I have a love/hate relationship with quilting. I've only just realized this. It's sooooo teeeedious but SO rewarding.
I've started this special quilt for Audrey ages ago. It was going to be her baby quilt, and I guess it still is (SHE'S STILL MY BABY RIGHT?!). I'm only just dusting off this forgotten project and finishing it now and so far it looks stunning. The problem is, when I resumed work on the project I didn't know whether to give it to Audrey (as originally intended) or give it to the new Baby. Audrey has a little patchwork play quilt that I made long before we were married or Audrey was even a thought. It's a little worn and stained and is sort of like a hand-me-down. Baby is getting a beautiful handspun merino/silk knitted blanket and Audrey got a teeny tiny little one. As a first time Mama I had no idea what size baby blanket was appropriate and made one that was entirely too small. It's nice and snuggly and would make a nice little keepsake, but it's basically useless. I'm thinking to go back and make Audrey a nicer one... but I don't know. The bottom line is, it feels like Audrey was getting jipped a little bit (in the way of handmade things) so I've decided to give her this quilt as I originally intended.
How far do you go to make sure things are even and fair between the kiddos? I know Audrey doesn't understand but I want both girls to have nice things to keep and look back on. It feels really important to me and kinda silly at the same time. Do you stress over this kinda stuff too?
Out of interest... what dimensions did you make you first baby blanket and what size are you planning for your second?
ReplyDeleteLove quilting- for special people/occassions. I am not a die hard quilter though, churning out quilt after quilt like some do.
I have no other wisdom.
My first blanket was probably about from my shoulder to my wrist (uuhh... yeah.) My next blanket I'll make from about the middle of my chest to my fingertips, quite a bit bigger.
DeleteI realize these aren't very good measurements, especially since your arms are longer than mine (I'M SO SHORT). But yeah. My measuring tape has been missing for months so I'm stuck in the dark ages.
I guess I COULD buy another BUT WHO CAN REMEMBER ANYTHING ANYMORE? Not me.
DeleteThanks! I've made a range of blankets, but the crochet ones are so heavy. Wondering if I will have time to spin and knit another one before August?! Probably not with everything else there is to do!
DeleteTalia, you're hilarious!
Deleteyou have no idea! my eldest daughter has smith magenis syndrome so her behaviours are extreme and self-harming and often i simply have to treat my kids differently! simply to keep us all safe there is often a rule for 1 and another rule for others. i worry in particular that my girls feel this the most there is only 14 months between them! i worry about keeping things fair all the time and what they will think as they grow. and yes it does filter down to other things like what material things they have as well, add into the mix that tilly has a padded bedroom and she cant have the more normal toys in there and its a minefield of epic proportions to try to make sure my kids feel they are treated equally! so i relate, i am in a very different place but our mama's heart is the same, i think it's called love...for what its worth i think you are doing awesome x
ReplyDeleteAh, Jane that sounds so hard! I'm glad I'm not the only one with this mama's heart dilemma though. You sound like you're doing an AMAZING JOB! I feel really encouraged.
DeleteI have 3 kids, they all get special things that are different,
ReplyDeleteKids are really very easy to please they just want our time/attention and love. Material things really don't matter x
And your a awesome Mum, its normal to sweat the small things..it'll be those preggy hormones!
Oh my gosh, pregnant hormones. You have no idea. This morning I cried because I love twitter so much. Um, WHAT?!
DeleteWHO AM I?!
I have thought about this in great detail! As the youngest of 5 everything I had was a handme down , and because I was the youngest I ended up being able to keep most of it. My older brother complains that I got his crochet blanket to keep, and my other brother complains that I have his knitted dressing gown, and I have my sisters baby bangle (all of this has been given to camilla). I find it funny how each of my siblings, although they all had that blanket and dressing gown, were attached to different things.
ReplyDeleteEach of my kids will have a lovely knitted baby shawl / blanket that my mum knits (camillas was bright green, so lovely, we still get comments from strangers about it) and new babys getting a lovely deep pink magenta colour one. And I hope to make them each a blanket for their own big beds by the time they move into them, and aside from that everything will be shared and passed on. Hope it works! Haha.
to be honest.. I did stress more about this kind of thing when I had my first 2 children but now I have got to number six it has become less of an issue... I have just made sure that they all one lovely thing to keep from when they were a newborn. My mother in law made me the most stunning shawl when I was expecting Mollie (my firstborn) but after 5 babies it totally fell apart (didnt help that my sister accidentally put it in the washing machine! oh my - lots of tears were cried THAT day!) My sister in law though made a gorgeous one for out latest baby so I guess he will have to be the lucky one that inherits it! You are doing an amazing job your girls are SO blessed to have such a kind hearted mama.
ReplyDeletexxx