Question for moms who crafted during pregnancy

[stellato_escuro]

So my husband and I are in baby mode. Of course one of the first things on my mind is "I'm gonna make bibs and a blanket and stuffies and a diaper bag and a mobile and bedding and refinish a crib and and and..." Lucky for me, I already know this is insane.

Question for all you ladies is...how did you decide what you were going make and what you were going to skip? And what projects did you find most irritating or frustrating? Like is trying to crochet with a giant belly a big pain?

I do have 3 grandmothers who will probably all make blankets, and a mom who will sew whatever she wants. I also plan on staying at work full time as long as possible. I just figure if I weed out the list now, I can make a few things really well and buy the rest on Etsy.

Thanks for the input ladies!

[PepperSprout]

unless you have your heart set on making a quilt, don't bother making a blanket.  I have two kids and about a billion baby blankets--most handmade!  They are a favorite gift to give, so I would concentrate on something else.

I chose to concentrate on making the coming home outfit.

[Momma2FIVEgirls]

I too would stay away from blankets, I assure you that you will be getting some. If you want to crochet, what about whipping up little hats or booties, something small that you can do easily.
If planning on sending announcments I would try to get those going, for DD 4 we did this, even though we didn't know the sex by finishing everything but the name, date, weight.
Also now is the time to get everything organized and baby proofed at home. Are you doing any theme for the room? Work on that if not done.
Don't take on too much, and the last few days of your pregnancy try to spend some time with just Daddy - it'll be the last time you'll be alone for a while. 

[Selnith]

i haven't had kids yet but i figured i'd butt in anyhow, you'll get blankets and most likely clothes by the ton, so i say concentrate on the little things, booties, mits, hats bibs, things that won't take long but you will need
and don't forget to craft for you too
my mam's friend started learning to knit when she found out she was pregnant, she made herself a matching set of hat, scarf, gloves and bag, her reasoning was, the baby gets mountains of stuff, mam gets some flowers so she made herself a present and something that she can keep as a momento of that time

[b2j2fitz]

I agree with the blanket sentiments.  Although, if there is a type of blanket that you want to make sure you get, go ahead and make it.  Most grown ups love the feeling of sheets in bed but we always make these heavy blankets for babies.  My mom made my first baby a set of flat sheet blankets.  I love these!  They're great for summer babies.  I am pregnant (5 weeks!) with my third and the thing I want the most is a nice, modern diaper bag that doesn't look like a diaper bag.  I want to use it after the baby's grown.  That's first on my list to make.  I have a few other baby gifts to make for some friends so I'm just gonna be happy if I can finish my own diaper bag!!!  Ok...if I were you I would stick to things that are keepsake type of things.  A whole outfit, christening/dedication gown...or anything that YOU are just dying to have. 

BTW...if any of you ladies and gents have some great useful ideas or keepsake ideas for baby gifts please send them on!

[Tangerine_Dreams]

Well, for me it all depended on what we decided for the baby.  We decided to cosleep (with a cosleeper), so we won't be using a crib, so crib bedding is out.

I'll be making bibs, I've already finished my quilt top, and a doll to match the quilt.  Other than that, I'm playing it by ear!  I really want to knit either a hat or booties too, but it's warm and I hate knitting while it's warm!

[amybarnett]

We are not even planning on having a baby for at least a year but I am already starting to make some things. Cloth diapers and leg warmers, a diaper bag, burp cloths, sweaters and hats. No blankets or stuffies for me either!

[eternallyeve]

I too had a wonderful list that was all but discarded! I made a few stuffies, and some booties and hats but my main and most important projects were cot sheets and refinishing the chest of drawers. I was given some plain cotton double bed sheets (fitted and flat) and discovered that my cot matress was exactly half of the double bed fitted sheet yay! I just cut them in half and made two new fitted corners, added some more elastic and viola!

Honestly, you will probably be gifted a ton of clothes and blankets. Concentrate on something you can do with a big tummy that is a memoir. I made some cloth nappies too but I quickly got sick of them and had little idea just how big my baby would be anyway. Plus, I didn't even look at cloth nappies for months after the baby was born, I was far too tired and getting in the swing of being a mum to concentrate on washing all those nappies!

[riosan]

i am due in two weeks...and i cant even begin to tell you how much stuff i have made 

i made boppy covers (the ones in the stores are so ugly!), burp cloths, hats, i did make blankets - but thats for when he is older (joann had a sale on snuggle flannel so i couldnt resist).

i still have a laundry list of things that i want to make...but i am running out of time i really need to make some bibs and i want to make some binky leashes...

i didnt make booties cause i never put them on my son when he was a baby - but i did buy a pattern off etsy for the cutest little shoes to sew..

[lbaptiste]

My mom is coming up in a few hours and we are getting started tonight!  I am due two months from today.

So far, I have nearly completed a cross-stitched birth record (my mom will take it with her and add the name, date and weight after we have the baby).

My mom and I will be making:

Curtains, crib sheets, crib skirt, crib bumper, changing pad (since our changing table is a weird shape and standard sized pads don't fit), laundry bags for the back of the door next to the changing table.

If we have time, we will try:

A type of diaper stacker that hangs on the wall and also can hold powders, lotions, and other baby things that might be needed when changing the baby; If we get a used glider chair and ottoman off of craigslist, we might have to recover the cushions to match the nursery; we are thinking about covering several cardboard boxes with matching fabric so that we can keep all of the little hats, socks, etc organized!; we are framing photos of the loved ones that live far away and hanging them over the crib so the baby can always see them;

I'm sure I will think of other things that I want to do, but it will depend on the amount of time that I have between now and the birth!