Kelly's Corner: DIY: Paci Clips

I love doing crafts but I never really have the time or the patience for that matter to do projects that take a significant amount of effort-especially those that involve sewing. I had been searching for cute pacifier leashes for Lilly-they have adorable ones on Etsy (love!). We originally bought one from Wal-Mart but I didn't like it. It was hard to clip on and was just a plastic piece of junk really. Immediately I thought: "I could make these" but after some more browsing (I can never get enough of Etsy) I saw most of them were sewn. 1. I don't own a sewing machine 2. Even if I did I would have no clue how to work it and don't have time to really learn how. So, I browsed and browsed Etsy and found tons that I loved-and then came up with an idea. I don't need to sew to make my own pacifier leashes. I clicked out of Etsy (GASP!) and started Google-ing DIY pacifier leash tutorials-specifically no sew versions. I found some options and decided to mash a few tutorials together to come up with what I wanted. The end result: a quick and easy project that didn't cost an arm and leg and was adorable. Ok so they don't have Lilly's monogram on them like the ones on Etsy but they are cute and I can afford to make ones with different ribbon to match ~~all~~ some of Lilly's outfits! Plus these would make cute gifts for some of my friends who are having babies soon! Ok ladies (and gentlemen) grab your glue guns and let me show you how I made no sew pacifier leashes.

What you will need:

Dritz brand Mitten/Suspender clips

It took me a little searching to find these. I ended up finding them at JoAnn's in the sewing section. They are heavy duty and clip very nicely and won't fall off like many of the store brand pacifier clips do. You can order some like this on line but many are plastic and didn't look as nice.

Ribbon

I purchased 1 inch grosgrain ribbon. Anything wider or skinnier wouldn't work. This fit around the clip ring perfectly. Grosgrain works well because it is sturdy. Silky ribbon or any other material wouldn't hold up as nicely.

Velcro

These small 1/2 inch circles work well. They are sew on but I used hot glue. You could also get the self stick but I would reinforce those still with hot glue.

Lighter or No-Fray

I didn't take a picture of my lighter but I used it to singe the ends of the ribbon after I cut it to avoid fraying. You could also use no fray but the lighter was cheaper for me.

Hot Glue and Glue Gun

I love my hot glue gun! You could also use liquid stitch as well.

Pacifier

Helpful to have to test your finished product and to gauge your length and placement of the Velcro.

Now that you have everything you need you are ready to assemble. This will take about 5 minutes or so. YUP I said 5 minutes.

Let your glue gun heat up. While you are doing that measure out your ribbon. I made mine about 8-9 inches. You don't want it too long because it can be a hazard. You just want it long enough to clip on your baby's shirt or pants and to reach their mouth. Singe each end of the ribbon with the lighter (don't set it on fire..just do it enough to melt the ends).

By this time, if your glue gun is like mine, it should be hot. On one end of the ribbon place your Velcro. I just eyeballed it and used the pacifier to gauge where I wanted to place the Velcro.

It should go around the ring of the pacifier like so-

On the opposite end of the Velcro you want to secure the ribbon to the clip. make sure you loop it around so that the seam is on the same side as your Velcro (this way you don't see any seams when it's around the paci and attached to your baby).

The front side of the clip should be face down.