Book Review: Simple Sewing for Baby

I'm smitten with one of my new Christmas presents: Simple Sewing for Baby by Lotta Jansdotter. Since we are entering the final stretch of pregnancy (um, a month and a half!), I have to be strategic with my time. I'm also going to have to be really careful not to overdue it, since we have a pretty packed January already. Further, I'm anticipating sleeping difficulties as "Coconut" gets heavier and heavier, so I may need even more time for napping.

I decided to go through the book and make a list of everything I want to make and then number the projects in order from most important (i.e., do first!) to least important.

Here's what I decided on:

1. Fleece hat
2. Swaddling "Snuggler"
   
3. Pants
   
4. Play quilt
5. Tag blanket
   
6. Bloomers
7. Rattle
8. Scarf
   

I vowed not to waste too much time sewing baby clothes, since babies grow at bionic rates and render cute clothing obsolete way too quickly, but I can't resist the temptation entirely. I realized that I can purchase a fat quarter of organic cotton knit from Spoonflower (like this elephant fabric!) for a mere $14. I think baby pants will be a snap to whip up.

In general, I'm not a huge fan of crafting books because I can find so many free patterns and projects on the internet, but I'm excited about this book. I love the simplicity of each project (well, from a cursory glance they seem simple!). I once met a woman at a craft store who said she forces herself to make at least five projects from a craft book before she lets herself buy another one. I wish I had the same resolve!

Come to think of it, I need to integrate these projects into my remaining craft projects and put all of them in a prioritized order:

1. Cushion for the chair in "Coconut's" room
2. Pillows for the baby's bed (to be removed when he's actually sleeping on it)
3. A knit rug to cushion the transition from the baby's Montessori floor bed to the floor
   
4. Then I can start all the projects from Lotta's book...

I'm excited!

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