Baby Bib

I came up with a new pattern.


I got the inspiration for it last Fall when I was looking for a pattern to make a baby gift. I didn't find a pattern for a bib, but I did find one for bath puppets made out of wash cloths. The only one that was practical was the duck; the others all had appendages like tails and antennae that looked like they would  poke the baby and probably fall off. I did make a few ducky puppets and give them to friends' babies.


I also came up with my own bib pattern which is actually pretty simple. I tried it with terry cloth and also with flannel but it didn't go so well.

Then I remembered the puppets and figured a bib might work with wash cloths, too. I tried it and --yes!--- it worked.

Here's the pattern, for you crafty types. If you try it, let me know how it goes.

You will need two 12in. by 12 in. wash cloths and matching thread. You may also want something to applique on the front, although if you use a patterned wash cloth, you probably wouldn't need it.






1. Place right sides of the wash cloths together and pin around the edges. Fold in half.









2.  Cut a scoop for the neckline out of top and folded edge. Neckline cut should start about 5 inches down fold. Leave about 2 inches on non-fold side for straps.

3. Unpin the wash cloths.

4. To applique: iron "stitch and tear" pellon onto wrong side of one cloth so that it covers the area you want to applique on to. Take applique item (either store-bought or handmade from cozy flannel) and attach fusible pellon to wrong side. Pin to right side of bib so right side faces out. Use a narrow zig-zag stitch around edge to attach applique to bib. Alternatively, hand sew it on using a blanket stitch. Tear away "stitch and tear" pellon.

5. Pin right sides of bib together. Stitch along neckline, making 5/8 inch seam. Trim seam.

6. Turn out bib so that wrong sides are together. Stitch around entire edge of bib, including the neckline just below the seam.

7. Hand sew half of snap or velcro onto front side of one strap and the other half on to the back side of the second strap. Trim excess thread, etc.



One note: traditional baby colors and designs are great, but don't be afraid to think outside the box. I recently gave a black bib with an applique representing the baby's dad's hobby to a friend. It seemed to be appreciated.



What homemade gifts have you given recently?




*Photos by Jordan Parry

Follow Ups

So yesterday I posted "An Irish Lullabye" as my song for Sunday, noting it was written in 1914 by James Royce Shannon. Then I cam across some trivia which credited the song to Chauncey Olcott and claimed it was on the "Top Ten" list for 1913. I did a little to figure out what the correct information was. As far as I can determine, the song was written by James Royce Shannon in 1913 for a play by Chauncey Olcott  called Shameen Dhu which debuted in  New York City in February of 1914. Moral? Don't trust either Wikipedia or A trivia calendar to be perfectly accurate.


Last week, I posted about Oz the Great and Powerful, wondering if the theological allusions in it were intentional. A friend mentioned that she had heard that the Oz books were shot through with Christian allegory and so maybe the movie producers had intentionally incorporated some. I hadn't heard that, so I decided to check it out.

I asked my husband, who is in the thick of directing a reader's theater version of The Wizard of Oz if he had heard about Christian imagery in the books. He hadn't but it lead to a larger discussion. My son jumped in. "Are you thinking to hard about this? You have a group of people making requests." Ahh...

Thinking simply, along those lines, Dorothy's longing for home could symbolize the Christian's longing for the heavenly kingdom. So maybe....

Research... many people have used The Wizard of Oz as an analogy for the Christian life. L. Frank Baum however was not a Christian. His Methodist parents sent him to a Sunday School which intentionally taught ethics without religion, believing religious decisions should be made by adults. In adulthood, Mr. Baum became a Theosophist. Members of this spiritual group seek divine wisdom by studying a variety of religions and teachers. They see God in all nature and all nature as divine.

It seems unlikely that Mr. Baum intentionally incorporated Christian theology and teaching in his books. He did have some political messages and satire woven into them, though I never recognized that either. The scarecrow was a common image in political cartoons at the turn of the century.

The Wizard of Oz is one of my favorite children's tales. And I did enjoy this new movie.


Have a blessed day.

Song For Sunday: An Irish Lullabye

Top o' the Morning To Ya!

Actually, that saying isn't common in Ireland. It's an Irish-American thing.

 My great-grandmother was a first generation Irish-American. Her parents were born in County Cork. She (horror of horrors!) married a Scot-Protestant. Her family disowned her, but his was happy for them, so she became a Scot-Protestant, joining the Methodist Church and the auxillary of the local Scot's Society. Eventually, my grandmother reconciled with some of her siblings. Still, Scot was the heritage I learned from that side of the family. 

Today, though, we are all a bit Irish and I love to embrace the Irish part of me. In honor of the occasion I present an Irish-American classic song, written by Irish immigrant James Royce Shannon in 1914.

Over In Killarney,
Many years ago,
My Mother sang a song to me
In tones so sweet and low;
Just a simple little ditty,
In her good old Irish way,
And I'd give the world to hear her sing
That song of hers today.

Chorus:
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li,
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Hush now don't you cry!
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li,
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, That's an Irish lul-la-by

Oft, in dreams I wander
To that cot again.
I feel her arms a-hugging me
As when she held me then.
And I hear her voice a humming
To me as in days of yore,
When she used to rock me fast asleep
Outside the cabin door.

Chorus

Oh I can hear that music
I can hear that song
Filling me with memories
Of a mother's love so strong

Its melody still haunts me
These many years gone bye
Too ra loo ra loo ral
Until the day I die

Chorus

Is there a song from your heritage that you love? Are you Irish?

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!!

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