Quilts are for cuddling

This blog is in response to the many questions I've received (both as comments to the last post and in real life) regarding why on earth I would hang a quilt on a wall – I assume, as opposed to using it in the crib.

First I must mention that I'm a very firm believer that quilts are for cuddling. That's why all the quilts I've ever made are completely machine washable, and plenty large enough for cuddling (except for this one).

But ... baby quilts are a whole different story. From what I've read, babies should not sleep with blankets, pillows, crib bumpers, or quilts due to an increased risk of SIDS (due to suffocation). As the paranoid first-timer that I am, I'm definitely going to follow the "no blanket in the crib" recommendation. So using it in the crib is out.

I could use the quilt as a play mat ... but I already made one of those. And since I've been a quilter for about 14 years, we have plenty of other quilts in the house to use for play mats.

I hope to take the quilt off the wall and let our baby use it when she gets a bit older (and can use the quilt as a quilt). But until then, I think it makes for some nice wall art.

Finally up

The nursery quilt is finally quilted. And I got the binding sewn on. And it's washed and crinkly.

I secured it to the wall (just used a few small nails).

Not that that isn't exciting enough, but after I got the quilt up, I could (finally) get the flag pennant garland up.

I love it.

If I could fit in the crib, I think I'd sleep in it.

Hmmm ... now what can I make?

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P.S. Go Vikings!

Custom cradle sheets

When I was born, my great grandpa made me this cradle. Aside from how beautiful it is, it holds so many special memories. Thanks to my parents for taking such good care of it all these years, so that our baby will also be able to use it.

It's completely original, which is super cool. The downside is that it's impossible to buy a mattress or sheets for it. Good thing I know a thing or two about sewing.

The "mattress" is two-inch thick, dense foam (from the fabric store). I covered the foam with a lightweight white vinyl table cloth for easy clean up.

Then come the sheets.

I combined a few online tutorials for making custom fitted sheets. For the fabric, I used old sheets that we no longer used - they are amazingly soft! I made two in white and two in dark pink/red.

I've heard that it's a good idea to place a giant burp rag-like layer under the sheet to contain any mess. I made two of these by layering one layer of batting between two sheets. For as unglamorous as these are, they sure are cute (and very soft).

Bed skirt for the crib

I made a bed skirt! In looking for crib bedding I didn't find a bed skirt I liked, so I set out to make one. Have you ever shopped for a crib skirt? Besides being very "loud" prints, they don't even touch the floor – what's the point in a bed skirt that doesn't touch the floor?!

Thanks to this tutorial from stardustshoes, I made my own bed skirt. The stardust blog is a great resource for tutorials - I got the baby booties tutorial there too.

I had to make a few modifications to make it work with a crib (especially one that has it's longest side against a wall, but it was quite easy. If you tackle this project - remember to measure twice and cut once!

Ready to quilt!

Last night I finished the top of the nursery quilt. I was debating adding a border, but once I hung it on the wall, I decided it was great as-is. I absolutely love this quilt – and not just because it's for the baby!

It coordinates really well with the playmat and the flag garland and ... (I've got more projects in the works).

Time to get quilting ...

The crib quilt

This quilt has been a work in progress for longer than I care to mention (ahem ... I fist blogged about it last April). Luckily it now has more significance than I even intended – it will be our baby's first quilt! It will hang above the crib.

All the blocks are done, now I am working on sewing on the white sashing. The finished quilt will be somewhere between 40x40 and 50x50 inches, depending on if I decide to do for a border, or not.

I love how the red/pink blocks remind me of the Strawberry Shortcake (the doll, not the food), and the orange/yellow blocks make me think of baby chickens, and the green/aqua squares ...

I have high hopes for some major progress this week, so stay tuned.

Dresser and chair makeover

We were very fortunate that we received a few family hand-me-down heirloom pieces for the baby's nursery.

The biggest project was a dresser that originally belonged to Corey's Great Grandmother and was handed-down to Corey's dad, and to Corey and his siblings. It was a simple, nine-drawer dresser, stained with a light finish.

My mom and I lightly sanded the surface to remove the shiny texture and prepare for painting. If you've ever sanded furniture, you know it is not an "indoor activity" so we took our project to the garage. Because it was so chilly, we huddled around a propane heater. Surprisingly, we were toasty warm even though we could see our breath.

My mom helped with the painting, I supervised. Here it is after a few coats of white.

Finished and in the nursery! We spray-painted the knobs green (the knob that was missing in the photo has been found).

This little chair belonged to Corey. As you can see, it was in need of some TLC.

My dad came to the rescue with putty, sand paper, and spray paint. I absolutely love our "new" little chair.

Thanks to my parents for all their help and to Corey's parents for the great nursery furniture! I think there is something very special about using family furniture that is already rich in memories and love, and we're very fortunate that we have the chance to cary on the tradition.