Boy & Girl

Usually my quilting is reserved for the winter months when the temperatures keep us inside and the sun goes down earlier.  Doug and I will watch something on PBS and I can sew for an hour.

But babies know no season for being born; they come when they want.  And while the newest arrival needed something cheery, I needed to finish my backlog which included one for her big brother.

I actually had it "almost" done for a year.  It lacked only the binding, but the backing shifted during the quilting process and everything was askew.  It's not perfect, but shoot, nothing I ever do is.  Not even the one for big brother.

 I've been wanting to do a log cabin quilt for a while, and I love Peter peeking out of this square.

 

So baby sister needed something sweet and lovely, something befitting a little girl.

I chose a happy bunting with bright outlining.  But there's an extra surprise on the back.

I love the interesting patterns made by the stitching.

Now to move on to the next round of babies (not ours - no rumors, please!).

May Shower and Flowers

It's been a month for birthin' babies for sure. 

 From across the pond, around town, and down the street, new little ones are being welcomed.

 This little one, though, arrived months ago, during the bustle between Thanksgiving and New Year's.

And joyous as we were, she was not properly feted.

Better late than never.

The delay also gave me time to finish up a little gift of flowers.

Backed with an adorable print of nesting dolls!

Welcome to our world, little Piper!

Ready and Waiting

This weekend I put the final touches on #6's quilt

(while finishing up the last disc of Heat of the Sun - so good!).

I was hoping to find a way to incorporate pieces of all the other kids' quilts.



This from Andrew's completely hand-quilted and embroidered quilt.

This trio from Stephen's summer inspired quilt.

From Matthew's - maybe my all-time favorite.

This is also from Matthew's - I remember showing it to
my quilting grandmother who had made a blouse for herself from the very same fabric.



I cut things close with Jonathan's and only had tiny pieces to work with.

  



And these were all from Josie's quilt.

 So what about the new baby?  He/she needs something special.

I fell in love with this darling vintage print.

And who can resist houndstooth?

And just because, a special letter.

 

We are ready and waiting to meet you...please come soon!

Baby Gift Backlog: Boot Scootin' Boogie

This one is headed to a little cowgirl in Texas.

Can't wait to meet her!

Baby Gift Backlog: For Charlie

Just in time for the 4th of July....

a patriotic mix of blue and white and darling red crabs!

Baby Gift Backlog: Boy or Girl

These projects were actually completed ages ago (sometime during the winter) but got buried under mountains of stuff during our remodeling.   I pulled them out a few weeks ago, wrapped them nicely, and delivered them to some special friends.

 

 This one has been waiting patiently for baby Patrick who just arrived this very afternoon!

My mother once delivered a baby blanket to our neighbor on her 10th birthday.   I used to think it quite funny, though like many other things, hindsight plus motherhood gives one a whole new outlook on things.  I'm sure there were other things to occupy my mother's time.

Well, in this case the birthday girl is just one (and some!).  I like to say that it took so long because I hand-stitched all those little stars (as if!), but in fact, it was an upcycled Pottery Barn bumper pad I found at the local "boutique."

I originally gave the latter quilt to said baby's grandmother who immediately remarked, "You have no sense!"  and when I relayed this conversation to my mother, she replied, "Did you tell her your husband says so too?"  I don't deny it, but it is so much fun to craft for a baby and I love to have something crafty to work on.  I've got a couple of other baby-related projects in the works, but we'll see how the time goes (it's going too fast for me!). 

In Which I (Finally) Make a Decision

Four weeks, four days to go until my EDD (estimated being the operative word)...

and a bunting it shall be.

Crunch Time

Never have I waited so long to start on a baby quilt, but with just over six weeks to go, I need to hustle to get it done.  Aside from losing two months of my life to home renovations, I'm having trouble with decision making.  I originally was looking for a way to incorporate at least one fabric from each of the other kids' quilts, both in tribute to all these baby-making years and as a way to use up my stash of miscellaneous prints.  The main trouble is that I just can't decide on pattern. 

I toyed for a long time with this one and cut out some banners.



Via



It's such a fun, cute design, but I'm just not sure about how it would be to actually quilt.

Next, I played around with this one and cut out some pieces, too.

Via

It's fun and playful, too, but randomness in design is not my strongpoint,

and I'm not confident I can pull it off.

Now it's back to the drawing board so to speak

(or more like back to searching Pinterest for inspiration).

I'm considering another chevron quilt like this fun one I gave away

(only using a much easier piecing method).

But I like this one.



Via



 And this one.

Via

And this one.

Via

 Time's a ticking especially if I'm going to have something to fiddle with during our upcoming road trip.  Any thoughts?



The Scrapquilt

I've eyed this pattern for a few years now, long before chevrons were chic.  Assembled from a collection of scraps, it has come to reflect a lot about how I feel these days.

The cool relaxation of a seersucker stripes, basking in the days of carefree play. 

 The teacher needing to make plans, assemble supplies, and cram young brains full of knowledge.

  

The busyness of juggling roles of wife & mother, daughter, sister, friend. 

Times when "good enough" is all you can do.

The list of things left undone.

The swirl of creativity needing an outlet. 

 All repeating, recurring, zigzagging.  Day followed by day followed by day.

 Some transitions are peaceful and smooth.

 Others bear signs of brokenness and repair.  Far too many to be labeled "perfect."

But a quilt is a sum of the total parts, and this I know to be true: 

 together it is lovely.