Craftzine.com blog: Babies Archives

Archive: Babies

March 9, 2010

How-To: Baby Care Bear Costume

Instructables is getting ready for Halloween early this year with Sarah James' Care Bear baby costume tutorial, modeled here by the inimitable Corvidae. I'm speechless.

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February 23, 2010

How-To: Soft Baby Book

I've seen a lot of variations on the soft baby book, and I'm really liking the latest addition to the pack from Kristena of Thimbly Things. She uses reclaimed denim and scraps of fabric paired with our good friend, Heat 'n Bond, to create colorful appliques in a sturdy fabric book that will stand the test of time and drooly fingers.

February 17, 2010

How-To: Baby Sling

My kiddos are a bit too big to ride hip-side in a sling these days, but I wish I'd had a simple tutorial like this one from Katie for Dabbled when they were wee babies so I could have toted them around a little easier!

February 10, 2010

Baby Altay Hat Pattern & Giveaway

Sylvie at Chez Plum has a new pattern for her Baby Altay Hat which is a variation on the popular granny square. In celebration of the pattern, Sylvie is giving away two copies of the pattern! Just leave a comment to her post here.

February 8, 2010

Flatpack Cardboard High Chair

John Baichtal @ MAKE points us to this prototype flatpack cardboard high chair. I'd think it would have to be wax-coated to withstand a toddler's meal, what do you think? Maybe it's a neat idea in need of a few tweaks?

January 25, 2010

Crinkle Square How-To

I just finished up a lovely, crackly treat for my 9-month-old using this great crinkle square tutorial. It's a fantastic way to use up small scraps of fabric you can't bear to part with and an even better use for old wipes packages! My son loves anything that makes noise and chewing on ribbons is also a favorite, so this is right up his alley. I just wish I'd made it months ago. (Via this great roundup of baby girl tutorials from Luvinthemommyhood, although obviously many of these are just as good for baby boys!)

January 20, 2010

Any Size Long Johns from Wool Sweaters

Recycle an old sweater into toasty wool long johns.
By Nikol Lohr

Cotton thermals and space age synthetic long underwear are all well and good, but nothing kills the winter chills like a pair of old fashioned, toasty wool long johns. Trouble is, despite improvements in softness well known to knitters, wool still has a bad rap among the general population for itchiness. So despite the prevalence of cottony-soft merino, wool long johns have fallen out of favor. Not only are they hard to find, but at around 50 bucks a pop, they're hard to justify. But fret not! Real wool long johns can be yours for the price of a thrift store wool sweater and about an hour at the sewing machine. If you get lucky and score a cashmere sweater, you're really in for a treat!

Recycled long johns are cheap, eco-friendly, community-conscious (supporting local thrift stores), and can be made in interesting colors or stitch patterns, depending on what you find on the sweater rack. You can make them thicker (read: warmer) than the typical off-the-shelf counterpart, and you can get a custom fit. While they're not as streamlined as their store-bought brethren, you're probably wearing them to bed or under layers, so what's a few extra seams between friends?

If you've got kids to dress, the recycled long johns are especially fun, because you're more likely to find Fair Isle options in the smaller sizes on the thrift store rack.

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January 13, 2010

Wool "Won't Come Off" Baby Helmet from a Sweater Sleeve

Cz Webbanner Futurecraftcollective Ceb

By Future Craft Collective

When my youngest son was born it was unusually cold here in Austin, Texas. Always a big fan of baby hats anyway, I crafted quite a few different hats trying to make one that wouldn't fall off his head. I made several using a delicious dark green merino wool from an old wool dress, some with ties, some with buttons, some with snaps. They were all pretty cute, but this particular style stayed on in all sorts of predicaments and positions and kept his little newborn head warm and styling!

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January 12, 2010

How-To: Car Seat Cover

Calli of Make It Do shares how to sew a car seat cover to help shield your wee one from cold temperatures, wind, sun and more.

January 9, 2010

How-To: Nursing Cover

For moms who are nursing and want a little privacy when they are out and about, Jamie of Prudent Baby shares a tutorial for making your own nursing cover. [via Grosgrain]

December 30, 2009

Ask CRAFT: Baby-Safe Designs on Fabric

If you have a question for Ask CRAFT, shoot me an email at becky@craftzine.com, or drop us a note on Twitter! We'd love to answer your crafty questions on any topic: technique, projects, crafty culture, or anything else! Each week the answers are here; include your name, where you're from, and your website or blog if you have one!

Ryan Bell writes in:

I am looking for a baby-safe photo transfer system (something to transfer/print photos onto fabric with) to make soft fabric blocks with. I want to make soft fabric cubes with high-contrast black and white images of family members on them so that my baby has something to play with but also develops a familiarity with our family. I have used Bubble Jet Set in the past but it has not been tested for baby safety and is not recommended to be used for things baby may put in her mouth. I can't seem to find a product that is safe for baby to chew on and was wondering if one even exists.

While I had just as much trouble as you finding an iron-on inkjet transfer paper that explicitly states it's baby-safe, there are other options. Let's start by listing some materials that you should be able to find in non-toxic and baby-friendly variations:

silkscreen ink
fabric paint
fabric
yarn
fabric glue
embroidery floss

So, while not as easy as printing out and ironing on, there are many techniques that could lead you in the right direction. If you don't have access to a silkscreen setup, try our freezer paper stencil tutorial to make the image. You can cut it out by hand with a small utility or craft blade, or use the Cricut for a more exact replica of your image. Check out Instructables user Fylke's image processing tutorial for turning a photo into a two-color separation suitable for silkscreen or freezer paper stencil. You can then use your kid-safe silkscreen ink, fabric paint, or even bleach to execute the design. If you're going with ink or paint, it's best to heat-set it with an iron to really join it with the fabric and prevent any of it from entering your baby's system. If you're going with bleach, wash the patterned fabric a few times to make sure none remains.

Then there are the more labor-intensive processes, like fabric applique. Again, you'll cut out your shapes, but in a contrasting fabric, and then sew the shapes to the background fabric by hand or machine, or even use fabric glue. You could also embroider the photographs on the block sides using our video tutorial for turing a photo into an embroidery pattern. You might also try checking with Spoonflower, the on-demand custom fabric printing website, to see if their fabrics are baby-friendly.

I know you were looking for a magic product to come and solve your crafty design problem, but I hope that these other methods will yield some great stimulating toys for your baby. Please write in to share your results! If you've got suggestions for Ryan, post them up in the comments!

The above image is Etsy seller woodponddesigns' Black Red and White Pattern Jumble Ball soft baby toy with jingle bells.

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Ask CRAFT: Sourcing Freezer Paper and Other Supplies

From the pages of CRAFT, Volume 02:

Freezer Paper Stencil by Leah Kramer. Preview the article in the digital edition, and grab the back issue in the Maker Shed.

December 9, 2009

Baby Brown Bear Cocoon and Hat Set Crochet Pattern

Etsy crafter SandysCapeCodOrig is offering PDF patterns for this incredibly adorable Baby Brown Bear Cocoon and Hat Set. Perfect to crochet up for the baby bear in your life!

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