Felted Soap

Felted soap is easy and affordable to make, and makes your bar soap last longer. It's like having a washcloth and soap in one! Wool also has the added benefits of being hypoallergenic and naturally antimicrobial.

There are a ton of tutorials out there on how to make felted soap. Basically, you take a bar of soap, wrap it tightly in wool roving, dunk it in hot water and start rubbing. To begin with, you can place it inside a piece of panty hose and tie off the ends, which helps hold the wool around the soap as you felt it. The whole process takes about 25 minutes. I used lavender scented bar soap, but you could use any type of soap. I did find it a little difficult to get good coverage on the corners. After I felted my bar for a few minutes, I added more wool to the corners and continued felting.

Gum Drop Ottoman

Two nursery projects down, two more to go!

• Curtains
• Ottoman
• Crib skirt
• Changing table

I made a 24" ottoman for the nursery using Amy Butler's Gum Drop Pillow pattern. I'll have to post another picture of it next to the chair for scale, it's actually quite large. I found the pattern to be simple and straightforward. There are only two pattern pieces, the side panel and top panel. 

The fabric I used is Zig Zag Village Green/Natural by Premier Prints.

Similar ottomans sell for around $100 on etsy, but if you're willing and able to make your own you could do it for around $40, depending on the cost of your fabric. This thing requires a ton of polyfil, which adds up. I was skeptical that I would need all 120 oz of polyfil recommended in the pattern, but you really do need that much. I found the best price at Walmart, where you can get a 50 oz bag for under $9.

I closed the ottoman up with a slip stitch but you could add a zipper if you wanted the cover to be removable.  I plan to use this as a footrest while nursing, but it will also make a great floor cushion when baby girl gets older.