How to Make a Bib or Baby's Sleeping Sign: An Inexpensive Easter Gift

Babies are really not well versed for Easter. Our daughter was 4 months old her first Easter. We put her on the ground for the Easter egg hunt, and all she did was lay on her belly and cry. What a disappointment. Before anyone goes ballistic, know that it never happened. Sometimes I make statements thinking people know it's a joke, but they haven't a clue. It is true that babies really don't get much enjoyment from the Easter bunny, Easter eggs or the Easter basket. There are inexpensive gifts that you can make the baby in place of these items.

Creating unique bibs with iron on fabric adhesives. You can make the whole bib, but I found that buying a very inexpensive one and taking a few easy steps to create an original is both a time and money saver.

Decide what simple picture you will be placing on the shirt. A cat, dog, fish, cupcake, bunny or chick are a few simple ones. I'd pick one that has a short name, since you are going to embroider it onto the bib. Check very simple pictures in children's coloring books for examples.

Let's use a cat as an example. A cat doesn't have to be that difficult. A round circle, two pointy ears can be cut of one material and pink triangles inside the ear and one for the nose can be fused together and onto the bib.

Cut the shapes out and lay out your design to check the placement on the bib. Write the word cat directly below the head. Iron the pieces together. Make a blanket stitch around the edge of the cat's face. Use the same stem stitch for details like the mouth and whiskers. Also use a stem stitch for the lettering. You can add small buttons for the eyes, but I prefer black and white fabric, ironing it on with the head and stitching around it. Little buttons can come off when we least expect it, and choking can be a hazard.

Baby's Sleeping Sign.

If you have a small 5X7 wooden frame at home this one is almost done for you. It never fails; Mom finally gets the baby to sleep and someone pounds on the front door and wakes the little one up. You can create a sign for the "baby" that says...Shhh....The baby's asleep.

Begin with the frame. If you are really short on cash, try the thrift shop for the frame. Spray paint it pink for a girl and of course baby blue for a boy. Drill holes at the top corner of each side of the frame to thread ribbon later to hang on the doorknob.

If the back is still on the frame you don't have too much to do but dress up the insert. You are going to create a simple design on colorful patterned paper. White, light creamsicle and pink for girls and light lime green, white and light blue for boys make great backgrounds. Stamp the letters SHHHHH onto the top. Use craft pens to write, "The baby's asleep." And then spray with a protective coating of waterproofing spray. If there is no backing cut cardboard out to fit behind the paper and secure in place with small nails or u shaped pushpins.

You still need to decorate the frame. Use a stamp of a flower, puppy, ladybug, or teddy bear and white off white acrylic paint. You can dab the paint on the stamp with a foam brush. Glue on other appropriate small painted wooden decorations around the frame, thread ribbon through the holes in the top to hang it, and tie the ends securely. Mom now has a warning sign for visitors and is allowed to shoot them if they make noise. At least I think that's the law.