Milk & Cookies baby quilt

It's a finish! TWO in fact! So now I can start my 2010 completed list.

"Milk & Cookies" is finally completed and ready to post off to it's new owner today (along with our late Christmas card which was waiting to be sent with the quilt...). This quilt used up a lot of the scraps from Madelyn's (yet to be quilted) quilt with the blues instead of the deep reds I used for hers, and I was picky with the fabrics not to include any florals.

I love the colour combo - it was quite soothing to create. I wanted to get it finished quickly (even though it didn't happen as fast as I would have liked due to very few pockets of time over busy December!) so decided to just quilt straight across the quilt. I was going tgo do a diamond pattern but once these lines were done I decided this was enough, as quilting in the other direction would make it too stiff. My quilting lines are 30mm apart - next time I will try for at least 50mm (2") to create a diamond pattern. Hopefully it doesn't look like I forgot the other lines! They are a tad wonky, just as everything is about this quilt, but being a wonky log cabin quilt I think I can get away with it ;)

Even the pieced backing is slightly wonky! I loved this fabric although it's hard to see here. It is a beige/cream with white toys sitting on shelves which is just perfect for a baby quilt. The name was done in soft pinwale cord (the tiny leftover pieces from Madelyn's oilily pinafore from last year) and appliqued with a varigated blue cotton thread using my machine's buttonhole stitch. I quilted aropund each letter which makes them pop up a bit and they add a bit of texture for him to feel as he has tummy time on the quilt.

The same pinwale cord was used to create the matching giraffe friend. His eyes and ears are embroidered by hand - he would have had button eyes but I decided to leave them off for safety reasons. I love his notted ear horns and tail - Jake will probably love them too - especially good for soggifying when he is teething!

JANUARY

Before I sign off for the day, I think it's about time I add my January list (can you believe we are almost a whole week in already?!). To keep things realistic, I am going to list just one thing in each craft to work on. If I get a finish that's a bonus, but the promise I am making to myself is to make some significant progress on each project even if I don't finish (trying to see how long I can keep the pressure off myself!). I will try to work on just these projects and not start something new unless a) the listed project for a particular craft is complete or b) a new month begins when I can list another three projects (or continue on one of these). The only out I get is to finish off an old WIP if the current projects list isn't inspiring me on a given day. Each Sunday I will try to give a progress update on the listed projects (pinching Milly's idea of Snapshot Sunday!). Hopefully this will keep me from having 100 projects on the go and not finishing a single one!

Janurary is a very much Madelyn focussed month - she is growing so quickly and if I don 't hurry up she will outgrow many of the patterns I have collected over the years for baby girls, and since we aren't planning anymore babies, that would be a sad thing for me if I don't get to make up at least a few of my favourites.

Knitting: Madelyn's little lace top from my favourite knitting pattern book that I haven't managed to make much from (and she's outgrown all but a few of the patterns already!)

Sewing: This dress for Madelyn that has been an unopened pattern now for a whole year! If I finish this before the end of the month, she desperately needs new soft shoes (I have suede for non slip bottoms - an essential since she TOOK TWO STEPS TODAY!) or some headbands (now that she is finally showing a bit of blonde fluff on her head!)

Quilting: My aim for January was to get Milk & Cookies done and sent. It weent in the post today so I am free to pick something else. I think I'll go with Madelyn's quilt. She's not using blankets and sheets any more due to the quest for more sleep and the wonder of the baby sleeping bag ;) but I would like to get this one finished so it can go in her room at least and then it will be ready for her when she's ready to give up the sleeping bags again.

I'd also like to sign up for Chaletgirl's "One Per Month Challenge". I did something like this last year and managed to average about a project complete per week, despite not getting much sleep, so figured I'd go for it again. My version not only includes craft books but also paper patterns I have had for ages (like the Simplicity one above).

I'll leave you with this picture of Madelyn - the finger in the mouth and the drool says it all. Yes that's right, those pesky molars are trying to cut. Still it didn't stop her wanting to play Little People with her big brother. Love it when they play together.