Welcome to the first in our Sewing for Baby Video Series! I will be adding a video on my YouTube Channel each Friday with a new sew-along. for the next several weeks. You can find all of the Sewing for Baby Tutorials here. Together we will be sewing a lovely baby layette. Make sure to sign up for the newsletter to be notified as each new video is posted. Here is a fun and easy free set of Mama and Baby Duck Appliques that can be used in several ways. I have used this method to adorn the bottom of a little girl's jumper and have added the Mama Duck to a purchased baby blanket. Below is a video as well as photo tutorial to walk you though the steps. The photos show a more precise way to transfer the pattern, and the video shows a quicker way if you are comfortable drawing the pattern details.
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You could also use a piece of minky or fleece for the blanket and bind the edges. For the jumper, I made the ducks from a baby washcloth which was a little thinner than fleece. Here are the video instructions for the blanket:
To make the ducks, begin by drawing them on a piece of tear away stabilizer and pinning it to the wrong side of the wash cloth. Remember they will be facing the other way once they are stitched and turned.
Using a thread color that you will be able to see slightly on the washcloth, stitch the inside lines of the duck (in this case the duck's wing and the line separating the head and bill) with a short stitch length. I used white thread and 1.5 stitch length. Below you can see where I stitched the wing. This will be a guide for the embroidery.
Pin a piece of lining material to the back of the wash cloth (so the right side of the washcloth and right side of the lining fabric are together) and stitch around the outside of the ducks again with a short stitch length. Below you can see the where I stitched from the lining side.
Tear away the stabilizer and trim the seam around the ducks leaving a 1/8 th seam allowance. Cut a slit in just the lining fabric and turn the duck right side out. Add a small amount of fiberfill stuffing to give the ducks some dimension. The large duck has been trimmed and the slit cut for turning and then stuffing. The small ducks have been turned.
Whip stitch the slit closed. Using up and down back stitches, 4 strands of orange floss, and going through all layers, including the stuffing, stitch around the wing and the line between the head and bill. (The stitching you did with the white thread is your guide. Use brown floss to make a French Knot eye on the ducks. Using a simple whip stitch, and yellow sewing thread, attach the ducks to the dress or the blanket. I tucked mine under the ric rac to look like waves and stitched the top of the ric rac to the ducks.
