The Latest Creative Endeavor (Burpcloths!!)

I've been racking my brain since September as to what makes a great and worthwhile burp cloth.. being that I had set my heart on making something for my sweet friend Nathalie's little girl!! When Bright was first born it was all about white and thick so it could absorb the reflux projectiles and also the beginning poopies that have a way of slipping out the diaper while nursing :) Oh the good ol' days!! Since we've moved into toddler hood and have had our share of sickness since December... Ive come to realize that the old white (now nasty stained) burp clothes are the last thing on the radar for wiping sweet little runny raw noses!!

There has to be a solution... ones that will do it all, right??

There's the absolutely adorable white gerber cloths that are embroidered and stitched with small amounts of fabric and/or a piece of ribbon!! Now those are fun (trust me I have one with a tractor and yellow gingham and its been a hit since the baby shower so many moons ago!) However, in order to make some... you have to put forth the funding to actually purchase the $12 pack and honestly, I don't plan on selling them in craft shows any time soon so it is really not worth it for us!!

I recently read a girlfriends blog who had a similar mind probing ?.. her daughter way more projectile that Bright ever was but still... left a mark on my heart!! She had sewn together her daughters old receiving blankets... being that most infants grow out of them by three months (the runny noses last MUCH longer than that though!) So I thought... aw, yes.. FLANNEL.... super soft and super absorbant. Absorbent enough to catch the urps and soft enough to wipe that sweet little face!!

So I embarked on my adventure a few weeks ago with some left over Christmas money... in an effort to hit the 75% off Christmas Clearance at Joanns (highly recommended might I add) I ventured into the fabric collection to find a wonderful and inspiring surprise!! All the flannel (and boy was there more than a girl could ever imagine) was on sale for $2/yd... down from its regular price of $6/yd!! A much better selection than any Walmart has ever had... don't get me wrong, I buy fabric there all the time too.. its way cheaper but less of a selection :)

With one yd of flannel... I got 4 panels... which in turn means 2 (double paneled for absorbency) burp clothes for $2 and some sample scraps!! Thats a pretty good deal if you think about it :) Light bulb!! Being the collector of ribbon as many of you know and also the wonderful opportunity to buy ribbon by the yard for 40 cents (1 yd covers 2 cloths too) you pay SOO MUCH less for a wonderful burp cloth than to fulfill the gerber promise :) So soft and practical... a mommy's dream come true!!

Easy to make and leaves you feeling productive after even a 30 min go at it... much easier than the 6yd baby carriers that Ive been making in the past year or two :) And I can handle $2 compared to having to pay $30-$50 for enough fabric for a carrier!!

So here it is... in all of its poorly pictured glory (its much more attractive in person, I promise!!)


The Katelyn Potts Collection (Jan 2008)