Pages

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Make your own baby leggings! So easy and inexpensive!

Ok, so I'm a little addicted to baby leggings.  Even though I live in Arizona.  And it's only cold for like two weeks a year here and the rest of the time it is HOT.  Still, I just can't resist them.  I think they are adorable!  If they were around when my older boys were babies I did not know about them, otherwise they would have been wearing them.  A lot.  



When I discovered them just after this little guy was born I just had to get some.  And then when I discovered that they are super easy to make, I knew that he would have like 50 pairs!  So far he only has about 5, but it's a start.  And I promise the collection will continue to grow.  ;)

You can easily make baby leggings from women's knee-high socks for much cheaper than buying them new and the best part is that it only takes a few minutes of your time to whip them out.  You can find cute knee-high socks for about $2-$3 a pair at places like Wal-Mart or Walgreens.  (I bought the socks that I used in this tutorial at the grocery store!)

You can also find super cool socks at  thrift stores or at garage sales for next to nothing!  I actually have a few pairs of socks just waiting to be turned into cute baby leggings that I picked up at the thrift store for only about $1 a pair.  

FYI: I have very little experience with sewing and am basically learning as I go and this was very easy for me to do.  Anyone that knows the basics of how to run a sewing machine should easily be able to do this.  

So here are the instructions to make baby leggings:

Find a pair of women's knee high socks that will make super cute baby leggings.  Like these:
These were only $2.50!
Then cut the socks just above the heel.
I also got this super cute pair for $2.50!
If your baby's legs are big enough or your socks are tight enough that the leggings will stay on your baby without a bottom cuff then you can stop here and use the socks as is because they should not fray.  However, if you are going to need a bottom cuff like my little man does then continue.

Next cut a section of the foot part out between the toe and the heel and then discard the toe and heel.  This part that you just cut out is going to be the bottom cuff of the leggings.  (There's no need to make a top cuff because the top of the sock will be the top cuff of the leggings.)

 

Cut a piece out of what will be the bottom cuff if you need to make the cuff smaller or tighter. 
I cut out about 1/2 inch.


Then sew the cuff back together with the wrong sides facing each other so that it is once again like a tube.




Now fold it in half so that the two cut ends are together.  Make sure that you have the right sides facing out and the wrong sides facing each other.
Now put the bottom cuff on the end of the sock.  Make sure that the cut ends of the cuff are at the very bottom of the leggings next to the cut end of the leggings (all of the cut ends should be together) and that the right sides are facing out on both the leggings and the cuff.  
Now sew everything together along the bottom of the cuff and the leggings.  WARNING:  I am not a very experienced sewer.  Forgive me if I am sewing incorrectly!  
After you have the cuff sewn on flip it down and admire your work!
These cuffs were not sewn on perfectly, but luckily it's hard to tell once it's on the baby.  ;)

Now go put them on your adorable little one and stare at the cuteness!!






Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Egg carton as a pill box!

David wanted to prepare all of his vitamins for the next several weeks so that they would be easier for him to take, but we didn't have any of those little pill containers.  I couldn't think of anything for him to use except for baggies and I didn't want him wasting a ton of baggies for just a small amount of pills per day and then he got a great idea.  He used egg cartons! They actually worked great!  

Just starting to prepare them...


Here are his vitamins all prepared and ready to take!

I absolutely love repurposing things instead of just tossing them in the garbage.  Over the last few years I have become increasingly aware of how much we unnecessarily consume and waste in our society and it makes me sick.  I was glad that David found a way to sort his vitamins with something around the house instead of running to the store to buy something new.