Isn't it funny that I thought on Tuesday, 'I'll write a blog today'. And now it's Friday! I can hear you all rolling around with laughter at my truly humorous funny! P.s. thank goodness for spelling red underline thingy....that humorous was almost humorous in it's spelling!

Anyhoo....so I thought I'd show you a few bits and pieces I've been making recently to explain why I've been absent from blog land. My sister in law had a little baby boy last Thursday (awwww) but we didn't know that he was going to be a baby boy and I was secretly not so secretly hoping for a baby girl cos I've seen some cute ruffle bottom onesies to make. I'm slightly ashamed that that's the only reason for wanting a girl, but it's all I've got right now!

Anyway, so I started making baby gifts in colours/patterns that could go either way just in case it was a beautiful boy, which is was...phew! That was a close one!

I started by making some burp cloths out of some towelling with patterned backs.

I found on a few sites that burp cloths which were shaped were slightly nicer to use and I measured my husband's shoulder to make up a little pattern. (I've kept the pattern in case we ever have kids so then I'll know they fit his shoulder!)


Anyway, so then I made a little taggy toy too out of some cute bumble bee fabric, some black fleece and some red, yellow and green ribbon. Apparently babies love to suck and play with the ribbon tags on new toys so a taggy toy is just a whole bunch of 'labels' sewn onto a square of soon to be abused/sucked/pulled fabric. I ensured that the ribbons were sewn through a total of 4 times each so they won't come out by mistake!

Then we went to the supermarket and wandered down the baby aisle (as you do) and thought we'd better get some onesies. We got 6 - 9 month ones so that they'll last a little while as we thought our brother in law's family might have gotten lots of new baby and 0 - 3 bits and pieces cos it's his first so we'll be there with our 5 pack when the furore has died down and it's 7 months old with nothing to wear! I also selected some baby socks to go with it which are so soft I want to just make a lovely big fluffy house coat out of them and stay in it all day! Oh and a blanket from the shop in town for £1...I can't resist a bargain!



So, there I was being sensible and purchasing baby clothes that were functional yet so cute...and Dus was having his pretty little head turned by an outfit that made him go 'RAWR'. Literally. In the supermarket. No shame my husband, no shame!

He fingered it, he picked it up, he put it back, he wandered off, he went back to it..."Baybee (that's me), do you think he'd like a tiger outfit?"  "Well Dussy, (that's him), he's a bit too young to know what he's wearing, but would you like him to have a tiger outfit?", "Yes, yes I think I would baybee, I'll get it for him". And that's how we happened to have a 3 - 6 month old tiger outfit too!



Also to go is a couple of crocheted elf hats my sister has made and a cardigan my mum has made. I've had to 'pay' my sister back by making her something (I'll show you that later) but my mum made the cardi cos she loves new babies even if this baby is her daughter's nephew. If that makes sense?! Can you have a great nephew I wonder.....?

So, we couldn't very well just give Dusband's sister a carrier bag full of goodies, it wouldn't be right! So I made a fabric bucket out of matching burp cloth fabric for them all to go in. I made a blue spotty one before but the handles on the tutorial were so tiny you'd never actually use them so I made some slightly more functional handles instead.  The tutorial is from here.

So I made a little zippy pouch thing for my sister in law to keep bits in. I've put a couple of dummys but only cos they were on special offer too!



And then a nursing cover (aka Hooter hider) out of some of the most gorgeous fabric I've ever been honoured to own! It was sent to me as 4 yards of fabric as a Christmas gift from a lovely Californian babe I just happen to know. I was saving it to make a lap quilt for autumn...but it just happened to be the perfect weight, pattern and size for this cover so I might have to make a slightly smaller quilt!


It's basically an apron with a boned top so that when feeding, mum can remain private but she can look down at baby and check all's ok.

It's bigger than that, I folded it up for photographography's sake. Don't you just love the new dictionary I'm building up every time I blog?!


So then I thought, hmm, along with some other luxury mum gifts, I can't really give those in a carrier bag...so I used the original 1st fabric bucket out of navy and red fabric for those and I think I'll have to go get some more goodies for it today to just ensure it's the best it can be!
And in the meantime, I didn't want my other 2 nieces and 1 nephew to feel left out as it's been a while since we've been to visit and lots of people will be making a fuss out of their new baby brother so I made them each a mini fabric bucket to fill with goodies!



So far they've each got a pack of sweets and the two girls have a caramel egg and our nephew has two dairy free chocolate puddings. I'll pick up some colouring pencils, novelty erasers, parachute men etc in town later to fill their buckets up a bit more and then we're all ready for visiting next week!


We also have my brother in law's birthday gift from February...or was it March.....I can't remember...anyway, but we didn't feel that warranted a bucket on it's own so I'll just wrap it in manly paper and he can have that separate.

So there, you can see why I've been so busy and that's without all the various clubs, church activities, services and many, many, minute writings for the different meetings and agms!

Oh, and before I forget and sign off, here's what I paid my sister with (or will be when I see her tomorrow....oops, I hope she's not read this!) for making the elf hats for the new baby.





Although thinking about it now, I might have to make her a small hook roll for travelling maybe when I get back. It just makes sense to doesn't it?

Anyway, lots to do still....busy, busy, busy!
Tarraaa xx