Sweet Little Loafers

One thing I wished I had more of for my first baby was more shoes. I could never bring myself to pay a bunch of money for shoes that he didn't even need. He didn't need them, but I still love to put them on his little feet.

I've shared one pattern for cloth shoes that I love. Here's a pattern for some crocheted loafers from Sylver Designs. She gives instructions for different sizes and two types of straps. Her instructions are pretty easy to follow and clearly written.

You do have to buy the pattern, but I think it's worth it. At least, when you look at the cost of baby shoes from the store.

A Dapper Coat

A lot of people commented on how cute Silas looked in his winter coat. I have to agree.
I used Simplicity pattern 2526. The pattern comes in sizes 1/2, 1, 2, 3, 4 for toddlers.
The hat is included in the pattern, along with a coat pattern for a little girl.
The only change I made was that I lined the coat. I used some gray fleece for the lining and blue denim for the coat. I wanted the coat to be warm for the cold winter weather.
I loved seeing him in it so much, I'm tempted to make him one in a bigger size for next year.

A Sweet Little Hat

I made this little hat for a baby in my neighborhood. I never know what size hat to make for babies, so I was happy to find this pattern. It was a pretty simple pattern. I used a different pattern for the flower, because I was too lazy, at the time, to try a new one.


It's such a precious little hat. She also gives instructions to make the hat bigger.
 
The creator of the website also has some other cute patterns for girls on her site. I think I might try the water bottle carrier.

Burp Cloths, too soft to share with baby?

The other day I came across this tutorial for baby burp cloths. It's a super easy idea, but the part that I loved was using chenille. It's so soft. I ran to JoAnn and bought some brown chenille with my 50% off coupon, threw in a couple of fat quarters, and brought them home to start sewing.

Here is my result. I'm so excited to use these.

More Aranzi Aronzo

I was such a fan of my Cute Book that when I passed Baby Stuff one day while shopping at Michael's Craft, I couldn't help myself. I didn't need to feel guilty, thanks to the gift card my mother-in-law had given me for my birthday (thanks, Leslie!). I haven't had a chance to use it for an actual baby, though the coming months will surely bring many chances. I used the elephant and cloud patterns to decorate my new Lightwedge cover.

I received a Lightwedge for mother's day. If you've never heard of them, and you like to read at night, you should really check them out. Mine was purchased on Amazon.com for $13, including shipping. I just finished reading a book the other night. Hours of reading and no sore eyes for me. Woo hoo!

They sell covers, but I figured that I had plenty of stuff on hand to make one for free. If you're interested in knowing how I made my cover, let me know. Lance decided he wanted a Lightwedge for Father's Day. I'll be making a cover for his soon. I'll take pictures next time and post a tutorial.

Mechani-Panda

This guy was a Valentine's day gift for my husband. We're not big on the holiday, but we try to do a little something to show love. Lance had looked through a book I told him to get me for Christmas, the Cute Book by Aranzi Aronzo. This panda struck his fancy, and now he's got a 10" one sitting on the nightstand. I appreciated Lance's reaction to my making him a doll for Valentine's day. He recognized the thought rather than the result. Now that's love.

This book has easy to follow instructions. It basically contains a bunch of patterns for little felt toys. The back pages give you ideas for other ways you can use the little critters. It's a funny book, to boot. I bought mine on Amazon.com.