handmade + storebought baby gifts

i’ve gotten in the habit lately (ohhhhh in the last two months or so) of combining a little handmade thing with a store-bought gift for new babies. i love giving handmade gifts and i’d love to sew more elaborate things for these special little ones, but i’m a bit short on time these days and everything always feels last minute.

here are a couple examples.

for good friends that just had a baby girl, an outfit i would have loved for Em to wear as a baby – a lap shirt locally made by a little lark, some babylegs, and a baby circle skirt! mostly neutral colors with feminine touches, and just a smidge of coral pink. ;)

i referenced Dana’s free pattern and tutorial for the skirt, but bound the hem with chambray bias tape to finish it.

for another friend’s baby shower, i bought a trio of classic board books, and made a couple bibs using my free bib pattern.

she doesn’t know if she’s having a boy or a girl, so i kept them as gender-neutral as possible (so hard to do – everything always ends up looking either boyish or girlish to me). i backed both bibs in gray ikea towel. the ones i made when O was a baby worked well for the baby spit up phase and still fit him now for popsicles and such, so i know they’ll last a while.

i added a cloud appliqué to the top one. i love adding appliqué to bibs, and i always forget how quick and fun these bibs are to make. great scrap buster! these fabrics are from my hospital bag lining and Em’s “karate dress” as she calls it.

do you have a quick go-to baby gift?