baby sewing part 1

It's crazy for me to realize this, but It's only been a little over 4 months since I sat down and decided to learn to sew with a sewing machine! The first day I managed to continually jam the needle and bobbin, break a few needles and lose a screw inside the sewing machine. Since then, I've been on a pretty constant sewing spree. Most recently I've been focusing on baby items.

I've been making all sorts of baby things for the baby, but I really wanted to make something for mom. After some browsing, I finally came across the idea of a necklace that is friendly for babies, but made for mom to wear - a cloth covered beaded necklace with knots. The idea is that the baby can grab at it and not pull anything off of it and it's soft enough that it doesn't immediately choke mom. Also, since the beads are unfinished wood covered in fabric, they are teething friendly.

I generally used the directions over at a bit of sunshine. It was very straightforward. I was, however, rather paranoid. Of course things were washed before being assembled. I also threaded the beads onto a hemp cord so that even if one of the bead pockets was ripped open, the bead wouldn't simply fall out. The cord is knotted into the knots between the beads, so it's pretty secure. The whole thing is also double stitched. I suppose I could have done double layers of fabric, but I guess you have to call it good at some point. It's still not something that would be suitable as a baby toy that can be left to play with alone... just a baby friendly piece of jewelery for mom that doesn't necessarily scream out "I'm wearing a baby toy on my neck!!!"