Michael Miller Baby Quilt and Bibs

Wow, what a bad blogger I've been.  If anybody is still reading this, I'd be very surprised, since I haven't done a very good job at all with posting!  But here I am, once again, with no excuses other than life is busy.  And crazy.  And wonderful.  I will never be a blogger that updates every day, and I just need to accept that.  But here I am again anyway, with a little proof that I have been sewing, amidst marrying off son #3 last month:

 

A Baby Boy Quilt

Every time I finish a quilt, I always marvel at the pattern, and how all the colors blend together, yet contrast, so nicely.  I've had this Michael Miller "Cowpokes" fabric in my stash for years, and when I was invited to the baby shower for my best friend's new grandbaby, I decided it was about time that I use it.  The pattern is my own design.  The finished quilt measures about 36" x 48".

 

The nine-patch squares measure 6" x 6", while the center square is 12" x 12".  Those little cowboys are just so darn cute, I didn't want to chop up the scene by making all the squares smaller.  So I designed the quilt around a larger, center square. 

 

The back was pieced together with flannel pieces from my stash.  In fact, EVERY SINGLE PIECE of fabric in this quilt came from my stash...even the batting!  I was so proud of myself for using what I had on hand. 

 

And because I still had fabric left over, and the quilt just wasn't enough, I also made this:

 

 

And this:

 

Aren't they just the cutest little bibs you ever saw?  Yes, they will get stained and spit up on and look dingy sooner than later, but for right now, I just have to admire their cuteness.  To make these, I took a well-worn, stained, spit-upon, dingy bib from the bottom of my kitchen drawer (why it's still there I don't know, because my youngest is now five and stopped wearing bibs long ago) and used it as a pattern.  The fronts are pieced together, and the back is a solid piece of fabric made from the contrast fabric.  I edged them with piping, and they fasten with Velcro.  There is an inner layer of cotton batting.  I'm so pleased with how they turned out.  I almost like them more than the quilt.  Almost.  When my husband saw them, he wondered why I had never made any for our own children.  I stared at him blankly because honestly, I didn't know.  They certainly were easy enough.  But maybe I was always too focused on the bigger projects, like quilts and crib sets, smocked dresses and heirloom rompers.  It never even occurred to me to make bibs.  But now that I have, I definitely think they will become my new favorite for baby shower gifts.  Along with a quilt, of course.  Because every baby deserves a pretty quilt.