DIY

DIY Yoga Mat With See Kate Sew

See Kate Sew partners with Gugu Guru once again to share a fantastic DIY tutorial. This time? A lovely yoga mat for postpartum (and anytime) yoga. Want to check out more DIY projects from Kate? Click over to see the full list – lots of fun summer project ideas!

Mermaid leggings!? You heard that right! These super stretchy yoga leggings have a tiny mermaid scale print all over in magical colors! I have wanted mermaid leggings forever and these are amazing! I’m also wearing the matching tank bra from Teeki. Teeki has so many cute activewear prints and styles!

I’m wearing the Mermaid Hot Pants in purple and Mermaid Tank in teal. Today I’m sharing a DIY Yoga Mat tutorial that you can sew yourself! The best part about a DIY yoga mat is that you can choose cute fabric prints to match your yoga pants! 😉 I chose two black and white fabrics, one knit, one canvas. New workout clothes and accessories is the perfect way to motivate yourself after having a baby and I love yoga in the postpartum period because it’s generally low impact and can be easily adapted to how you’re feeling! I always leave a yoga session feeling better body and mind!

Materials //

-Fabric for top

Choose any fabric for the top of the yoga mat! I’m using a medium weight knit. I chose this because it’s cute, but also it is a soft fabric that will be nice to perform yoga on!

-Fabric for bottom

I’m using a heavyweight canvas for the bottom of the yoga mat. This type of fabric is easier to brush off than a more clingy cotton. The surface won’t really be wipeable, but you can dust it off.

-Interfacing

Instructions //

Use a 1/2″ seam allowance.

Cut out two pieces of fabric 25″ by 69″, one from your top layer and one from your bottom layer.
Cut a piece of lightweight fusible interfacing the same size.
Cut out 2 pieces of fabric 3.5″ by 56″ for a tie.

All done! Now pull up your mermaid pants and get your yoga on!

Baby Food Cubes With Nikki Dinki

by Gugu Guru Leave a Comment

The wonderful chef, TV star, cookbook author and mama, Nikki Dinki, is back to share some baby food tips with us!

I’m a chef who loves her veggies—you will always find veggies as the entrée portion of my plate. In fact, my cookbook is titled Meat On The Side, and it’s all about vegetable-focused cooking.

However I didn’t always love my veggies. I didn’t even like my veggies. This might sound like an exaggeration, but I actually didn’t even eat a single veggie until I was 20 years old. Fittingly, I spent most of my life infamously known as “Picky Nikki”, a name my sister still teases me with.

So when it came to my daughter, Ivy, I wanted to make her own food as nutritious as possible, and at the same time empower her to hopefully never be called “Picky Ivy.”

In order to do this, I knew making my own baby food would be a step in the right direction. But with time flying faster than ever I didn’t want making my own baby food to be something that took over my life.

So after some thought and experimentation, I devised my Baby Cubes system.

Baby Cubes works like this: I freeze 1 ounce portions of different pureed fruits and veggies, such as broccoli, apples, or carrots. I also freeze 1 ounce portions of other healthy grains and proteins like oats, quinoa, edamame or ground chicken. Then when it’s time for Ivy to eat a nutritious meal, I combine four different cubes to create a perfectly balanced meal.

And because everything is frozen, I can vary the foods that are part of every meal. This means that at the end of the day, Ivy has not just eaten her veggies, but she’s eaten a variety of veggies—which is something I am always preaching as a chef and is key for Baby’s nutrition.

And speaking of Mommy, I have gotten into the habit of “stealing” her cubes to add nutrition and flavor to leftovers or store-bought meals of my own.

They also make for great smoothies! May I recommend combining a cube each of mango, raspberries, spinach and quinoa with a little yogurt? Yum!

Besides providing Ivy with great nutrition I love my Baby Cubes system because it allows you to make baby food only once a month. I do big batches and then freeze it all. Because I’m storing the food in the freezer instead of the fridge I don’t have to worry about the food going bad or the nutritional content slowly depleting as much over time.

Pictured: the BBox Snack Pack

And let’s all take a step back and remember that you don’t have to do it all. Seriously, moms need to give themselves a break. You don’t have to feed your baby homemade food at every meal, serving up some Baby Cubes for even just one meal a day is awesome! Or maybe start small by just freezing cubes of fruit to mix into their yogurt.

Whatever you can do is fantastic and another step in the right direction when it comes to helping your baby grow strong and healthy—and not having the word “Picky” attached to his or her name.

You can follow Nikki’s food adventures on her website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

DIY Lunch Bag Tutorial

by Gugu Guru 2 Comments

See Kate Sew partners with Gugu Guru once again to share a fantastic DIY tutorial. This time? A cute lunchbag for baby, toddler or even mama.

I’m so excited to be here today with a fun lunch bag pattern for you! This little pouch is perfect for stashing baby food containers, fruit and more! It’s also super easy to make! We had a blast making baby food with the Beaba Babycook. It was my first time making baby food and it was so easy! I guess I’ve been scared of making it myself before but now I’m excited to try all sorts of new flavor combinations for my 9-month-old!

Click over to SeeKateSew.com to read my review of the Beaba Babycook! I’m also sharing 4 baby food recipes that I made in the Babycook!

Ready to sew?

This cute little bag is perfect for stashing in your purse or diaper bag as you head out the door. The thick velvet fabric will give it a bit of insulation (as well as a luxe feel!) and the strawberries on the other side are just too cute! This project is great for an advanced beginner, there’s a zipper but it’s not too hard to install!

Materials:
1/3 yard velvet
1/3 yard quilting cotton, I’m using Cotton + Steel Yours Truly
1/3 yard fusible interfacing
one 12″ zipper

Instructions:

This is a basic zipper pouch pattern with a little twist!

1. Cut out 2 pattern pieces from the velvet and two from the strawberry fabric. Then cut 4 from the fusible interfacing.

2. Fuse the interfacing to the back of each fabric piece.

3. Lay the zipper face down on a strawberry fabric.

4. Place a velvet piece on top of the zipper, face down. Sew where line is shown below.

5. Fold pieces back and press well.

6. Lay the other side of the zipper on the second strawberry fabric piece face up. Then place the other velvet piece on top face down.

7. Stitch along the top.

8. Fold back and press.

9. Open the zipper and fold the fabrics over so all right sides are facing inward. Sew all the way around, leaving a 3″ opening in the lining. Clip the corners.

10. Turn the bag inside out and pinch the bottom corners, perpendicular to the side seam. Measure up 2.5″ and mark it. I used a pen, which is really a sewing “no-no”. Shh, don’t tell! 😉 Stitch over the line you created and repeat on the other side. This big pinch will give it the shape on the bottom to hold lots of baby food! Clip off the excess fabric and sew up the bottom opening with a ladder stitch.

DIY Toddler Game

by Gugu Guru 2 Comments

See Kate Sew partners with Gugu Guru once again to share a fantastic DIY tutorial. This time? An easy and fun game you can play with your toddler.

Today’s DIY is a painting activity! This is a matching game made with paint on wooden discs. This is a pretty simple tutorial so you could involve your toddler in making it, if you want! The game itself helps teach colors, shapes and designs, which is an added bonus.

I’m always looking for activities I can do with my 4 year old while entertaining a baby as well and the Little Nomad mat has been a fun place for us to play together. We can pull out a little game or a story and set some toys out for the baby. Everyone is happy and we love gathering here.

This mat is so cute and flows nicely with my home decor. We have the mat in our living room and I love not having a primary color mat where we entertain! It’s nice and adult feeling but still functions perfectly for our little kids! The baby knows its her place space and loves to explore the mat! You can read more about it over at See Kate Sew!

Materials:

-2″ wooden discs
-colorful acrylic paints
-vinyl
-xacto knife

Instructions:

Cut out squares from the vinyl first and create shapes using an X-acto knife. Before cutting, layer 2 pieces of vinyl so you get two designs that are exactly the same.

You can use a hole punch, craft punches and other tools to make different designs. I made polka dots with a hole punch, a scallop circle with a scrapbooking punch and then made another by covering half the wooden circle with vinyl. There are lots of possibilities and you can take input from your toddler or older child, too!

If you are low on shapes, make multiple circles, for example, and paint a pair a different color.

Use paints to paint over the the vinyl.

Let the paint dry, then peel off the vinyl. Your shape will be nice and dry and you’ll be ready to play.

DIY Fringe Bibs

by Gugu Guru 20 Comments

See Kate Sew partners with Gugu Guru once again to share a fantastic DIY tutorial. This time? Adorable and easy to make fringe bibs for the little ones in your life.

As soon as this little girl hit six months old she was ready to chow! It’s so much fun to see her explore food. So far she loves it all, but especially the vegetables! We partnered with Micuna for this post. They make the cutest modern baby gear and we are loving the Ovo high chair! I love mid-century modern style and this high chair fits right in. I had to go with the pink pad, but it also comes in a few other colors!

I made these modern fringe bibs to go with the chair! These bibs are fun and easy to sew up. You can customize them with your favorite fabrics and different types of trims, lace or pom poms! There are so many possibilities that will work for any sweet baby! Make sure the fringe is washable and you’re good to sew!

Read more about this high chair over at See Kate Sew today and enter to win one on this post!

Materials:

-1/3 yard cotton
-1 yard trim
-1/3 yard soft backing fabric, I’m using double gauze from Raspberry Creek Fabrics
-pattern download

Instructions:

1. Download the pattern and print it out at 100% (do not scale). Trim off excess on the sides and tape together as shown from below. Cut out the bib pattern.

2. Cut out 1 bib from main fabric and one from backing fabric.

3. Pin the trim to the front bib piece, facing the bottom edge of the trim UP. Pin in place.

4. Pivot at the bottom point and finish pinning the trim.

5. Baste trim to bib.

6. Place the backing fabric on top of the main fabric and pin it together. The trim will all be on the inside. Sew all the way around 3/8″ from the edge of the bib. Leave a 2-3″ opening on one of the straight side edges.

7. Clip the corners and turn the bib right side out. Press well and topstitch around the bib 1/8″ from the edge.

And you’re done!

DIY Gender Reveal Piñata

by Gugu Guru 1 Comment

See Kate Sew partners with Gugu Guru once again to share a fantastic DIY tutorial. This time? A DIY piñata perfect for a fantastic gender reveal!

Gender reveals are so much fun! This one is a pull piñata full of confetti! It’s simple to make and makes a fun surprise and great photos for sharing on social media! We’ll use paper mache to create the piñata, it’s a bit messy, but it will be worth it!

We partnered with Purl Lamb for this tutorial! Purl Lamb has the cutest little hoodie sets for kids and many of their options are gender neutral! It’s so fun to be able to buy a few cute outfits before knowing the gender of your baby and Purl Lambs are adorable for boys and girls! The hoodie sets can be mixed and matched and this mint green and turquoise outfit is cute for either boy or girl. We used the outfit as a little photo prop for this shoot to amp up the excitement of a new baby!

Materials:

-3′ globe balloon

-newspaper/kraft paper

-flour and water mixture

-blue and pink tissue paper

-chalkboard spray paint

-string

-confetti cut from tissue paper

Instructions:

1. Cut or tear strips of paper. Create flour/water mixture by mixing it 1:1.

2. Blow up the globe balloon so it is about 18″ in diameter. Don’t blow it up all the way!

3. Soak your strips in the mixture and flatten on the balloon. Work your way around until you’ve covered the whole balloon. Let it dry a bit and add two more layers.

4. Let the paper mache dry overnight so it is completely dry. Pop the balloon inside.

5. Spray paint it with chalkboard spray paint. Poke two holes at the top of the balloon with a screwdriver. Thread string through and tie at the top to make a loop to hang piñata from.

6. Print out the “boy or girl?” graphic and cut out the letters. Paint them white and glue to piñata.

7. Cut 5″ of string and tie tissue paper tassels, alternating blue and pink. Cut a little trap door at the bottom of the piñata and punch a hole in the flap. Tie the tassel string to the door and fill the piñata with confetti. Tape tape closed using scotch tape.

8. Now your piñata is ready to pull! When the door is opened, the confetti will fall out!

DIY Baby Headbands With See Kate Sew

by Gugu Guru 1 Comment

See Kate Sew partners with Gugu Guru once again to share a fantastic DIY tutorial. This time? Adorable and easy to make headbands for the little ones in your life.

I’m excited to be back at Gugu Guru this week sharing a knit headband tutorial! If there is one thing about bringing another baby into the house, it’s older child backlash! Whew, we’ve been dealing with some serious jealousy and behavioral issues with my older daughter but have found a few strategies to keep the attention equally divided!

The UppaBaby Vista Stroller is one of them! We love this stroller and it is pretty special that my 3-year-old gets the front seat. She loves peeking on her little sister and I think it makes her feel good that this stroller is really for both of them! I take this stroller everywhere, including the grocery store and walks. It’s super easy to set up, everything clicks into place! And the basket underneath is big enough for a whole load of groceries (I never get carts anymore!) It’s such a great single stroller and an amazing double! I recommend it to everyone!

The attachment options for this stroller are amazing! We love the cup holder, sometimes I use it and sometimes it’s a little snack shelf. And the Piggy Back Stroller board transforms this into a stroller for THREE. An older child can hop on and ride when she gets tired. The brake is super easy to engage and all of the features are just so functional. Each seat has a window flap that closes with magnets (no velcro!) and a bar in front. It’s so well thought-out!

I have lots more to say about using the Vista as a double, read my full review over at See Kate Sew!

Let’s make some knit headbands! Matching accessories is another way we are fighting the new baby jealousy. This project is super easy and only requires a scrap of knit fabric. I made this pattern in two sizes for little babies and larger toddlers/children. Since you tie the knot, it’s adjustable for lots of head sizes!

Materials:

-1/4 yard stretchy knit fabric

-Matching thread

–pattern pieces download

Instructions:

1. Print the pattern pieces and cut them out. Tape together where indicated on pattern pieces.

2. Cut out the pattern and pin it to a piece of fabric. The arrows on the pattern will butt up against a fold. Cut 2 pieces.

3. Sew together with right sides together 1/4″ from the edges. Leave a 1.5″ opening on one of the straight sides.

4. Press the headband and stitch the opening closed.

And you’re done!

DIY Teething Necklace

by Gugu Guru Leave a Comment

See Kate Sew partners with Gugu Guru once again to share a fantastic DIY tutorial. This time? An adorable and safe silicone teething necklace!

I’m so excited to be here at Gugu Guru sharing another DIY project! This month we partnered will Solly Baby to show off their new fall line! As soon as I saw the Rifle Paper Co collaboration wrap I was in love! This floral print is just so pretty! I love the colors and the floral pattern is beautiful!

We have been using this wrap all the time lately with my third baby. I love how easy it is to put on and how convenient it is to have my hands free, both when we’re out and when we’re at home doing chores. The Wrap has come in handy these last few weeks as we have battled baby’s first cold and endless teething pains!

Teething is the WORST! We’ve relied on the Solly Baby wrap for extra comfort throughout the day and this necklace gives her something to chew while she’s wrapped up with me! This colorful necklace is made of soft silicone beads, which are safe for baby to chew and also look super cute as an accessory!

Silicone Teething Necklace Tutorial:

Materials –

1. Silicone Teething Beads (light pink, dark pink, white)

2. 1/16″ elastic cord

Instructions –

1. Cut a piece of elastic to 35″.

2. String one white bead on and center it.

3. Tie a knot on each side of the bead to keep it in place.

4. Thread two light pink beads on either side of the center bead.

5. Continue creating a pattern by adding white and pink beads. Tie knots in between each bead.

6. Finish it off with 2 round beads.

7. Tie the ends of the necklace together.

8. All done!

DIY Pacifier Clips

by Gugu Guru 9 Comments

See Kate Sew partners with Gugu Guru once again to share a fantastic DIY tutorial. This time? A handy and chic pacifier clip!

Pacifier clips are a must-have for germaphobes. They clip to your baby’s shirt and keep her pacifier from hitting the floor. They are also nice when baby is in her carseat because you can find the pacifier easily and quickly just by following the cord.

We modeled these photos on the Uppababy Vista System. We’ve been using this stroller since Mae came home. We brought her home in the Mesa carseat and use the Vista every single day when we’re out and about. I can’t say enough good things about this stroller, it’s been a total game changer for getting out of the house with a newborn! Read my full review at See Kate Sew!

Today I’m showing you how to make this simple braided pacifier clip with just 2 supplies!

Braided Leather Pacifier Clip Tutorial:

Materials: Brass Clip, Leather Cord

Instructions:

1. Cut 2 pieces of leather cord, 28″ and 14″

2. Fold the longer piece in half and hold the loop up to the end of the shorter cord. Tie them in a knot to create a 1.5″ loop.

3. Fold the end of the short piece down.

4. Pull the end of the short piece over and hold it with one of the 3 strands. Use the 3 strands to create a classic braid. The little end piece will be hidden in the braid as you do this.

5. Braid until there are about 2″ left.

6. Tie the ends to the pacifier clip.

7. Tie a double knot.

8. Use an awl to open up the bottom of the braid and weave the ends back up into it to hide them.

9. Clip the ends and you’re done! Loop it onto your pacifier!

DIY Baby Hats

by Gugu Guru 8 Comments

See Kate Sew partners with Gugu Guru once again to share a fantastic DIY tutorial. This time? A DIY baby hat and personalized fabric! Read on to get the details…

I’ve never been a huge fan of the hospital hats so these are a cuter way to keep baby’s head warm! There’s a cute little knot at the top and it’s stretchy and cute! And if you make it personalized, they are also a unique and adorable way to announce your baby’s name!

We have been using the DockATot every night since we’ve been home from the hospital! Baby Mae sleeps in it and she always falls asleep really well. We swaddle her and stick her in the DockATot inside her crib. The firm cushions all around the DockATot keep her nice and cozy. I think it helps her to feel secure as she sleeps and I’m not complaining about 5-6 hour stretches of sleep!

She’s been such a great sleeper so far, I’m giving some of the credit to this thing! I also love how cute they look in it! One of the best parts about the DockATot is the removable, washable cover! There are a bunch of color options and you can buy extra covers separately! I definitely recommend getting a second cover, we had a spit up episode the first or second night and a pee episode on another day. It’s nice to not have the pressure of keeping it nice when you can just throw it in the wash!

And this baby lounger is the only place baby Mae can get a decent nap! It’s really hard for her to nap with two other crazy wild kids around. We use the DockATot also as a way to keep the baby safe on the bed or floor when other kids are around. It’s lightweight enough to tote around the house and is probably perfect for traveling, though we haven’t traveled with the new baby yet!

These knotted baby hats are SUPER easy and fast to make! It’s a great first sewing project if you’ve never sewn and I always love a good quick sewing project that you can finish while baby is napping (maybe in her DockATot, ha!).

First I’ll show you how to make the hat, then I’ll show you how to personalize solid fabric!

Materials:
-1/4 yard knit fabric
–knot hat pattern download (this will fit about newborn to 2/3 months!)
–stretch needle

Instructions:

Print the pattern at 100% (do not scale) and trim off the edges. Tape the pattern piece together and cut out the hat pattern.

Pin the pattern to 2 layers of fabric and cut out 2 pieces.

Pin the pieces together with right sides together.

Sew around the hat with a 3/8″ seam allowance

Turn the hat right side out.

Finish the bottom edge of the hat with a zig zag stitch or a serger. Press under 1/2″ at the bottom of the hat. Sew to finish hem.

Tie a knot in the top of that, leaving about an inch or so at the top.

All done!

Personalize it! To make a name hat we’ll start with the fabric before you turn it into a hat. You can either use a square of fabric 12″ by 12″ or cut the pattern pieces out and just put names on the fabric you need.

Materials:
-baby hat fabric
-vinyl cutting machine, I used a Cricut Explore Air
-vinyl + transfer tape
-fabric paint
-foam brush

Create a vinyl stencil with your cutting machine. You’ll need 2 if you’re using a standard 12″ by 12″ mat. Use transfer tape to transfer it from the vinyl’s backing to the fabric. Stick it on, making sure to press well around letter edges.

Use foam brush to dab paint into spaces.

Let dry. Peel vinyl off and make sure you get all the middles from letters like “a” and “e”. Then use your fabric to sew the hat!

That’s it!

« Previous Page

DIY

Footer

Follow Us:

COME AND GET IT!