A super easy sewing project that’s also really inexpensive if you shop correctly. They’re also a little classier than the no-sew fleece blankets where you tie the edges together. These are great, quick gifts for baby showers.

Piece o' cake

I call them floor/car blankets because their ability to go into the washer on hot make them suitable for use as floor pads or emergency changing pads and they’re just about the right size to cover kiddo up in the car seat.

Supplies:

Zig Zag Stitch

• 1 yard fleece
• 1 yard flannel (snuggle flannel if you like)
• matching thread

Directions:

• Pre-wash your fabrics. Since these are intended for babies, use a non-scented detergent and skip the softener.
• Cut your fabrics to size and pin right sides together.
• Either serge the sides or use a wide zig-zag stitch and then trim the edges. Leave a few inches on one side to turn the fabric right side out.
  

  Top stitch the right sides to finish the edges and create a strong seam.

• Turn fabric right side out and re-pin edges together. Turn the un-serged/zig-zagged edges under and pin together.
• Top stitch the edges.
• That’s it.

Fleece is generally sold in 60″ widths and flannel tends to be 48″ so you’ll end up with extra fleece. If you’re feeling extra creative, you can cut the extra fleece into a monogram or other appliques. To sew on the applique, use a zig-zag stitch.

Another fun embellishment is to use a fun piece of ribbon as piping. Pin the ribbon sandwiched between the fabrics and with the bulk of the ribbon towards the center of your fabric when you are pinning the right sides together in the beginning.  When you flip the blanket right side out, the ribbon will extend past the seam.

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I got this idea from a catalog, where the silly thing was close to $60. I took one look at it and said ‘I can do that’.

Baby Onesie Bouquet

This project requires no artistic or crafting ability. If you can fold your own clothes, you can make this.

The whole project cost me about $22, although I did go whole hog and buy fancy flower stems at full price. If you wait until they go on sale (usually 50% off every few weeks) or until you have a coupon, I’m sure you could do this for under $20.

Ingredients:

Pack of onesies – I actually chose 8-12 month size because everyone gets newborn sizes.
Pack of baby washcloths – You can also use socks, burp cloths, etc. the cloths just happened to be on sale.
Artificial Flowers/Greenery – I used baby breath, whatever those blue things are (never claimed to be a florist) and fern leaves.
Floral Wire
Ribbon – I bought the $1 a roll grosgrain. You only need maybe 8 inches so scraps are fine.
Clear adhesive tape.

Step one: Roll your onesies. The goal is to get them into a nice spiral/rosebud shape so you might need to rearrange a few times to get it right. Use a little piece of tape to secure the roll. Reserve one washcloth/burpcloth for the outside wrap or find a nice piece of scrap cloth.
Step two: Arrange the onesies in bouquet. Use the floral wire to wrap around and secure them.
Step three: Add in floral pieces. Try to avoid putting dark flowers next to white or light fabric because the dye could rub off. Use floral wire as necessary to secure.
Step four: Surround bouquet with greens. I had to chop off a lot of stem to get the fullness I wanted. Secure with more floral wire.
Step five: Wrap base with reserved cloth. This just hides the stems. You could also just wrap the stems in ribbon. Use tape to secure.
Step six: Add ribbon band/bow. Secure with more tape.

The whole thing took me an hour, and that’s because I kept rearranging things. It’s simple, easy and pretty inexpensive, especially if you know the shower is coming and can shop sales ahead of time.

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