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Original poster

I want to make something for my baby!

27 replies

MaybeMayBaby · 07/02/2009 21:58

This is going to sound ridiculous, but I've just been crying my eyes out because I want to make my baby a present (I'm 24 weeks), and I can't knit and don't really sew (except buttons on).

I know I'm being really silly hormonal, but any ideas?

Must be cheap as DH's company is credit crunched and has just announced a compulsory 4 day week (well, ideally they want 5 days' work with the fifth for free...)

Thanks for any ideas, need cheering up!

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Lizzylou · 07/02/2009 22:00

I did a very simple cross stitch
Also copied some animal pictures in baby books onto canvas and painted them/varnished them

accessorizequeen · 07/02/2009 22:03

Yup cross stitch for me (although haven't actually finished it yet and he's 5 now ). Really easy.

beanieb · 07/02/2009 22:08

Could you think a bit ahead and start making him/her a book about your life before and during pregnancy? Maybe put your thoughts and feelings in (today's can be 'I wanted to make something for my baby today ) and some pictures of you and your Husband. Some happy stuff.

Or you could sew something onto a little blanket (just buy one) - sewing simple letters or patterns isn't too hard to learn and you have a while to to do it.

Flightattendant12 · 07/02/2009 22:13

Oh you sound lovely

I have recently gone through the bookcase and found

Nursery knitting
Make it for baby
Good housekeeping crafts compendium
Serious crochet

none of them used

ds is now five

says it all

Original poster
MaybeMayBaby · 07/02/2009 22:20

Thanks for the great replies beanieb, love the book idea, but is making me teary again as does Flightattendant's kind comment > Hmm, I might manage cross stitch. Sounds like I should leave at least 5-6 years for this project though

OP posts:
Flightattendant12 · 07/02/2009 22:24

I actually have to admit I did make each of them a hat. One hat.

It's a good pattern, like a helmet, with a ribbon each side - covers the ears and stretches from about age 0 to 2yo.

It was very quick really, ie took about 15 weeks with a row or two a week plus undoing the mistakes...oh and ds1 got a knitted bear as well but it was the dodgiest looking bear you ever saw, he hasn't ever played with it, it gets a sideways glance now and again. Ds is very polite about it.

bilblio · 07/02/2009 22:33

I am very crafty... but still didn't get anything specific made for DD. I was suppposed to be making her a mobile, I even took it into hospital with me... and now I can't even find it.
A mobile out of felt should be easy enough to do, very easy to work with, and cheap too.

I've been doing beanieb's idea of writing a book. I only started it once she was born but I wish I'd started it during my pregnancy. I'm over a year behind on writing it, but I've kept good notes. It got lots of things in it. The usual stuff about what happened in the first few days, where she was when she first rolled over, what we did on her birthday, a few random days where I've written about what her favourite toys are at the mo, what she saying, what she likes to eat. I've also taken loads of photos so I've been printing out tiny ones (16 to a page of A4) and sticking them in at the right date.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll come up with something lovely.

whomovedmychocolate · 07/02/2009 22:36

Didn't you already make a placenta?

Seriously, go to Photobox and make a photobook. When the baby comes show the photos of the whole family and talk about them - endlessly. Eventually your baby will recognise people and smile when granny comes to visit.

FairLadyRandySlut · 07/02/2009 22:39

I think a kinda scrap book would be lovely....and you can add toward it...
or...maybe , if you do have a way of video-ing yourself, maybe do some kind of video diary?

bilblio · 07/02/2009 22:40

Flightattendant12 You've just reminded me. I did knit DD a "sheep". It's atrocious, looks nothing like a sheep and I've never given it to her for fear I'd warp the poor child. When she was a few months old, and my knitting had improved I knitted her a doll, a very nice doll, even though I say so myself....she's never shown any interest in it.
Typical!

The book is a great idea. It's amazing when I read back how many things I'd forgotten about. A nice notepad is now one of the standard presents I give to friends when I find out they're pregnant.

twinklytoes · 07/02/2009 22:46

you could make a very easy blanket:

buy two pieces of 1 metre length fleece fabric from a fabric shop.

cut strips around each side of fabric - about 1in wide and cut in about 3ins. do this to all 8 sides of fabric. the fabric looks like it has a fringe. cut a diagonal line on each corner. place each piece of fabric on top of each other. pin to hold together and still. then tie together the strips of fabric that co-ordinate with each other with a simple knot.

ds has one with made with car fleece and the dds have pink stripes.

ThumbLoveWitch · 07/02/2009 22:47

I think the idea of taking a plain blanket (or you could even just buy a piece of fleece) and attaching little applique things to it is lovely!

I confess to knitting a blanket for DS - it was supposed to be a baby blanket but I did it without a pattern (or much planning!) and it is faaaaar too big! But it is lovely (7 colours, rainbow-style) and we have it on the sofa downstairs so that if DS falls asleep he is placed in it (folded) and it keeps him ovely and snuggly warm). Plus he loves the colours! I also knitted him a koala teddy (but I had made one of those years before for someone else).

Since he was born I have bought several things to make:
clouds for his mobile
a colour fleecy thing
rainbow cushions
cork-ball mat to keep him cool

Haven't made any of them!

So, I would say keep it simple and make something that you can do in short bursts, not somethign that needs a long period of concentrated effort.

Good luck!

FairLadyRandySlut · 07/02/2009 22:49

oh, you mention mobile..maybe a nice simple mobile...not a musical one....or paint the nursery in a theme...if you have the ability to do so...

mileniwmffalcon · 07/02/2009 22:50

knitting's really easy to learn

knitting help

beanieb · 07/02/2009 22:50

Somewhere there is a letter written by my dad about my sister's arrival in the world which is just lovely. She was the first, I don't think I got on

beanieb · 07/02/2009 22:51

I mean 'got one'

FairLadyRandySlut · 07/02/2009 22:55

oh a letter to be opened at your 18th Birthday...I presume...

SOLOveMeTenderLoveMeDo · 07/02/2009 23:07

When I was expecting Ds, I bought a greetings card that had a boy elephant on the front and pressed out, raised hearts all over it. I turned the card into a room marker. I coloured 1 heart in in silver and wrote 'Joshua Sleeps Here' on it in keeping with the card style. Not sure where it is at the moment, but it looks/looked fab. Was easy to do and cost little.

gratuitousdisguise · 08/02/2009 03:33

When expecting DS I stencilled a blind for his room...it was just a cheap white ikea one that was to go on his window, but I got a Noah's ark stencil set and one paint sample pots from B&Q and stencilled a wee scene on the bottom of the blind. Very very easy and the main cost was the blind I was getting anyway..

The changing table was in the window, so at nights DS could look at the pics I had stencilled when I was changing him...

TheDevilWearsPrimark · 08/02/2009 04:21

Aw bless you. I remember that feeling of wanting to do the best.

I did a whole load of things for my first but most were pointless.

The things I treasure are -

Very simple photos done with our normal camera of my bump against a plain background, then tiny baby hands and feet.

A Muslim that I stitched a fairly rubbish duck on. Both my DC have used it and it makes me smile.

Perhaps strange but the best thing I did was buy some really cheap storage boxes from Argos (essentially cardboard boxes with a lid)
I decorated them with stripes of wrapping paper and odds and sods from magazines. I used one for storing nappies, wipes etc, one for gift clothes that were too big, one for blankets and sheets and the other I kept in the living room and we put sentimental things such as cards, first scribblings (that one is still right here_.

Maveta · 08/02/2009 07:16

I made ds a taggie blanket - really easy.

2 square pieces of fleece (whatever size you want 30 x 30cm or a bit bigger, think mine are nearer 48 x 53 )

lots of different coloured ribbons of different textures and widths, cut to 4-5 inches ish. You´ll end up with about 4 or 5 each side of the square so about 20 pieces total.

Lay one piece of fleece right side up. double the strips of ribbon and lay them on top of the fleece evenly spaced around the edges. Pin them rough end (i.e not the loop end of the ribbon) lined up with the outside edge of the fleece so the loop goes into the middle. Lay the other piece of fleece right side down on top and pin the two pieces together. sew all the way around about .5-1cm from the edge leaving several inches at the end. Turn it right side out. Then go back around doing a zigzag stitch all round the edge.

ds isn´t really a comforter type of baby, has never been really attached to any ´thing´ but he still sleeps with his every night and does like holding it and rubbing the tags.

plusonemore · 08/02/2009 07:50

a bit far off i know but i have made both ds a christmas stocking. I bought some fleece fabric, cut the shape, sewed round the edge (i did blanket stitch which is easy but it doesnt matter if it isnt neat here)Then i bought some felt in a different colour, cut out the letters for their names and glue / sew then on (I turn over the top like you would turn over the top of a sock)I added a few little bells around the edge of this turnover. Then every year I add a picture that says something about their year. So ds 1 has a little pram, a tractor, a tree (because he began nursery on a farm and loves tractors; and loves going to forest school and walking in the woods) I imagine in years to come having their football team badge on, or the school badge for the year they start school. I bought the pram as an applique but i cut out the tractor and tree from felt.
Both a bit young at the moment but I imagine them getting really excited on christmas eve guessing what the new picture will be on their stocking! If they dont care its possible I may cry...

TheDevilWearsPrimark · 08/02/2009 13:11

'Muslim'

plusonemore that's such a lovely idea.

babyignoramus · 08/02/2009 13:34

Can you try to crochet if you can't knit? It's v. easy and you can do it on a nice big needle so won't take ages!

ThumbLoveWitch · 08/02/2009 15:41

pmsl (in a very naughty/inappropriate way ) at TDWP's duck-covered Muslim - must've been difficult getting him/her to stand still while you stitched the duck on?!

Am suitably ashamed of myself.