Thursday, February 19, 2015

A New Activity Gym for Our Little Laddie

My first homemade activity gym left me hankering for more -- and when the mat from the first one began to disintegrate (thanks to my less-than-ideal piecing), I had the perfect excuse to remake it! I stayed with a woodland theme, but took the opportunity to change the style a bit.




First, I decided to opt for a square mat this time. I'm not exactly sure why, but I do feel it might offer a bit more room for the baby and will be more functional if I want to use it with the gym arches.




I found some darling fox-and-owl fabric at JoAnn's, which I combined with stash mocha linen ($1 thrifted jacket), a brown quatrefoil cotton, and a sage dot cotton.





I added toy tethers between some of the squares, which means toys will be less likely to end up all over the rest of the floor! That was one thing I really regretted omitting from my original mat.


This is actually my first (too-short) attempt for the crinkle teether, but it will get some use, after all!

I had leftover fabric, so why not make a support pillow, too? It's sort of a "mini Boppy," (hopefully) perfect for tummy time or a little bit of propping. I've seen these in some retail activity gyms and thought it looked like a good idea.




Some of the toys from my last gym are still going strong...





... but I decided to update a few. Namely, a little owl in the mocha linen. Oh, and I added bronze-colored KAM snaps to the ribbons so that toys would be easier to attach.




I couldn't resist a little more fun! I was actually in need of a few drool bibs and a new pacifier tether, so it worked out beautifully! I tried out one of my new enamel pacifier clips -- I like them so much better than the metal suspender clips I usually use.




A few details from the bib -- a copper snap, and a totally pointless linen pocket!




And here's the reverse of the bib:




Now to while away the weeks (days?) until these can actually be put to good use!


8 comments:

  1. Hi Shannon
    Amazing as always!! You are so talented! Lucky you
    Wishing you good luck and happiness on your new
    adventure. May God watch over you and protect you and your lovely
    family.
    Irene

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    1. Irene,

      Thank you so much for your kind words and well wishes! As I've started to tell people when they find out that I sew, "it's cheaper than therapy!" Well, *maybe* cheaper.... ;-)

      Blessings,
      Shannon

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  2. Shannon,

    You did a terrific job! I love the quilted base. Such a great idea. My sister has loaned me her activity gym, but it is missing a few critters (her son hide them when they moved last spring). When I have a chance I should try making a few new animals before returning it, as she is expecting a baby in July. : ) I really like the owl you made, so sweet!

    -Sarah

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    1. Thank you, Sarah! I'm interested to see how the square mat works out, versus the round mat I made last time -- not that I think there's likely to be a significant difference. :-) I love your idea of making a few replacement animals for the borrowed activity gym! What a fun little "thank you!"

      Blessings,
      Shannon

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  3. How very timely as I was just looking at your tutorial again to make one for my expected little one - I've had the instructions pinned for awhile. Love the updated version!

    ~Angela R

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    1. Thank you, Angela! Perfect timing, indeed. :-) Congrats on your little-one-on-the-way!

      Blessings,
      Shannon

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  4. Looks great! I recently found your original tutorial on Pinterest, and just bought the hula hoops yesterday to try to make one myself! I'm glad I clicked through to your main page, since I was thinking that snap loops for the toys would be a good idea-- I have some little felt ornaments that my mom made in preparation for my baby shower, and they already have loops at the top, so they'd be harder to attach otherwise. And now I get to see what that looks like! Also, congrats on the new baby!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Becky! I hope you enjoy making your own! What a great idea to use the ornaments your mom made. I just spent way more time than I was intending reading your blog. :-)

      And thank you for the congratulations! Congrats yourself on your coming little one!

      Blessings,
      Shannon

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