Week of June 16, 2019 – Baby Quilts

I know I usually share doll quilts and miniature quilts but today I am sharing Baby Quilts. I have a good reason too. My daughter Lisa is pregnant and last week we just found out it will be a BOY. So now I am thinking about blue quilts. Should they have airplanes? Or trucks? Or just wonderful blue baby fabrics?

My only other grandchild (Freya) is a girl and I have made her almost a dozen baby quilts, most of which reside at her home. But this first one (32“ x 39”) has stayed at my house to use when she comes over. It is one of those quilts that is simple to piece, but the fabric is so cute it does all the work. I love the fabric on the bottom which says, “P. S. I LOVE YOU”.

Forty-two years ago, before my daughter was born, I was convinced she would be a boy since her father was the oldest of 5 boys and her grandfather was the oldest of 5 boys. Well, surprise! she was a girl, but in the meantime my mother had made her an adorable animal quilt (36” x 48”) set in blue. It is all hand embroidered with black thread over different colored fabrics for the animals. If you look closely in the bottom left corner (or 2^nd down from the top on the right column) you will see that the animal is an elephant.

Two years after my daughter was born, I had a boy so I helped my mom use a projector and blow up the pattern and she made Karl the quilt you see to the right which is a giant elephant (35” x 35”). It hung on the wall in his nursery for several years.

This last quilt (39.5” x 54”) was also made by my mother. She had six grandchildren and in the 1990s she decided it would be nice to make six baby quilts so that someday even if she were gone, each of her grandchildren could give their first child a quilt made by their great grandmother. Most of them are hand quilted. She was able to give away the first five quilts as each grandchild had their first child. But my son is 40 and not married so I am about to give up hope that he will have kids and now that my mom is gone, I think this last quilt will go to my daughter’s 2^nd child since it will be a boy.

My mom loved to make quilts out of gingham, using different scale sizes of gingham mixed with white. According to her records of her quilting she made and gave away over 50 of these in various colors – most of them were tied not quilted. This last one will be very special for the last great grandchild.

Just for You – Quilt Quote: “Blessed are the piecemakers – their children shall inherit the quilts”

If you have any comments or questions, please contact Phyllis at: MtnQltr@aol.com