Gifted

This weekend I had a baby shower. Actually it was a double shower for me and a friend, April, who will be having a baby here in the next week or two.

We are both pregnant with our third child. Some people think it's strange to have baby showers after your first child--it's not traditional. I, however, think that there is not nearly enough party-throwing and social entertaining these days, so if having multiple baby showers is a way to get people out and together I'm all for it!

Especially because I benefited so directly from this party. Since it was for our third children we had a diapering party, where in lieu of traditional gifts women brought us diapers, wipes and diapering accessories. (There were a few other fun gifts thrown in as well!)

As a gift for the other guest of honor, I decided to make one of these cute covered diaper wipes cases that I've seen all over the internet lately. I really was excited to do it, but the whole time I was working on the project, shopping for fabric, putting it together, I was worried about how many other women might be working on the same gift. We've got some really crafty-type friends that I was sure would have seen this cute idea before.

When I got to the party there was already a small pile of gifts started and I saw one of these covered cases on the top. "Well, it's what I expected." I thought. But you know, it would be ok to have a couple because you have different diaper bags sometimes. But you know five or six would probably be too many!

Well when we began to open presents the gift piles dwindled lower and lower until it got to the point where I realized that this other wipes case was the gift from April to me!

She even made a coordinating diaper case too--super cute. In the end we had each made one for each other, an no one else had done the same gift. Perfect! So we got a good laugh out of the whole thing. Great minds think alike you know.

And of course at that point each of our crafty-type friends wanted to look at both of them to see how we had made them.

I didn't take tons of pictures, because I was in a hurry, but here's the basic process.

Start with one of those travel wipes cases.

This isn't the one I used, but you know. . . this type of little case. Trace around the top and bottom of the case on paper to make a pattern. Add on an extra 1/4 inch or so to the outside of the pattern so that it is long enough to wrap over the edge.

Pin on your pattern and cut out your pieces of fabric.

Then use the pattern again to cut out your batting. Cut the batting the 1/4 inch (or however much you added on) shorter than the fabric so that it is the right size to cover the top but not wrap over the edges. I only did batting on the top of the case that I made, but April had thin batting cushioning the top and bottom of the case she made for me.

Then you glue the fabric onto the case. Everywhere I've seen this explained I've heard to use a hot glue gun at the edges. Since I had it, and I thought it might go faster, I used spray adhesive on the back of the fabric (and the back of the batting). Then it just stuck right on to the case, and I did a little touch up around the edge with hot glue.

Next you add your ribbon or trim to cover the raw edge of the glued down fabric. The trim I used is narrower than I would have liked, but it's all I could find the right color. Start and end the trim in the back to hide the ends, and hot glue the whole way around.

Ta-da! A super-cute, personalized baby gift. The best kind even--a useful one!