Welcome Baby Quilt

I will start this post with an apology. These pictures are CRAP! My DH (dear husband) is still in Nashville and he has the camera with him. I am taking dinner in to DH's cousin tomorrow night who had a baby this past weekend, and I am giving her this quilt. So, my only option to get it photographed and blogged about was to use my camera phone.

This was my first real quilt. I have played around before with rag quilts and such but never what I would consider a "real" quilt. The original idea was to have guest at the "Would Have Baby Shower" write on a quilt block for the baby. But, after that idea flopped I decided to have family members help with this quilt instead.

Parents helped the little kids trace their hands.

Most of the adults wrote a little something to the baby.

And other's just graced the baby with their printed name

Now, I made up the dimensions and such as I went along for this quilt. I don't know much about quilting, but here's basically what I did.

Quilt Details:

Overall dimensions: 44" x 53"

Supplies:

21- 7" x 7" squares, fabric A

21- 7" x 7" squares, fabric B

2- 5" x 37" sashing, fabric C

2- 5" x 53" sashing, fabric C

1- 44" x 53" backing, fabric B or fabric D

1 1/4 " x perimeter of quilt- binding strip ironed in half, fabric E

crib size quilt batting

Directions (1/2" seam allowance):

1 Ask family member to write something to the unborn baby with a PERMANENT marker on fabric A squares.

2. Piece 7" x 7" squares together alternating fabrics A & B. 6 blocks across, 7 blocks down

3. Attaching 5" x 37" sashing to top and bottom of quilt

4. Attach 5" x 53" sashing to sides of quilt

5. Baste quilt top, batting, and back together.

6. Machine quilt using this method

7. Bind the quilt

8. Wash the quilt in the machine to fluff it up

9. Don't forget to label your quilt so the baby will remember the occasion the quilt was made. I had one extra quilt block after everyone had signed on so the block in the right hand bottom corner is labeled to the baby.

Would Have Baby Shower

I WOULD HAVE thrown a great baby shower.

My mother-in-law and I had been planning a baby shower for her niece (my husband's cousin) for quite some time now. We were doing a clothesline theme, and it WOULD HAVE been great. At 8:30 a.m. just as I am finishing up my tortellini salad and getting ready to hop in the shower and get ready for the guests to arrive at 11:00 a.m. I got a phone call from my mother-in-law. Her sister, the mother-to-be's mom, had called her announcing that her daughter had been in the hospital all night and part of the previous evening due to pneumonia, which had then started contractions. The mother-to-be's mom had went ahead and called all the guests and canceled the shower.

So after crying to my husband and then sulking around the house thinking about all the hard work my mother-in-law and I had done for nothing, I decided I'd go ahead and post what I WOULD HAVE done at the shower. (If only to make myself feel better)



This is what the guests WOULD HAVE seen as they walked in the front door. And where the gifts WOULD HAVE gone. My wonderful husband made those clothesline poles for me which will later double as balloon trees for future parties.



The plates and utensils the guests WOULD HAVE used. I wrapped the napkins around the utensils and then secured them with a strip of paper like in the restaurants.



The cupcake stand I WOULD HAVE put the cupcakes on.



The cupcakes I WOULD HAVE served. I WOULD HAVE topped them with a miniature clothesline made from bamboo skewers, string, mini clothespins and die cut onesies. Don't worry, my husband's birthday is tomorrow. He will be having clothesline cupcakes (lucky him). Check back for pictures of the cupcakes completed.

The banner the guest WOULD HAVE seen hanging over the buffet.

A close up of the banner. Letters cut from the cricut were hung from a ribbon with clothespins.

I WOULD HAVE finished cleaning up my living room and put the toys my son got out away.

The diaper cake I WOULD HAVE given to the mom-to-be. (Actually I guess I'm still giving it to her)

The table where the children and/or guest WOULD HAVE sat to eat.

We WOULD HAVE served:

-pulled pork sandwiches

-tortellini salad

-avocado dip and chips

-fruit salad

-clothesline cupcakes

-white chocolate mouse in mini chocolate cups

-mini blueberry cheesecakes

We WOULD HAVE given bars of soap wrapped in a diaper with a diaper pin as favors (my mother-in-law was bringing those with her so I didn't have them to photograph)

It WOULD HAVE been really fun!

P.S. Anyone interested in coming over this weekend for pulled pork sandwiches and salads?