Tag Archives: baby quilts

Being Crafty

I fear I have set a new precedent. As you probably know, I really enjoy sewing. And sewing for my kids always brings me joy. When there’s a new baby on the way, I usually make one for throw-on-the-floor use before the darling arrives, and then another more keepsake-y (though still sturdy) for after his or her arrival. (Of our 12 grandchildren, 6 were “wait until they’re born” before we knew if it was a boy or girl.) (Here’s a post about the last two I made!) Once we get past the baby stage, I do one twin size quilt after they move into a ‘big bed’. I started strong with our Ellie’s bed quilt – she got it for Christmas just before she turned 4.
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The last one I completed was for Reis, who was 5 at the time.
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Next up is Alexandra (who will be 7 in October!!). While I was waiting to find the opportunity to go shopping with Alex’s Mom, I decided to make a Graduation Quilt for Ellie (the recipient of all the ‘first’ quilts!). I didn’t want it to be a big deal (since once I started this route there would be 11 others following) so I decided to do it a in a smaller ‘throw’ size, with nice cuddly fleece on the back. I found a fabric line I thought she would like, picked up a ‘layer cake’ (forty 10″ squares) in that line, and went about making my first Graduation Quilt!
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See the cozy fleece on the back?
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So the sweet little girl holding the pillow in that first picture –
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is all set with a snuggle blanket filled with Gram’s love as she heads off to college!
Meanwhile….
My youngest niece is having a baby boy next month (her first), and I was invited to my very first virtual shower. Since I had some nice grays hanging out in my stash (and I knew his room was done in gray), I was able to put together a little quilt for this newest member of our family in time for the party.
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I loved the fun backing too!
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(I think there are some matching pajama pants in someone’s drawer from a couple of Christmas’s ago!)
At any rate, it was a joy to send off a bit of Aunt Steph love to this sweet family about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime!

And finally – I did get a chance to hit a fabric store with Lara when we were in Ohio last month, and Alexandra’s quilt has officially been started!
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It’s going to be bright and cheery – and hopefully will be on her bed by the time she turns seven!! I’ll keep you posted!

So the machine’s been out quite a bit lately – and I’m thoroughly enjoying it! It’s been good to get the quilting juices flowing again!
Thanks for reading through all this Show and Tell. I probably should’ve put a “Craft Warning” in the opening paragraph! =)

Steph

Baby Things

Starting with grandbaby number one (back in 2003!) I started making two crib quilts for each baby. One was pre-birth and was made with heavy duty wear in mind. It was the ‘throw on the floor’ quilt that I hoped would gets lots of use. The second was constructed after the baby’s arrival, usually with lots of input from Mom. I still hoped it would get lots of use, but (in my mind anyway) was a bit more special. This past year we’ve had two additions our family – Deacon Wood arrived a year ago October, and Everly Quinn joined the family in early June.
Here’s Deacon’s pre-birth quilt –
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and here is Everly’s (we didn’t know she was a she until she was born, so I just went with bright!).
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When we were together with the families at the end of the summer I was able to steal away with the Moms to pick out fabric and patterns, and then I was good to go! Since Deacon was oldest, his got first priority. Abigail picked out some great fabrics and this was really fun to put together!
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So many triangles!!!

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You are such a hoot, Deacon!

Once I had a good start on Deacon’s quilt it was time to get started on Everly’s.  We’ve had a run on little boys lately, so it was especially fun to work with the pinks and greens and flowers….seemed like a while since I’d been working on those hues!
I was able to ship it up to Ohio several weeks ago, and it seems that Mom was pleased!
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And little Everly seems to be enjoying it too!
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What a little munchkin!!!

Making quilts for my grandbabies makes my heart happy! Each quilt goes to those little ones filled with love and prayers. But beyond the designing and sewing and quilting, what I truly treasure is the time I got to spend with my precious Daughters-in-love as we  planned out and shopped for each quilt. With all the busyness of family life, those excursions are too few and too far between, so I never want to take them for granted. I don’t know if there are any more grandbaby quilts in my future, but I’m pretty sure my quilting days aren’t over. Alexandra, aren’t you next for a bed quilt?