I've always been partial to homemade items, especially as gifts. This is partially because I enjoy arts/crafts, baking, cooking, etc. so giving things away provides a perfect excuse to have projects going. During college, I baked for friends, made scarves and hats for Christmas presents, and began my "tradition" of making afghans for their weddings, and later on, their babies.
Nich bought me a sewing machine for my birthday last year, and I've slowly been learning how to make use of it. I made my first baby quilt with it when my friend Rachel's little Josiah was born, and I have found it to be quite useful in hemming up new pants (which is always a necessity, because even when I buy in "petite," they are always half an inch or so too long).
Since learning that I was to be a mama, though, my sewing machine has found a new purpose: making baby-related items! My friend Jill is a very experienced seamstress and an excellent quilter. I found out that she was making Brennan a beautiful sailboat quilt (I've seen the blocks - they're gorgeous) early on in my pregnancy, and I asked her if she would help me make some things for the nursery. Had I known how much simpler and CHEAPER it was to make things myself, I may have passed on the safari crib set from Babies 'R' Us ... but then again, it's oh-so-cute. :~)
Anyway, Jill helped me make cushion covers for my rocking chair - my very first REAL sewing project! (I don't count the baby quilt, because I sort of made things up as I went, watching YouTube tutorials for the parts I couldn't figure out/invent). Since then, Jill has made me changing pad sheets (baby shower gift) and homemade cloth wipes (from scraps she had from previous projects). We've also received several crocheted blankets and another quilt for Brennan.
All that to say, as much as I appreciate all the other gifts people have given (especially our cloth diapers! ... and other things from our registries), there is something special about receiving homemade gifts. More than what the item is, it's the thought that someone invested their time into creating something for us that touches my heart.
Nich bought me a sewing machine for my birthday last year, and I've slowly been learning how to make use of it. I made my first baby quilt with it when my friend Rachel's little Josiah was born, and I have found it to be quite useful in hemming up new pants (which is always a necessity, because even when I buy in "petite," they are always half an inch or so too long).
Since learning that I was to be a mama, though, my sewing machine has found a new purpose: making baby-related items! My friend Jill is a very experienced seamstress and an excellent quilter. I found out that she was making Brennan a beautiful sailboat quilt (I've seen the blocks - they're gorgeous) early on in my pregnancy, and I asked her if she would help me make some things for the nursery. Had I known how much simpler and CHEAPER it was to make things myself, I may have passed on the safari crib set from Babies 'R' Us ... but then again, it's oh-so-cute. :~)
Anyway, Jill helped me make cushion covers for my rocking chair - my very first REAL sewing project! (I don't count the baby quilt, because I sort of made things up as I went, watching YouTube tutorials for the parts I couldn't figure out/invent). Since then, Jill has made me changing pad sheets (baby shower gift) and homemade cloth wipes (from scraps she had from previous projects). We've also received several crocheted blankets and another quilt for Brennan.
All that to say, as much as I appreciate all the other gifts people have given (especially our cloth diapers! ... and other things from our registries), there is something special about receiving homemade gifts. More than what the item is, it's the thought that someone invested their time into creating something for us that touches my heart.
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