"Snuggle Bags": A Tutorial

Apr 24 2009

Posted by Elizabeth as Crafting with Kids

Do you like snuggling up to read a book or watch a movie? Do your kids? I love having cozy blankets around the house and I usually wrap them around myself to get even more cozy. Here’s a cool little project to make a really useful blanket and sleeping bag all in one!! Also, it would make a fantastic baby or birthday gift!!I picked two kinds of fleece that had corresponding colours and had them cut to the same length. I ended up with a bag that was about 1.5 m long and 1m wide. Because you buy fabric that is double wide, you should have loads and loads to use for straps if you go with this length (or more, if you want a longer bag).Step 1: Cut both pieces of fleece to the right size for your creation (Note, the photos shows were taken to create a tutorial for a blanket. The only difference is the size of the fabric and that all four sides were closed in the blanket project.)Step 2: Cut lots of strips *from your extra fabric* to use as tags. The strips should be cut with the stretch of the fabric (I liked it better like that) and should be about 6 inches long by 3/4 inches wide. I used both the fabrics that I had because I liked the look of alternating them.Step 3: Punch or cut small slits about 1/2 inch from the edge of the fabric. These holes should be about 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches apart. After trying both methods numerous times (I made two blankets and two snuggle bags) I prefer cutting each hole after having tied the knot at the previous hole, even though it felt more repetitive.Step 4: Fold the fabric strip in half and push it through the hole. You may need to use a narrow tip to help poke the fabric through. A bigger hole helps, but doesn’t always look better.Step 5: Put the two ends of the strip, up, through the loop.Step 6: And pull tight.Voila!Now, you just need to keep doing that aaaaall the way around the fabric. If you are making a bag, keep one of the narrow ends open to snuggle into, if you are making a taggie blanket, close ‘em all. There are loads of ways that you can modify this project to suit your skills and your taste. You can make a pillow case, a seat cover, a poncho thing… It’s super quick and easy and your kids can join in, too, or even make their own! H helped me out by pulling the knots tight and S ~~did too~~ ~~tried to~~ climbed all over me while I knotted. The finished snuggle bag:The finished taggie blanket:

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A Super Hero in 5 minutes

Apr 18 2009

Posted by Elizabeth as Adventures in Parenting, Crafting with Kids, Parenting Resources

My kids are almost four and one-and-a-half. They love capes. We have quite a few of them in our dress-up bin. Whenever they have friends over, the capes come out and the kids rip around in them, inventing whatever super-hero fits the cape. The capes I’ve made are pretty much the easiest costume ever, and you can make them, too. All you need is an old shirt. I’ve used biiiiig shirts, that way there’s lots of neck room and fabric to flow behind you when running. You take the shirt and pick whatever side you want to use – front or back. I used shirts that came with logos… just because they were offered to me. Also, for the latest batch of capes I made, I used the shirt-front, because that’s where the logo was. Here are the steps you can follow to make your own super-easy, for-any-occasion, cape.Step 1) Lay out the shirt, with the side up that you are going to use as your cape. Step 2) Cut around the edges (I took the serged edge off as my kids don’t like seams and tags). At the top, I curved the cut into a soft curve, instead of following the sleeves.Step 3) Cut around the neck so that you have a nice neck-band that is soft to use for the cape’s tie… with no tying required! Voila!! You’re done in five minutes and can add embellishments as you should so desire…

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My journey back to cloth: it's Genius!

Apr 14 2009

Posted by Elizabeth as Adventures in Parenting, Reviews

I have a nineteen-month-old, daughter. I have cloth diapered Susannah since she was about three months old. In March, she got quite a rash on her privates and my husband and I decided to ditch the cloth diapers and go with disposables. I was sad about it for a bit, but quickly got over it; there were other circumstances (like severe morning sickness) that were a little consuming. Over the past month, my nausea has somewhat subsided (*knocking on wood*) and Susannah’s tush has cleared up. I’ve hummed and hawed about pulling out the cloth diapers again but we had a big box of disposables to go through and I didn’t want to just ditch them.

At the Kids’ Stuff Swap that I organized on April 4th, there was a new local vendor selling cloth diapers, as well as my dearly beloved dimplecheeks diaper-sewing friend. I’d heard good things about BumGenius diapers, at the diapering seminar I organized in November, but had yet to see one and actually try one out. In the past, I’ve shied away from them because I felt like they were a little bit on the expensive side (roughly 23$ per diaper).I ended up being given the door prize diaper (won by a friend who passed it on) from Lizzie Bits Baby Co.

I was so excited to try it out on Susannah. It’s so SOFT and the inserts are so CUSHY. It looked to good and felt so good. The most exciting part about the diaper, for me, is that it is a one-size diaper. This means that it has snaps and can adjust in height, depending on the size of the baby. Yay! I can use it for “Mambo” (you know, #5). I washed it, tried it, washed it and was hooked. bg_rise_settings

The diaper come with two inserts (it’s a “pocket” diaper, which means that you shove a liner/insert into a pocket in the body of the diaper and that absorbs any wetness) and I started out using only one. The body of the diaper sent all the wetness into the insert so I even used it with a fresh insert right after Susannah got it wet! I was thrilled. My baby girl’s bum wasn’t wet at all! I feel confident that I’m not going to have any rashing problems with this diaper. Susannah uses a BumGenius at night, with both inserts and it’s the best! I know she’s dry and not sleeping in a wet load. I can feel so good about her tush.

I was so excited about it that I called Lizzie Bits right away, to get some more! I was also intrigued by the laundry detergent that she was selling. My detergent’s smell makes me gag (yes, still with the pregnancy sickness – awesome, let’s just hope it’s less than seven months long this time) and as Susannah had rashed up with it, I wanted to try something new. Charlie’s Soap Laundry Detergent. It’s made with biodegradable coconut-based detergents, which I find intriguing… I love it! I’m so impressed with how little I have to use in a load and how it cleans up the diapers to white!! I love it so much, and it’s non-making-me-sick smell (it doesn’t actually have any distinct odour), that I’ve been using it for all my laundry, when my initial plan was to use it only for the diaper loads. Also, it’s hypoallergenic, which is great for my sensitive-skinned husband, too.

All in all, we are thrilled to be back to cloth diapering. Susannah has outgrown many of her other diapers, so we are operating with a smaller stock, than I was a few months ago. I’m truly excited to have gotten onto BumGenius diapers and I know that I will be picking up some more when “Mambo” arrives. I’ve also purchased a potty training set from Lizzie Baby. The Potty Praisers Starter Kit. As the girl is telling us whenever she needs a “dapo-change”, I think that she’s getting ready to be out of diapers altogether. I’m excited to give this a try, when the time comes. I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes.If you are thinking about getting into cloth diapering I would highly recommend that you consider trying out a BumGenius diaper, just to know what a one-size diaper looks/feels like and how it cleans. Try Lizzie Baby!! The service was fantastic and I’m thoroughly pleased. I’ve become a huge fan and I’m so excited about my new diapers. You can tell, right? Because I’m blogging about it! Also, try out the laundry soap!!!