My muse turns one month old

These newborn onesies aren't going to fit for much longer, so I'll try to capture the little man wearing them now!

Another sling thing

We bought a used Ergo babycarrier last week, thanks to our friend Michele in the 'burbs who did the pick-up! This carrier can be used for an infant, but only if you buy the $25 insert. Highway robbery, I tell you. Here's my homemade version. I sewed fluffy upholstery cording to two layers of cotton batting, then covered the whole thing in a cotton case and quilted around it before closing it with some seam binding. While the cost was under $10, the time & travel involved were not trivial. Still, I find it satisfying to try and replicate something oneself.

More blankets

Here are four new additions to our blanket collection. The two on the left are just pieces of waffle knit fabric with serged edges. We were seeking additional stretch to help with swaddling, but the added give just makes it easier for Mr. Houdini Hands to do his evil deeds! The two on the right are my now-standard cotton gauze jobbies. One post-baby addition: no time to make my own bias tape, so it's store-bought. Ah, the sacrifices we make for our little ones!

Pouch Slings

I'm 11 days post-partum and it's time to craft again. Yesterday we took our first outing for pleasure (i.e. not medical appointments) and went bird-watching and fabric-shopping. I bought fabric to make my husband and me each a pouch sling, two more gauze swaddling blankets (one can NOT have enough of these!) and two waffle knit swaddling blankets (my husband, the swaddler, insists it's a lack of stretch and not his lack of skill that lets the little one's hands out).

Here's what I learned about making a sling, after studying various directions and tutorials. I also went out and bought a Hotsling to study temporarily. Cut a piece of fabric that's 24" wide (you could get away with as little as 22 or 23" I think) and 56" long. Cut the curve into the short sides. Create a loop with a French felled seam (which requires sewing the *wrong* sides together, very counter-intuitive), then hem both "rails," leaving 12" open at each side of the seam. Insert fluffy cording into these openings and sew shut - a zipper foot helps. My husband is 6'3" so his sling required a longer piece - I started with 66" and then we custom-fit, using a sack of flour as the baby!