Our niece, Baby B., turned one recently. Well, not exactly recently. More like a good while back, but when she did, I made her a couple of special gifts to celebrate the occassion. The first year of a baby's life is so amazing. Watching them transform from a tiny, squalling mass, wriggling and fragile, into a giggling, bright eyed child is like witnessing a miracle. Getting to know a baby as they just begin to get to know the world is a rare gift. I know that Baby B.'s parents have enjoyed this miracle year to the fullest. Jen and Geoff light up whenever they talk about their baby girl. She's a beautiful, happy baby, and I only wish Scott and I could see her more often. Every time we do our hearts swell right up.
This was the less intense of the two gifts I made for Baby B. this year. The pattern for this sweet little flannel print dress came from Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing for Baby: 24 Easy Projects for Newborns to Toddlers. It was very easy to follow, which is important for me, since I am pretty much no good at using patterns. Something about my wiring makes me extraordinarily averse to following instructions. You should see me assemble Ikea furniture. It's laughable, I tell you. Simply laughable.
It's so much fun crafting for a little girl. There is plenty of cuteness available for little boys, but with a girl project you never have to hold back. You are free to incorporate cuteness with reckless abandon. Plus, it feels more likely that Baby B. might treasure these little things when she grows up. Maybe she'll even save them for her own kids one day. You never know.
This was my reasoning behind crafting the larger project, a needlessly elaborate baby quilt, This was certainly my most detailed quilt to date. Like my others, it was totally freestyle. I had a bunch of rounds cut from an old pin cushion project, so I began appliqueing them to a piece of white flannel (by hand, of course). I did a little patchwork with purple flannel to shape the quilt into a rectangle, then quilted it by hand with embroidery floss. I was worried it was little too folksy for Jenn's taste, but I think that she liked it after all. I'm sure Baby B. does too.