Hip dysplasia and sleeping bags

When our daughter R was born, we found out that she had Developmental Hip Dysplasia (DDH) and was promptly put in a Dennis Browne Brace (DBB).

Aside from the initial shock of finding out, there were quite a few practical issues to contend with, the first being - what on earth do I put her in?  The brace holds the hip stable, but makes baby look like a little frog with legs akimbo.  For clothes it was fine, nothing with pants or feet, and being a little girl in an Australian summer dresses were just fine.

We got to the stage however when you aren't meant to wrap babies anymore, and sids & kids recommend putting baby to sleep in a sleeping bag.  Which is fine if you're not trussed up like a frog.

In the end I had to make her own sleeping bags which were quite flared at the bottom.  It took three goes to get the right construction, but really if you had half a brain it is very simple.

I used the pattern from small dream factory and adapted it as shown below.

Adjusted pattern

 The first sleeping bag was unlined and by all accounts a success, except I listened to someone else on the internet saying to put the zip in upside down so baby can't let themselves out.  Bugger that, it also means that the top of my baby is a solid join and putting the baby in it is cumbersome.  If she unzips herself then R will get cold.  Maybe she won't do it again.

The next sleeping bag was made from a jersey ($2 a metre from Darn Cheap Fabrics in Heidelberg) with a zip running all the way along the bottom.  This actually works pretty well to keep baby in and to put baby in.

R liked to kick her legs at night, so having the extra stretch was great for her as her legs kicked outwards.

If you are looking for a quick easy bag for a baby in a spica or brace, this construction is the best.  If anyone is interested in a tutorial, leave a comment or email me and I'll whip one up.

The final sleeping bag was done when R came out of her brace, and is constructed like a normal baby sleeping bag, but that my friends, is another post for another day.

Sad owl

Sad owl went with fat cat to a new home

Baby quilt for a baby girl

When I was pregnant I was convinced that I was having a baby boy. We didn't find out but we didn't need to- it was obviously a little boy.

The upside of this was our friends who were due a week earlier were having a little girl, so how nice! One of each!

Cue quilt time. Using part of a moda charm pack, and two matching pinkish fabrics from darn cheap fabrics in Heidelberg, one quick sashed baby girl quilt was done.

This was by far the fastest quilt I've ever made, all by machine (the fact it was machine quilted probably helped the speed). This was whipped together so fast, that J was about 33 weeks preggo when I finished it.

Cue late term ultrasound. J was having a boy! Oh the spite of the quilting gods!

But it turned out ok, J has the most gorgeous bubba, and getting to meet the little man he's getting his own planned quilt. And the pink quilt? Oh cue the arrival of...

My baby girl R.

Mittens - One Yard Wonder

If you haven't checked out the One Yard Wonders book - it's a nifty gift for the amateur sewer, although there are a couple of unusual projects (cotton legwarmers anyone?).  

For christmas after getting some insul-bright I made multiple mittens and pot holders as gifts for family and friends.  It was a fantastic way to use up some smaller bit of fabric in my stash, and it's a useful handmade gift.  In my opinion it's only worth making if they are going to use it (refer to legwarmers above).

Roboticus giftus

That's latin for a robot gift.

If you haven't been onto etsy, firstly you are banned from the internets.  Secondly, if you are even remotely crafty you have to love the cross-stitch designs of andwabisabi.

This is a handmade gift (as this is handmade gift year) for a friend in the UK who unsurprisingly, loves robots.  She also has a cat called Rebus.  Clearly very good stock.

Buying moda charm packs in Australia

I love moda charm packs.  Yes, for the traditionalist it can be the lazy way to quilt, but seriously I don't have the financial backing to buy enough of a stash to ever have anything that matches.

But moda charm packs are always so well priced in the US....but expensive here.  Until I stumbled across this gem of a shop!

Want it, need it, quilt store  

I bought three charms packs and express registered post for $40!  EPIC WIN!

Christmas presents...and future procrastination starts........now.....or maybe later....

Burp cloths from a made by rae tutorial

5" blocks from a layer cake

The finished product :)

Well it's been a busy sewing time around here...but the problem with schneaky projects as gifts is that you can't write about them....

But following a dear friends baby shower, I gave her a stack of burp cloths from this made by rae tutorial which is super easy and just great to not think about things like absorbency....I defer to people who already have little people in this regard completely.  

Totally recommended as a baby shower gift :)