DIY Babylegs {Guest Post from Courtney}

We are excited to introduce you to one of our newest blog friends, Courtney from Bowdenisms. I found her adorable blog a few weeks ago when I was putting together my Gallery Wall Inspiration, and I have been scouring it ever since for more ideas! We've shared some of our favorites at the end of this post :) She is super creative and fun, and we're thrilled to have her here today, sharing an easy diy project with us...

Hi there! I'm delighted to be guest posting on My Sister's Suitcase today, sharing what just might be the world's easiest {and most adorable} DIY project. Seriously. The cuteness-to-effort ratio is off the charts... And with that statement, so is my dorkiness quotient apparently.

 

Anyway, let me just get this out of the way first-- BabyLegs, or baby leg warmers, or really long footless socks for infants...whatever you prefer to call them, are not exactly new news. They've been around for years, and the idea to make them isn't exactly original either (aren't you glad you're here? Wait...stick around! It'll be worth it, I promise!) When I started making my own, I had no real plans to share my tips with "the masses". But when I posted a picture on Instagram of my daughter Piper rockin' her first homemade pair of 'legs, I got a ton of questions about them. So I figured there might be more people out there who need some fuzzy legged cuteness in their life...and I'm more than happy to assist!

The first step is the fun part- shopping! You'll need one pair of adult knee socks (and by one pair, I obviously mean one cart full). I'm a fan of Target- theirs are $2.50 a pair, and are often on clearance for as low as 75 cents! Easy, cute and cheap? Trifecta of crafting.

Once you have your supplies, you're ready for the official Blow Your Mind With Cuteness-Return On Effort-Investment steps to make your very own babylegs:

 

1. Start with a pair of adult knee socks.

2. Cut off the heel and toe (you can toss these scraps), leaving you with two straight pieces per leg.

3. Flip the foot pieces inside out and sew down the length of each, about 3/4" from the edge. (this will give you a narrower piece to act as a cuff for the ankle).

4. To form the cuff, fold each foot piece in half, inside itself, with right sides out.

5. Rotate the cuffs so they're upside-down, with the cuff seams towards the inside of the ankles. Insert the leg pieces inside the cuffs, and line up the cut edges. Sew around the edges to attach.

6. Trim your threads, flip the cuffs down and you're done! (Don't worry if they're not perfect. They're babylegs...for babies. People will be too busy staring at your child's brightly colored leg rolls to critique your sewing prowess.)

 

Step 7?

Repeat, repeat, repeat (repeat, repeat, repeat)!

Seriously, that's it! Honestly typing it even sounds harder than it is...If you can sew a semi-straight line, you can do this. BUT, in case any of you share my tendency to make even the simplest of ideas way more complicated than necessary, I'll throw out some bonus tips for those perfectionists in the group...

 

Tip #1:
Because the cuff pieces are smaller around than the leg pieces, you'll have

to stretch them a little as you're sewing to make them line up without bunching.

Don't bother with pins- that's more trouble than it's worth. Just extend the

cuffs a bit as you go so that the leg part lines up flat. Again- no one

will notice if it's not perfect, but adding the cuff keeps them tighter

around little ankles, and allows babies to toddle around without droopy

fabric in the way.

Tip #2:

If you're working with patterns, some can be harder to line up

than others. Dots are pretty forgiving, but stripes are a little

tougher. You can adjust which way you orient the cuff to try to get the

stripes to match up as well as possible. Proof? Scroll back up to the photo

for step 6- the left leg looks great...the right leg? Not so much. I should have

flipped my cuff before sewing and checked that they matched to make it more

seamless looking... But did you notice before I pointed it out? Probably not,

and once they're all bunched up on a wiggly little leg, no one will be the wiser.

Tip #3: One variation: I love the pop color trim that some socks have originally, but I wasn't loving the bright pink on the black and white socks I picked up (a little too Toddlers and Tiaras for my taste...no judgement HoneyBooBoo!) So I just cut the foot pieces in half and made two sets of narrower cuffs- one for the top and one of the bottom of the leg pieces.

So as you can see...it can get a bit addicting...Don't blame me if you find yourself up to your ears in 'legs. (actually...totally blame me, but in that good "I'm so glad we're friends that share a relatively harmless addiction" kind of way.)

 

And that's all she I wrote. Thanks for having me, Nat and Holly! You are all always welcome at my neck of the woods for more projects, musings, and (in my biased opinion) general baby adorableness.

xoxo,

Courtney

P.S. Small warning: Not everyone loves baby legs all the time. Just keepin' it real.

Thanks Courtney! This last picture is hilarious... we've all been there, haha :) There are so many great projects on Courtney's blog, Bowdenisms. Here are a few of our favs:

1. Chic Nursery 2. Chalk Gallery Wall 3. Monthly Milestones  4. Cabinet Makeover 5. Prom Party Photo Booth {love your sense of humor girl! This party was classic!} Make sure to stop over at Courtney's and leave her some blog comment love :)

We'll be back Friday with an easy $5 project and an update on baby girl's gallery wall!

 

 

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