DIY Baby Gifts

Here’s an easy and free baby bib sewing pattern with a few clever twists for drooly babies who are teething. First, it’s lined with waterproof PUL fabric, the same stuff that you can use to make DIY baby diapers. I put orange PUL fabric on the back to reduce teething wetness on his clothes and …

DIY kids play kitchens don’t have to take up a lot of space. Make this flat felt portable DIY kids play kitchen that you can play with anywhere — on the rug, on a coffee table, wherever. Then just roll it up to store away until the next time that the ‘restaurant’ is open. This …

This free sandwich bag sewing pattern and tutorial is so easy you’ll be able to replace your old plastic snack bags in no time. I designed these free fabric sandwich bag and snack bag sewing patterns to have extra large flaps. The flaps act like teeny little place mats, which helps avoid germ fests like …

Recycling sweaters into winter hats is an oldie but a goodie because it’s cheap and useful and makes a great DIY gift. Check out this cute recycled sweater hat that Elise and I made from a recycled sweater! Making a hat out of a recycled wool sweater is such a quick project! I think this …

Here’s a fresh and sun shiny DIY nursery wall art idea: Personalized sun prints made using sun paper and alphabet magnets. Liam’s room is getting a makeover so I decided to make a bit of DIY artwork for his room to keep company with his super adorable Minted monster artwork. Chicago has been sunny and …

This longer baby bib free sewing pattern with pocket is for all the messy toddlers out there and their moms (AKA me) who are tired of doing their laundry. All of Elise’s baby bibs were much too short …not only were her bibs not keeping food off of her clothes but they also were looking …

Make a DIY baby tag blanket for snuggly newborns to cuddle and learn and play! This baby tag blanket with ribbon loops and super-soft minky fabric is a DIY baby gift for my friend Cristin‘s crazy cute newborn daughter, Margot. My DIY baby tag blanket free sewing pattern is a simplified, pocket-less, and slightly-larger version …

This curved baby burp cloth free sewing pattern is reversible, recycled, and super easy to make — you’ll be able to knock out this DIY burp cloth pattern in no time flat. During my nesting frenzy before our son Liam was born, I rummaged through all our towels (among other things) and set aside the …

This free tiered baby dress sewing pattern has subtle gathered ruffled tiers and a classic pillowcase-dress-inspired neckline with ribbon ties that’s perfect for late spring and summer. And it’s super easy to sew. This sewing pattern was totally inspired by a piece of fabric; specifically, the Texas Modern Strips Coral fabric at Spoonflower by Jacinda …

This free pillowcase pattern features a super cute little pocket for tucking in nighttime treasures. Kids can use the pillowcase pocket to store flashlights and bedtime friends. Adults can tuck in tissues, earplugs, or a mobile phone alarm clock (although I recommend putting your phone on airplane mode and turning off the wireless first). I …

I sewed this non-slip fabric kid’s play mat for Play-Doh and coloring for our living room coffee table. The DIY fabric kid’s play mat is super oversized (16″ x 28″) to give lots of playing room. It’s machine washable, hang dry. And did I mention the play mat is non-slip too? Yep, I backed it …

My friend Jolyn, the Queen of Handmade Burp Cloths, taught me years ago how to turn regular white burp cloths into posh fabric-covered burp cloth sets in less than an hour. Cute, huh? And oh so useful too – my #1 baby gift criteria. Recently it seems like everyone is having babies and I have …

Here’s a free baby bonnet pattern just in time for summer. It’s a really nice baby sun hat free pattern that you can make with our without the ruffle. My super cute baby hat free sewing pattern is below! Elise looks adorable in hats. I just can’t get enough of them. So I decided to …

I made this toy travel blanket for Elise’s first plane flight. We were flying to Maine and I wanted any toys she dropped to stay in our seats rather than fall into the filthy abyss of the airplane floor. Check out the Snag Free VELCRO loops on the blanket border to attach toys. Instead of …

My baby Elise is four months old now. She can hold her toys in both hands and sit up assisted. I think this big girl is ready for some colorful jingly oversized 5″ x 5″ baby blocks! I am really loving the colors that I chose …which sort of was a fluke. I just went …

Here’s an easy, fun and practical gift for new arrivals: Planes, Trains and Automobiles burp cloths. Friends Tamara and Jon recently welcomed Lucas, little brother to adorable Sienna, and I made these especially for him. Now while this craft has little to do with the classic movie, the idea of using it as a theme …

Want to sew a gift for your favorite kid? See how to make a DIY fabric memory game for kids. You can use your own photos or you can download my Chicago photos that I took all over the city. You’ll print the photos onto super cool printable inkjet fabric. Yep, you can print onto …

So my friend Jeff and I were talking at Mac’s about Merriment and he asked if I could make a unique baby gift to help him welcome Isabella, a friend’s newborn daughter. These handmade, sweet, graphic appliqué baby onesies should do the trick. Supplies: Kathy’s free onesie applique shape template (PDF; dog, butterfly, bottle shapes …

New mom and fashion maven Rachel Pluto made these adorable animals for her newborn daughter Maya. Taking a cue from Dwell’s baby animals that retail $105 for three, Rachel handcrafted these adorable reversible giraffe and elephant stuffed animals out of fabric that complemented her Chicago loft nursery. Humble Rachel says, “I kind of just winged …