Baby Gifts

I finally got myself in gear and made two baby gifts that I’ve been meaning to put together for a few weeks now.    We’ve had a baby explosion in our community in the last few months – it seems like there are new babies EVERYWHERE!

I saw this cute idea on a craft show a few months ago and have been meaning to make a few as gifts – just haven’t had the time! 

Here’s a gift for a baby girl:

The bottom of the gift bundle has a baby play mat – solid on one side, patterned on the other:

These are very simple to make – and no sewing is involved! 

You start with a piece of foam – these were square and were 22″ X 22″:

Then you take two pieces of fleece – I used one pattern and one solid – and cut them 8 inches longer than the foam on all sides.  I chose 8″ because the fleece came in bolts that were exactly 8″ longer than the foam on each side – less measuring and cutting for me! 

Put the solid piece under the foam and the patterned piece on top.  Then go around all four sides, cutting fringe slits through both pieces of fleece approximately 1 1/2 inches apart.  You don’t have to be incredibly precise – the fleece is very forgiving.  It also helps to cut away the corners of the fleece so that it ties nice and neatly.

Next, tie double knots in each set of fringe – and that’s it!  This mat is great for play or using as a changing pad…and when it gets dirty, you can untie the edges and throw it in the wash.

I only had to buy one yard of each fabric and after I covered the foam, I had a large piece of fleece left over…so I decided to use the leftover piece to make a small baby blanket using the same technique (but without the foam in the center).

This is not so much for use as a blanket (it’s pretty small), but more for snuggling and carrying around.  It is also patterned on one side and solid on the other.

I also made one for a baby boy using a duck pattern and solid blue fleece:

I folded the mat in half and rolled up the blanket and put it on top.  I tied the bundle together using strips that I cut from the fleece.  I also made a little matching cardstock tag with the initial of the baby and some other embellishments.

I still have three more sets to make (I told you there was a baby explosion!), but we’re not sure of the gender of the other babies yet, so I picked up this patterned fleece and will use solid red for the reverse side:

A quick, cute, simple and inexpensive baby gift – hope this give you inspiration!