How to Sew a Receiving Blanket For A New Baby

I love putting together surprise baby gift baskets. Planning for a new little one is part of the fun. I don’t have babies anymore, but that is what makes it so much more fun. I can easily wonder through the mall and pick up fun things to put in my surprise baby gift basket. I find things on sale and who does not love a good deal... I almost have a little baby supply closet in my house.
I love to add something homemade to the basket and the yardage store has the cutest flannel. I love to make homemade receiving blankets. They are great to snuggle the new little bundle in.
The easiest method for sewing reversible baby receiving blankets is by sewing around the edges. Purchase one yard of flannel fabric for each side of the blanket. For example, purchase one yard of blue and one yard of red, or one yard each of a different flannel print so that this will be a reversible blanket. Wash the flannel to allow for shrinkage before sewing. Place the wrong sides of the flannel together and serge around the outside edges, rounding off the corners as you go. Another method for creating a reversible receiving blanket is to place right sides of the fabric together and sew on your sewing machine, seam allowances must be considered. I would suggest using a 1/2 inch seam allowance for this project. Also, remember to leave a space for turning so that the blanket can be turned right side out after the seams have been sewn. Once the blanket has been sewn, press the seams as stitched, and if possible, press them open by sliding the tip of the iron inside the seams as the blanket is lying on the ironing board. This isn't the conventional way to press open seams, but it does help to create nicer edges when the blanket is turned right side out.
After turning the receiving blanket right side out, press well, hand stitch the opening closed, or edge stitch or top stitch the opening closed on your machine.
So if you have friends who are having babies and you want to have an inexpensive gift which you have created, then consider putting together your own surprise baby gift baskets. It’s fun, creative and something every new mom will love. If you don’t sew, never fear you can order a baby gift basket online that will be just as special as long as it is from you.

TOP 5 Favorite Baby Shower Gifts

Baby showers are a great way to get together with friends and relatives and honor pregnant women and help her get ready for the birth of her baby. Usually there is a cake and punch, decorations and games. But most importantly there are baby shower gifts. If you are invited to a baby shower and you are not sure what to bring take a look at the top five baby shower gifts.

CLOTHING

Most babies start out in zero to three months clothing. They usually need several changes a day so it is helpful to have a good selection of sleepers. The  most popular ones button down the front and have feet in them; Gowns and kimonos  are still wore by some newborns and can be helpful in the middle of the night  when baby needs a new outfit.

BLANKETS

Every baby loves to be swaddled in a fresh flannel blanket. Blankets and bedding make wonderful baby shower gifts and the new mother can never have too many of them.

BOUNCY SEAT

The bouncy seat is a versatile piece of gear that a baby can be strapped in to and they can wiggle and bounce to their hearts content. Some of them have a battery and vibrate and play music to help soothe the new born. Most parents enjoy knowing the baby is in a safe place and they can take a few minutes to shower or catch up on house work.

DIAPER CAKES

Diaper cakes are becoming a very popular baby shower gifts. They are not actually a cake, but a gift of diapers made into the shape of a wedding cake.  They are sometimes filled with small gifts. They can also double as the baby shower center piece. Most babies go through a lot of diapers, so a diaper cake is a very welcome gift. A diaper cake is one of the most favorite unique and useful gifts you can give.

GIFTS FOR MOM

Slippers or socks and a new robe are fun to give the new mom to be. Most new mothers enjoy lotions or fun little items to make them feel pampered. It is always appropriate to include a gift for the pregnant mother.

Baby showers are not only for women. Usually you have a different theme if men are to be included.

Baby showers are an American tradition and serve a real purpose of helping get things ready for the new little one. So if you know someone who is expecting, have some fun and have a baby shower.

Giving A Gluten Free Gift

There are many people with food allergies.  Food allergies can affect not only the way you feel but can seriously cause damage to your body and give you poor quality of life.  Scientists continue to find new and fascinating yet critical facts on how food can affect our lives.

There many different types of food allergies. You can be allergic to any food. There is one by the name of Coeliac Disease. Coeliac Disease is a common food allergy. It means that you cannot eat gluten. Gluten is a protein that appears in foods processed from wheat.

It is not easy to find gluten free foods at first but if you look and learn you will find many foods do exist that do not have gluten.  Some grocery stores actually have sections identified as Gluten Free isles.   If you have a friend who cannot eat gluten and you are new to the gluten free world it can be tricky. I learned this when I wanted to give a friend a gluten free gift basket last year.  If you are new to all of this a health food is a great place to get gluten free food. There are lots of regular foods made without gluten. You can pick up a whole bunch of gluten free snacks to go in the gluten free gift basket. They make a lot of food that is gluten free that anyone would love. There are a lot of foods that are naturally gluten free that you can put in your gluten free gift basket.

 Gluten free gift baskets are something that your friends will love. It will be a great surprise to them. It will save them the time and work that it takes to get gluten free food. There are cookies and candy that are gluten free.  There are even potato chips.  See, it really is amazing and after you get to looking and learning you will find that putting together a gluten free gift basket is not that hard at all.  And if you find the task too daunting look online.  You can order a gluten free gift basket from many web sited. My favorite is Planet Gift Basket but there are tons of places that understand how important what we feed our bodies is to our lasting and current health.  So there you go.  Get going on your gluten free gift today………..