Baby Gear

I have been blessed to have many friends recently who have had babies. Since I'm not fortunate yet to have any of my own, my friends' kids are definite bright spots in my life. When you visit my house, you will find a fridge so covered in photos that it can be hard to tell the actual color of the fridge unless you look at the bottom. I love stitching something soft for the new blessings that join our group. I just finished a few more for a baby girl due in October.





This blanket is from a Vanna's Choice Baby pattern I found on the "freebie" pattern pad at Michaels. You can get a lot of really great patterns for free at craft stores and Wal Mart. While they are always "conveniently" next to the yarn you'll need for the project, you can usually find fairly good substitutes.









The bib, burp cloths and wash cloths are from Lily's Cream n' Sugar patterns I found online at www.lily.com. They're all made with cotton yarn so they wash easy.

The blanket, of course, took the longest. But, I've discovered that if you do all the centers, then the middles, then the outside, it goes a lot faster. I've also learned you should always stitch the squares and strips together on the WRONG side to avoid the bumpy lines that show up otherwise. If you have a suggestion for avoiding bumpy seams altogether, please let me know. The others stitch up fairly quick as they are flat with the same stitch repeated for the pattern. The bib required some improvisation because I have a hard time stitching right to left for the left side neck hole. But, they make easy, quick, last minute gifts if needed. Enjoy.