Guess Who's Having a Baby Girl!

I'm geared up to make yet another baby girl ragged quilt. These are the flannel fabrics I'll be using; aren't the ladybugs and butterflies soooo sweet? And the purple gingham, well, what can I say, any gingham is adorable for babies. I'll be spending a lovely afternoon sewing this up.

Can you guess who, in my family, is having a baby girl???

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

A lovely cold and foggy day here in Benicia . . . perfect for staying indoors with a fire in the fireplace, a good book (I'm currently reading "The Brass Verdict," by Michael Connelly), lounging on the couch wrapped in a blankie and with a cat or two on my lap. Bliss!
However, I'll be spending today working on my queue of unfinished projects. I started to make a written list of them all (knitted baby sweater, crocheted afghan, raggedy baby quilt, cross-stitch project-Sunbonnet Sue, cross-stitch project-hummingbird, sewing project-apron, sewing project-advent calendar, sewing project-twin size quilt...) and then I started to feel panicky that there were so many, so I stopped. It's pretty clear I don't need to buy materials for another project for at least 2 years!

I will need to go get some more batting because I'm a bit short for the quilt I'm working on right now, which has actually turned into two quilts since I had so much extra fabric. (I'll put the extra quilt away in my "Baby Hope Chest!") The fabrics I'm using are shown in the above photo. Aren't they sweet for a baby girl? I've made several of these ragged quilts and they sew up so quickly that you can easily make one in a day, including cutting out the squares. If you'd like to try one, the best set of instructions I've found so far are written by Gayla Carlson of Jubilee Homespun Fabrics. To go directly to the website page with the instructions, click here.

Just a Note: In her write-up Gayle mentions that you should use only homespun fabrics for ragged quilts, never the regular printed cotton. Good advice re the printed cotton; however, I've always used flannel (so far) for my ragged baby quilts, and they turn out very nice also.

So, back to the sewing machine - whoohoooo!

What are YOU doing today?? Please leave a comment and let me know!

Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!

The latest addition to my family. My niece, Randi, had her second baby this past week. Introducing Kalleigh Rheann Brown:
Proud papa is Shawn Brown. Little Kalleigh has a big brother, too, named Shawn, Jr.

Medical complications made it necessary for Randi to have an emergency C-section and Kalleigh was born about 6 weeks premature. Isn't she just the tiniest thing??? Just 4 lbs. 7 oz. and 18 inches long! She is still in the hospital until she gains a little more weight but, other than that, she is doing great.

Congratulations, Randi and Shawn!

Baby Girl

Here's one of the newest additions to my ever-growing family. This is Leah, 3-month old daughter of Brittany and Brandon. Isn't she absolutely adorable???

My younger brother, Steve, is Leah's grandpa, and I think it's entirely unfair that Steve got to be a grandpa before I got to be a grandma! He has two grandkids now, and another on the way.

Well, maybe I won't have to wait TOO much longer since my oldest son, Rodrigo, will marry his sweetheart, Dianna, in just 8 days!

Introducing Ryan Spencer Talley!

Check out my niece, Heather's, family blog at http://mytalleyfam.blogspot.com/ for more photos of my new grand-nephew, Ryan Spencer Talley. This kid is totally loved by his mom, dad, and extended family. I know what it's like to raise boys, and it's a hoot from Day One! Heather and Spencer will have a grand adventure with this little guy!

New Baby in our Fam!

Last night my little great-nephew was born, Ryan Spencer Talley - 8 lbs. 11 oz. and 21.25 inches long! Here is the first pic I have of him; many more to come. Plus, I get to see him next week while he is still brand-new and remembers what it's like in Heaven!

Proud parents are Heather and Spencer. Click on their name to go to their family blog site. Of course, there's nothing on there yet about the new baby since Heather is in the hospital and won't be doing any updating for at least a few days.

Congratulations Heather and Spencer!

Baby Girl Quilt

As promised here are photos of the second ragged quilt. I loved working with the little girl colors, especially the pink gingham. I have a long-standing love for gingham for some weird reason! These quilts sew up so quickly, you can easily buy the fabric, cut out the squares, sew them together, clip the seams, and wash and dry it all in one day. Gives a great feeling of accomplishment!
I only hung the quilt on my clothesline to take a photo -- these "ragged" quilts have to be put in the dryer in order for the fabric to fray nicely.

This quilt will be sent off to Henderson, Nevada, to my niece Brittany. Her baby girl is due in early March. I can't wait to hear what she and Brandon name the baby, how much she weighs, who she looks like, and all that other fun stuff!