Patterns

• Whether you are sewing an outfit, bib, blanket or another baby accessory, you'll need a pattern or a design. The pattern is a set of thin paper templates that help you cut the fabric into correct pieces. Design your own baby patterns or copy them from a book, download forms online or buy them from a store. You can also use old baby outfits or items to make a pattern yourself. If the outfit is old, take it apart by removing the stitching with a seam ripper and then draw the outlines of each piece onto a thin piece of paper. Remember to leave about one-half-inch sections around the outlines when you cut the pattern off the fabric. This is to give you enough fabric to sew the pieces together. Patterns for blankets are usually easy to make yourself, while patterns for clothes are more oddly shaped and harder to design unless you know what you are doing.
  
  

Fabric

• The fabric is one of the most important parts of your baby item. The colors, designs and material are ways to personalize the item and make it unique. You can buy fabric online or from local stores. Buying online will give you a wider selection as well as more competitive prices. However, you will need to wait for the fabric to be shipped, which can take from a few days to weeks. Before buying online, visit local stores to see what colors and designs are available.
  
  

Thread

• In addition to the pattern and fabric, you'll also need sewing thread to make your baby items. Buy the thread based on the fabric you are using; the structure and fiber content of the fabric as well as color should be taken into consideration when choosing a thread. Common threads include cotton, silk, polyester, nylon and cotton-wrapped polyester. Cotton is a durable thread ideal for cotton, rayon and linen fabrics, but should not be used with stretchy materials. Silk thread is idea for silk and wool, nylon for synthetic fabrics, while polyester is an all-purpose thread suitable for most fabrics.
  
  

Other Materials

• Also have a pack of sewing pins and pincushion handy. Pins are needed to keep your fabric pieces together while you sew. Although you can sew baby items without pins, using them will make your work much more easier. You can replace pins by loosely stitching the fabric pieces together by hand with a needle and thread. After sewing the pieces together with the sewing machine, remove the loose stitches with scissors. Other tools you likely need include scissors, a seam ripper, fabric chalk, extra bobbins and any other materials you need for your baby item, such as buttons or zippers.