Crafting - Baby Blanket (embroidery + quilt)

written in Nov, edited for posting in late Jan. had to wait for avid blog reader to open gift. Didn't want to ruin surprise, but got to FINALLY hand this puppy over to Jen today @ her baby shower.

I don't know what came over me in the crafting department, but I spotted a neat pattern @ the fabric store one day and decided to start making a blanket for Jen (first of college friends to birth)! Well, more for her baby, but whatever. This was the same week I picked up crochet and something else...can't be bothered to remember right now. Jamie was gone for a week in Pittsburgh so I had plenty of time and space to indulge my crafty side. I had NEVER tried to make a blanket before and was totally depended on the internet for all direction.

Here are the steps behind the two crafts I picked up to create a blankie: Embroidery & Quilting.

Started with the inspiring fabric (floral stuff), settled on matching backing, and got some squishy stuff for the middle. Had no idea what to do once alone with the stuff @ home, but decided to sleep on it and tackle the brainstorm in the morning. Wait...didn't literally sleep on the fabric and squishy stuff. Figure of speech, people.

In the morning, I sat down and did some serious doodling:

Oooh, realized a great idea! Print up and cut out a buncha numbers in a variety of large fonts! I traced them onto material with disappearing fabric pencil and prayed that they wouldn't disappear too quickly. On a side note, they didn't at all and now I'm praying they'll do as they claim and disappear already, geesh.

Started stitching along the numbers with some thread, realized it wasn't thick enough, and trekked back to the store for some thicker type of thread. Oooh, embroidery thread is thicker and comes in such fun colors. I picked up many different colors and picked three to coordinate with the fun floral fabric on the back. Hmmm...next logical step would be to learn how to embroider, I guess? Definitely started to realize how dependent on Google I am.
Ah, much better. I figured out how to do the following: running stitch, backstitch, threaded running and threaded backstitch, herringbone stitch, and swirly stitches (ok, that's not what they're called, but I can't remember what they are anymore). I stitched away using three colors taken from the front floral fabric that suddenly became the back of the whole blankie!

I think this one's my favorite.
Doesn't look as good anymore. Not great for a blanket that might actually be moved around.
This stich is purely decorative and won't hold up to any use. Sorry, Jen! :(

Once I was done with all of the numbers, I realize argyle is like the cutest pattern ever and attempted to incorporate into the blanket.

Woohoo! Argyle!

now that the 7 doesn't look as good, THIS is my new favorite one.

I sewed the whole thing together with the Christmas present my parents got me like 5 years ago...it was the first time I used the sewing machine gift. Odd, huh? I think I actually asked for it, had some things I really wanted/needed to sew, and yet it sat in its box through 2 or 3 moves. Ok....back to the blanket.

I had to figure out how to attach the front and back together in the middle section, but I just followed my "sketch" and quilt-stitched a bunch of different sized circles with "invisible" thread to bind the two sides together. Yes, smartass-Jamie had a grand ole time making wise cracks about my invisible thread. I used the lids of different sized jars as templates and again, am waiting for the disappearing pencil to do its thing. C'MON, DISAPPEAR ALREADY, DAMMIT.
Then I steamed out all the mini-wrinklies, lint-rolled any Hudson fur and stray thread, and wrapped it up in time to take to Jen's shower! Hope she likes it. Eeep. Oh and I just realized I didn't take a fullsize picture of the finished product. Maybe I'll do it next time I'm over there.