I have a friend who is pregnant. With twins. Now in my quilt making mind that is just an excuse for being greedy about baby quilts but she insists that there are in fact two girl babies in there.
(This amuses me to no end since we were raised basically as sisters except that she maxed out at 5’2 and a size 4 on her worst days. The idea of her being about to pop pleases the part of my brain that is still 12 and wearing the big girl sizes while she whines that the skinny girl clothes are too big.)
Anyway, I had to decide on what to make. Matching? Not matching? Themed? The parents-to-be are dog crazy. If the kids know what’s good for them they will be too or else they might find themselves getting returned. But, I couldn’t find any baby dog fabric in anything other than blue. I considered having a feminist meltdown in the middle of the store but instead bought up two blue dog flannel prints to use as backing.
I’ve come to the horrifying conclusion over the years that baby quilts are best made simply. Non-quilters don’t get the fancy stuff. They like pictures. If you don’t believe me show the average person an intricately pieced quilt and then something with a cute panel. They will squeal over the one with the panel. I’ve learned not to fight it anymore. It is easier on me anyway.
Here is the top for Baby #1.
A close up of the center fabric
This also amuses me because the mother-to-be that I remember from my entire childhood was nasty. I was the sheltered oldest child in my family and she had three older brothers. You get the picture. Then we went our separate ways for college and grad school. When we started getting back together again she was different. Nice, even. At her bridal shower we went around the room and everyone said something they appreciated about her. These were mostly new people in her life. They all talked (with a straight face) about how sweet and caring and gentle she was. I was sitting to her left and would have been last to speak if she hadn’t turned to me and hissed, “Don’t say a word!” How did she know I was going to blow her cover? LOL We’ve gotten together for weekends once a year for a while now and although I’m always sort of mentally expecting her to freak out over stuff she does really seem serene and peaceful now. So I figured the nice words in the center panel would fit their family.
I’m going to do the same general idea for Baby #2 but with totally different fabrics and colors and maybe blocks. Stay tuned….
