7 Crafts for a Growing Bean

The truth is: I haven't posted in a loonnnggg time. But not because I haven't been busy doing crafts. The opposite is true. It's because we're having a baby (yay!) and I wanted to spend my free time preparing instead of on the computer. That's fair, right?

We are so excited for this new arrival, which will come at any moment. And by that I mean, literally any moment as today is the due date (a second yay!).

Thankfully, I can safely say my pre-baby crafting to-do list is complete. With any new stage in life, there is so much to learn, and so many new tutorials to discover. I was never a Pinterest person before, but found it so handy for keeping track of and finding great tutorials for the many super duper baby things to make.

Here are 7 handy tutorials of the baby prep category that I have thoroughly enjoyed making. I hope you like them to!

Tutorial: Make Baby Stuff

I was thrilled to find this free and sturdy diaper bag pattern that has many pockets for storing all the babies on-the-go needs. I was equally as thrilled to find the orange and striped fabrics for a dollar a metre. If I was making the bag again I might add a zipper or velcro across the whole bag so things are more secure, but other than that it's great!

Tutorial: Sols(tr)ikke

The day I found out I was pregnant I began searching for the perfect afghan to make for the baby. Of course, I wanted to make one that would be useful beyond the first year of its life, had lots of holes for breathability, and was a mash of different colours. This tutorial was a perfect fit. I adjusted the size to a toddler bed and for now it fits perfectly on our love seat.

Tutorial: The Brown Stitch

Even though I first learned to knit in high school, I never did bother to learn how to follow a pattern. Having a baby was a great reason to change that! This was an obviously adorable first choice, so with some coaching it became a success. Choosing colours is so much fun, I might make a few more once we meet the baby.




This felt owl mobile is so adorable. It was a surprise gift made by many loved ones at a baby shower. Friends sewed their own owls during the event, and they were all put together at the end to make a beautiful piece. Each owl is unique with different colours and stitches. Thanks pals!

Tutorial: Shara Lambeth Designs

There are many cute baby hats out there, but after making a million and one animal hats in my youth I wanted to branch out a bit. This adorable pixie hat pattern is so easy to adjust sizings for, so after making a handful of different sizes & colours, I made one for little Anya as well. What a great model.

Tutorial: Smashed Peas & Carrots

Don't know what to do with that old vinyl table cloth? Turns out they can be upcycled into travel change pads. Pretty nifty, eh! These pads are lined with felt to make them more durable and comfortable, and the ribbon makes them so easy to store and travel with.

Tutorial: Smile Like You Mean It

While change pad covers are not a necessity, they are great for adding a dash of colour to the changing area and making changing time a bit more cozy for the wee one.  I chose a thrifted fabric that was wipeable but still softer than the vinyl cover to reduce laundry. This tutorial is super easy, quick and fits great.

Tutorial: He & I 

Think this baby carrier looks just like a pile of fabric? That's because it is! There are many tutorials out there on homemade baby wrap, this is among the simplest. Obviously I haven't been able to test it yet, but the design is quite standard so will hopefully make a comfy nap spot for the little critter.

Waiting, Departing (3/4)

Anna, Eva & Jozef's family came to Hamilton from Lunik IX, Europe's largest segregated Roma ghetto, fleeing their Slovakian life plagued by systemic discrimination. They were a logical choice for my Photo Stories final assignment using the qualifier of a story that we believed needed to be shared. I first met Eva taking her relative's family to the airport, who were deported a year and some earlier.

You can read more about their story in Cory Ruf's article: A taste of tolerance published in The United Church Observor.

"Under family photos and paintings of beach scenes peering down from the white walls, Eva, Jozef, Anna and two of Eva’s siblings combine what English they know to spout off the indignities they suffered in their native Slovakia.

Jozef lifts the sleeve of his sweater, presenting a five-inch ridge on the underside of his arm. In 2008, out-of-uniform police officers burst into his family’s apartment. “They start yelling,” says the father of two, “and we didn’t know what for.” The scar below his armpit is a reminder of the roughing up that followed. Eva gives an account of an attack she suffered the following January while shopping. Skinheads verbally harassed then beat her while her young children looked on. The ambush, she says, caused her to need surgery on her ear.

One month later, she, Jozef and their two sons, Jozef Jr. and Sebastian, now 7 and 4, along with her parents and three siblings, arrived at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, claiming refugee status at customs. The clan settled in Hamilton’s Beasley neighbourhood — one of Canada’s poorest — to stay with family that had made the same journey months earlier."

Last week, their family returned to Slovakia. After visiting Lunik IX this year, the understanding of the devastation increases: these children remember nothing of their life there, and will be returning to something beyond their worst imagination.

The first photos in this series reflect on the waiting period before the deportation; uncertainty taints their days as they begin to face the reality that their first experience of home is slipping from beneath them. The family goes about life as normal, but with a dark narrative underlying their routines. Time catches up, and the departure is inevitable.


Below: Looking at photos of Lunik IX

Photo Stories (2/4)

Here are photos from another day at the Photo Stories class that I mentioned in my previous post. These photos were all taken beside or in Hamilton's Gore Park. On a regular day, I would find going up to strangers and taking their photos too invasive to bother. However, when I was on a time crunch to get photos I liked, trees and clouds just weren't going to cut it. Most people I asked didn't mind at all, and in some cases were a bit flattered; the others just gave a polite no. No harm done! I hope to continue with this new learned bravery, without the excuse of an assignment. There are so many interesting folks in this city.


(check out Cynthia & Matt's blog: Steel Oneself)