EDITED: Happy Version: Baby Quilts and Cradle

Hello, all.  I am dipping my toe buck into the blogging waters.

That was this morning.  I swear to y'all, I am NOT depressed.  Both sides of my family are prone to extreme depression.  You know, the kind where you don't turn on the lights or open the curtains, wear the same clothes for three days and nights straight and eat bags of Cheetos with a side of cookie dough ice cream?  My family has this down to an art.  We can do this sort of thing for YEARS.

Not sure what happened but every time I sat down I just couldn't bring myself to do it.  I have also stopped sewing for about three weeks now. I think I mostly got myself exhausted.  As I have mentioned before, I work a rotating schedule.  I was doing something every day I was off.  My house is clean.  My lavender bed cut back.  My baby gifts made and my research at work is up to date - this has involved emails and phone calls on my off days with my manager.

 Have to start back to sewing and blogging today because I enjoy them.  So, starting with blogging.

First, back in October I gave this quilt to a co-worker for her first granddaughter.

I made this from fabric in my stash.  My husband bought me the pink a pack of fat eighths.  I had the rest "laying around".  I thought it looked a little too "old lady like" when I finished.  So, I added this cute jumbo rick rack.  I think that really sets it off.

I ended up sewing the rickrack around both edges because it curled so badly when I washed it.  I told the grandmother, "I don't make art or heirlooms.  I make throw over the baby carrier, into the car, onto the floor, let a toddler drag behind 'em" quilts.  But, the mom liked it so much she put it in the nursery to use.  What a compliment!  I backed it in scraps of flannel.  I think I used two shades of pink but I am not sure at this point and I didn't take any pictures of the back.  I was feeling artsy, though, and took an entire series on my porch.

This is the finished Dr. Seuss quilt.  I still need to label it but because they aren't telling the baby's name, I didn't put the label on yet.  That entire name thing has gotten funny. They wanted to keep it a secret but started giving me clues - unasked.  Once they told me what it started with and how many letters I knew the name.  I had to wait until the next day to guess so I could come up with OTHER names to guess.  So, they told her mom.  We didn't tell people we knew.  When they found out at the showers, they got mad!  I still haven't told anyone.

 Probably after Thanksgiving I will label this.  It is still at my house right now and after T-giving none of the other kids should be home until the baby comes.  I really like how the striped binding turned out.  It is a big quilt but will be great for a toddler.

I had a different plan for quilting but my son asked, "Are you going to do the all over squiggly for the quilting?  I think that looks very Dr. Seuss like."  So, I did the all over squiggly.  I don't feel very comfortable with it but I think it looks okay.  I used a variegated Mettler thread.  Hmmm ....just realized I didn't photograph the back.  See that white with the rings on it in the upper center of the picture?  I used that in flannel on the back.

This is the big gift.  My husband built this cradle.  It is made from lumber from trees here at the farm.  He cut them, milled them and then made this cradle  - after letting the lumber dry several years.  He designed it himself based upon one his grandfather had made us.  Grandad worked in pine.  This is oak.  The platform is red oak and the frame portion is white oak.

My contribution was calculating the desired angles for everything for him and drawing out the curves.  He was having a hard time achieving the look he wanted .  I also made the fitted sheets - two - and a fitted mattress cover for it.  I made several blankets, quilts and other baby items, too.  Then her family had a baby shower and she got four more quilts from her great aunts.  This baby should NEVER be cold.

The cradle is a work of art, in my unbiased opinion.  The finish is as smooth as silk.  We still have the one Grandad made. It has my Raggedy Ann collection in it.  But M wanted to keep it here and figured the grands  can use it when they come to visit us and he will make each of the kids one.

Very unexciting post, huh? I tell you, all I seem to want to do is sleep right now.  Can't get caught up.  I worked nights the weekend of time change.  So, not only did I work 13 hours to cover the shift but I had to work over every night.  We also got no fewer than 6 phone calls per day about the election.  I think I am still trying to recover from that.  Trying to pull myself out of this cycle or it will be a LONG winter.

Today is the first day of deer camp at our house.  Indiana shotgun season started at 30 minutes before sunrise this morning. Hopefully, I will get some sewing done this weekend while the guys hunt.  Did I mention I have to complete a full size quilt by December 23 and I haven't started it?  It should go fast and be fun but I have other things to catch up on first.  Been in my sewing room this afternoon working on some of them.

Linking up with

Crazy Mom Quilts
Richard and Tanya Link a Finish Friday
Thank Goodness it's Finished
Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Please check out some of the projects and COMMENT.  We all love comments and questions.

Keep stitchin'!

Mary