making Loveys

There are precious few things I can do for my baby right now.  I can be with her, but not nearly enough.  I can provide her milk, learn about cerebral palsy, hope for the best.   This weekend I made her something, something she can use now... I think.  A friend of mine who has NICU experience suggested a scent blanket to leave with her when I cannot be there myself.  That I can do.



I had already planned to make some lovey blankets with these voile fabrics.  They are silky cottons with a gorgeous drape all from FreeSpirit, the two prints by Anna Maria Horner.  Her Folk Song collection sports the same diamond mine print on quilting cotton.  You can find more voile options at Fabricworm and Lark Cottons.

 

The process was pretty straightforward.  I cut two squares for each blanket.  I made two smaller loveys, cut 16" square, and one larger one, cut 24" square.



Since voile is a slippery fabric, I basted the two squares together (wrong sides together) before attaching binding.



My binding is also voile, a first for me.  It actually wasn't too difficult to work with!  Maybe that's because I wasn't binding a thick quilt, but just two thin layers of voile?  So that my binding wouldn't come out wider than normal, I cut strips 2 1/4" wide, instead of my usual 2 1/2" wide.  Attached with a zigzag stitch, as usual. 



I'm glad I decided to give voile binding a try as it keeps these blankets light as air and deliciously drapey.  That's three little loveys, done.

I know that so many of you are thinking and praying for Eleni and our family, so I want to give you an update.  On Friday she cried and on Saturday she opened her eyes.  What a relief!  Now she has sleep and awake periods, like a normal newborn.  We're so thankful!  She seems to make small gains each day in her muscle control - just little things like moving her head from side to side, moving her eyes more smoothly, using her tongue.  I can't tell you how encouraging each one is.  And, wow, how many things do we take for granted with healthy babies!  Muscles are everywhere. 

Thanks again for your support!  I haven't had a chance to read all your comments yet, but I so appreciate that they are there for me and will be there for me to come back to when needed.  You all are amazing.