I don't know what the statistics have been in your neck of the woods, but we've had a preponderance of girl babies born for ever so long among the births of family and friends. As they say, must be something in the water!
However, if you DO know of a male child that has been born and would like a handmade baby quilt, this might be the one for you.
Bold blocks outlined in white sashing with multi-colored corner squares. Perfect for that new little boy.
This quilt is square in size, 39" x 39", and has a piano-key border.
I quilted it with straight lines (tending more toward masculine than feminine, I thought) that show up nicely on the predominantly blue backing.
My preference is to make quilts that don't specifically say "boy" or "girl" but I have to admit that all the time I was constructing this one, I was imagining it as belonging to and keeping a little boy baby warm.
However, if this trend of female babies popping out continues, maybe I SHOULD pull out my stash of pinks and indulge in a couple of strictly "For Baby Girls Only" quilts!
You can read more about this quilt (and see more pictures) along with others I have for sale on my quilt website. Feel free to contact me at mamapea@mamapeaquilts.com if you should ever have any questions about any of my quilts.
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I thought you might like seeing this quilt-y snowman I made a couple of years ago.
After the Christmas decorations get packed away, I have a small snowman collection that I put out for a month or so. When I saw the pattern for this snowman door hanger, I thought he would fit right in with my other snowman decorations.
The pattern was in the December, 2006, issue of American Patchwork & Quilting magazine.
I've always planned to make more of them to give as gifts at holiday time, but haven't yet quite gotten around to doing so.
There's always next year. My quilt "To Do" list really could use a few more items on it. (That was a joke.)
That was a primal scream of frustration escaping my delicate, little, lady-like lips. Boy, there be a big, black cloud over our house lately. Both hubby and I are having another rough day. Nuthin' is going right, it's now 7 p.m. and neither of us feel we've gotten diddly-squat done today. Lots of good intentioned starts ending quickly and abruptly with our heads making contact with the old brick wall . . . boink!
Now that my computer is back up and running, we're having trouble with our high-speed satellite connection. Then two and a half hours ago when I first tried to get this post up, I found two glitches in the blog program. Lucky for me, my sick daughter/blog administrator was able to help me via e-mail to get them straightened out. More fun and games to keep us on our toes.
But I shall refrain from carrying on like a spoiled brat. Neither Roy nor I is suffering from the scads of germs that seem to be knocking down friends and family like so many bowling pins. Chicken Mama (our daughter) has been laid low (poor baby, and she's out of kleenex, too) and some schools in our nearest city have had to close because they've lost more than half their teaching staffs to colds, flus, and other mysterious maladies.
Nor have we fallen and done serious injury to any body parts on the glare ice that surrounds us. There is ice EVERYWHERE. Unless we get an appreciable amount of snow, the ice is going to be with us until spring. (Oh, horrible thought.) It is truly dangerous to drive or walk anywhere.
So I'm going to pack an overnight bag with my jammies and go to my quilt studio. No, wait. I don't have to do that. I have a bedroom and quilt studio both within the walls of the house. Why am I complaining about anything? I'll just go quilt until this black cloud moves on. (Dream on, Mama Pea, dream on.)
But I have gotten some quilting done in the last week or so when I was disconnected from my blogging by my ailing computer.
This is going to be a tablecloth to use in the winter time. Like now. As soon as I get it finished. It's going on the table.
I really like using a quilted tablecloth but I've realized I don't have one that doesn't have a flower motif. (WHAT was I thinking?!) Somehow, a tablecloth that shouts, "Spring! Summer! Flowers! Tra-La!" doesn't do it for me in January.
Connecting Threads had a really good sale before Christmas and advertised this kit. It was a Christmas tree skirt. I ordered it (under $16), made a couple of little adjustments, and it's going to be a great tablecloth to use in the winter months.
Different shape, I know, but I think that just adds to the attractiveness of it. I'll be sure to post another picture the first time I use it on the table.
I wanted to have this post up first thing this morning but, as I (complained) said, I just couldn't get to it until now. Better late than never.
It's great to be blogging again!
Mama Pea's daughter / web administrator here.
Mom's computer went belly-up last week, and I soon discovered that the required repair was far beyond my capabilities. So, off it went to the PC doctor.
The old beast came home late yesterday (the computer, that is, not Mama Pea!), and she tried to catch up for a couple of hours last night . . . planning to return to posting today.
Unfortunately, with the cold dawn this morning came the same problems, and so your favorite blogging quilter (quilting blogger?) is out of commission yet again.
She's tearing her hair out in frustration, so I KNOW she'll be back here just as soon as humanly (technologically!) possible.
Thanks for being patient.
This is one heckuva time of the year to be featuring a baby quilt with this particular name! Here in northeastern Minnesota it is currently -10° as I write this. Perhaps I should temporarily rename the quilt "Baby's Close-to-the-Heat-Source Blanket."
Regardless of what we choose to call it, this is a very colorful quilt, and I remember the fun I had selecting the fabrics that resulted in this great scrappy look.
The measurements are 37-1/2 x 43", and I quilted it using diagonal cross-hatching with wavy lines in the borders.
The backing fabric is a rich yellow-gold with small red and blue flower heads.
Where did the design for this quilt come from? Well, I have a favorite book called "Around the Block Again, More Rotary-Cut Blocks from Judy Hopkins." It contains instructions for making a myriad of blocks (about 200 of them) in many different sizes, from 4" to 14". Because I really enjoy working with the old, traditional block patterns, I use this book a lot. In it I found the block I used in "Baby's Beach Blanket." It's a simple one called "The Friendship Quilt" block. Most likely, the block was first designed so that the women involved in making the quilt could sign their names in the blank center square with perhaps a message for the intended recipient of the quilt.
But just look at the interesting things that happen when you line several of the blocks up horizontally and vertically. New designs are formed six ways to Sunday! What fun and eye appeal.
So whether this baby quilt is spread on a warm, sandy beach for a little one to play on or whether it's main purpose is to be wrapped around a wee babe to ward of winter's chill, it will do the job quite adequately . . . and maybe even become a treasured possession to be passed on down to a younger sibling in the future. Nothing would make me happier!
You can read more about this quilt and others I have for sale on my website,
Mama Pea Quilts - Handmade Baby Quilts.
Hope you all have a good week!
A couple of weeks back, my good blogging friend, Beth, over at Love Laugh Quilt, blogged about a cute little quilt she made for hanging on a cupboard handle, or door knob, or some such place for decoration. She had used Christmas fabric and was giving the tiny quilt as a gift.
I've always liked using small, miniature quilts as decorations throughout the house and commented to Beth on what a clever idea hers was for a Christmas gift.
Bless her little, ol' quiltin' heart, a short time later I received an envelope in the mail stuffed with leftover fabrics from her mini quilt project.
I purposefully kept myself from referring back to her post (dated December 14th) for fear I would blatantly copy her too closely.
These are the two little quilts I came up with.
This one measures 8" x 9-3/4"
I had to dig in my stash for the outer border and binding on this one.
Seven and a quarter inches square is what this one measures.
The binding is the only fabric from my stash.
I still have enough focus fabric to squeeze one or possibly two more minis out of it and would like to do so. They were fun to make. (I.e., how to start and finish a quilt in a couple of hours!)
Mine got made too late (obviously) for giving this Christmas . . . but thanks to you, Beth, I've got a running start on next year. Thanks for sharing your idea . . . and fabric!
P.S. I mentioned a day or so ago on my other blog that I was having trouble getting into my e-mail program. Apparently it has been corrupted (whatever the heck that means!) and it's still not working. So if you've sent me a message and haven't heard back, please be patient. If all goes well, I should (eventually) be able to get my messages and reply. (I'm just so thankful all other programs are working!)
Here it is on my design wall. All done. Quilted and bound. I used Thermore for batting which is super-thin and drapes nicely.
I had a big hunk of blue print fabric that I've been wondering if I would ever use that I thought would be a good match for the backing. I still have that big hunk of blue print fabric that I'm wondering if I will ever use . . . because it wasn't a good match at all. I ended up using a nice white on white which is probably more appropriate anyway.
I didn't know exactly how the different shape of the quilt, which I really, really like, would fit on our little kitchen table, but it's just fine.
