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The Sew What’s New Archive

This archived content is from Mary Wilkins’ sewing and quilting message board “Sew What’s New,” which was retired in August 2007. It is being provided by “Sew What’s Up,” which serves as the new home for many members of “Sew What’s New.”
From: pucktricks
Date: 06-14-2006, 11:47 AM (1 of 34)
I have lots of both of these coming up, and was curious, what do you guys like to give for these types of things? Do you have a standard gift that you give, or do you just buy from the registry?

I've figured out for baby showers I like to give a bunch of little things that you may not neccesarily get. I make some receiving blankets (varying sizes, from standard to way oversized), and some matching cloth diapers (I sew a strip on the bottom of flannel that goes with it). I usually include some sippy cups, small bowls, bottle washer, various other things, and a small toy (read in the $3 range that my boys liked).

I have at least 2 bridal showers in the next year, and was trying to think of an interesting present to do for that. I like to do something different that they might not of thought of, but haven't come up with it yet.

So, any thoughts or comments?

Ticia
User: pucktricks
Member since: 03-31-2004
Total posts: 570
From: Bama
Date: 06-14-2006, 01:02 PM (2 of 34)
I like to make a baby quilt for baby showers. I like your idea for the blankets, diapers, and small gifts too.
When a co-worker had a baby a few years ago, I made a baby quilt and everyone else at work bought different gifts. We lined a big wicker laundry basket with the quilt and put the other gifts (toys, diapers, bath products, feeding set, etc., on top of the quilt. It was so pretty we didn't wrap it.

I went to a bridal shower once where someone gave a basket filled with various spices. I thought that was a nice idea for someone who likes to cook. You could add different things to it like kitchen gadgets, a recipe book, dish towels, etc.
I saw an idea somewhere to make a set of napkins for each holiday/season/ or month. You could fold them and put them all in a basket, colander, or large mixing bowl. I've thought about doing this one next time I need a bridal shower gift and make matching towel dress aprons that go over your oven door handle to match each set. It would be a good way to use up holiday fabric that I've found for bargains at the end of each season.
User: Bama
Member since: 03-21-2000
Total posts: 2116
From: Chrysantha
Date: 06-14-2006, 04:15 PM (3 of 34)
I don't go to either...but if I'm sent an announcement, I usually send something.

For children...C L O T H E S...they always need them and they always need different sizes. I buy, shorts/pants and 2-3 shirts to match. Onesies..socks..
t-shirts...maybe a small stuffed toy to decorate the package with..

Weddings...cookbooks...(Barnes and Noble have these small but thick cook books that have a single theme, cookies, salads etc and they're only $20. each) Cooking utensils. (spatulas, spoons, tongs, whisks, can openers, etc).
Pot holders, w/matching towels. (in some cases you can get matching floor mats too). Sheets, quilts, bath towels. Gardening equiptment (rakes, shovels, etc. providing they have a house and like to garden).
Tools, (hammers, screwdrivers/especially the new small rechargeable ones),
wrenches. (you'd be surprised at how many people don't realize they'll need some of this stuff after they're married...if they don't already own it.)

I'm a practical kinda person... :wink:
Chrys
User: Chrysantha
Member since: 09-06-2002
Total posts: 2414
From: Patty22
Date: 06-14-2006, 06:00 PM (4 of 34)
For baby showers I always make a quilt. I've never had a problem with the new mom getting a duplicate :bg: .... since many don't sew, they're always thrilled to get something along this line. I do check the registry to find out what colors and designs they are going with so that the quilt won't seem out of place. (Is there a mini baby-boom going on this year? I've done 5 baby quilts and I'm afraid the year is only 1/2 over...... )

For bridal gifts, I usually stick to the gifts they have picked on the registry. However, if you do go with some kind of kitchen gift basket filled with spices, or cookbook....you could always do placemats and napkins or lined baskets for rolls... :nc: to coordinate with her china/stoneware pattern.
Patty
User: Patty22
Member since: 03-29-2006
Total posts: 1194
From: esrun3
Date: 06-14-2006, 09:33 PM (5 of 34)
For baby showers I do quilts too usually or buy a baby bathtub and do a set based on that theme, rubber duck, shampoos, bath, towels, washcloths. If I buy clothes I tend to buy larger sizes as it seems everyone buys the 0-3 or 3-6 month stuff so by the time the kid is in 6-9 mo clothes he/she doesnt have any! So I go with the bigger stuff.

Bridal showers I usually shop off the list but tend to buy baking items and then I add cookie mixes w/cookie cutters or a cake set, etc.
Lyn
User: esrun3
Member since: 12-02-2004
Total posts: 2345
From: Chrysantha
Date: 06-14-2006, 09:36 PM (6 of 34)
I forgot on the Bridal gifts... KNIVES....good ones...that keep an edge. Even if you can afford only 1 knife...make it a good one..cutting boards to go with.
(JA Henkles, Chicago Cuttlery/Taramontina (sp?) series, the ones with the black bakealite handles...they often have them on sale at better dept stores).
Chrys
User: Chrysantha
Member since: 09-06-2002
Total posts: 2414
From: AndreaSews
Date: 06-14-2006, 09:36 PM (7 of 34)
Baby gifts: I always look at the registry, although I'm sometimes surprised that a new mom-to-be has registered for all sorts of things, but none of them are things they'll need from day to day. You know, this is the "gear" generation, but what about waterproof mattress pads, easy-off jammies for those messes in the night, cabinet locks for safety? So I like to give a bunch of those things, and often get a thank-you that sounds like, "Ohhhh, so THAT's what our lives will be like!!!"
Bridal showers: I tend to go with registry items here. But here's an idea for a sewing project to compliment a registry item, which I'm hoping to try some time soon: casserole tote instructions (http://www.emblibrary.com/EL/elprojects/SimpleProduct_ELP.aspx?CS_ProductID=PR1113&CS_Category=Travel%20Accessories&CS_Catalog=Elprojects) You can purchase a casserole/Corningware item that's on the registry, and then make a tote to keep it warm and carry it. Also, You can use wooden serving utensils as the carrying handles.
Andrea
User: AndreaSews
Member since: 02-18-2005
Total posts: 1007
From: pucktricks
Date: 06-14-2006, 11:58 PM (8 of 34)
I like the casserole tote idea. My S-I-L gave us a store bought one for our wedding or shower or some such and it has been such a great thing, wish I had more. I'll have to try making one.

I'm loving all the ideas people have. This is such a creative bunch. Before I had the boys I made a few baby quilts, but often I don't always have enough time to make one, I guess I could just do the panel quilts...... Or a quick pieced one (previously I've made applique, which seems to take so much longer).

Ticia
User: pucktricks
Member since: 03-31-2004
Total posts: 570
From: Sherri
Date: 06-15-2006, 12:48 AM (9 of 34)
for baby showers I make a blankie with cotton on one side and flannel on the other. sometimes with matching bib or booties

Wedding showers sorta depend on the person.

Sher
My website
User: Sherri
Member since: 02-07-2001
Total posts: 357
From: Magot
Date: 06-15-2006, 02:58 AM (10 of 34)
I had my first baby shower this year - we don't do them in the UK it is a completely foreign idea to us. None of us knew what to do in the slightest - it is common in the work arena to have a whip round and use the money to buy one big item that the couple will need e.g. pram/pushchair/cot for which you take advice from the couple. People are reluctant to give personal gifts to a baby not yet born in case it is bad luck but will buy these and give them as individuals after the event. It seems to our way of thinking that a baby shower (ie give me presents I am pregnant and here is the list) is grasping and avaricious.
For a new baby I always knit (not that many people do these days) - normally knowing when the baby is due I then work out what size it will be (roughly) in the winter months and make a jumper or cardigan that size. I have made pram quilts before now as well. So that was my contribution to the shower - what I would have made anyway - and I did not attend.

Wedding presents - by God, if you stray off the list you are in trouble! Again I hate the idea of defining to the upmost which range of china and size of soup tureen that you simply have to buy, darling. For my daughter's wedding we had things like, china (white), coffee cups (white), sheets (white), bottle of 1984 claret - give people some room for imagination and don't be prescriptive. I like the idea of having tea towels and other less expensive items on the list as well as the "Good Lord, Waterford Crystal ONLY and we will have the ships decanter thanks".

Believe me it was hard enough pinning them down to 'steak knives' and teapot (4 cup) let alone china(white). Amusingly, although I advised people what was and was not on the list china(white) never arrived but cutlery made several appearances.
love and kisses, Jan
Guts-R-Us
Cells a Speciality
DNA to order.
User: Magot
Member since: 12-22-2002
Total posts: 3626
From: DorothyL
Date: 06-15-2006, 06:38 AM (11 of 34)
If it someone I don't really know well I might go with what they register for -- but usually I like to give people something I want them to have.
Dorothy
User: DorothyL
Member since: 12-09-2002
Total posts: 3883
From: Patty22
Date: 06-15-2006, 10:18 AM (12 of 34)
Andrea....the casserole tote is a great idea. My SIL made me one about 25 years ago and I still use it because I love it (one of my favorite presents of all time). Since mine was made with cotton and fleece I will line it with foil to keep the dish hot. I've washed it to death and it has held up really well.

Personally, I hope my kids elope (if and whenever that may be)and put their hard earned money into a home.
Patty
User: Patty22
Member since: 03-29-2006
Total posts: 1194
From: mozeyrn
Date: 06-15-2006, 10:42 AM (13 of 34)
I used to give diapers as a baby shower gift. I would get alot of different sizes (usually Pampers) and ALWAYS put one of those little animal "blanket buddies" on top. Many times I was the only one who gave diapers.
For bridal showers I would sometimes contact the bride-to-be's mom and see if there was anything she wanted that she couldn't put on a directory.
- Maureen.
Learning something new with every stitch!!
Kenmore 16231000
User: mozeyrn
Member since: 11-29-2005
Total posts: 349
From: stephi
Date: 06-15-2006, 11:12 AM (14 of 34)
Ticia,

I hate to say Im cheap, but Im cheap :wink: . We have had 3 baby showers this year and I have two more comming up. 4 girls and one boy. I go through my larger scraps and make a little dress and if I have enough matching underroo (panties). If I dont have a big enough piece I make an outside throw blanket from several left over pieces. I add ribbon to the edges with snaps and loops so they can put toys on it. Its really nice for someone who like to go all the time!! But so far I have made 4 dresses and I am not sure what Im going to make for the boy, his is almost 3 weeks away so I have time. I was thinking a little hawiian shirt but I havent had much luck with a pattern.

For weddings I usually buy something off the registry for the shower or get a gift card and then the actual wedding I buy a nice bottle of wine and make a simple wine cover out of scraps. I have the lady at the mall put thier last name on it for $5 before I sew it together and its always a big hit. They are quick and easy and super duper cheap.

OK yes I am cheap, but home made is cherished while store bought gets replaced. :up:
Stephi

"No body knows what it is that I do until I dont do it"

"if you do what you have always done you will get what you have always gotten"
User: stephi
Member since: 03-17-2006
Total posts: 361
From: DorothyL
Date: 06-15-2006, 01:42 PM (15 of 34)
Stephi --
You are not cheap. You are generous. You not only give the gift but your time and talent to make it.
Unless I know the person well -- I don't really care enough to make something and go out and buy whatever. That is stingy.
Dorothy
User: DorothyL
Member since: 12-09-2002
Total posts: 3883
From: Bama
Date: 06-15-2006, 02:24 PM (16 of 34)
Magot,
It's interesting to hear what you think of baby showers. :wink: I didn't realize you don't usually have them in the UK.

I enjoy giving gifts to friends or relatives at baby and bridal showers, but it's annoying to get an invitation to one for people I barely know. Especially when their registry has mostly pricey items on it. It's really like begging for gifts when they barely know you.
I've received an invitation before and had to ask around to find out who the mother-to-be was. I didn't recognize the name. :dave: Turned out I knew the grandmother but hadn't seen her for years.

My mother has always thought it was tacky to give another shower for a mom-to-be each time she is pregnant, but it's common here now.
One of my sister's friends had a baby shower with all 5 of her kids. You should have heard my mom's thoughts on this, since all the kids were not that far apart.
User: Bama
Member since: 03-21-2000
Total posts: 2116
From: HeyJudee
Date: 06-15-2006, 04:54 PM (17 of 34)
Geez...I've never heard of a "registry" for baby showers :shock:. I usually just buy what I want and don't bother to check a registry. Thank goodness I haven't had any invites to weddings recently. If I did I would probably just give money.

For wedding showers in the past, I usually buy a big mixing bowl or a collander and fill it with all kinds of kitchen gadgets, grapefruit spoons, grapefruit knives, turkey skewers, cooking utensils, etc. Then I usually wrap them up with dish/tea towels (pinned together). Then I decorate with small gadgets like measuring spoons, corn holders, etc.

I've just recently been to two baby showers for my nieces. I made a bag for each and a baby quilt for one but bought a baby seat for the other. I just hate spending money on wrapping paper...so I made a couple of crib sheets for each and used them to wrap the presents. I always buy diaper pins as my "tape" for the wrapping...but it's getting harder and harder to find them. Then I use more baby things to decorate the packages...e.g. rubber bath toys, fork and spoon set, a new type of soother that closes when dropped, etc. I've had lots of comments on my wrapping!! :wink:
TTFN from
Judy
User: HeyJudee
Member since: 01-25-2005
Total posts: 1366
From: Patty22
Date: 06-15-2006, 07:02 PM (18 of 34)
I think baby showers have really changed since I had children. It use to be that your girlfriends would surprise you with a little get-together around someone's kitchen table and they would present you with some special little things for your wee one. It was always very relaxed, not a big production, and just fun for everyone attending (usually everyone would bring a dish). My girlfriend made me a pillow with the letter "V" on it. It was a parody of The Scarlet Letter and intended for David........ after four kids, you think my husband would have gotten the message of what V stood for :shock:

The strangest is the "Jack and Jill" showers where the husbands are invited. This past January we attended one - a brunch, and it was all very lovely, but when the mother-to-be started opening the presents the men in the room all looked zoned out, or terribly bored and worse yet some made terrible jokes. The women looked at each other secretly in horror wondering when their own husband was going to say something tacky. The women loved seeing the little outfits because we could visualize our own little ones when small; we could close our eyes and immediatley melt away 20 years or so; the men just couldn't be bothered. As soon as the gift opening was finished, the party returned to being fun. Hence, I don't think I would go to one of those again!

Some of the gift registries are ridiculous. I was once at a baby shower and the women at the table I was sitting at were commenting how their own weddings weren't even as nice as the production we were attending.

Oh well, as I said before, I always make a baby quilt and that seems to satisfy the new moms.

Judee....great idea about using crib sheets for wrapping!! It only takes 2 yards of fabric for crib sheets and they are very expensive at the stores for what you get. I think I'll add some crib sheets to go with the quilts I make.
Patty
User: Patty22
Member since: 03-29-2006
Total posts: 1194
From: Bama
Date: 06-15-2006, 09:31 PM (19 of 34)
HeyJudee, I love your idea of wrapping too. :up: I might use that one some day if you don't mind. :up:

If anyone wants to read some funny things about bridal or baby showers, look at this....... It seemed like I knew some of those people. :nervous:

www.etiquettehell.com

It made remember about the last wedding invitation that we got. It was for a wedding 4 states away. The invitation was addressed to hubby, me, and both kids. Tucked inside was a separate note that said " ADULT reception immediately following wedding"
HELLO! what were we supposed to do with our kids when 4 states away from home?
User: Bama
Member since: 03-21-2000
Total posts: 2116
From: Sancin
Date: 06-15-2006, 10:15 PM (20 of 34)
I don't get invited to many showers or weddings anymore, but I am with Bama and Dorothy. If I know the person I love shopping for a gift that says them, regardless of the price. I rarely look at registries as they are often at the most expensive shop or the couple have registered something I neither like or approve of (how's that for cranky old lady!). My daughter did her own thing and had various priced things on her list. She told me she got everything on the list. Many of the gift givers were European (and coming a long way to the wedding) or here and not sure of the things to give. Many gave money. I was staying with her as the wedding gifts arrived and saved all the same and very nice ribbon from the store wrap. My daughter was able to discern everything before she opened the boxes. No surprises with gifts which I think is half the fun. I made place mats by weaving the ribbons from the gifts for her. My wedding gift, which is unfinished :shock: is a quilt and a rather large sculpture, something that floored her husband. My favourite gift, if I know or don't know the couple, is a cooking pot of some sorts. I don't believe those matched sets provide all the kind of weights and finishes you need in cooking. As I have some very lovely things that were going around when I was married as well as my mother's things I am considering re-gifting some of them. I have already given some of the unique vases (silver and crystal) as special gifts. I loved some of the antique silver I got when I was married. I do know some young people don't like silver or anything that needs polishing (or special washing like woolen blankets) but I do know some. I am dying to know what my daughter -in-law is eventually going to do with all the stuff I am giving her. For babies, I try and make something, blankets or stuffed toys, if I have time. When at work and we passed the bucket I still made or purchased a little something that related to what I knew of the individual.

How's this for irony - my daughter's dinner plates would not fit in her cupurd and she had to rearrange her whole kitchen! (what a mental block I have on spelling today!!)
*~*~*~* Nancy*~*~*~* " I try to take one day at a time - but sometimes several days attack me at once."
User: Sancin
Member since: 02-13-2005
Total posts: 895
From: Chrysantha
Date: 06-15-2006, 11:24 PM (21 of 34)
What I think is REALLY tacky/nasty is what I read about in Dear Abby...
People who actually TELL you in the invite/announcement to GIVE them MONEY. To pay for the reception, the wedding itself, the honeymoon, their new home, anything they THINK they want money for....
I'm thinking if you ask for money for your wedding, you aren't READY to be married. (and you're tacky, stupid and selfish.... :shock: )

I haven't been to a Jack and Jill shower, but I think it's a B A D idea. Men (if the women are lucky) care about their children, not about anyone elses. I know they don't care about baby clothes and things...
Chrys
User: Chrysantha
Member since: 09-06-2002
Total posts: 2414
From: stephi
Date: 06-16-2006, 02:04 PM (22 of 34)
Thats very interesting about not having a shower.

My baby shower was very small and private, and really my friends went crazy withthe scanner at the babys r us so they where to blame for anything on there. I do have to say I LOVE the hand crocheted blanket that a friends mother made (I called her mom too because she hated Mrs... and I felt wierd calling an 8+ yo woman by her first name) So I completely understand the home made thing being special and I still wrap up in that warm soft blanket!!!

My bridal registry was a joke because I was 26 and lived on my own since I was 18. We wanted new plates and dinner ware but Hechts discontinued the set we registered for a week after we did.

My best guy friend got married and I was the #2 Maid of honor(long story) I didnt really know his bride at the time but I was obligated to help throw a shower and get her something. Becuase I knew him and not her I decided to have some fun with the gift. I went to my local "dicount" store (AJ wright, Ross, Value city) and bought a glass mixing bowl and a rubber spatula. I also picked up some cute underwear and a piece of sexy but practical nighty. Then I hit our X rated store and threw in a couple of other goodies, put it all in the bowl with some curling ribbon, and a gift card to eat out one night. The tag on the top of the whole thing said "cook up some fun on your honeymoon"

It was a huge hit!! To this day she still says it was the best gift ever, and her mother turned beat red :-)

Mission accomplished :up:
Stephi

"No body knows what it is that I do until I dont do it"

"if you do what you have always done you will get what you have always gotten"
User: stephi
Member since: 03-17-2006
Total posts: 361
From: Debby215
Date: 06-16-2006, 02:35 PM (23 of 34)
Hey Andrea, thanks for the cool casserole tote pattern. I tried one that I found online about a year ago and it was a disaster. This one seems much easier to follow. Have you ever used that website for other patterns? Just curious.
Debby
So much fabric....... So little time!!
User: Debby215
Member since: 11-14-2001
Total posts: 611
From: AndreaSews
Date: 06-16-2006, 05:26 PM (24 of 34)
Hi Debbie. No, I haven't tried the casserole tote yet, no any on the site I happened to bump into that site one time, and found the pattern and saved the link. It does look easy, and in fact looks like you could do just as well without a pattern, just by getting the gist of it. Wouldn't you say?
...All this talk about what would really be useful....I'm thinking maybe for the next baby shower I'll buy the couple movie tickets to use--while they still have the chance!!! (Really, it's b/c I just got off the phone with my teeny-bop sitter, who doesn't have the slightest idea why I might need to get a committed Yes or No when I ask her to review her calendar with her parents about a date. ho hum.)
Andrea
User: AndreaSews
Member since: 02-18-2005
Total posts: 1007
From: pucktricks
Date: 06-16-2006, 05:41 PM (25 of 34)
Yeah, it sometimes amazes me too with my Mom on babysitting on getting a firm answer. Also friends who don't have kids, don't always understand the we need a firm plan. The even funnier thing is I run into this with parents who still only have 1 kid (close to our boys age). They make plans for things that are wonderful fun to go to with just you (the Mom) and the kid, if you have ONE. Now, me with two, I just think they're nuts, because mine will run off in two different directions, and I won't be able to monitor them. Oh well, it's crazy.

Ticia
User: pucktricks
Member since: 03-31-2004
Total posts: 570
From: LeapFrog Libby
Date: 06-16-2006, 06:54 PM (26 of 34)
I have a casserole pattern that I dearly love and it is a Kwik Sew pattern.. I will see if I can find the # .. The pattern is years old and I do not know how long they keep that kind of pattern.. It is so easy to make . Takes quilted fabric and bias tape, 2 buttons, and some cord for a drawstring.. Can be made in 1 and 1/2 hrs. by a slowpoke like me.. I'll look for the #..
Sew With Love
Libby
User: LeapFrog Libby
Member since: 05-01-2002
Total posts: 2022
From: AndreaSews
Date: 06-16-2006, 08:41 PM (27 of 34)
Here's the Kwiksew pattern casserole cover (http://www.kwiksew.com/Cold_Fusion/catalog/Frame_New.cfm) It's a little bit different from the other one, but both look like fun. Thanks Libby!
Andrea
User: AndreaSews
Member since: 02-18-2005
Total posts: 1007
From: megasew
Date: 06-17-2006, 12:04 PM (28 of 34)
For weddings, I usually make my own picnic basket. I get a nice basket, make or buy a small tablecloth and cloth napkins, nice reusable plates and wine glasses. I also enclose a corkskrew, nice small bottle of wine( two glasses worth and silverware all for two. Add a romantic CD and a card that tells them to save this for their first anniversary and or after the birth of their first child.
For babies, I like to add a seperate little item for any siblings. The mom-to-be gets a nice large covered chine cup or mug as new moms are chronically forced to drink lukewarm and sometimes even cold coffee. Make sure the cup has no metal trim and is micro-safe if possible. As for the new little one, I like to make a Lucky Wrap. This is shaped like a four-leaf clover and reversible( I use flannelette on one side, washable fabric on the other. The baby can be easily swaddled in this as the bottom can be folded up and the side "flaps" folded over the baby when it is placed in the center with its head on the top "leaf" This is an old pattern from Crafts Plus Magazine, which is now unfortunately out of business. Good thing I kept eh :smile:
User: megasew
Member since: 09-02-2004
Total posts: 8
From: Laurie H
Date: 06-17-2006, 08:05 PM (29 of 34)
I've had some nieces get married in the past few years and they always get a lap size quilt from me for their bridal shower. If it's someone else in the family or a friend of the family, I make them a home-made basket and fill it with something like things for the bath or kitchen.

I just went to a bridal shower for a former Girl Scout of mine and I gave her one of my favorite baskets. I put in 2 heavy mugs, linen napkins with napkin rings and just for fun, added some candy in the mugs. Since most people know I make baskets, what's in the basket doesn't matter as much.

For baby showers, it's usually a baby quilt. I just love making baby quilts anyway and love having an excuse to make one. If the shower is for a close relative, I often add a baby sweater I've made or some little things the mom might need.

I hardly ever check registries because not many people in our area use one. The stores are too few and far between for shoppers to get to them.
User: Laurie H
Member since: 05-07-2006
Total posts: 40
From: MariLynntex
Date: 06-19-2006, 11:13 AM (30 of 34)
you here on my favorite site! My columns are archived here. If you're interested, click on Behind the Seams on the home page and it will take you to a list with my picture at the top. MariLynntx
User: MariLynntex
Member since: 01-05-2006
Total posts: 107
From: LeapFrog Libby
Date: 06-19-2006, 05:55 PM (31 of 34)
I like to give decorated dish towels if I know the bride well enough to know her taste.. Otherwise I check the registry.. For the babies I make 2 or 3 receiving blankets , 3 washcloths, 2 Lib's Bibs, and if the Mom-to-be is close enough to me, I put the gift in a plain old recycled bag and add another blanket and put on the note that I would rather give her another blanket than spend money on ribbon, paper and a card to be thrown away afterward.. They always Love that..Sometimes I give a quilt instead, and just add the bibs and washcloths..
Sew With Love
Libby
User: LeapFrog Libby
Member since: 05-01-2002
Total posts: 2022
From: stephi
Date: 06-20-2006, 10:15 AM (32 of 34)
Im at that age where all my friends are getting married or having kids sooo.

A fun game to play at any shower is the envelope game.

WHo ever throws the shower gets thank you cards (enough for all the guests) she/he hands out the envelopes and has every one write thier name and address on the card in the center then you collect them all up and draw one out. that person wins a prize!! This get the thank yous started fot the bride or new mommy. All of my friends request this game at thier showers and The left over thank yous can be part of your gift to them. I usually stick them in with what ever I Give them with a little note not to bother sending me one I already know what they look like.

Great gift for expecting moms also is when you have a sign up sheet at the shower for a night of the week after the baby is born to bring over dinner. It doesnt have to be home made or served on fine china, just something to make sure that the new parents eat and dont have to fuss with dishes and cooking. My Best friend loved this!! She said it was so great since the baby was up all night and pretty much all the time, she wasnt sure she would have been able to boil water, and she was so consumed by the baby and sleeping that she just forgot to eat. :bg:

So if you have any showers to throw.... :wink:
Stephi

"No body knows what it is that I do until I dont do it"

"if you do what you have always done you will get what you have always gotten"
User: stephi
Member since: 03-17-2006
Total posts: 361
From: Magot
Date: 06-20-2006, 12:27 PM (33 of 34)
We tend to do that at Church - have a rota for who is bringing over dinner for 2 weeks - with some juggling (ie if Dad is home for 2 weeks ) it cn mean you don't have to cook, watch baby and older siblings for up to a month!

Sadly this fashion only started after I had long finished producing and before paternity leave was actually a legal requirement.
love and kisses, Jan
Guts-R-Us
Cells a Speciality
DNA to order.
User: Magot
Member since: 12-22-2002
Total posts: 3626
From: lizzybugsmommy
Date: 06-21-2006, 08:23 PM (34 of 34)
I usually make burp cloths with flannel from the dollar rack. You can never have enough of these. I embroider name or cute animal on it. I some times make a small diaper bag for church or a short outting with a small changing pad and a case made for the travel size wipe container. For weddings I do either a pillow with design thier name and date or initials on it. I will also put a last name initial on two sets of towels or sheet and pillow case set. These are quick and easy and not very expensive.
I just love all the ideas from this site I would not know what to do without all of you. I hope one day I can help some of you the way you have helped me.
THank you so much to everyone. Catherine
Catherine

http://www.photoworks.com/share/shareSignin.jsp?shareCode=A0E42A2C202&cp=ems_shr_a lb_pml&cb=PW




Husbands gone fishing..... I've gone fabric shopping
User: lizzybugsmommy
Member since: 05-20-2006
Total posts: 207
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