flhomeschoolmom

Ok, I have baby fever. I have absolutely fallen in love with baby items of all kinds. And am currently contemplating a "baby business". What has me thinking about this isn't just baby quilts (which are darling), but also baby clothes.

Why cute and adorable baby outfits are so expensive is beyond me. I do not see WHY someone would want to pay $20 or more for a baby outfit. And although baby boutiques have stuff to drool over, the price tags are ridiculous. I purchased 2 outfits for my niece that is due in June. I purchased the items as seperates so the mom can mix and match the pieces. Each piece was about $3, so not expensive. But it's very, very basic. It's 2 body suits (onsies) and 2 pairs of pants. When I looked at dresses, baby gowns, etc. I either couldn't find something that "spoke" to me, or the price tag was horrible.

My SIL once told me that she wished she could afford to dress her baby in "boutique" clothes, but said there's no way she would ever pay the prices they want. Well, I went looking for a pattern for a baby kimono shirt and found way more than I dreamed of. Can anyone say easy to make boutique quality clothes?

I know there are other people on the forum that are also getting ready to welcome babies into their families, or getting ready for upcoming baby showers. Here are some links to some adorable clothes.

http://www.make-baby-stuff.com/baby-...-patterns.html

http://www.make-your-own-baby-stuff....y-clothes.html (diffrent site than the one above, and check out the baby gowns at the bottom)

http://www.squidoo.com/makingbabyclothes (so so site)

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Baby-R...from-a-T-Shirt

http://www.rookiemoms.com/make-some-easy-kids-pants/ (there's a hat pattern at the bottom)

Martha Stewart has a cute baby shower idea here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg3tnvG1Ekk

Another Baby shower idea: http://www.ehow.com/how_5319883_make...othesline.html

And some neat ideas, even if not exactly "baby" themed http://diyfashion.about.com/od/diyfa...u/Clothing.htm

kso

I'm on a baby-jag, too, as we are expecting our first grandchild in NOV. I have a knitting machine and have been knitting like crazy.

Tartan

Have you seen some of the neat stuff to buy for babies now? Almost makes me wish I was pregnant again....NOT! I agree that boutique things are generally pricey but this week I saw an adorable turtle Lovey. It had a green turtle plush head and arms and the 16 inch velour/Minky 2 sided quilted blanket part edged with satin 2 inch binding for only $20. It was beautifully made with quality fabrics and I know I couldn't do as good a job and it would cost more than that for the materials to make it.

crafty pat

Just remember before you buy a lot at once that they out grow them before they get much ware out of them. Relearning that with my youngest DGD.

flhomeschoolmom

Oh, I'm not buying a lot of baby clothes nor do I intend to make a lot of clothes that are a specific size. And the clothes that I did buy are 3-6 month size because my SIL has nothing past newborn. But, she has 27 newborn onsies!!! She said that when people give her baby clothes, they give her newborn clothes but not larger sizes and the baby won't stay in a newborn size long.

quiltmom04

Well, $20 for a handmade outfit is very reasonable I think. When you consider the fabric and supplies, the time it takes to cut and sew, if you sold it for less than that, you'd be lucky to make minimum wage.

Grandma Mary

Thanks so much for all the wonderful links. I just had a baby shower for DS and his wife on Sunday, and one of my other sons is expecting his first baby in October! I'm so exited, and now you've given me a great list of sites to enjoy and plan. After all, I DO have another shower to throw!

Chasing Hawk

My daughter in Oklahoma asks us to buy clothes for her girls one or two sizes bigger.
They grow like weeds.

Bella gets Raiden's hand - me - downs which still look fantastic.

flhomeschoolmom

I'm not saying that it's unreasonable to pay $20 for a handmade outfit. However, when you live in a small farming community it's a long drive to a cute little baby boutique. And, since this is child number 3 that my SIL will be raising (she has a 15 yr. old son, 10 yr. old daughter, and this baby is due in June), she simply doesn't have the extra money to splurge on boutique clothes. And she does end up with a lot of items that her older children can no longer wear. And I end up with a lot of items that my children can no longer wear. My MIL wants her shed cleaned out of all of the clothing that isn't hers, can anyone say TONS of free material.

I figued that I would stitch up some of the easy, cute items from things I have on hand. And if I REALLY enjoy making the clothes, then perhaps a "baby boutique" will open up in the middle of a small farming community when I get a little better at my own patterns for more than just quilts. Hmm...work at home job. Our town has "Town Square Day" once a month and people set up booths to sell things they grow or make. Sort of like a gigantic yardsale.

Peckish

Ha. My youngest NEVER fit a newborn size. He was born a size 3 months. All those cute outfits he never got to wear.... sniff. I ended up consigning them. Too bad it was before I started quilting, I could have made an adorable quilt out of the tops.