{I LOVE OWL} Taggies!

Yesterday, I posted some baby {girl} shower eye candy.  To check that out click here. See...there is a baby factory going on around me {and I kinda want in...but only the baby part, not the pregnant part}.  I am also WAY overdue for a sewing project and found myself in the fabric store browsing for inspiration. It was love at first sight with this owl print. Instant fabric chemistry. I found some owl ribbon too and taggies flooded my mind. Simple enough for a beginner like me...YES YES and YES!!! I made three that night! {Five if you count the one where I sewed the tags inside and the one where I sewed the fabric backwards.}

It wasn't long before I found myself cheating on the owl print and back in the fabric store where I found some cute girly prints that matched the Boppy and cover I bought for Stephanie.  AND some boy fabric for my brother and his GF who also have a baby {boy} due in the spring. I suddenly found myself with enough fabric & ribbon to make enough taggies for a small village. Oh well, at least I'll be prepared for the month of March {three more baby showers!!!}

For the owl taggies I bought:
{taggies are mini-baby blankets with tags sticking out of the sides for baby to play with and chew}

1/2 yard brown puckered fabric {there must be a more technical term, right?}
1 yard of the cute cotton owl print
3 spools of ribbon - owls, pink, and green

I have:
sewing machine
pins
brown thread

That's it! And they were REALLY easy to make and turned out SO cute!

Let's get started...



I cut my fabric into 10 inch squares. One of each. Lay the puckered fabric right side up and pin the ribbons (about 4 inch lengths) folded in half, facing the middle of the fabric. It helps to have the pins facing the direction below so they are easy to remove as you sew.

WARNING! I admit - my first go at this wasn't at all perfect. I pinned and sewed the ribbons facing outward, instead of inward, like this:

I mean, I completely finished the taggie, and sewed the tags into the middle of the thing. Whoops! But now I've guaranteed that you won't make that mistake, right?  And here's where I made another mistake, so listen closely...

Then you are going to lay the other square of fabric on top so the two sides you want on the outside will be facing one another while you sew. Pin that into place. {Pins facing same direction as the ribbon pins, see below.}

By the way, it kinda looks like an ice cream sandwich, doesn't it? I love ice cream sandwiches!

Then you are going to start to sew! Since I write for beginners like me, you will need to lift the presser foot and insert your fabric. Lower the presser foot and secure the fabric by forward stitching about an inch, reversing an inch, and then off you go! Be sure you are sewing on the fabric and over the ribbons so nothing comes loose once you are done.

When you get to the corners - you will stop when your needle is in the fabric. {If not, you can use your handreel to get it there.} Lift the presser foot and then pivot your project 90 degrees, lower the presser foot again, and keep sewing. Make sure you are removing pins as you go, and keeping the fabrics together. If you have a lead sewing foot, ease up for this project so you don't bunch up the fabric along the way.

Towards the end of the fourth side, you will want to leave a small opening so that you can flip it inside out, like this:

NOW it's starting to look like something, huh? Maybe a PROFESSIONAL piece? I think so!

After you've flipped it inside out, pull {or push from the inside} the corners out . Next, we are going to pin that hole shut and then make a pretty stitch around the taggie to secure the hole and give it a finishing touch.

I stitched about 1/4 of an inch around the border. Be sure to go slow & close the hole with this last stitch. You will need to guide the fabric carefully through the presser foot to keep the taggie from bunching up.

Cut your loose threads and that's it! A cute taggie! They are WAY cuter than the ones you can buy at your BIG BOX Baby Stores! I gave one to Stephanie and sent one of these for my other SIL who just found out she is having a baby GIRL this summer! {So many babies, do I have you confused???}

It was so fun for me to make a gift that that makes the registry gift all the more personal :) I wish I could share with you all of the BEAUTIFUL things she received that were handmade by her family - they are a talented group of ladies!!!

Shared with:

Just a Little Creativity
House of Hepworths
Crafty Scrappy Happy
Embracing Change
Fingerprints on the Fridge
Family Ever After
Tatertots & Jello
Serendipity & Spice
Destination: Craft
I Should Be Mopping The Floor
Craftionary
School House Scraps