Birthdays

We celebrated Christmas quietly yesterday, and today we're on to a daughter's birthday. December is a busy month here. We're part of a rather large extended family, and getting to the point in life where children are marrying, and our siblings and friends are becoming grandparents. It's rather exciting, isn't it? Babies are such a joy to be around, especially when you aren't directly responsible for them, and they go home with someone else!


So, you wouldn't be surprised when one of the nieces or nephews announces there will be another baby coming in the spring. But, so did two other couples, and now we're up to 3 babies expected in a few short weeks of each other. Oh, baby, baby, baby! What fun!

One baby is a first so there will be a shower, and there ought be quilts from a family that sews. The new mom and dad want the baby's gender to be a secret right up to the birth, so there's no way to guess if it should be a boy or girl themed quilt. If in doubt, ask the mom what neutral colors she might like. A quick phone call confirmed she was good with whatever I picked, and I am a big fan of Depression fabrics for baby quilts. 

I have a small stash of prints, but it's not extensive. To fill out the selection, I did some background research on popular fabrics from the 1930's. Polka dots had come on the scene, and were all the rage. Gingham was very popular then, especially for children's playwear. And, of course, solids were always a complimentary fabric with the prints. I pulled all three categories.

The 1930's was a period in history when gender was just becoming associated with one color or another, and the idea of unisex clothing for babies was being phased out. There was money to be made by commercializing on certain colors for a specific gender--like pink for girls, and blue for boys. Green and yellow have always been fairly neutral, and I based the main colors on those with some blue and red to pink rounding it out. 

I used the Missouri Quilt Co. 5" Tumbler template, and it only took half an hour or so to get it all cut out. Now I can take my leisure to sew it together while thinking happy thoughts of a beautiful, new baby. I think, from the layout, it's going to be a sweet little quilt for a loving couple. 

Come on, my Doxie Girls.

Let's go sew before it's party time.