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.
