Spring Time and the babys are A'coming!

hiyall,
this last week has flown by! I am finally getting the gist of my bookkeepers job. Some of the steps I have learned finally make sense! Easter Sunday I was left to myself to do the job and I did fine! I found out I do best when ya leave me alone! which is a good thing. I am very anti-social *grin* that is my story and I'm sticking to it! I don't mind being cooped up in a windowless room. I have my radio and a phone. the walls are feline pink and very calming. I learned that the local jail has pink walls in the drunk tank to keep the drunks passive. I wouldn't know, I have never been in a drunk tank myself.....but I have gone to retrieve friends the next day after they were locked up. I will come get your sober arse out of jail, but I ain't gonna bail your drunk arse out!

I found out another co-worker is going to have a baby. great googly moogly, they are breeding like bunny rabbits. tis the season I suppose. I have a standard baby quilt I make for my friends. It is quick and easy and great for a beginner quilter. This is the formula I came up with:

• cut 16~ 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 in squares of some type of novelty fabric.


• choose 4 co ordinating fat quarters and cut each FQ into 2 1/2 in strips. there will be left overs so save them for another baby quilt.
  
• sew the strips to four squares of each fat quarters.


• assemble the squares, four across, four down
  
• add 2 borders, one will be 2 inch strip (1 1/2 finished), second one will be 3 or 4 inches


• your top should be anywhere from 40'' to 42'' square. A good size for a baby up to a 3 year old toddler


• layer with batting and backing, baste and do a simple stitch in the ditch machine quilting. Or tie if you like.
  
• my binding usually matches the backing that coordinates with the top
  

Always machine wash and air dry the quilt before you gift it. Advoid using fabric softner, some babies are very allergic. A friend told me she sends a Tide To Go stick with her gift. This is a great idea, this will insure the baby will get to use the quilt instead of seeing it hung on the wall. You dont know how many times I have had a parent tell me that they did not want the Quilt to be 'ruined' by the baby and hung it on the wall instead. There is a poem you can include with your baby Quilt that will encourage the new parent to use the quilt as it was intended:

Its Ok if you sit on your quilt. Its Ok if your bottle gets spilt. If you swallow some air and you burp, dont despair, Its Ok if you spit on your quilt. There are scraps old and new on your quilt. Put together for you on your quilt. If your gums feel numb'Cause your teeth havent come, its Ok if you chew on your quilt. I expect you to lie on your quilt, If you are hurt, you may cry on your quilt. On a cold rainy night,Don't you fret; you're allright. You'll be snug, warm and dry on your quilt.

(muah) Liz, Keep On Stitchin' On!