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Category Archives: Crafting for Babies

Juju’s Quilt

The moment I saw this little quilt by Erica of Craftyblossom, I knew I would be making my own version of it.  It was just perfect — crisp and clean, eye catching yet simple.  And it didn’t take long until I knew who the recipient would be, as my friend Sarah is having a daughter she currently calls Juju.

There’s a lot to like about Sarah, but it can be helpful to focus on one aspect of a person if you want to make her a quilt.  Sarah’s seamlessly blended her very techie family life into their historic Virginia home.  She loves sharing the stories of her community’s past and can give you the best guided tour you’ve ever had.  Taken down to the basics, she just has a passion for keeping the past alive and here with us in the present.

When she and her husband got married, Sarah wore a beautiful white dress.  Around her waist was a bright red ribbon in memory of her Dad.  It was a simple but powerful thing.  With a red ribbon, she tied her past, present and future together on one of her family’s most special of days.  This little quilt is an attempt to help Sarah wrap her daughter up in those amazing memories.

And so we have Juju’s baby quilt.  Here it is pieced, but not yet quilted or bound.

WIP: Juju's Quilt Top

The ingredients, if you’re curious: A charm pack of white squares, two charm packs of Silent Film and Kona solid in Red.  I removed the black from the Silent Film packs.  The darkest gray in the packs, Pepper, seemed dark enough without being harsh.  (It looks black in these photos, and it almost is.)  The backing is Kona in Coal, the darker medium gray from the front.  The half square triangles were made as in this tutorial.

The binding is more of the Kona Red, a ribbon of red like Sarah’s wedding dress.

Juju's Quilt: Binding

And here’s the finished quilt:

Juju's Quilt

Juju's Quilt

Juju's Quilt

I hope that Sarah will have many new memories of Juju and her quilt!

 
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Posted by on February 9, 2012 in Crafting for Babies, Quilts

 

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Floral Cut Chenille Baby Blanket

I love cut chenille baby blankets!  Layers of flannel are sewn into lines across a pretty cotton fabric.  Cut, bound and ready to wash …

Floral Cut Chenille Blanket

it frays up so nicely into a thick froth of chenille.

Floral Cut Chenille Blanket

This style is so easy that it would make a great first quilt for a new quilter, yet it makes a plush, incredibly soft blanket.

Floral Cut Chenille Blanket

This type of blanket is perfect for those fabrics you like so much, you don’t want to cut them up. Show them off!

Floral Cut Chenille Blanket

You can see more about cut chenille blankets here.  In the near future, I hope to make another one of these for a little sports-fan-to-be!

 
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Posted by on January 24, 2012 in Crafting for Babies, Quilts, sewing

 

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Chervon Values Quilt

Chevron Half Square Triangle Values Quilt and Pillow

I posted a tutorial recently for making half square triangles, the basis of this quilt and pillow, if you’d like to try it for yourself.  I plan to use half square triangles for a very different style of quilt for another upcoming little one soon, but for now I’ll just enjoy the feeling of accomplishment from this one.

Chevron Quilt

Have a great day!

 
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Posted by on January 18, 2012 in Crafting for Babies, quilt, sewing

 

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More Guinea Pig Stuffies

Guinea Pigs 'n Blankets

I got to give these little sweeties to my nieces and nephews this weekend.  Each guinea pig has its own patchwork quilt, because I thought it was funny to give them (guinea) pigs ‘n blankets.

Guinea Pigs 'n Blankets

Yeah, I didn’t expect them to catch that, but sometimes I’m just out to amuse myself.

Like how this one (my favorite) makes me think of honey badger.

Honey Badger?

If you’d like to make one (or two, or six), I got the pattern from Bit of Whimsy Dolls on Etsy.  (You can see a couple I made for a charity auction here.)

Go make something cute!

 

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Guinea Pigs in Blankets Stuffies – And How They’ll Help Change the World

MFFO Auction

Changing the world sounds like a tall order for a couple stuffed toys, doesn’t it?  But these sweet guinea pigs will be auctioned this Saturday to help raise funds for the  Mothers Fighting for Others project The Gift of Education, and that’s where it gets interesting.

The money raised will enable the girls from St. Monica’s orphanage in Kenya to attend high school.  This is so important!  We take for granted that our kids will be educated.  In Kenya, it’s expensive to go to school, and often girls aren’t given a chance to attend, much less to continue through to graduation.  These orphaned girls had an even lower chance of getting an education — but with the help of MFFO.org, they’re going to school and their medical needs are met.  When you think about the change this means for each of the girls, it’s heartwarming.  But when you think about the impact it will have on their communities, it’s even more impressive.  This is not just a project to send kids to school.  As the years go by, these girls will create positive changes for their families and their communities.  Like ripples in a pond, starting small and spreading ever outward.  Educate a child — improve the world.  I believe it!

So even though these little guinea pigs are small, they’re excited about their role in making the world a better place.

MFFO Auction

The blue one features African wax prints brought back from Kenya, and the pink and green one is a mix of new and vintage fabrics.  Their wonky little jelly bean-ish bodies make you want to pick them up, and they each have a matching quilt in the hopes that you’ll bundle them up and hold them while they nap.  (They do love to nap.)

MFFO Auction

If you’d like to make your own, I got the guinea pig pattern from Bit of Whimsy on Etsy.  If you’d like to own one of these, contact Audrey!

If you’re interested in helping raise funds for the Gift of Education, there’s also a virtual fundraiser that gives you a 1 in 200 chance to win an iPad 2!

 
 
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