Blankets blankets everywhere...

Some weeks it might seem like I don't get much done in the sewing/crafting/cooking land.  When that happens, I'm usually waist deep in a pile of minky dot, ribbons, and fusible interfacing.  Baby blankets!!!!

My Etsy shop can go from no hits for weeks to 100 in a day (who the heck knows why - Etsy is a beast that few understand), meaning up to a dozen orders at one time.  Pile on top of that the multitude of baby showers I've been invited to this summer (read: baby shower invite = free blanket!) and I've decided to just start buying minky dot by the bolt!

Some new twists:  different colored minky, flannel backs, some awesome custom color combos, blankets secured with a headband for little girls to be.

I love having loads of blankets to work on at one time.  Once the girlies are tucked into their beds (which is a longer process some nights than others!), out comes the ribbon box, the bag full of fat quarters in every color of the rainbow, the iron I've gummed up the bottom of...  Oh wait, that last one is a little less glamorous sounding.  I really should get my own craft iron and stop making hubs clean the iron every time he needs to iron a shirt for work. (Pshaw!)  Or maybe I'll get HIM a new one! Does that sound as hilarious to anyone else as it does to me?

The only thing that is decidedly NOT fun about making these blankets is that it is SUMMER, people!  I'm spending muggy and hot summer nights swimming in piles of a fabric described as "Soft and Cuddly!"  Can you say WARM?  Slightly.  But worth it, when I imagine all the tiny little fingers, toes, and soft little bums that will enjoy their blankies...

I truly love finding out the name of every little lady or gentleman that is going to receive a blanket!  Names I had never considered, names that remind me of someone, names that are nice and long and allow for lots of rainbow-y goodness, names that have no curvy letters... (Some nights I think I might start charging extra for names with lots of curves in them.  I don't really mean it, but it takes a lot more concentration to sew around an "O" than it does a "T"  Not all blankets get photographed.  Some mornings I'm just putting the finishing touches on one when shipping time comes, so it goes from my hands to the USPS' without ever seeing the flash of my camera!  Some names that didn't make the collage:  Sophie, Madrid, Hollis, Myles.  

I just made this custom order -  a puppy themed blanket for a little guy names Connor.  It came out pretty dang cute (dang = new favorite word), and I'm thinking about adding it as a selection in the shop.

 Speaking of selection in the shop...

These are the blanket colors I currently offer:

light blue, light yellow, light green, pink, and white.

These are the colors I'm considering adding:

light purple, very pale pink, bright purple, bright blue, teal.

PURPLE!

:)

A few orders lately have been sent with hair accessories for little girls... using the headband as a tie for the blanket adds a fancy little touch that I kind of love.  Maybe bowties for boys?  

So yeah.  Go visit my Etsy Shop!  Do YOU have any suggestions for blanket options you'd like to see?

Rainbow taggie

Wrapped up all pretty like...

I heart taggie blankets.  And ribbon.  And rainbows.  And minky dot fabric. 

Can you see where I'm going with this?

I have, uh, a pretty solid supply of ribbon.  But with my Etsy shop in a low selling season (www.rainasunshine.etsy.com), I've been looking for some new ways to use all the pretties.  They look lonely just sitting around under my craft table waiting and wishing to be wrapped around a dowel and stuck in the oven!  Answer:  taggies!  All kids love taggies.  Something about the silky ribbon, and the rubbing, and ... I'm yawning already.  It's not just kids :).

So, I thought I'd make my own taggie - pretty simple, and a beautiful result!

Minky fabric, with ribbons pinned in place for sewing

This is one yard of white minky dot, which I could cuddle in for the better part of an afternoon.  I cut ribbons in lengths of approxamately 2.5 inches, folded them in half, and pinned them facing in on the right side.  A matching one yard piece of minky gor sandwiched on top, and I sewed it up until I had about a four inch opening left.  I turned it right side out, closed the opening, then topstitched all the way around - this gives the ribbon some extra stability and also gives the whole blanket a nice finished look.

I loves it.

Some ribbon and topstitching detail

Now, in an effort to be completely honest... I'm not showing you my entire finished blanket here :).  In the center of the front, I appliqued the name of my new baby girl, who is due next week.  (Or tonight.  I'll take tonight.)  It looks beautiful if I do say so myself.  And I do.  I printed letters off the interwebs, traced them onto scraps of fabric in various colors (leftover from fat quarters used in the bonnets), and ironed them on with fusible interfacing.  For lengevity, I also handstitched around them.  BUT... you'll have to wait to see that part.  Sorry :)   Really, I'm dying to tell.  But it's the only surprise we've kept with both girls, and we're so close now...  I can't give in!

I've done a few more taggie projects lately...  more on those later...  and hopefully an update soon with the little lady lounging on her personalized taggie!