Rag Quilts

I was busy sewing last week for some sweet baby girls (and their mamas!).  My sister recently had a baby, and I made her a baby rag quilt. 

I love making these blankets. They are actually quite easy (shh! Don't tell!), and they go fairly quickly.  My biggest challenge is finding flannel that is wide enough, especially when they put annoying labels on the selvages....so don't look at this one too closely.  In fact, I love making them so much that after borrowing a cutting mat and rotary cutter from a friend to make my first one, I went out and bought my own so that I could continue making them.  I also bought the special little snipping scissors that have a spring so your hand doesn't get cramped from snipping seams.  You really can't do a good job without those tools, not to mention that it would take FOREVER, and I really have used them a lot. 
My second biggest challenge when sewing these blankets is finding the time when my baby girl is sleeping.  Nap times are so precious.  There are so many options for how to spend my toddler-free time (translated: no baby getting into EVERYTHING that she's not supposed to!).  However, when I have a sewing project with a deadline, that takes priority.  My sewing center is in my basement, which is also where all of our homeschool stuff is, and the computer, and...well, just about everything that I want to keep out of her reach.  So it's pretty impossible to sew down there while she is with me.  Thankfully, she took great naps last week.  I think she's growing or something.

This quilt is one that I made for my dear friend who is expecting a baby girl in May.  I just can't wait to meet her!  We threw a baby shower for her on Saturday, and it was fun to be able to give her this for her sweet girl. 

Please ignore the wrinkly nature of the blanket...it wasn't quite dry when I took it out of the dryer, and I mistakenly thought it would air dry the rest of the way just fine.  I was wrong.  Looking at the pictures now, I realize how wrinkled it really was.  Oh well.  Live and learn, I guess.  God likes to throw in little things like that to keep me humble. 
I have another one that is done except for the clipping and washing, for a friend who's expecting a baby boy in May.  It's fun for me to think of and pray for each baby as I am sewing, and for their mamas, too.  I pray that they will be covered with love each time they are wrapped up in these blankets, and that their mamas will know how much I love them each time they snuggle their baby in it.