Sewing For Baby, Part 4: Toys

There are so many baby toys on the shelves that you might wonder if it really makes sense to make your own. After all, you can buy plastic toys that are brightly colored and light up and ones that talk. Or you can go the more natural approach and buy toys that are hand crafted from wood by family owned businesses. Some people (myself included) have a worry in the back of their minds about toys produced in China containing lead or other harmful toxins. However, I can buy toys produced in Germany under good working conditions and strict quality control standards. So why would I bother making toys?

There are many answers to this question, but the one that springs to my mind first is "tradition". When I was a kid my granddad made my sister and I cars for our Barbies out of wood, empty shoe polish tins and old lids. My mom made us dinosaurs out of scraps leftover from various projects and remnants (I'm assuming). My dad helped me make a swing in the back yard and let my sister and I build things with scrap wood. One of my earliest memories of my mom sewing was when she was working on a larger version of the ball you see to the left. The ball was probably about 6" across and belonged to my little sister. It had some of the neatest fabrics, various scraps that went together to make a pleasing whole. As a kid I always thought this ball was really neat, not just because it was neat in and of itself, but because my mom was clever enough to make it. I would love it for my children to remember me that way.

This alludes to a second reason to make toys for your children. Even the simplest toys are special when they are made with love. Add a dose of creative play and special memories are created. Even a simple gauze swaddle blanket, made at home because Target didn't have them for sale when we needed them, can become a fun toy. We use ours to play peek-a-boo, build forts, provide shade and act silly. I can only imagine how much more fun we will have as my daughter gets older and starts playing pretend. The best part is that since I made it myself I was able to pick colors like coral, melon and kelly green that are so saturated that they are fun in and of themselves. I love that they things that I make to fill my need to be creative can help my daughter fill hers.

Another reason to make your own toys is that you can make something that can't be found in stores. My daughter is small for her age which means she has small hands. When she reached the stage where she wanted to grab, hold and toss toys they were all too big for her hands. I found a pattern for this puzzle ball in Last-Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts and realized it fit the bill perfectly. I checked out a copy from the library and was able to use the instructions and scraps from old projects to make this ball for free. The ball is big enough to have some real substance, while still having surfaces that can be grabbed with small hands. Add to that the bright colors (or make it in black and white for a young baby) and it is a real hit.

The final reason to make your own toys is, obviously, cost. Good toys are expensive and even cheap toys add up quickly. While I definately try to limit the number of toys my daughter has and only offer a few at a time so that they stay interesting and engaging, the cost still adds up. Given a choice I would rather she play with sturdy toys that aren't going to break. Toys that are not made in sweat shops, but instead giving what money I do spend to companies that treat their workers with respect and provide them with a living wage and safe working conditions. I want toys that are made by someone who cares, not by the lowest bidder. These toys cost more and for good reason. Unfortunately, I can only afford so many and my daughter does need enough to keep her entertained and stimulated. I don't want her to feel that she has to sacrifice because of my ideals so I make up the difference as best I can and she seems to like the arrangement. If she seems to be really drawn to a given fabric I use some in a toy that she can play with. I focus on how special each individual toy is instead of on how many she has or doesn't have. This is the balance that works for us. What about you? What kind of toys do you buy for your babies and children? Do you think about the impact that those toys have or how your child will receive them? Do you try to teach lessons through play or do you feel it is better to let your child discover them on their own? I'd love to hear the thoughts of anyone who has time to answer.

Sewing For Baby, Part 1: Making Time

I talked last time about how great sewing baby stuff is. Even as a kid I remember some of the wonderful things that people made for me. I still have the sweaters my mom knit me when I was a kid and am waiting for my daughter to be old enough to wear them too. I still curl up under my baby quilt when I'm feeling really crummy. My sister loved one sweater so much that she has knit an adult version for herself. I only hope that my daughter will love the things that I make her as much as I loved the things that my mom made for me.

The only real problem with making things is that they take a long time. Even a fast project takes an hour or two and slower projects may take weeks or even months. So where does a busy mom (or anyone else) find the time? The real answer is that you have to make it. Do you watch TV or ride in the car when someone else is driving? This is a great time for anything that doesn't take lots of equipment or electricity. I have sewn by hand, stuffed toys and knit entire afghans (as well as socks, sweaters, booties and soakers) in the car or watching my husband play video games in the evening. By using these times for the handwork you free up the normal downtime in your day for the part of sewing that requires cutting, ironing or using a machine.

Another big time-saver is having a dedicated space. This is something that I learned watching my mom. She had an actual sewing table so her sewing machine was always out. She didn't need to take 10 minutes to clear off the kitchen table, 5 more to set-up the sewing machine and a few more to dig out her project, by which time she would be needed elsewhere. Everything was set-up and ready to go. Sometimes stuff would get stacked up on the sewing table, especially if my sister and I had been rough on our clothes lately, but the sewing machine was there and ready. Over the years I have gone back and forth on having a dedicated space. When I was a teenager I set aside part of my bedroom as a sewing space, but as a college student my sewing machine frequently lived in the closet only to be used when I pulled it out for a specific project. This of course meant that my poor roommates had to work, and eat around my sewing until I got to a stopping place and could pack it up again. I still have unfinished projects from this era because out of sight is out of mind. With memories of this I asked my husband that wherever we lived once we had kids that I have a space for my sewing. I felt this was fair because as a stay-at-home-mom (SAHM) sewing and such was part of the job I assigned myself. If he gets an office at work, I should get something like it at my work. This space has allowed me to take full advantage of the time that I do get for sewing. I can run to my sewing room as soon as the baby is down for her nap and work until she wakes up. I have been known to leave a project in the machine mid-seam with the needle down and the machine off because she has woken suddenly and needed me. Because I have a dedicated space I don't have to worry if I don't get another minute to clean up before dinner, I can just close the door and know that my project will be waiting the next time I get a chance to work on it. I am lucky enough to have a room, but anywhere that you can set-up a sewing machine and an ironing board can be used. Both my mom and my aunt used a corner of the formal dining room (this is nice because you have a big table to cut stuff out on that is rarely used). I have seen laundry rooms and basements set-up for sewing. Guest bedrooms and a corner of a large master bedroom are also options. At one point I even ran an extension cord into a walk-in closet and set my machine up on a small table. Look at your space and think creatively, if you really want to sew a dedicated space is really worth it.

Think too about the times that you aren't specifically needed. If you have everything organized and ready you can do a lot during a 45 minute nap. After everyone else is in bed or before the baby wakes up in the morning can be useful times as well. With older children you don't need to watch them every second so if your sewing space is located where you can still keep tabs on them you can work while they play. Also, take advantage of "Daddy time". My daughter loves playing with my husband and I take advantage of this time to sew, cook, clean or read. If I want to watch them play I generally try to have my knitting to work on at the same time. At this point I've been doing it long enough I don't have to look at what I'm doing for simple projects so I can watch them play and talk. If you really want to, look critically at your home and your day and try to find all the little bits of space and time that you can devote to creating things. I love the feeling of accomplishment that I get every time I see my daughter playing with a toy or wearing an outfit I made. I love how clever I feel when I pull on a sweater against the cold that I created with my own two hands, a couple sticks and a few balls of yarn. Making things isn't something that happens as much as it used to which makes the things we do still make very special. Make something special for the ones you love, and don't forget that that includes yourself. Make the time to create something tangible, something new that wouldn't exist if you weren't here. Think about the ego boost that that can be on a bad day. :)