This style of pocket is more of an intermediate project. This tutorial shows an All-In-One pocket being sewn. To make a fitted diaper pocket you will follow the same instructions except you will have absorbent fabric in place of the PUL.

I use the cloth diaper pattern available at Amber Perry Patterns on Etsy. It’s great!

	Sew the front waist loop tape & size tag on first.
	On the back waist, turn under 1/4″ of the PUL, sew elastic within the fold you’ve created. Use the illustration in the Sewing Instruction sheets for where to begin & end the elastic. You will of course, trim the elastic after sewing it in.
	Now do the same for the absorbent fabric. I used flannel – so I folded down both layers of flannel and attached the elastic within that fold.
	Now you will sew the PUL and absorbent layers together. Begin just before the elastic ends and sew all the way around the diaper, finishing just after the the anchor point of the back elastic. As you sew, you will make a fold in the PUL & absorbent fabrics (see following pictures). This gives a clean finish to the pocket opening.
	This is how the folded seam looks on the PUL side.
	This is how the folded seam looks on the absorbent side. Note that the area with elastic is not sewn together – this is your elasticized pocket opening. Continue by following the Sewing Instruction sheet for adding leg elastic and hook & loop on the wings.
	Now your absorbent, back opening pocket diaper is ready to stuff.

>

This is such a quick & easy project! This cute little gingerbread is so yummy, someone has already taken a bite!

This pattern & tutorial assume some basic sewing skills. Embroidery is optional, there are lots of great tutorials on YouTube and via Google if you want to look up the embroidery stitches I mention. Buttons, sequins, beads, etc. can be used for eyes in place of embroidery if desired.

I used felt fabric but fleece would also work great. If you decide to try out woven fabrics (fabrics that are woven will fray), I would sew the little guy up inside out using as narrow a seam allowance as possible (or trace the pattern pieces with an additional 1/4″ around them),  leaving a space for turning and then whip stitch closed the opening. Also remember that your pieces need to be cut out so that you will have the right side of the fabric facing out once cut.

Click here for the pattern pieces. I’ve included a girl gingerbread as well. Hoping to make one today but I wanted to get the pattern up now since we’re so close to Christmas!

Basic Instructions:

• Cut 2 body pieces
• On one body piece, embroider eyes & mouth. (I used a padded satin stitch for the eyes & the outline stitch for the mouth) or use sequins, beads, felt pieces, or buttons.
• Embroider or use buttons, beads, sequins, felt pieces, etc. “buttons” on his tummy.
• Sew the two pieces together right sides facing out & stuffing lightly as you go.
  I used a blanket stitch for the body except for the bitten leg – I used a simple running stitch for that portion to accentuate the “bite”.  Back stitch, running stitch, whip stitch, etc will work fine.
• Add a loop of embroidery floss or ribbon for hanging on the tree.

Sweet & simple! Find more detailed patterns in my Etsy shop, Amber Perry Patterns or find my knitting & crochet patterns on Ravelry.

I did not go overboard this year and then feel badly when I was not able to complete everything. I chose wisely this time!

I made two mermaiden dolls for my girls from the book Wee Wonderfulls by Hillary Lang. I like them very much and I think my girls will too. If I make them again I will construct them a little differently though.

Next I worked on dresses for my girls. Both are red fabric with a beautiful floral look to them. I also made them white shrugs out of anti-pill fleece. They came out very nicely and the girls love them.

My final project was a set of flannel pajamas for my daughter. I worked from the pattern in the book Making Children’s Clothes by Emma Hardy. I used the size 5 and lengthened the sleeves and pants for my 6 yr. old. I think she will really like them. I made the binding form flannel backed satin.

Add these plump sock turkeys to your Fall decor! These toms are sure to please.

This adorable sock turkey is easy to make. The eight page PDF file includes full color step by step photos, full size pattern pieces, and easy to follow written directions. Can be sewn entirely by hand.

Get your Socks the Turkey pattern now at Amber Perry Patterns on Etsy.

I just finished sewing up a few new cloth diapers for my daughter. They are quick & easy to make when you use the following tips…

• I use the pattern from Amber Perry Patterns on Etsy.
• Add a cute cotton flannel print to give your diapers a little extra personality. 1 1/2 yards of flannel will give you enough to get 2 body cuts plus a tri-fold soaker and some wipes. Remember that you must wash & dry any fabric you purchase before you cut it. Otherwise it will shrink after the diaper is sewn.
• When sewing diapers it is most efficient to sew them assembly line style. To do this, sew each step on all of the diapers before moving on to the next step. Example: sew the soaker pads into all of the diapers before moving on to sewing the body layers together. This helps to streamline the process. Sewing with this method I can make 4 diapers in just over an hour.

More about the diapers above…

• The All-In-One on the upper right (white PUL with a rose print inner) features a sewn in tri-fold or butterfly soaker. These are fantastic if you have a heavy wetter! You can add extra layers for absorption and they still wash & dry quickly and thoroughly. I love these! You can find my tutorial on making them here.
• The diaper on the bottom left is a fitted diaper – that is why it has the cotton flannel with the rose print on the inside & the outside.
• The diaper on the bottom right is an All-In-One diaper with white PUL that I painted to give it a beautiful pink tie dyed/brushed look. I also love this diaper ~ can’t wait to get it washed and on her little bum. Here is a tutorial on how to paint PUL to get any look you desire!

I have been sewing fold over elastic onto diapers for several years and am sharing my sewing tips with you! Fold over elastic (FOE) is wonderful for binding cloth diaper covers, fitted diapers and all-in-ones. I use the diaper cover pattern available at Amber Perry Patterns on Etsy.

Wondering what a wool soaker is? What are longies and shorties? And what about sleep sacks and skirties? Wonder no more! Think wool is just for cloth diaper users? Think again! Read to the end to find how wool can be a fantastic solution for naps & nighttime for disposable diaper users as well. Say goodbye to wet clothes and sheets!

Wool soakers, longies, shorties, skirties, sleep sacks, and woolies are all garments made of 100% wool (no superwash) that go over cloth diapers. The pants form (longies) can be made in any length from shorts (shorties) to capris, bloomers, pantaloons, etc. A skirtie is (usually) a wool soaker with a skirt attached.  Sleep sacks are long well, sacks, that are usually worn by newborns and very young babies. There is an opening at the bottom for easy access during diaper changes – similar to newborn gowns.

Wool is wonderfully breathable and keeps baby’s skin at a good temperature. Babies who are prone to diaper rash seem to do much better with cotton cloth diapers and woolies. Wool will absorb up to 30% of its weight in moisture before it begins to feel damp. The only challenge you might have is what’s called compression wicking. This is when additional clothing is put on over woolies. The pressing of the additional clothing against the wool can cause the wool to become damp prematurely. I have always felt though that if you’re going to knit (or purchase) wonderfully made woolies – why in the world would you want to cover them up! Show your wool proudly! Wool is great choice, and of course, can be incredibly cute. It’s especially a favorite amongst cloth diaperers for nighttime. Wool soakers (all woolies) only need to be washed when soiled or every week or so. Truth be told, I have often gone much longer than one week between washings for my little one’s longies & soakers. Especially with a young baby. I have a tutorial on wash & care of wool soakers and all woolies here.

So what’s what? Here you go…

And one last note, even if you don’t plan to use cloth diapers; longies, shorties, sleep sacks, soakers, and skirties are still darn cute for baby and can then be made of any fiber content that you like. Though I will say that during our recent move we had our two that are still in diapers in disposable diapers and found that wool soakers kept all of our sheets dry! That’s right – disposable diapers often leave baby, their clothes, and the sheets wet after long naps or during nighttime. The solution is wool soakers or longies!  Knit up some fun Butt Knits patterns in 100% wool and say goodbye to wet clothes & sheets! Be sure to check out question #3 on the Butt Knits FAQ page to find out how to easily make Butt Knits patterns fit disposable diapered babies.

A few helpful links…

Butt Knits offers a great line of unique & fun wool soaker & longies knitting patterns. Including bloomers and fun monster face embellishments.

DiaperKit.com offers cloth diaper patterns as well as pre-cut, ready to sew cloth diaper making kits. Fitted diapers are a great choice to go under wool soakers & longies. Butt Knits patterns are also available at DiaperKit.

My daughter has been rapidly outgrowing her warm winter pajamas. She’s left with her sleeveless summer nightgowns. Which just won’t do in winter. As much as I’d like to sew up some new pajamas or flannel gowns for her, my time is pretty tight right now.

The answer came from knitting inspiration. I had been knitting a shrug for her to wear (I thought) with her short sleeve dresses to church on Sundays. As I reached the half way point of her knit shrug, she informed me that she did not like white and did not want it. Well! Though I’ll probably finish it and add some embroidery to add color, it took the wind out of my sails for that projects. Her arms still needed something warm though. So I whipped up this cute little shrug in about 15 minutes. Maybe only 10. It’s pretty darn quick!

Tutorial

Important Notes: I used polar fleece because of its stretch and because it does not fray. My daughter is quite slender and has a small frame. I tried a shrug for the baby using the same measurements and it was too tight for her super chubby arms. I am going to make her another one but taper the sleeves to be wider. I’ll let you know how that goes.

I measured from her wrist to the middle of her back, which is 18″. Multiply that x 2 = 36″. I then measured from the nape of her neck to just below her shoulder blades, 8″. I then cut a rectangle of fleece 36″ x 8″.  The stretch of the fleece must be going vertically.

Mark with pins how far the seam from wrist to armpit will go. I found it most comfortable for my daughter to stop the seam about 2″ from her actual armpit.

I used a serger to sew the seam but a standard machine will work just as well.

Turn the shrug right side out.

This is the third shrug I’ve made for her this way. If you have enough fabric it’s nice to add an inch or two on the sleeves to make the shrug last longer. It would also be super cute to add some embroidery or appliques. And of course fleece comes in lots of cute patterns and even pre-embroidered. Lots of fun! My daughter loves her warm sleeves and wears them during the day with short sleeved or sleeveless shirts as well.

If you make the shrug for another size/fit and want to share the measurements you used that would be great! Just leave the info. in the Comments.

Update: Throughout the day today I’ve had lots of nice comments on various forums. Lots of moms think this would work great for them too!  One of the more interesting comments came from a friend who has a small dog. She suggested this tutorial could be used to make a shrug for a dog as well. I think she’s right! Though I don’t have a dog, I think if you measure from one “ankle”, up over the shoulders and down the other leg and then measure from the nape of the neck down the back to just below the shoulders. If anyone makes a shrug using this tutorial; I’d love to see a pic! I’ll post it here to show it works.

Need a hug? Do your kids need a hug? Happy Huggers to the rescue! These adorable monsters (dare we even call them monsters?) are just the ticket.

These sweet, loving monsters can be sewn up in about 2 hours from just about any fabric. This pattern is designed specifically with recycled, upcycled, and scrap fabrics in mind. Wovens, stretch, old t-shirts – these guys are easy going!

Several of my pattern testers said that they made more than one Happy Hugger. Why? Because they have more than one child and the kids were arguing over who got to keep the monster! The same thing happened in my house. Which is why we have four of them. The baby didn’t seem to mind not getting her own .

Sew up some Happy Huggers at your house! Enter the code “newblog” during checkout under “Message To Seller” and I’ll refund you $1 off your pattern.

Take me to the pattern page!

*This post taken from my old blog. Original writing July 2008.

You know that really ugly tie you wish your main man didn’t have? Well here’s an excellent way to put it to good use while ensuring that he will not be wearing it ever again.

OK, seriously, you can use any tie. Even a nice one. You can go to the thrift store and find one that’s got some personality.

I was looking for a quick way to get my circular knitting needles organized and this tie in my husbands closet caught my eye (how could it not right?). I sewed straight across the the tie (the front and the back together) several times about 1″ apart. Viola! No hemming, no cutting, not even any pinning. You could get fancy and embroider the needle sizes on the front if you want to. One could even snip the tie at the top and make a button hole and add a button if you needed it to come apart. Or you could add hook & loop (Velcro).

Here’s the back

Handy?