I got a wee bit smitten this summer with this cute baby elephant flannel. It is a nicer weight than most flannels I have seen recently and the design is just darling! So, when a former colleague, Jonathan, and his wife Amy were expecting a baby boy, I couldn’t help but look for more of this particular fabric.
I mixed it with a simple, blue and white, gingham check and made a receiving blanket for sweet, baby Noah! It was a simple design, but it is two sided and nice and soft. Unfortunately, I didn’t get great photos before I sent it to the expectant parents, but I will share what I have.
Another of my former students, Dana, and her husband, Tyler, welcomed a bouncing baby boy named Avery this summer and I sent them a little gift for the baby.
The theme for this one is polka dots. The “pretty” material is blue with white polka dots and the minky fabric is white with raised, white polka dots. It made for one really snuggly blanket. It was soft enough
The finished blanket. Dots, everywhere!
and cute enough for the Mama, while being cuddly enough for a nap on a cool day. I hope it is something that they will enjoy using and find useful!
I have been horribly remiss about posting the baby gifts that I made back in the summertime. It has been such fun creating something fun for each of the babies that are waiting to arrive. Of course, this blanket was made for a baby who has made her arrival already and I am just now blogging about it.
One of my former students, Reba, and her husband, Tommy, have a beautiful baby girl! I made this blanket to celebrate her arrival. It is made from a very swirly-girly print and white, raised dot minky fabric, so it will be pretty and super soft for her. Hopefully, it will be a good
Mitered corner baby blanket with Minky center.
size to take in a stroller or car seat to stay warm this winter.
Many, many years ago, my bestie and matron of honor at my wedding, Beverly, gave birth to her oldest son, Aaron. I got to watch Aaron grow up into a strong, handsome, smart young man.
I even was able to teach him in High School, much to his chagrin. It was a pleasure to see him grow into adulthood, attend college, enter the military and eventually meet Cameron, the lady of his dreams.
Aaron and Cameron at the baby shower.
Now, Aaron and Cameron are married and have just had their first born son, Luke. How fun it was to finally get to meet Cameron (they live in Texas and I am in Georgia) and help with her baby shower. It brought back loads of memories of attending Beverly’s baby shower and meeting Aaron for the first time.
Beverly was in the process of making an adorable quilt for baby Luke with Peanuts and the Gang fabrics and Cameron got to see it at her Snoopy themed shower. It was a hit! Beverly always does amazing quilt work!
So, I thought back to a cute memory that my family had with Aaron. When he was little, my parents took him to a local circus. He was always a quiet child and didn’t talk very much, so when he announced that he wanted to ride the elephant at the circus (and they were allowing children to safely ride on the elephants) that my parents couldn’t wait to see if he would like it.
He rode the elephant and was all smiles! Contemplating his adventure on the way home, he announced, “John (my dad), I want an elephant!” It may have been the first time he had initiated a conversation with them and they have laughed about that over the years. When he was deployed to Afghanistan, my dad mailed him a little, plastic elephant toy for his birthday, so he could finally have his elephant!
When I stumbled upon blue flannel with baby elephants on it while looking for something else, I knew that I had to make a
Baby elephant flannel.
receiving blanket for the baby that his Daddy would also love!
Unfortunately, I have a photo of the flannel that I used in the double sided receiving blanket, but not of the finished blanket itsself. I will have to get one with the baby one day soon.
Baby Luke made his appearance on October 9th, 2015! We are thrilled that both he and his parents are healthy and well (if exhausted)!
Once in a while, I get a chance to give a baby gift that fits in well with the theme that the parents and grandparents are doing the nursery in. This was one of those really fun times!
My friend Regina’s son, TJ, recently got married and is expecting a baby with his wife, Brittany. We are all so excited for their little family and also for Regina and Terry to be grandparents for the first time. Never have people been so excited to welcome a new baby into this world! Their enthusiasm and love is absolutely contagious and it makes it such fun to make a special gift.
Anchor fabrics from the back and front of the quilt.
I had been stalking Regina’s Pinterest account for a while and knew that she had pinned lots of ideas for her grandson’s nursery. I knew I wanted to make something for this baby, but couldn’t quite decide which direction to go in. Fortunately, Regina and Brittany met me for lunch one day, a couple of weeks ago, and told me all about their nursery plans. That certainly made it far easier to know exactly what kind of look and color scheme they were going for. So, with about 2 weeks to spare, I started shopping for fabric.
The final decision was something in red, white, and blue with a nautical theme. Regina mentioned anchors and I saw them in a few of her Pinterest posts, so that is what I started looking for in fabric. Some fabrics I found had both navy and lighter blues in addition to the red and white. While I liked those, for the front of the quilt, I wanted a very crisp, patriotic color scheme. Having been born while my father was in the Navy, serving in Brunswick, Georgia, I love the nautical theme and knew exactly what I wanted to capture in fabric.
The completed quilt.
Eventually, I found a navy fabric with a white, anchor print, plain (crisp) white muslin, and a mottled true red. Binding called out for a very tailored red and white stripe and for backing I found a busy, anchor print with both navy and light blues mixed in with red and white.
The top is made from 12 inch stripes (width of fabric) of the navy anchor print and white muslin fabrics. On the lower right hand corner, I machine appliqued an anchor in place. It was a bit nerve wrecking because I had always shied away from machine applique, but it turned out pretty well, I think.
I neglected to get a photo of the beautiful mom-to-be with the quilt, so I can’t share one here, but I am sure that as soon as I can, I will get one of the nursery and that precious baby boy in it!
All in all, the quilt seemed to be a big hit and matches several other items that were made for nursery, so it will be a good fit with the theme of the room. The best part, though, will be welcoming a new little friend into the world.
I make lots of different things for baby gifts. Do you have a go-to baby gift?
I got a wee bit smitten this summer with this cute baby elephant flannel. It is a nicer weight than most flannels I have seen recently and the design is just darling! So, when a former colleague, Jonathan, and his wife Amy were expecting a baby boy, I couldn’t help but look for more of this particular fabric.
sweet, baby Noah! It was a simple design, but it is two sided and nice and soft. Unfortunately, I didn’t get great photos before I sent it to the expectant parents, but I will share what I have.
Another Hatchett Job.... 