New baby, sweet dreams crib quilt
Nothing says freshness more than hanging clean laundry on the clothesline.
Is there anything more lovely than the announcement of “baby on the way”! I have been blessed with that sweet news twice so far as a grandmother. And, within the last year, learned also of the expectations of another little person coming into the world. Dear friends of ours learned they were expecting their first baby back in 2024. In fact, we were the first couple to learn of their baby love here in Canada. Family back in Brazil got the news first. The announcement all around was especially blessed, as this couple, like so many, had been unsuccessful with the first pregnancy.
The bravest, cleverest little girl.
If you’re anything like me, your sewing and quilting DNA kicks in big time, and you’re suddenly imaging all the adorable creations you just can’t wait to get started on for a new little angel. For my young Brazilian parents-to-be, a crib quilt was already percolating in my brain. Of course, I had plenty of time since baby gives us months of head’s up, right? Mostly right. This little lady made her entrance a little bit earlier than anticipated, so, all of a sudden, my intentions to have a hand crafted gift ready ahead of time became a “ wow, I’d better get busy!” project.
My own granddaughter modeling her “Gigi made” corduroy overalls. Beautiful Mama is never far away.
Turns out, inspiration and life tend to go hand in hand. I had just started teaching at the time, and the first lesson involving working a simple 2.5” squares nine patch. I realized I had enough pretty 2.5” squares and fresh accompanying fabric in my stash to put together a crib quilt. I am calling this one the Sweet Dreams Crib Quilt.
During renovations, and lack of sewing room design wall, our bed acts as a decent alternative. Here I am viewing the blocks through a mono filter so I can make adjustments in layouts. There were plenty!
Full disclosure, I am not a ‘bubbles and teddy bears’ kind of person. Don’t get me wrong, I’m as sappy about new born babies as the next person, but aesthetically speaking, I stay clear of main stream baby styling. As such, my Sweet Dreams Crib Quilt incorporated a dozen blocks of fresh, bright fabrics, and some very pale pink sashing to make it adorable and perfectly appropriate for a baby, but not overly twee.
I used one strong center square, then added four secondary squares, and finally, filled the corners with muted squares to frame each block.
This project came together in a couple of afternoons (mid-renovations, no less!) It’s amazing what one can accomplish amidst controlled chaos! Make no mistake. Nothing can stop a determined sewist!
A final layout on the living room floor with pale pink sashing allowed for the discerning eye of my better half to suggest a few final switcheroos. It is wonderful to have an objective pair of eyes to look it all over.
The only technical issue I encountered was matching the seams of the rows in the nine block. No matter how “locked” the seams were, I struggled to match those seams perfectly. Ultimately, I pinned.
I’ll brag a little about not buying anything new except the crib quilt batting for this project. In the spirit of using up what one has in one’s own stash, I can account. The 2.5” squares came from a stash swap at my quilt guild and leftover 2.5” strips which I cut into squares. The pale pink stashing fabric was leftover from another crib quilt I had made for my own granddaughter, and the scrappy binding from a box of scraps my lovely neighbour had given me. The backing is a super soft flannel which I had previously purchased from Our Social Fabric. Check the link to learn all about this amazing Canadian organization who’s mission is to keep fabric out of the landfill.
The final result is beautiful, fresh, and super cosy for this special little miss. It gives me enormous pleasure to gift this crib quilt to this dear little baby girl and her adoring, beautiful parents.
One final note regarding new born safety. The following link discusses multiple ways to ensure safety with newborns including on the subject of safe bedding. In short, sew beautiful things, but be patient and know your gifts of love will provide cuddly warmth to the baby in due course.