Presents for new-borns

I've reached that time in life when a lot of your friends are settling down and starting a family. I am blessed with two lovely children, and I always feel thrilled when I hear somebody else is going to know the same joys (let's be positive and leave a side the down sides :-p ).

Several of my friends got babies earlier this year and I tried to make a little something for each of them. The size and complexity always depended - unfortunately - on the time I had available...

It started in January in Germany, see the link. I made a small toy with ribbons for a little boy.

Then again in January but this time in France. I made this play/changing mat, it was again for a boy:

I loved the fabrics the minute I saw them online. They were a little thin, but all the better to pack the mat in a hand-bag!

Then in March brought us a spanish little girl, for her I tried something very different. Felt, as usual, with beads to make it brighter. Three layers of felt, a bit of wading in the middle, and then cutting at different length. I love the result and I will surely make new patterns on the same principle in the future. It just takes absolute ages to put the beads on ;)

April brought two little boys, one in France, one in Spain. One got a cushion in the shape of a B, the first letter of his name - it was a very simple idea but proved a lot more complicated to sew than I had expected.

I made it without pattern nor instructions and the difficulty was to do the holes... my solution was to hand-sew one side. For the fabric I used an old man shirt, I liked the idea of keeping the buttons.

For the second boy, nephew of a friend of mine this time, I had next to no time at all. I was busy making the decorations for my sister's wedding... I managed this tiny decoration, hoping it will find a nice place in the baby's room:

Now still in April, the population of the Netherlands grew a little more, a little girl this time!

I wanted something colourful and pretty. I love felt and I cannot paint, so cutting out the letters was a great compromise. I used a cookbook of mine as inspiration for the lettering and a nappy box as painting chamber. The golden paint was sprayed by means of scratching an old toothbrush, so I needed side-walls ;)

I am rather proud of the final result and again, I think I'll make different versions of that canvas.

Now, I cannot make presents for every baby that comes around me, but I like to try to make at least a little something. At the moment the next ones are planned for december and january, so that will leave me some time ;)

PS: in case you are wondering about the names. I have asked permission to the parents before showing the full names. I do not want to identify my close family and friends, but giving two names without other way to identify them is fine I guess.