Peekaboo Bonnet for Eva

I saw the Peekaboo Bonnet pattern over at Made By Rae while I was pregnant with Eva and fell in love with it.  I told my husband if we had a girl I was buying that pattern and I would make her a dozen of those cute little bonnets.


Well, we had a girl and I promptly bought the pattern.  I let it sit on my kitchen table for a good week and a half completely intimidated.  I had never worked with piping and my ruffling and binding skills leave a lot to be desired.


I kept reading reviews for the pattern and of course everyone said how easy and quick the pattern was but I still didn't believe them so I let the pattern sit....stupid me.


Finally a couple days before my family reunion, which was to be held outside at the end of June can we say HOT.  I knew Eva needed that bonnet to protect her little head and keep the sun out of her eyes so I kicked my butt in gear and decided to just start sewing and see what I came up with.

Is this not the cutest little bonnet EVER!

I love it and I want to make 23 more.  My husband says it looks Amish and he's not a fan, I told him I don't care I'm making one in every color of the rainbow and a few extras after that.

And let me tell you this pattern was super easy.  After my pieces were cut out, because I did that on a separate day, it took me all of a naptime to finish it.  And if you have ever read my blog before you know naptimes in this house are never very long.  The only thing is I don't consider mine reversible because I machine stitched the center strip instead of hand stitching like Rae recommended, so the seam on the inside was very visible.  It doesn't look so bad that I couldn't reverse it if I wanted I just prefer to not see the seam. 

I've gotten so many compliments on it and Eva is the cutest little girl ever in it.  Sometimes I put it on her just so I can marvel at how adorable it is, and she is in it.

DIY Hospital Eye Mask and T-shirt Headband

I had a few posts I was working on before Eva was born and I had intended to finish them before she came but with her early arrival I didn't get a chance, so I'll be posting those as I get them finished. 


One thing I remember about my hospital stay with Grant is the lack of sleep.  Between the nurses coming in, what seemed like every 15 minutes, and the noise, and the hallway lights, I got a total of zero hours sleep both nights.  This time around I would like for that to be different so I decided to make an eye mask.

Sure I could have went to the Dollar Tree and bought one but what fun would that be when I can sew one myself.  I used the same fabric I made my maternity hospital gown with so they would match.

First I drew a pattern then cut the pieces.  You will need 2 pieces of fabric and a piece of batting.  I used 100% cotton batting because I had it leftover from making nursing breast pads but you can use whatever you have on hand.

Now cut a piece of elastic, mine was 12 inches. Lay your batting and 1 piece of fabric on top of that with the right side facing up.  then place your elastic on top of that pinning it in place. 

 

I overlapped part of my elastic so it wouldn't get caught in the seam while I was sewing.

 I baste stitched the elastic in place on either side to make sure it wouldn't move out of place.

Now place the 2nd piece of fabric wrong side up (you want the right sides of each fabric piece facing each other with the elastic in between) on top of your elastic.

Pin it in place and stitch all the way around making sure to leave an opening for turning your mask right side out.

Turn right side out and pin your opening closed.

Stitch around the outside using 1/4inch seam allowance, making sure to stitch your opening closed.

Now you're done, you have a super cute eye mask to match your hospital gown and hopefully get a little shut eye while you're there.

I also made a matching t-shirt headband.  I happened to have a maternity shirt I wasn't crazy about wearing and it just so happens that it matched my hospital gown.  I used this tutorial and it's seriously the easiest hair accessory I've ever made, I want to make a dozen more for the sole reason that I can finish them in about 5 minutes.

The tutorial is for a no-sew t-shirt headband but I already had my sewing machine out and didn't feel like heating up the glue gun so I ran mine through my machine to finish it off.

 

 

Both of these have made their way into my hospital bag and are just awaiting this little one's debut.


*I was really fortunate this time around and the nurses I had were amazing.  They didn't wake me up for vitals in the middle of the night if I was sleeping which was great.  So I didn't need the eye mask as much as I thought I would.

DIY Maternity Hospital Gown

I am super excited about this post, for a few reasons but one of them being I didn't actually think I was going to get this project finished. 


I made my own hospital gown using this pattern.  I've had this on my to-do list since early fall.  Of course I had planned on making it way back then but fall is too busy a time to add projects I can technically put off until after the New Year.  So I procrastinated like I always do, but this past weekend I finally made it in to Hobby Lobby in the hopes of them having the perfect fabric on clearance.


They didn't have the fabric I envisioned but I really like what I found.  I'm normally more of a blue kinda girl and that's what I wanted but I found this chocolate brown with teal polka dots for $3 a yard and thought it would probably work better.  I thought the dark color would be good considering it could possibly get a little messy, the brown will hide some of that if necessary.  I ended up buying 3 yards in case I needed to add length to the gown.  I also bought 2 packages of double fold bias tape and 1 spool (3yds) of 1 inch ribbon.  Of course I used coupons for the bias tape and ribbon and the total for my gown ended up being $13 and some change.  Not bad considering the ones online are $40 or more.

Here it is without the ribbon tie.

The ribbon isn't necessary but it makes me feel less of a huge whale waddling around.  Plus it adds a cuteness factor to it.

I used Velcro on the shoulders instead of snaps like some other bloggers.  My only reason for this is I had Velcro in my stash and I knew I could sew it on quicker than attaching snaps.  Plus I really think Velcro will be easier to attach with one hand after nursing, rather than trying to re-snap a bunch of snaps. 

I also liked the look of the ribbon around the waist or on top of my belly whichever way you wanna put it, so I added 2 small belt loops one on either side of the gown to hold it in place.  I didn't notice anyone else adding this little detail but when I thought of having the ribbon I wanted to make sure if it came untied it wouldn't just fall to the floor.  As I will probably be distracted I don't want to keep track of a ribbon.

The pattern and original directions didn't call for bias tape but I saw this blog and really liked the looks of it.  I however am not great with bias tape and probably didn't do mine right.  Actually I know I didn't but hey, I gave it my best shot and I'm not complaining with the results.  One day I'm gonna learn how to put it on right.

The directions on the pattern confused me a little.  None of the other blogs I read had any problem with them so I'm gonna assume it's a combination of my lack of brain function after a full day with a 3 year old and 2 year old and pregnancy brain on top of that.  I followed the parts I could and was winging the rest but it's seriously so simple that even winging it was easy.

The pattern called for a button on each shoulder next to the neck line.  I thought this was probably pointless so wasn't going to add them.  Then when I finished the gown I realized they actually did serve a purpose.  If you try to leave them out this is what your gown will look like. 

Even after realizing this I still didn't want to do buttons so I added an extra piece of Velcro.  I didn't want any part of the gown to be cumbersome when trying to nurse my little one.

I didn't add the pocket to the top for a heart monitor since I thought it was probably unnecessary for labor and delivery. 

I wanted to make sure my backside was completely covered while making trips to the restroom and such, since I know from experience it's difficult to hold the back of your gown, the IV pole, and walk to the restroom all at the same time during labor.  So instead of cutting the fabric following the left and right back pattern pieces.  I instead did 2 left side pieces and positioned the ribbons accordingly.

I only did a 1/2 inch hem around the bottom and didn't end up adding any extra length and this came to just below the knees and I'm about 5ft 7inches.  I'm ok with this length as I didn't want anything really long to have to mess with during delivery and exams.  In a few of the blogs I looked at  they added length because they felt like this length was too short.  If your on the fence go ahead and add a few inches because it's easier to take away extra than to add more at the end.

While brown still isn't my favorite color, I'm thrilled with my gown.  I love the fact that I won't have to wear one of the dingy white gowns the hospital provides.  I love that I can use this when I get home as a nursing nightgown if I want so it's not just a one time use, not that it still wouldn't be worth it.

Here is the backside of the gown.  I still need to trim the ribbon a little  but other than that, it's ready to go in my hospital bag!

I just wish now that I had seen this pattern back when I knew a bunch of people having babies so I could make them one.  They really are easy to put together and would make a really fantastic baby shower gift, especially for a 2nd or 3rd time mom as they usually already have most of the baby stuff covered and could use some mommy pampering.

Hopefully it won't be too long before I will have pictures of my gown in action with my little one in my arms!

Baby Bibs:Preparing for Baby

The other day I was thinking of basic baby stuff I will still need when he/she arrives.  Most items I have, especially for a boy, but if this one's a girl I know there will need to be some shopping done.  I thought about going out and buying some  items like bibs, receiving blankets, etc. in gender neutrals but have you taken a look at gender neutral stuff recently.  Pretty much you can only get items in yellow, gray, and occasionally green, and the prints are almost always ducks or elephants.  While I don't have anything against those colors or even ducks or elephants, if I have a little girl I know I will want all the pink and purple with flowers, polka dots, and frills. 


So my solution was to raid my fabric stash and make enough of these items with some of my own gender neutral prints to get us by in the first few weeks.   I found 3 prints I liked and cut 2 bibs each using neutral flannel fabric for the backing.  I found the pattern I used here.  I liked that these fastened on the side instead of in the back.  Grant had a very chubby neck and Velcro bibs often left imprints in his skin.  These are not super thick but with as much slobbering as babies do they will get changed frequently anyway.  I didn't like thick ones on Grant until he started eating baby food, so I think these will work great in the early months.

I figured if the baby's a girl I will add some fabric flowers and ruffles to make them ultra girly.  If a boy is coming my way then I'm all set.

Nursing Cover Clip

I had a friend make me a nursing cover for when Grant arrived with the boning and everything.  I honestly wasn't really a fan of the boning.  It made it difficult to fold and pack in my bag, and I didn't feel completely covered when I used it so this time around I was looking for something different.  I wanted something that was easy to pack and didn't take up much room in my diaper bag.

I searched online for different options and the one I liked the best was a nursing clip you could use with any blanket to make it a nursing cover.  This would be easy to keep one in the car, in my purse, diaper bag or even my pocket.  I like to travel light when it comes to baby stuff these days.  I think most of us always have a receiving blanket in our car or bag and this clip would easily turn that into a cover.

Unfortunately I didn't get any pics during the process of making this, I know I know I'm a slacker.  I apologize profusely. I'll try to walk you through it as it's super simple.

I cut my fabric 4 inches wide by 22 inches long.  Measure the length you want yours as you  may need a little more or less. Then I folded it in half lengthwise and pressed it to create a center fold.  Unfold it and take the one side and fold it to the center fold, press.  Do the same with the opposite side.  Then fold it in half (using the center fold you already pressed in  the beginning).  Fold your unfinished ends towards the inside so they won't show and straight stitch all the way down .

Then just loop each end through a suspender clip and stitch it down like shown below.

Hopefully that wasn't too confusing because they really are simple to make and really quick too.  I want to make a few of them to keep in different places so I'm never without and it's one less thing I will have to remember to always pack in the diaper bag.
This is one more item that would go great in a hospital kit for a new mom or baby shower gift if you know the mom is going to be breastfeeding.

Super Easy Fleece Scarf

My mom made a friend of hers an Ohio State Buckeyes fleece blanket for Christmas.  She knows I find all kinds of uses for scraps of fabric so she's always saving me her remnants.  This time was no different.  As soon as I saw how large the remnant was I knew I needed to make a scarf out of it.  I've been wanting to make an OSU one for awhile I just haven't bought the fabric, so this was perfect.

I didn't want this project to take much time, since I'm all about quickies, which is why I made this fringe one.  Years ago I saw tutorials about how to make one and I've kept it in my mind all this time.  After having made one now I question why the heck it took me so long to actually get it done.  It seriously took no time at all.  The most time consuming part was cutting the fabric. 

I cut 3 strips of fabric 7 inches wide and 67inches inches long, stacked them on top of each other, and stitched one long line down the center.

Then cut strips on either side of the center line about 1 inch wide, making sure not to cut the center seam.

Shake it out a little bit and seriously that's all there is to it.  No hemming, no trimming, no nothing.  Super simple, and I love it.

I'm really wanting to make some pink ribbon ones for me, my mom, and sister, how cute would those be?  Not to mention if you're looking for a quick winter birthday gift or Christmas gift this would be perfect and cost effective if you have quite a few people you're needing to gift to.  With the temps being single and negative digits, and so much snow I feel like I'll never see grass again, I'm so glad I have this to keep me extra warm.

DIY Reusable Nursing Pads

With baby's impending arrival I've been trying to get a little prepared with some DIY's that will end up saving me money.  I've had reusable nursing pads on my to-do list since summer.  Why I put it off until the end is beyond me but I guess that's just my way.  I found quite a few different tutorials and everyone had different ways they thought worked the best. 

After reading a bunch of them I decided to make mine my own way using some pointers from other blogs.  I used 3 different kinds of fabric, flannel, fleece, and PUL.  I also used cotton batting as the inside layer in all of them.  Some people used multiple layers of flannel instead of the batting but I was too lazy to dig through my stash for that much flannel and cut that many circles. 


Some blogs used fleece as the waterproof layer on the outside, other's used PUL.  I happened to have both so I made some of each.

 Since I haven't used them yet I can't say if one or the other works better but I like the feel of the fleece over the PUL.  I wasn't going for perfection with these since, let's face it, no one but me is actually going to see them.  So I didn't make sure the edges were finished

 

and I didn't match up the thread color with the fabrics either. They will serve their purpose regardless.

At first I didn't plan on making them contoured, just round.  I used a disposable nursing pad as a pattern so I would know what size I needed.  I cut 3 layers of fabric for each pad, a layer of fleece or PUL, a layer of flannel, and a layer of cotton batting.  Make sure your batting it 100% cotton and not a polyester, the cotton works better for absorbancy and looks better.  Stack these 3 layers with the cotton batting as the center layer.

Pin them together.  Notice mine don't exactly match up all the way around.  This is the beauty of these pads is perfection is unnecessary.  You will be trimming around the seam later, so your edges don't have to match up.

Stitch once around using a 1/4inch seam allowance using a straight stitch.  Then go around again with a zigzag or if you have a serger you can use that to finish the edges.  This will add stability and make your pads last longer.  Remember these are going to get lots of use and washed a lot too, you want them to hold up well through all that.

Once you have finished your edges cut around your zigzag stitch, making sure to cut close to it but not cutting through your stitching.

Now straight stitch a cross pattern

I didn't get a picture of the cross stitch before I added the pleats above so pretend they aren't there and you're just looking at the straight stitches.

After I made the first pad round and tried it in my nursing bra I realized it bunched up a little more than I liked so I needed to add some pleats, or darts, or whatever they are called, to make them contoured.

Once I put those in they fit perfectly.  The first few I made with pleats I didn't sew them down and they looked like this when I was finished.

After trying them on I thought you might be able to see them sticking up through my more form fitting shirts so I did a few like this:

Notice the pleats are stitched down.

They turned out perfect as far as fit, size, and you couldn't see anything through my shirts so I made all the rest with the pleats stitched down.

One thing I love about these is there's no crinkling of fabric like the disposable ones.  I truly hated that sound.  And these are really soft against my skin which I think will be great, especially in the beginning with soreness.

I made about 13 pair and plan on making a few more.  I really want enough to wear 1 through the day and 1 pair at night.  I didn't actually ever have a problem with leaking when I nursed Grant.  I never leaked one time and kind of felt like I was wasting my disposable nursing pads because they never had anything on them.  I've been told by numerous other mom's who've nursed that this isn't normal haha.  I think because Grant never latched on right my milk flow never got to be enough to make me leak.  Either way this time I'm prepared and I love knowing I don't have to stock up on disposable pads.  Those things can become costly really fast.  If I remember they were about $6 a box when Grant was an infant and if you tend to leak I'm sure you can go through them quickly.  When you're buying diapers, wipes, and nursing pads your bank account can take a hit fast, do yourself a favor and make some of these.  I probably made 6 pair within an hour once I got on a roll and figured out exactly what worked for me.  That's not too shabby in my opinion.  Not to mention if you know someone who's having a baby and going to be nursing these would make a great baby shower gift.

DIY Cloth Wipes

I made cloth wipes when Grant was a baby and used them frequently.  When we moved to Ohio they got lost in the move so I made a trip to Walmart and bought a package of cheap washcloths ($4 for 18 if I remember right) and used those, both kinds worked great.  My husband finds cloth wipes disgusting and pointless as he says, "a box of wipes costs like a dollar Lisa, I think we can afford that".  For me its not about whether or not we can actually afford it, it's the fact that if I don't have to buy it and I can make something that can be used again and again, then why not?  Even if I'm only saving a dollar here and there, that's a dollar that can be used for something else.  And if I'm already using cloth diapers, which I did with Grant and plan to use again with this new baby, using cloth wipes isn't any extra work.  You just throw the diaper and wipe in the wash instead of in the trash.  Plus I really like not having to rely on store bought items, no running to Walmart at 9 o'clock at night because I didn't realize we were almost out of wipes.  It's a great feeling.

It dawned on me the other day I needed a new stock of cloth wipes, so I raided my fabric stash and searched for any flannel I could use to make some.  I made these a little bigger than the ones I made years ago and made sure to hem them so they wouldn't fray.  I measured squares 8x8inches and used 2 for each wipe.  I put right sides together, stitched around all 4 sides leaving an opening for turning.  Then turned them right side out and zigzag stitched around all for sides for durability.  You could easily use one 8x8inch square and just hem it around all four sides.  That's what I did before with Grant's wipes but I plan on using these for a couple years (until potty training time) and I wanted them to be thick and durable.

I ended up making about 12 wipes out of the scraps I found and I'm sure I'll end up making more over time but this will at least get me started.  The first few weeks at home after the baby's born I use disposable everything, it's just easier when your trying to get used to a new routine and adjust to the lack of sleep etc. etc. 

This is a great way to use up flannel scraps and save a little money as well.  With Grant (when he was 1-2years old) I was only using a 1 package of disposable diapers a month and 1 container of wipes about every month to month and a half, that is when I wasn't making my own disposable wipes.  Can you tell I'm big on doing things myself instead of buying them?

Diy Simple Cloth Napkins

I made some cloth napkins a couple Christmas's ago that were supposed to go to my cousin as a gift.  Well, I never made it to her house, she lives an hour and a half away, and then we moved and then she moved and I decided I would just use them at our place rather than save them forever.  Back then I made 12 out of a table cloth I found at Target on clearance.  They work perfectly and are thick fabric which I love. 

I've finally gotten my son and husband to use cloth napkins (when they are washed and ready) instead of the paper towels.  I hate buying paper towels but it seems like 12 cloth napkins don't last very long and before I know it they are all in the dirty clothes and we are back to using paper towels.  I've kept my eye out for another table cloth on clearance but with no luck I decided to raid my fabric stash.

I went back to the fabric I used to make dish cloths a couple weeks ago and found a yard of another fabric I had no use for as well.  I ended up getting 7 15x15inch napkins out of these 2 fabrics.  The fabric is just regular cotton so it's not very thick like the others I have but they will serve their purpose.

I used the same tutorial here, that I used for the receiving blankets and the other napkins I made.  I think I'm in nesting mode trying to get some things done before baby arrives and my crafting comes to a serious slow down for a couple months.  These cloth napkins have been on my to-do list for quite a while and I'm so glad they are finally done.  I'm still going to watch for inexpensive table cloths so I can have a crap load of napkins and there will be no excuse for anyone in our house to use up paper towels just for wiping off their hands.  But if you are wanting to get started using cloth napkins and have regular old cotton fabric lying around, go ahead and give it a whirl.  Most of the time we don't actually need really thick napkins anyway, it just feels more like the fancy ones you get in restaurants than the cotton ones.  I'm sure no one in my house will notice the difference between the two, they will be too busy eating to worry about what they are wiping the mouths with.

DIY Handmade Receiving Blankets

When I found out I was pregnant I immediately had a mental list of things I wanted to make.  Most of those items were things I found store bought versions to be useless when Grant was a baby.  Grant was a big baby, over 9lbs, and I found infant towels and receiving blankets to be too small to wrap my little guy up.  I remember using 2 and 3 towels to completely wrap my squirmy little one up after a bath, and I couldn't swaddle him in most receiving blankets because they didn't fit properly either.

I vowed I would not buy either of these items from the stores because it would probably be a waste of our money.  So when Black Friday rolled around this past year I bought 4 yards of gender neutral flannel that was on sale for $1.74/yd. 

I made these two blankets like I made cloth napkins from this site.  If I had a serger it would have taken a whole lot less time.  Unfortunately I don't own one yet so my way takes a little bit longer but for anyone else who doesn't have a serger this way of hemming the blankets makes it so they don't fray.


I didn't take the time to even up all my edges and square them off, mainly because I'm lazy.  I didn't want these blankets to take any more time than necessary since it took me so long to get the fabric out and get started anyways.  I'm not looking for perfection in a blanket like this but if I were giving it as a baby shower gift I would square it all off making it even .  The only thing I noticed about not squaring the edges was the corners don't square perfectly like you see below:

 and when you fold them up all the edges don't match up perfectly. 

Again this doesn't bother me but if it does you, you may want to take the few extra minutes to even your edges out.

Getting this project underway makes me want to start on my other baby projects and I can't wait to wrap my new little one up in one of these.

DIY Handmade Dish Cloths

I've been needing new dish cloths for quite a while now.  I've got a total of about 4. Two of which are falling apart and/or stained badly enough that I make sure they aren't out when company comes over, haha.  They aren't that expensive in the stores but I just hate buying those types of things which is why I've done without for this long.  But the other day I came across this post that I'd saved to my favorites forever ago and got new inspiration to make my own dish cloths.

I looked through my dish towels, which I have an over abundance of somehow, and picked out a couple I've had since college.  That's about 10 years I've had those towels, that's crazy.  Anyway they were faded and kinda ugly so I thought I could use them instead of an old bath towel, since none of my bath towels are worn out.

They are super simple to make and to make 4 it took me less than an hour.  I got super lucky and somehow Grant was uninterested in what I was doing.  Usually as soon as my sewing machine comes out he's right beside me asking "mama, what you doing?".  If this had been the case it might have taken me a little longer. 

I looked through my stash of fabric and found a print I bought awhile ago I wasn't crazy about anymore.  Not sure what my intention was when I bought it but I've had it too long, so this was the perfect project to use some of it up.

First I cut off the finished edges off the towels because they would have been too thick for my sewing machine. 

I cut 2 squares from each towel, each about 10 inches by 11 inches.  No need to be exact, they are just for washing dishes and counters so perfection isn't necessary.  At least not for me.

Since my towel squares weren't all exactly the same size I took each square and pinned it right sides together with the cotton fabric and cut the cotton to the same size as each towel.  Notice I made sure the images on the towels aren't going to be showing when I finish the dish cloths, so I made sure they were facing the correct way before stitching them together. 


Stitch around all 4 sides making sure to leave an opening for turning.  I used about a 1/2inch seam allowance.  Then clip the corners.

Turn each towel right side out, then stitch around all four sides making sure to stitch the opening closed.  I used 1/4inch seam allowance for this.

Now your done!  Go wash some dishes or wipe off those counters with your new dish cloths.

Or do what I did and shove them in your drawer vowing to finish the dishes tomorrow.


Every time I make something like this I hear my sister's voice saying, "seriously Lisa, why don't you just buy some new dish cloths, they cost like $4".  Haha.  Then I hear my husband's voice saying "wouldn't it be easier to just buy new ones.  Why do you always have to make everything?".  And the truth is I get a little rush and happiness knowing I can take things I have and make things I need without having to run to Wally World and give them more of my money.  I love being frugal (some call it being cheap but that just sounds negative to me), and I love making things.  The two go hand in hand with me.  If it's something we need and I can make it cheaper than buying it, that's what I'm gonna do.

Christmas Pillowcase

When I read about a new tradition, the Christmas Eve Surprise box, I knew I wanted to do it for Grant and knew I wanted a Christmas pillowcase to put inside.  I bought 3 yards of Christmas fabric from Joann's after Christmas a couple years ago with intentions of making stockings for Derrick's side of the family to start a new tradition with them.  However, that never happened so I've had this fabric and have been going back and forth on what to do with it.  A pillowcase seemed like the perfect project for it.  Plus, bonus, I don't have to go buy any new Christmas fabric and I get at least a yard out of my fabric stash (that seems to grow and grow no matter what I do).

I used the tutorial here.  It was super simple to make one and let me forewarn you, these are addicting to make.  Once you make one you will inevitably try to think of every other person in your life who may "need" a new pillowcase.  I may even make Grant some for Valentine's Day and Easter.

I thought about including the magic pillowcase poem I've seen around other blogs but Grant doesn't care much for notes and poems I attach to things so maybe I'll save that for next year.

Felt Batman/Spiderman Dress Up & 2 Matching Peg Dolls

Grant is still having fun wearing his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costume and it made me think I should make him a couple more to change things up every now and then.  He is just starting to recognize super heroes.  He runs around at times saying "Mama, I a superhero". 

He can always point out Spiderman so I knew he would be on my list to make, and I also chose Batman because I thought it would be simple and quick to sew.  I made them both out of felt and made them the same way I made the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costumes.  The actual sewing of the pieces took less than a naptime (which for my son is all of an hour if I'm lucky).  So you could whip these up after your little  one goes to bed if you're wanting to add to their dress up collection.

I made the masks using the patterns from this site.  I made 2 identical ones and sewed them together for durability.  For the Spiderman mask I hand embroidered the web details.  You could easily use black puff paint if you wanted to make it a little easier and less time consuming.  I also hand appliqued the Batman emblem using a blanket stitch, and embroidered the black webbing details on the front of the Spiderman costume.  Again, puff paint would make this easier and faster, I just have a thing for hand embroidering stuff.

After making the batman costume I realized I probably should have made it a dark grey instead of all black but this was more simple and Grant won't know the difference yet anyway.  There is no cape on the batman costume, at least not yet.  I didn't realize my black felt wasn't wide enough for the costume so it will be attached at a later date. 

I had some leftover wood peg dolls after making the Ninja Turtles earlier this year and decided to make a Spiderman and Batman doll to go with the costumes.  Grant, my niece, and the 2 year old I babysit still play with the Ninja Turtle peg people so I know they will be played with often.

I can't wait to see Grant running around as Batman and Spiderman on Christmas Day.