a bounty of burp cloths!

So I will say even though I haven't been progressing in the quilt world as fast I would like, I have managed to put together two different gifts of flannel burp cloths for lovely ladies I go to church with, each having their first babies this winter.

The ones above are jungle animal themed to match the nursery. I had fun pairing the animal prints (zebra! giraffe!) with fabric featuring the critters themselves. Most of them look soft and cuddly as you would expect. But I couldn't help myself and had to throw in some Hipster Zebras!

The nursery of this recipient is neutrally decorated in gray and white so I had my fun with the monster fabric. I thought it was quite funny. I've got the burp cloths neatly arranged in our baby bathtub since little dude has outgrown it. I quite love it when I come up with some useful packaging that becomes part of the gift itself.

Beautiful burp cloths!

Whipping up a batch of double-thick, oh-so-absorbent, flannel burp cloths is my go-to baby gift these days. The beauty of this group came in the sweet packaging, don't you think?

Hint for you: If you need baskets, don't buy new for heaven's sakes. Instead, head to your favorite thrift store. There is always a wide selection to be had!

my go-to gift for baby showers

 Hello dear readers! I am still alive and well and crafting if not blogging.

Some crafts are not post-worthy (finishing an update to the family scrapbook just in time to clear off the dining room table before guests arrive!).

And some, like the flannel burp cloths below, I did not adequately document with photos. Mostly it was because I was trying to get it done at the last minute and then got derailed by the stomach flu (my children, pause a day, then me). So I guess I have been slacking a bit. It does pain my perfectionist heart to miss regular post days. In the end, I suppose it does not really matter how well I follow my self-imposed blogging schedule!

So about these burp cloths. If you are the least bit craft inclined and have learned to sew a straight line, you can do these. I promise. They are fabulous for several reasons – flannel comes in adorable prints, homemade gifts are great, and man do they really soak up the baby-produced liquids. I know from experience! Plus, the way they are assembled makes them super sturdy so they hold up despite weekly tumbles in the washing machine.

I was going to write up the instructions myself but here they already are on other blogs. This one uses a different fabric for each side. And here's another tutorial. She made hers a bit wider than I made mine. The only thing I do differently is to snip the corners before turning it inside out. I think it helps when you are poking them out. And I didn't bother to iron them again before sewing the final stitching on the outside. Although I can see where that would have been helpful as I had a few that did not quite lay flat.

Now there is no photo of the lovely presentation so you are just going to have to visualize it with me. First I folded the burp cloths lengthwise, then I rolled them each up into tidy swirls. Then I tucked them in an open box (about the size of a a photo storage box). They looked like cheerful little flowers all nestled in there. It was so cute that I didn't bother to wrap it up.