my handmade baby shower gifts.

today i attended a baby shower for my friend kristina. i work with kristina at eagle creek, and she is one of the sweetest, kindest people i have ever met. all the girls from the shop (and a few regulars!) gathered tonight to celebrate kristina and her baby boy, who's due in just six weeks.

kristina recently asked me to make new covers for her rocking chair cushions. they go on a rocking chair in her baby's room. it was my first attempt at cushion covers, and i think they turned out pretty well. i gave them to her today as a shower gift (also: some really cute bibs including one with hedgehogs on it. yes, hedgehogs). i thought about documenting the creation process, but i just have photos of the finished product.

the whole thing:

there are three separate pieces -- a seat cushion, back cushion, and head pillow.

a little bit of a close-up:

 i attached ties to the top corners of the back cushion so it will be secure on the rocking chair.

the ties:

believe it or not, this was one of the trickiest parts of this entire project.

a pillow close-up:

the head pillow is attached to the back cushion with velcro. i used velcro on all three cushions so that each part of the cover would be removable in case they need to be washed.

velcro on the seat cushion:

i decided to go with velcro instead of zippers because it's been probably 12 or 13 years since i've attempted a zipper, and i didn't want to mess it up.

velcro on the bottom of the back cushion:

this part is completely hidden behind the seat cushion in the chair.

i was also inspired to add a little more tarabee-ness to my gift wrap. the theme for kristina's baby's room is a vintage airplane / travel theme, so i decided to go with that. here's what i came up with:

all bagged up: 

this is the finished product. i made the plane out of felt leftovers and attached a card made from brown paper and a felt heart. (and i used my new typewriter to type the message inside!)

airplane close-up:

i drew and cut out the plane first, then added the blue decorations and red flight tail. i used hot glue to stick it to the bag.

my next project is to make curtains from the same fabric that the rocking chair cushions are made of. i've made plenty of curtains, but i've never made a valance. i have some ideas to make it look a little more professional than some i've made in the past. i can't wait until they're finished. maybe i'll get to see the baby's room sometime soon, too!