Baby Carrier

I have the Ergo baby carrier and I have the Baby Bjorn - you would have thought that 2 carriers are more than enough to carry one small baby... But, how could I resist this!

How cute is my little nephew and how cosy does he look is his baby carrier! I had to make one for baby E. (btw - that is my sister's head I chopped off - you know how some people get a bit funny about their pics on a public forum. Besides, she was wearing a daggy hat - I didn't think she wanted the whole world to check it out! See A - I am looking out for you!)

Back to the baby carrier - super easy, super comfy and just the thing to have in the handbag for when arms get tired carrying little babies (or big babies too - I've worked out how to carry Miss 2 1/2 year old in it as well)

To make this you will need a printed cotton sateen - you know, the thicker one with a bit of stretch to it. You will only need 60cm so not only is the baby carrier super easy and super comfy it is also super cheap! More next time on putting this together...

Children's Pyjamas

How lonely do these cute pjs look hanging on the line...

Their story begins with this book. My lovely friend Ems gave me this book for my birthday and I loved it - as I do the blog, Mama Liberated, by the same author - full of gorgeous ideas for kids clothing and playthings.

Inspired by this lovely book, I wanted to make some warm winter pj's for Miss S. I modified the kids pants pattern from the book - removed the pocket and turned them into straight leg, easy pj's. I had this lovely light blue cloud fabric in my stash. Originally I had planned nice winter pyjama bottoms for me but think I neglected to buy enough fabric - do you do that too or it just me?

I spent a nice afternoon putting these together only to be greeted by a "No Mummy. Me no like" when I tried to put them on Miss S that evening. I couldn't convince her... "No Mummy, no Mummy, nooooooo Mummy! Please mummy, purple ones". I often wondered when kids get fussy about what they wear - turns out in my case, it is 2 1/2 years old! Looks like I am off to the shop for some purple fabric... Oh yeah, did I mention I made two pairs!

Stroller seat cover - binding

Now that the button holes are finished, there is one small step left and our stroller seat covers are done. Today we are going to talk about binding. For my seat cover I used single fold bias binding but you could of course use double fold. What's the difference you ask? Single fold has the two edges folded in
see...

Where are double fold has the two edges folded in as well as a fold in the middle.

Either would work effectively for this project and really the reason I chose single fold was because I could get it in this pretty colour.

You will notice on the bias tape that one fold is shorter than the other. This is to allow the bias tape to line up properly on the wrong side when you sew it together - more on that later...

To sew the tape onto your stroller your will need to work out which is the shorter folded edge and line that up on the edge of your stroller cover; you are sewing onto the right side of the cover first.

Carefully stitch in the fold all the way around. Once you get to the end, fold the end under to give a neat finish.

Fold the bias tape over the raw edge and pin in place. Then stitch in the crease where the bias tape meets the stroller cover - or "stitch in the ditch". Make sure that you catch the back edge of your bias tape when you stitch - this is the reason you stitch the shorter side first....

Will post some pics next time of my completed stroller cover in the stroller. Oh, did I mention that I have a double stroller so I will need to make two of these!!

Stroller seat cover - bound button holes (lining)

Now that we have made the button holes for the outer fabric we need to work on the matching holes in the lining fabric. Firstly, however, you must spend time admiring your button holes - aren't they great!!

Onto the lining...

How beautiful do they look - so worth the effort...

Stroller seat covers - bound button holes (outer fabric)

So I have the fabric and the pattern - now to make a start!
I measured out the pattern and marked out where all the button holes were.

To make it even more comfy - I cut out a layer of batting and sewed it to the top piece of fabric. Now, here's where you have a choice - easy, peasy option or the sewing challenge. Option 1 - easy peasy...

Sew the button holes using the button hole stitch on your sewing machine. See - it's a great option and good enough for the people at Phil and Teds....

My Phil and Ted's store bought cover - regular button holes

Now I could have chosen a regular button hole, but I didn't - I chose to do a bound button hole!

I love a bound buttonhole - it adds a certain amount of class to an outfit and makes it scream "couture". These days you are hard pressed to find these little beauties so here's how to make them yourself. A little bit fiddly and a bit more work than a regular button hole but, so worth it!

So that's how you do the outer fabric. Next time we will do the lining - think I need a cup of tea after all that!!

Stroller seat cover - Pimp my Ride Mum!

I bought a new stroller. So what, I hear you say. Well, it's actually my 4th stroller. I only have two kids - 2 strollers each - are you mad! My husband thinks I am - he jokes that we are running a stroller breeding program. It all started when I had baby E. I was really happy with my old stroller for Miss S - a Mountain Buggy Swift - loved, loved, loved it! The only downside was that it only takes one child! So began my stroller journey. Who thought that a light weight, easy to use, tandem stroller would be so hard to find? Anyway, 4 strollers later I now have a Phil and Teds. Looks great - all it need now is some fab new stroller seat liners.

How great is this fabric - Miss S thinks it's pretty, I tend to agree.

Check out my pattern here

It fits a Phil and Ted's seat but I tried it on my Mountain Buggy and it works for that as well. I am thinking bound button holes and pretty binding - a bit over the top I know but hey, when you find the right stroller I say celebrate!

Nappy change wallet

Have you ever tried flying on an aeroplane by yourself with two small children? Let me tell you - I think that you need about 6 pairs of hands and 3 pairs of eyes to keep it all under control. Not to mention being super organised! Well, the last time I travelled by myself with my two small girls I was neither prepared nor organised. I left things at home, meaning we had to turn around before we even got to the airport, then, I left bags in the car when I went to check-in and I dragged myself higglydy pigglydy through airport security - yes I was the one with 4 of those grey tubs filled with random things while baby E was being nursed by patient security guards. Anyway, in my airport check-in mess I managed to lose my nappy change wallet. So, I decided when I got home to make one using this great tutorial. I changed a few things - namely I placed the pockets opposite one another so I could sandwich some travel wipes in there; I used some lovely spotty oilcloth on the inside; plus, I finished the whole mat with some piping - who doesn't love piping! I am happy with the results and I promise to be more organised next time I fly!