DIY Network

Charming Babies Rockabye your baby with these charming infant-friendly projects. From "Creative Juice" episode DCRJ-713

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Baby Play Mat

Stretch out on a blissfully comfortable no-sew yoga play mat that seamlessly combines soft fabric and colorful designs.

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Baby Play Mat

Materials:

fleece in green and brown
1/2" foam
scissors
yardstick

1. Prewash and dry fabric. Cut foam into a 24"x36" piece (figure A). Cut a 30"x42" section from each color of fleece. To make an adult size yoga mat, cut the foam to the desired size of your mat; cut the fleece to that dimension plus 6".

2. Place one piece of fleece on a work surface (if the fleece has a right and a wrong side, the wrong side should face up), center the foam on top of the fleece and place the second piece of fleece on top of the foam, right side up (if applicable) (figure B).

Figure A

Figure B

3. Cut a 3" square from each corner, cutting through both layers of fleece but not cutting through the foam (figure C). Lay a yardstick on top of the mat with the yardstick edge flush with the edge of the foam. Make cuts through both layers of fleece at 1" intervals, stopping when you reach foam. Repeat on all four sides (figure D).

4. Use an overhand knot to tie the green fringe and the brown fringe together along all four sides of the mat (figure E).

Figure C

Figure D

Figure E

5. To care for the mat, untie the fleece knots and wash. Place the foam between the fleece layers and retie the knots.

Baby Sling

Baby slings can be a big-ticket item in stores; you can save a ton of money and add a personal touch by designing them yourself.

Baby Sling

Materials:

2-1/2 yds. tightly woven cotton fabric, 44" to 48" wide
sewing machine
thread
heavy-duty needle
2 4" rings made specifically for baby slings

Fabric pattern tips: Both sides of the fabric will show when you use a sling; you may want to choose a fabric that does not have a "wrong" side.

1. Turn under and press one of the short edges of the fabric; turn under an additional inch and press to create a clean edge (figure A). Stitch in place. Repeat for the selvage (long) edges. Leave one of the short edges raw.

2. Line up the raw, short edge of the fabric against a ruler or self-healing mat with measured grid marks. Fold in a deep (3" or so) pleat. The pleat should be oriented with the fold line parallel to the long edges of the fabric (figure B). Pin the pleat 1" from the raw edge and 9" from the raw edge.

Figure A

Figure B

3. Continue pleating the fabric with smaller 1" pleats. Pin each pleat 1" and 9" from the raw edge (figure C).

4. Stitch across the 1" and 9" pins through all thicknesses of fabric to secure the pleats (figure D).

Figure C

Figure D

5. Zigzag the remaining raw end through all thicknesses of the folded fabric (figure E).

6. Pull the pleated end of the fabric through both of the rings, folding through the rings to line up the 1" stitch line lines with the 9" stitch line. Pin in place (figure F).

Figure E

Figure F

7. Stitch through all thicknesses using a smaller stitch length to add strength to the seam. This seam will take a lot of stress; it is important to have a strong seam that it is backstitched on both ends (figure G). Sew an additional seam along the zigzag line for extra security.

8. To wear the sling, one end should extend from the back over the shoulder to the front torso. The other end wraps around the waist to the front torso. Thread the loose end through both of the rings and then back through one ring. Pull the loose end to tighten or loosen (figure H).

Figure G

Figure H

BabyPrint Scrapbook and Baby Accessory Sewing Patterns

From scrapbooks to diaper bags, accessories for baby get a fun, crafty spin.

Cathie Filian and Steve Piacenza highlight a BabyPrint scrapbook (figure A) (figure B) and sewing patterns that allow new parents to put a personal touch on their baby accessories (figure C) (figure D).

Figure A

Figure B

Figure C

Figure D

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RESOURCES :

Baby Sling Rings
Elizabeth Lee Designs
E-mail: eld@elizabethlee.com
Website: elizabethlee.com

Baby Sling Rings
E-mail: info@slingrings.com
Website: slingrings.com

Babyprints Baby Book
E-mail: kristin@babysakes.com
Website: www.baby-memory-books.com