Making Baby Blankets For 2/6, Part 1
My sewing maching isn't as cool as this but it's pretty darn close!
Back in December of 2009 the Family Readiness Network for 2nd Battalion 6th Marines (Garrett’s Battalion) decided to make baby blankets for the babies born under Colonel Ellison’s reign.
I loved the idea of celebrating the birth of babies born into Marine & Navy families and happily signed up to help make baby blankets.
My Mom made sure that she taught my sisters and me how to sew both by hand and with the sewing machine as well as knit, crochet, bake, and cook. So I felt confident in my abilities to make a baby blanket. Shortly after Nora’s birth I received a sewing machine as a gift from my mother-in-law and was excited to finally have an excuse to put my sewing machine to use.
I have a little sewing area set up in our bedroom and after Christmas break I sat down to look over the project. The fabric was wrinkly so I decided to iron the pieces and then put them together. Attempting to iron was the first time I realized that this project was not going to go as smoothly as I had anticipated.
Nora was absolutely fascinated with the fabric and could not be persuaded to play with anything else. She would pull on the fabric while I was ironing, or she would duck under the fabric, grab the ironing board and shake it. It was so scary.
In the past when I have worked on projects I could leave the fabric –pins and all- laying around until the next day. I could do no such thing with Nora. She has no idea what pins are –or that they would really hurt her if she touched them. She would run (and lay down and roll) all over my project and I quickly got tired of yelling, “Not for Nora!”
My attempts to work on the baby blanket were also swayed by a screaming Nora who was hungry, in need of a nap, or in need of a trip to the doctors for yet another ear infection. When I would attempt to sew with the sewing machine Nora would try to rip the fabric out from under the needle. I was constantly afraid for her safety, and afraid for the quality of the project. I did not want to hand in sub-par work! My anxiety would go through the roof and Nora –sensing my anxiety- would go through the roof too and would be clingy and more desperate for my attention.
Do you have any strategies for completing projects with a baby around?
my tupperware cabinets are both baby’s favorite thing. i just open it up, pull all the tupperware out (and even some pots and pans and plastic spoons and spatulas) and they have at it. they love it. it’s noisy, but they love it.