When grandparents and other loved ones can’t wrap their arms around the new little baby in the family, unique baby quilts made with loved ones’ clothes give special comfort in special ways.
When it’s right
The grandparents might have passed on, or they might just live too far away to be a presence in the new little one’s life. That’s when a clever quilter can create special baby quilts for boys and girls that incorporate fabric from Granddad’s favorite shirt, or from Grandma’s best pajamas. By doing so, she can take those people from the remoteness of faded memories or long-distance phone calls and insert them right into the action of the baby’s everyday life. Showing the baby fading photos in an album is nice, but snuggling with her in the cotton patches from Granny’s Sunday dress will have much more meaning. If Auntie Ann was a great reader, how great to read the baby stories cuddled in a quilt made with Auntie Ann’s favorite denim jeans.
How it Works
Because buying unique handmade baby quilts for boys and girls is a one-on-one experience, you can confer with the quilter on ideas for the pattern. The options for unusual patterns are almost endless. Maybe a grandpa wants to give his new grandson a quilt made from shirts he and his son wore when they went fishing. Grandpa sends the shirts to the quilter and she can come up with some choices.
If there’s enough material, she might want to create a patchwork quilt of the two fabrics, connecting them in an eye-pleasing way with a little artful trim to spice up the design. If there’s not enough for that, she might use patches of the two shirts with patches of coordinating material to complete the exclusive design. She could also make appliqués of the shirts in fish shapes or boat shapes to accent the quilt’s theme, which was chosen to represent the family members’ interests or hobbies. If an older child or an adult is going to get a handmade quilt, tee-shirts can be stitched into a personalized patchwork pattern with good looks and great memories neatly paired.
What Won’t Work
The only thing to remember is that clothes that are sewn into a quilt have to be soft, like the baby flannel that is usually used for fabrication. They have to have been washed and dried and be unwrinkled, so that they’ll make it through the many machine washes and dryings that children’s quilts will undergo.
What a Fabulous Gift
No gift can hold a candle to a quilt that has been handmade made with loved ones’ clothes You’ll be creating and giving a tangible piece of family history. You’ll be providing a treasured keepsake. The baby will love the soft, warm snuggliness of her special quilt, and the parents and members of the family will be thrilled that those beloved people who can’t wrap their arms around this precious baby are still embracing her every time she cuddles with her quilt.
