Baby TOMS!

I found a great pattern for these Baby TOMS at homemadetoast.com. I modified them just a little and this is what I got:

20140205-173317.jpg

BAH! The cuteness is killing me!!

These were fairly simple to make! I started with 1/2 yard of a thin cotton fabric with equal amounts of fusible fleece interfacing to make it more sturdy and insulated. You’ll need just a scrap of fabric for the inside liner and even less for the bottom of the sole. You’ll also need 4″ of 3/4-inch elastic and 12″ of 1/4-inch elastic. Have scissors, straight pins and an iron on hand, too.

image

20140205-181101.jpg

Credit to homemadetoast.com

Step 1:

Cut out all the pieces using the pattern above. The pieces should look like this (my two sole layers were already stuck together; you cant see, but there are two of each):

image

Step 2:

Attach the inner and outer layers of the sole either using spray adhesive or a few stitches.

image

Step 3:

With right-sides together, sew the straight sides of the inner and outer layers of the heel. Iron right sides out. **NOTE: These pieces ended up being waaaay too long when it came time to attach it to the sole. You can trim 1 – 1.5″ off either end of all heel layers.**

image image

Step 4:

Lay a 6″ length of the 1/4-inch elastic between the layers of the heel piece, against the seam. Carefully sew a straight line along the edge.

imageStep 5:

Sew a zig-zag stich at one end of the elastic to secure it, then pull the other end to gather the top. Trim the elastic. (Remember, your pieces should look smaller and less bunchy than these. Mine ended up being way to big and I had to keep down-sizing!)

20140205-175904.jpg 20140205-175917.jpg

Step 6:

Cut a notch in the exact center of the triangle pieces. Fold the corners down to the inside and iron flat. Sew the right sides together, then turn right-side out. Iron everything flat again.

20140205-175935.jpg 20140205-175944.jpg

20140205-175956.jpg

Don’t skip the ironing!

Step 7: 

Insert a 2″ length of the 3/4-inch elastic between the layers of the triangles. Sew along the top edge as shown. (I like the double-stitch!)

20140205-180008.jpg 20140205-180018.jpg

Step 8:

Lay the triangle piece on top of the toe piece and sew together. Fold over the “pleats” of the toe and baste-stitch to secure.

20140205-180055.jpg 20140205-180106.jpg

20140205-180135.jpg

What everything should look like so far.

Step 9:

After trimming any uneven edges, attach the ends of the heel pieces to the sides of top/toe pieces as shown, sewing along the line you already created. (Lay the heel part UNDER the top part; do NOT sew right-sides together!)

20140205-180221.jpg 20140205-180231.jpg

Step 10:

With right sides (or outsides) together, carefully pin the top portion to the sole piece, gathering the heel part as needed. (Don’t skip the pinning! I thought I could just wing it at first…and it was not cute….)

20140205-180147.jpg 20140205-180156.jpg

Step 11:

Trim the edges and flip right-side out. Now PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK and KISS YOUR BABY!!

20140205-180238.jpg 20140205-180212.jpg

We did it! How cute are these suckers?!?

20140205-180309.jpg 20140205-180317.jpg

20140205-180302.jpg 20140205-180253.jpg

K’reate your own K’tan!

Sorry for the lame-o title. I couldn’t resist.  🙂

A good friend of mine introduced me to the Baby K’tan infant carrier this summer, and she said she loves hers. It’s soft, stretchy, breathable for baby, comfortable and supportive for mom… What’s not to love?

…Well, the price… They’re $40 at Target! And its just 2 strips of fabric!! So I  made my own for $12. With 2 yards of jersey knit fabric I created this sucker in less than 20 minutes.

I chose a rayon/spandex blend from Stylishfabric.com. Some of their jersey knits are $4/yard! I ended up only needing 1.5 yards to hold my tiny newborn, but you may use more for a bigger kid.

Cut two strips, 18 inch-wide, 60 inches long. Cut one in half length-wise, creating 3 strips: two 30 inches long, one 60 inches long. (The 30 in strips are perfect for my 9-10 pounder. You might add 1/4 in for every additional pound of baby.)

ktan 1

Set the long strip aside. Sew the ends of the two shorter strips together, creating two loops. (They might seem small, but they will streeeeeeeetch once you add your Chunk-o-Baby.)

ktan 2 photo 1

photo 3

NOW YOU’RE DONE SEWING!!
(Jersey knits don’t need finished edges, they don’t unravel!)

Gearing up:

Put one loop over one shoulder, then cross the other over the other shoulder.

photo 2 photo 4 photo 5

Put your lion, I mean, Baby over your shoulder, and tuck their feet inside the X.

photo 2

Check out that cute post-baby-belly-pudge! 😉

Spread the bottom layer of the X over baby’s bottom, then the top layer.

photo 3 photo 4

You can tuck in their head if they don’t have the whole neck-thing down yet.

photo 5

There ya have it!

The longer strip is optional, but I found that the extra support it offers is MUCH better on mama’s back. Center it across your belly, under baby’s bottom.

photo 1 photo 2

Cross it over in the back, and bring the ends back around. Tie it in a little knot under baby’s bottom and spread it out.

photo 3 photo 5

Now pat yourself on the back and ENJOY!! (For more info and positions, visit babyktan.com)

ktan 3

Without the support-sash.

ktan 4

With support-sash.