Sensory Bags

I had another baby shower to go to and I wanted to make something for it. I made a couple pairs of booties like in this post and some matching beanies. (I will post pictures of those later.) But I really wanted to make something else, so sensory bags it was.

I have made bean bags before on my own with appliques, but this tutorial on Sew Like My Mom had little ribbon tags on them which added that little something extra. She appliqued letters on the bags for the child's name. I did one set with a name and another set with shapes. For the filler, the original tutorial used split peas. I figured with babies sucking on these things, I don't want anything sprouting or getting moldy. So I opted for something different. I used a few different things. Some have just polyester stuffing and some have an added jingle bell in with the stuffing for a nice little sound when shaken. Other bags have a grocery store bag stuffed inside. This gives a different texture when pressed and a nice crinkly sound as well. I also used some plastic pellets that you can get at craft stores. Those make for a heavier sensory bag. I have also tried to find the squeakers that come in squeaky toys to put in one, but no luck at the stores. I have only checked a couple of places so I will have to check more. I have found some online really cheap but I don't want to pay the over $7 shipping. If you know where I can get any locally, please let me know!

Okay, on to the pictures. The first set I made for a little girl. I spelled out her name, one letter on each bag. I used a zig-zag stitch for the applique and I ended up not really liking it, so I changed the stitch on the next set. (Probably because I am not very good at it.) This set had 3 ribbons on each side of the bag, like the original tutorial and I used good old cotton fabric on both sides.

For the next set, I changed things up a bit. I used some leftover flannel that I had for the front and then used the soft minky fabric on the back. And if you look really close, I changed the stitching around the applique to a blanket stitch. I like this one so much better and it was way easier to go around corners and curves and not look all wonky. I also cut down on the ribbons, just two per side and some I didn't put any ribbons on. It kind of sounded like people liked the ones with the ribbons more at the baby shower, so I will stick with the ribbons next time.

So there you have it. A super easy project that uses up some scrap fabric and ribbon and make a great gift at the same time. And just a side note, I have no idea why this is making a link and no idea to where is linking. I just checked - it links to a big old picture of the sensory bag so no worries!