Sun goes down and says goodnight

As the younger of the two children in my family, I fulfilled the "baby" role well. I was happy to be doted upon and catered to by all around me. Still am, truth be told. I know my husband and friends will attest to that :)

I know that I often asked for a younger sibling, though.  My middle school BFF was the oldest of eight and her house was the most awesome place to visit.  There was always something crazy going on and something to do. Little did I realize that while I craved the hustle and bustle of her home, she craved the calm and quiet of my home (and the cable tv)!

I never did get the younger sibling. I did however get a younger "God-sister". That's not really a relation, I know, but it was in our family. Following their college years, my parents remained good friends with another couple - "Uncle" Marius and "Aunt" Mimi. When they had a daughter (and later a son), they named my parents as Godparents and my sister and I joyfully decided to become God-sisters to sweet Noelle. This lovely lady was married a few years ago and, just this past May, welcomed her first child.

I knew she was expecting when I trolled the booths at the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show earlier this year. While browsing the novelty fat quarters at one booth, I saw a stunning black/ white/ red butterfly print and was smitten. It would be the perfect baby gift print! Almost immediately, I wanted to create a small "whole cloth" quilt that could be used during the first few months when the baby's eyes are learning to focus. I picked a backing fabric from my stash (thanks Mama for all those black and white prints, by the way) and made bias tape from that same fabric. Here's the post of the free motion quilting extravaganza. Everyone should try it that way!  I left long bias tape ties at the top of the quilt so that it could be attached to the vehicle seat or to the side of a crib or playpen.

The full gift package!  Quilt, crochet bunny, family favorite book!

I'm running low on tags, so I hope sweet Charlotte knows she's special enough to receive one.

Just a quick word about the bunny.  I have great affection for bunny toys.  I've made them many ways and many times. This particular one is from the Lion Brand Yarns company and the pattern's on Ravelry (here).  I used Martha Stewart yarn from Michael's for washing and durability purposes.  It also has a delightful sheen.

I've been trying to get much better about wrapping gifts.  I spend hours on the gift itself sometimes, then just hobble together the wrapping.  My usual go-to wrapping paper is just newsprint sheets bought by the huge box at the shipping store.  The kids paint or color designs and we call it good.  This time, I used a favorite lullaby to decorate the paper.  These are the lyrics to Dreamland by Mary Chapin Carpenter.  It's a standard bedtime favorite in our home.  Irish Jig will request it and suddenly the noise from bedrooms across the hallway lessens as other, bigger, small people listen in.

Congratulations Mike and Noelle!  She's beautiful.