Sarah J. Doyle
Pattern Designer & Author
Sarah J. Doyle's Blog

A sad day at my daughter's house

One of our grandsons, whose parents are stationed in Korea, came to live with my daughter and her husband shortly after her quadruplet babies were born.  He was going to stay with them and help out while he was deciding what he wanted to do with his life.  Nearly two years later, at age 21, and the quadruplets 2 1/2 years old, he decided he wanted to go into the Army.  He has been soooooo much help with the babies and their big brother, it has been very hard for the family to see him go.  He left yesterday for ...<< MORE >>

Happy Mother's Day!

The day is almost gone, but I don't want to miss the opportunity to wish all the mothers and grandmothers a very Happy Mother's Day!!  I hope you had as nice a day as I did -- my daughter, with the 2 1/2 year old quadruplets and big brother Jacob, invited us, my sister and her husband's mother out for a cookout this afternoon.  She and our son-in-law had to do some fast moving to get everything ready while the babies were taking their afternoon nap.  We had a wonderful time and those babies, who dearly love being outside, were having ...<< MORE >>

Winners of our annual "Spring Sewing Tips" contest

First of all, we want to thank all of you who have submitted comments and tips regarding our blog contest, both through the "add comments" on the blog itself, and those who have sent emails with comments and tips.  The winners have been drawn from the hat, and I'll list them here, as well as send an individual email to each winner. 

FIRST PLACE - Patti at pattisoriginals - has won 4 fr*ee patterns from http://Patterns2Go.com
SECOND PLACE - Carol Slinker - has won 2 fr*ee patterns from http://PatternsThatFitYou.com
THIRD PLACE - Cindy - has won 1 fr*ee pattern ...<< MORE >>

Love all the Handy Wipes, but not the price?

I found the answer for all those expensive baby wipes, face wipes, etc --- make your own.  I'm going to share the recipes that I found online - enjoy!


Try these solutions to make Baby Wipes, Face Wipes, Bathroom Wipes, Glass Wipes or Bug Wipes


2007 Leslie Sausage


For each of recipes, you’ll need:


1/2 roll Bounty Select-A-Size paper towels (or Viva can be used, but most others will turn to mush quickly)
1 plastic airtight container (like Rubbermaid or even a plastic coffee container) to hold the paper towels


One of the following solutions:



  • Baby Wipes: 2 T baby ...
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Portable diaper changing station update

One of the Mommy's I had made the portable diaper changing station for, has informed me that this is simply the BEST thing to use outside their own house when they're grilling, swimming, etc so she doesn't have to run the baby through the house to change a diaper. Hmmm, here I was thinking it could be used for those short runs or while eating out, etc where it would be harder to carry the full blown diaper bag, but this sounds good too!  The pattern can be found at http://Patterns2Go.com.  NOTE:  EVERY mommy I've made this for ...
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FR*EE shorts pattern

Good Morning!  We are very pleased to announce a new FR*EE shorts pattern at http://PatternsThatFitYou.com/frshortscl.html.  This pattern is made using YOUR own measurements, and gives step by step instructions on how to make the pattern.  It makes no difference if you are tall, short, heavy or thin, by using your own measurements, each pattern will fit you perfectly.  Enjoy! ...<< MORE >>

Best ever baby bath towels

I have just stumbled onto the CUTEST baby website I've ever seen -- http://NurseryRoomProjects.com This site has a very inexpensive book for nursery room projects, and has a bunch of patterns, baby names plus links to some informative baby sites.  What I saw there, and will put the picture here, is what I think is the greatest thing for those with tiny babies up to toddlers -- the baby bath towel.  To quote them, "this ingenious design frees up your hands to deal with a slippery child, and allows you to quickly bundle them up and towel them dry ...<< MORE >>

Tips for efficient sewing

WHOHOO!  I've just gotten an invitation to another baby shower!  I'm on a roll with the portable diaper changing stations!  Because I'm making these between other projects for my quadruplet grandbabies, the thought just ocurred to me that I'd better be making the most out of what available "sewing" time I have -- in other words I need to have some efficient sewing habits.  Here again, there are certain habits that I maintain, and others that I'm working on.  For instance I've always clipped stitches from the beginning and end of the seams - I learned a long time ago ...<< MORE >>

Hand sewing tips

Since I'll be doing a little bit of hand sewing on my Diaper Changing Stations, I thought I'd get into my handy sewing hints and tips book and see what I could come up with, for my own information and to pass along to others.  I did find a few interesting things:  **When sewing by hand, use about a 20-inch length of thread to prevent tangling.  It is not advisable to double the thread because it tangles easily.  **When taking thread from the spool, let the spool roll freely in the other hand to prevent twisting the thread.  **Insert the ...<< MORE >>

Portable diaper changing station

Well, I'm back to sewing again!  I have a couple baby showers coming up, and I figure the most appropriate and useful gift I could make is the portable diaper changing station.  This is a circular changing pad that has pockets around the front of it which can hold a few diapers, wipes, diaper rash ointment, and even a toy or two.    I found the instructions for making the diaper changing station at http://Patterns2Go.com.   The instructions are very easy to follow, and I know the gift will be appreciated.  I did see the diaper changing station with  full size ...<< MORE >>