Baby Tag Blanket

My sister-in-law and four of my friends are pregnant. Two of them are having girls and the rest are still have weeks before they find out. Although one said she just might wait for the surprise at the end! So it is time for me to get busy with my machine. First up: a Tag Blanket. And really it is more of a lovey than a blanket. It measure about 9"x9" so it is just the right size for small hands. I have seen these in the stores and have always wanted to make one so here goes!

The finished product

Start by measuring out your squares. Mine were 5"x5". Then simply sew them together. I used a 1/2" seam allowance. If you press your seams it will look prettier.

All pressed!

Cut out a square of fabric for the backside. I chose minky dot. Pink something soft and cuddly. The square should match up to your four square above. In fact, I just laid my four square on top of the minky dot and cut around it. Set it aside.

Time for the ribbon. Pin the looped ribbon to the right side of the four square. Baste stitch your ribbon to your four square. I used about a 1/4" seam allowance for this step. Also, be sure that your loops are facing in just like mine. Very important. It's okay if some of your ribbon hangs off. You can trim it after you have done your baste stitch.

All trimmed up after the baste stitch:

Pin right sides together of your soft fabric and your four square. Be sure that you ribbon loops are inside the pocket. Be sure to leave a space so that you can turn it right side out. Also, your opening should not be near a corner to make it easier. I used a 1/2" seam allowance for this step. Notice my opening below:

Before turning right side out clip your corners. You can find a great tutorial on clipping corners and other sewing basics at Make It and Love It. Ashley has the best tips. In fact, she probably already has a tutorial for a tag blanket.

Here is mine all turned out. Fix your corners. You can use a dowel or other pointed object if you can't get your hand in there. I also laid a light cloth over mine and pressed it again before I stitched my opening closed.

Don't just stitch your opening closed. Go around the entire square to make it look uniform.

I also sewed diagonally across the entire square to help it keeps its form.

Voila!

I have two more cut out and ready to go but I ran out of ribbon. I originally bought enough ribbon to make just one but with a bunch of babies on the way I'll be making more trips to the fabric store. I'm not telling which sweet baby girl is getting this one. It's a secret!

Countdown Calendar

I saw the cutest "We're going to Disneyland" countdown calendar on The Crafting Chicks. Jamie was kind enough to post her templates for free and tell where/which digital papers she used. So in just a few minutes I had a cute countdown calendar too! I had it printed off at Costco and then stuck it in a temporary frame. I actually planned to use this frame for something else but it isn't ready just yet. The only problem with printing I had was that my circles to cover the numbers turned out bigger than 2" when they were printed. I'm not sure why this happened but if someone out there does, could you pass me the info? I can fix my circles with a simple circle punch. Now we just have to pick out date to go to Disneyland! Thank you Jamie from The Crafting Chicks!!!!

Iron Cord Chaos

I have an iron in my craft room with a cord that I usually wrap up with a ribbon. But I keep losing the ribbon and having to cut another one. To solve this problem I put a permanent strap on my iron cord.There is Velcro to hold the strap to itself and the strap is sewn to the cord so I won't lose it. :)

Ahhh, all neatly wrapped up. Happiness.

Labels

I've been doing a lot of canning lately. I'm a hoarder when it comes to canned goods. I'm not very good at giving it away but I am getting better. When I do give a jar away I like to have a cute little label on top.

Pickle Relish-Yummo!

So I have these circles or flower shapes ready to go with adhesive on the back. I use a Xyron to put the adhesive on the shape. Then I slap it on top.