DIY: Baby Blanket to Toddler Poncho

If you are a mommy of (especially) a toddler girl who fast outgrew her cuddly baby blankets - those that could once swaddle her don't even make a decent throw in her crib no - this post is for you. 

In a casual conversation with a mommy friend, I happened to mention about this and voila, she came up with such an awesome idea - convert the blanket to a poncho, she said!

Now, if you know me, I am a shirker of most house work. Needles, threads, stitching - all are really not my cup of tea. I am one of those lazy people, who stare at a trouser or shirt that needs a button, and wonder if it would be easier to just throw it away. (This is ofcourse in the lazy land - America - ouch, I am kidding, but no, seriously. Back home in India, I would just deposit anything and everything to a tailor to be put together for reasonable price.)

Okay, you get the picture. So, while the idea did enthuse me and sounded fairly simple even for my limited (read no) skills, I was a little iffy, till last night. I finally picked myself up and got down to doing it. At the worst, only an outgrown blanket was at stake.

But, I was pleasantly surprised. This one's a no-brainer! It is extremely easy - the end product very useful and cute! You know all those car rides when you can't get the baby with the tough jackets buckled up - and all you do is throw a blanket over only to have it keep sliding down - or when you'd wish the baby could hold her own blanket as you took her out on a chilly, windy afternoon in a stroller. Or for those irritable mall trips, when with all the pulling out and pushing off of sweaters - you'd wish the sleeves weren't there to make your life simple - well here's the easy peasy DIY poncho!

Step 1: Depending on your child's height, choose a blanket, which when folded into half diagonally, would reach barely below her knees. Mine measured 28in x 34in.

Step 2: Fold the blanket diagonally such that the front part is slightly shorter (about 2 inches), than the back part.

Step 3: Mark the center of the fold with a pen. It is around this that you will have to cut the circle for the neck.

Step 4: Keep the blanket folded, and around the marked point cut a half (when you open the fold, it will be a full circle). Remember to cut a very small half and then try it on your little one and then see if you need to expand it a little more.

Step 5: Hem in the blanket around the cut circumference (to ensure threads don't keep coming out). If you are the adventurous kinds, you can get creative with neck designs too. I just kept it simple! Gave it a ruffled look by folding in the reverse of the blanket.

And you are done! The poncho's good to wear. I already tried it on M and she loves it! (okay, to be honest, she doesn't really care, but I love it :P)

Pink n blue n...

... brown n red n yellow n green n black b many more!

Colors excite me. I sincerely believe that if worn in the right material, with the right combination, carrying the right attitude, anybody and everybody can carry off any color. And, babies and children look good in all  colors, yet yet, what I have realized in these months, shopping for Manya - that it is so difficult to dress baby girls in anything but boring pink. Why? Because the stores don't have anything else.

First, let's set the record straight: I love pink. But overdoing any color in a wardrobe makes it dull. I am surprised that baby clothes' makers don't realize this. As of now, we rely mostly on Carter's for Manya's clothes and just checkout the girl's section - it is incredibly boring: mostly whites and pinks. This is most obvious in the physical store, where there are two departments: pink and blue. Though, I have to admit that the boy's section has more variety in terms of style and color. While girls clothing has cute monkeys and teddies, boy's clothes boast of themes such as soccer and jungle safaris and music in bright colors. Why can't my daughter be a rockstar with a guitar or be on daddy soccer team? It's a little annoying, you know!

So guess what I do to bring color and variety into Manya's life (:D): I shop at all three sections: girl, boy and neutral. It is super fun to do so and I often congratulate myself for having a daughter because I very well realize that there is only so much you can experiment with your little guy's clothing!