on point

Sometimes you just need to procrastinate. So, I made a quilt. A dear friend of mine that I met in Oregon just had her first baby - a boy! It seems everyone I know makes boys.

I should have made this quilt over the summer before school started. I mean, I knew the baby was coming in October, which is right in the middle of everything, but I kept holding off on it and finally, the baby came and I was like, shoot! I need to make this blanket!

So, I went fabric shopping - this is arguably my favorite set of fabrics that I've assembled so far (except for the quilt I made for my bed). I've gotten a little more comfortable with picking fabrics out and parring down the ones that I love but I don't think fit.

Then I found this great little tutorial. My friend, Mrs. Dent, who helped me make my first quilt ever, always talks about quilting on point (essentially putting the squares on the diagonal, as seen above) and this was my first attempt. I love it! It just looks great (if I do say so myself).

I quickly cut, pieced, and sewed this little quilt up and sent it to Wendy, Mark and their new, beautiful son Samuel. I love giving these quilts as baby gifts to my friends. It's such a personal way to say I care about them and their new family member.

Here is the first baby quilt I ever made that went to my bff Brandilyn and a penguin quilt I made for my manager at American Eagle.

This baby already has the arm motions of a New Yorker.

My manager (who I made a penguin quilt for) finally had her baby! Here's Luca: the hairiest, tannest baby I've ever seen! Dang those Italians and their awesome genes. Seriously, this kid is cute and he's got those big, dark eyes... swoon.

I brought my camera by and we took a few shots to see if we could get a couple for their birth announcement. These are some of my favorites. I love that he's got the "I Heart NY" onesie on - his parents are from New York and his mom gets the funniest accent when she gets excited.

He was waving his arms around the entire time - such a New Yorker. I was pretty intimidated.

Another quilt

My manager, Andrea, is having a baby boy in just over a month. It's their first and they had been trying for a super long time and she is so excited that it's finally happening - I am so excited for her!

I've really lucked out in the manager department over the years. I don't think I've had a bad experience with any of the managers that I've had. Andrea is no exception. She's a bit older than me but we're very similar in personality. I always enjoy working with her (even if I don't always love my job). 

She's also been a pretty consistent person in my life since we've moved here. We don't hang out outside of work or anything but if I ever need to talk she's there and vice versa. Really, she's just great. So, when I found out she was finally having the baby she had been dreaming about I decided to make her a quilt. 

The quilt itself is pretty simple. The gray and white stripes are 4" x 36" (making the quilt about 44" x 36"). The backing is just a simple patchwork - the blocks were 3" square. It's my first patchwork so it's pretty wonky. After I quilted it the problems weren't as noticeable (although I would be able to point them out to you if you asked ;) 

They did an underwater theme in his room but her husband loves penguins so they painted a few penguins on the walls as well. When I heard about the penguin love I thought, "I bet I could put a penguin on a quilt." Turns out I could!

This penguin was my first applique experience. I cut the penguin out of wool and just zig-zag stitched it onto the front of the quilt before I put all the layers together. I was a little concerned at first as to how the penguin would turn out but I am so pleased with it! Plus, now I know how to applique. Boom. 

Here's a shot of the quilt in the baby's room that Andrea sent me: 

So sweet!

When I went to Udaho to see my best friend and her little one

My best friend has a perfect little baby. He is so cute. And, I'm not just saying that because I'm his cool Aunt Rachel, nope, I generally don't think babies are cute. I'm immune. Until the kid hits about toddler stage I generally think they look like wrinkly little aliens. Maybe when that "time" hits (that "time" where I'll suddenly feel my procreational-clock ticking and want every baby that's in front of me) I'll see them all differently.

For now, I reserve the right to remain biased. And little Junior is one cute kid. Plus he only spit up on me once so it's obvious he likes me, too.

Seeing my beautiful best friend and her awesome husband interact with their little baby was one of the coolest and most surreal experiences I've had. They are so great with, Junior. And they are great with each other. I just love their little family. The Haynes are the coolest.

p.s. I also got to see my friend Wendy (apparently everyone I like lives in Udaho) - it was just a great trip.