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Bakers have made their own vanilla in two ways.
1.  take a vanilla bean, cut it open the long way and place in a jar of
sugar.  Leave it for several weeks.  Replenish the sugar as it is used..
Eventually, you'll have to  start over.  Many bakers keep two jars
goings.one reg. sugar and one confectioner's [gf], and you could also
have one for brown sugar, too.  No changes to recipe other than
eliminating the vanilla~~and using the vanilla sugar instead of plain
sugar.
2. Cut a vnailla bean the long way and place in a bottle of rum or
bourbon and let permeate for a few weeks.

I learned this tricks from a professeional baker

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