A Gift From the Heart (and Hands)

When Megan learned that Emily was expecting a baby she was anxious to make a quilt for her.  She was insistent that she wanted to hand quilt the little blanket rather than tying it.  She went to the fabric store and selected a cute flannel fabric with little elephants and a coordinating checked fabric for the reverse side.  She had not intended to quilt each elephant, but we could not find a suitable pattern of chosen elephants and so decided that we would need to quilt each one.  I told her that I would be happy to help her and grandma lent us a wooden hoop so that it could be quilted by holding it on our laps rather than on a quilting frame.  Since neither of us is really that experienced, it took a very long time.  I think that as we look at those little elephants for years to come, we will remember all of the movies and TV shows that we watched and the time that we spent together as we stitched away.  It was actually a lot of fun and we got much better at it as we went along.  We finished binding it the day before we left for Utah/Idaho for Emily's baby shower and Megan's returning to BYU-Idaho.  It turned out so cute and I know that Megan is so pleased that she was able to make such a beautiful gift for her new little nephew.  Here are some photos documenting the undertaking.

Megan....close to the finish line!!

A close-up of one of the little fellows....

...and from the front

Just a few more little elephants left to quilt around the edges

The finished product from the front....

....and from the back (love the socks)

A view that shows both sides together...

....and a close-up of the binding.

Can't wait to meet this sweet little boy!!!!