a quilt for baby

About a month ago, I came across a Basic Baby Quilt Tutorial from the blog Thirty Handmade Days.  I had never made a quilt before, but I was suddenly quite attached to the idea of making a quilt for this baby girl we're expecting.  So, off to Jo-Ann's I went, list in hand, to get the things I needed.

I had no idea what I was getting myself into when it came to choosing fabrics!  I probably spent almost two hours there, plying Nell with snacks while deliberating over the fabric choices.

I love what I ended up with, though!  And this basic striped quilt is definitely manageable for a beginner to make.  I'm glad I didn't start with anything more difficult, because even this had plenty of stress-inducing moments. 

I'm envisioning baby girl using it as a play mat to lie on and roll around on as she grows, and then as a quilt for her crib and eventually her toddler bed.  (The quilt is about 40" by 54", a good sized quilt for a little one's bed.)

Every time I look at this cheery quilt, it brings a smile to my face.  Sure, if you look closely you'll see a few places where I didn't feed the weight of the quilt evenly, and my stitch length got a bit uneven as a result.  But all those spots I was agonizing over as I sewed really don't matter that much when I look at the big picture now that it's finished.  So, it's imperfect -- hey, it's my first attempt at a quilt!  I think our baby girl will enjoy lots of play time on and snuggles in this quilt, regardless of the evenness of the stitching.

And she will know her mama loved making it for her, ironing and cutting and piecing and quilting all while daydreaming about the little baby who would call this quilt her own.



Now that baby's quilt is finished, I'm working on a second quilt - for Nell, the soon-to-be big sister!  I decided it would be nice to present her with something new of her own when the baby arrives.  I'm following the same tutorial / pattern, but using different fabrics for Nell's quilt.  Hopefully I'll have photos of that quilt to share soon!