the projects all feature hand embroidery so in addition to learning how to sew these baby staples, you can also learn some embroidery tricks or add your own embellishments to personalize baby gifts. You’ll sew the simple sampler burp cloths first, then move on to the baby blanket with blanket stitched edging and finally the sunshine baby bib which features a variety of embroidery stitches. So get stitching!
If you pre-order my book, you may even receive it in the mail before the end of the month! So get ready for those baby projects.
Here are some odds and ends that I’ve got from around the web. Gigi has helped me update yesterday’s post of baby sewing tutorials, so you can see the new ones on the list here.
I love this book themed baby shower featured in Martha Stewart this month with the adorable book garland shown above.
And Jennifer Cooke of Raeburn Ink led an Etsy Lab a few weeks ago featuring this modern take on freezer paper stenciling. A simple and easy way to embellish a onesie for a baby gift.
And here is a great list baby tutorials from Sew, Mama, Sew! While you are there, be sure to look at this round-up from Shannon of Luv in the Mommyhood, which features this baby block tutorial from Smile and Wave (pictured above).
