Making Baby Quilts

If you would have told me ten years ago that I would enjoy making baby quilts, I would not have believed you. Not in a million years. For one, I didn't even quilt back then. And two, there's no way I could have done that. Make something that takes a long time for someone else's baby?? No way.

And now I've made four.

They are cute, fun, and, considering how long a full-sized quilt takes to make, quick and easy.

You just sandwich two yards of fabric with some batting in between and quilt diagonal lines across. Then you attach the binding and sew it down. You're done! No piecing necessary. 

And even though it seems to make the new moms nervous, you can just throw these quilts in the washer and dryer. You don't do anything special to clean them. Quilts are meant to be used.

I finished this latest baby quilt last night. I look forward to my Saturday evenings. I've created the habit of watching an old movie while sewing. It's relaxing and I love it. I'll drink a couple of beers, eat some snacks, and stand at my machine or sit in my recliner and sew. What? You weren't expecting a couple of beers to be part of the equation? Hahaha.

This quilt is for my yoga teacher who is due in a month. She has reduced her class schedule immensely. How she is even still teaching I have no idea. Teaching yoga is a gift of service and requires a lot of energy. She is amazing. She even does most of the practice with us still, modifying a lot of the poses of course. And she is not a 25 year old. She will be an older mom, but not a first time mom. This will be her second.

I've witnessed her entire pregnancy. I knew her before she announced her pregnancy, but I suspected she was pregnant. I think I have some sort of pregnancy radar. I miss a lot of things in life, but I can usually guess when a woman is pregnant.

It wasn't hard for me. I don't want to be pregnant anymore. I divorced my husband, who I chose to be the father of my children. I changed careers from working with kids to working with older and elderly adults. I moved away from the city, my friends, and my family to pursue a different kind of life. It's been over ten years since I stopped trying to conceive; my life is radically different.

I am happy for my friend, and I enjoyed making a baby quilt for her. I'm excited to give it to her, especially since she has no idea I've been making it. 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: miracles happen every day. I did not get my miracle baby in this lifetime, but my recovery and healing from all I've been through is definitely miraculous.

My boyfriend picked out the blue binding. I was going to use brown, but the blue looks so much better. He is really gifted with color and fabric. My boyfriend is my quilt muse lol. 

The front of the quilt has fabric based on the children's book Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. A classic. The quotes include, "Inside all of us is hope, fear, and adventure," and "There are no ideas too wild."

The backing of the quilt is a furry, textured fabric called Minky. I love to use it for the backs of quilts. It's so soft and snuggly. (My corners aren't perfect, but neither is life!)