Sewing for a New Baby–the story behind the quilt!

When my good friends Erin and Tex announced that they were having a baby earlier this year, my mind went straight to all the cute little baby things I would get to sew (after I congratulated them, started to cry and gave Erin a huge hug, of course!). After months of anticipation, the healthy and beautiful Charles Edward was born last night at 6:35 PM!

What a cutie-pie! Right after I found out he was on the way, I started thinking about designing a quilt for him. And as it happens, the finished product  is featured in the latest issue of Sew it All–which just went on newsstands yesterday, perfectly timed with Charlie’s birthday!

I wanted to make something simple and graphic so I’d be able to finish it quickly, so I opted for a classic “square in a square” type quilt block. And once I found out a boy was on the way, I  wanted to use bright, cheerful fabric that was “boy-appropriate.” I lucked out when I came across the Hello Sunshine! collection from Connecting Threads. (And seriously, could the collection have a more perfect name for greeting a new baby?) Find instructions for making the “Square One” quilt on page 118, and don’t worry if you’ve never made a quilt before! I’m a beginner quilter myself, and this one was fun and simple to make.

I’m so excited for Charlie to snuggle up in the quilt, which I finished in time to give to Erin at her baby shower:

That’s one of the things I love most about sewing: being able to make something, not just buy something, for people I care about. I still have the quilt that my grandma made for me when I was little, and even though she passed away last year, it makes me feel connected to her knowing that she pieced it together with her own hands. I like knowing that Charlie will always have this quilt and that love went into every stitch. From the comments and projects you share with us, I’m sure you feel the same way! We love putting together each issue of Sew it All knowing that you’ll be able to use the ideas and projects to create special, functional items for you and your loved ones.

There are about a million other things I can’t wait to make for Charlie, including a bunch of other fun ideas from this issue. I’m pretty sure every baby needs a monster bib like the ones feature in “Monster Mash“:

And who could resist the ridiculously cute baby-sized bow ties in “Ties for Tots”?

Looks like I have my work cut out for me! I hope you find lots of inspiration and fun in Sew it All, Volume 5–be sure to share your favorite projects with us on Facebook!