Our friends Chris and Angel are about to have a son — an unexpected, completely blessed surprise.  Chris and my husband Jay are best friends, and they share a love of the Dallas Cowboys.

Just for full disclosure, I am an Eagles fan.  But when the Cowboys win, my house is happy, so … hard to be a hater.

But anyway … Chris and Angel are having a baby boy right in the midst of football season, and the boy will grow up cheering on the Cowboys along with his Dad.  I thought he should be welcomed into the world as I know he’ll go on, as a Dallas Cowboys fan. So I made him this quilt:

The stars are made using the pattern One Star Americana Patriotic Mini Quilt from Bubblestitch.   This is the first paper piecing I’ve ever done, so even though it looks tough, I can vouch for it being an easy pattern.  I altered the pattern ever so slightly.  The middle “1, 2, 3” spaces are made as one piece in blue for the center star, then a ring of white, one more of blue and then alternating gray and white.  Perfect Dallas stars!  For more interest, I tilted the stars a little this way or that.  I think it keeps the eye moving over the quilt and lends a feeling of motion.

The backing fabric is Dallas Cowboys fabric, just in case the point isn’t made by all those stars on the front.  After baby outgrows his little blanket, I’ve offered to sew a hanging sleeve on the back so it can be hung up on the wall if they like.

And they’re getting a bonus stroller blanket in the softest flannel and voile, just because I want to help spoil this baby.

More Dallas blue and stars!

Hooray for babies!  Hooray for football and for unexpected little football fans!