Monday, May 2, 2011

A Spring Baby Quilt and some thoughts


This has got to be the fastest little quilt project I have ever completed. My very dear friend gave birth to a gorgeous baby girl last week and because she chose not to find out the sex of the baby beforehand I didn't have any handmade gifts for her. So after visiting the tiny little babe and exhausted mama in the hospital I went home, found a rare burst of energy and busted out this simple patchwork.



I am proud of myself for using only stash items, including pieced batting scraps and a Dream On print I had just lying around. I chose springy, girly hues of yellow, pink, green and blue from my stash, cut into five inch squares, free-motion quilted and hand bound with a sweet little Minny Muu print. I have to say,  I miss my basting spray more than ever these days, as is evident in the little pucker in the corner there. But that's luckily nothing a quick spin in the washer and dryer won't cure.

Now it's really time to get sewing something for my own baby girl on the way!


I never got a chance to share with you the finished Tiny Tea Leaves sweater I knitted for Lucy. This was such a fun, quick knit and I think it will get lots of wear. I'm almost finished with the grown-up sized one I'm knitting for my mom's Mother's Day gift, and already I'm plotting one for myself. Good thing my mom is much smaller than me or I'd have a hard time giving it up!


So, I really wasn't sure if I was going to address this subject here, and even though I don't have much more to add to than is beautifully stated by my lovely friends Katy, Amanda, Kaye and Monica, I feel as though I should make a statement of my own. I know some of you are saying "huh? what is she talking about?" and I don't really want to re-hash or go back and refer to the original sources. What I will say is that there has been way too much negativity and inane bickering floating around in this quilt-y blog land lately. There are real people out there with real feelings being very hurt by bloggers and commenters. I feel very strongly that this has absolutely no place in this creative crafting community, and it has me gnashing my teeth and my defensive claws coming out. My personal stance is from the "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all". This does not include solicited constructive criticism. Rachel wrote a great follow-up post here which I plan to incorporate into my own commenting etiquette. I feel like I'm preaching to the choir here, however, as I have never received anything but support, love and encouragement from all of you here.

Along the same lines was brought to my attention that many folks have strong feelings and are fed up with what they perceive as snobby bloggers who only want to present their perfect lives, bloggers who are driven only by sponsors and running up their numbers, bloggers who just post gluttonous pictures of fabric purchases and bloggers who can't even take the time to answer a comment. I was shocked and saddened by this sentiment. In my experience, every blogger just wants to share and present their work in the most inspiring way possible, and some are just trying to make a living. Maybe they don't show you every glitch in the process along the way because they sell their quilts! And I don't know about you, but I always enjoy seeing a beautiful new stack of fabric and seeing what new line one of my friends has fallen for. Perhaps a blogger doesn't ever tell you the mundane or painful or messy parts of their lives because their blog is the place where they get away from all of that. I know I edit out the piles of laundry and dirty dishes out of all my photos, not because I'm trying to paint a perfect picture of my life - which is far from perfect! - but because frankly I don't find that particularly inspiring! I really do try to answer as many comments as I can, but please know that if I don't always get to it, I still read every thoughtful response and truly treasure them all. You guys are what keeps me blogging!

I know it was mostly unnecessary to say this aloud to most of you, and that it's all coming out like the unintelligible ramblings of an exhausted pregnant lady. Let's just remember that we all love to create and share. I know I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for all the beautiful creations by others I see every day.There is too much sadness in this world, why don't we keep our little corner of the universe a happy, supportive, positive place we can go to get away from it all.

34 comments:

  1. I really enjoy reading about what people are doing and seeing the pictures of their new fabric and techniques, etc. It's interesting that no one complains about free patterns or tutorials. These take time. If I don't like something, I just move on. Can't it be as simple as that?

    And I'm okay if I don't get a response. My comment doesn't always need one.

    I loved your baby quilt and the beautiful sweater.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lovely lovely lovely fabrics in that quilt!

    And I agree our blogs can be what we want them to be - our place to escape, or find inspiration, or dream. There is no need for them to be places of criticism or judgement.

    Thanks for making me think about this again.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lucy is just too gorgeous for words Megan and that Tiny Tea Leaves sweater just adds to it!!!
    Lucky fried to get the patchwork quilt. I'm sure they'll love it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. XOXO Megan :)
    The sweater is so cute! I am quite impressed with your preggy stitches - all kinds!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Beautifully said. Beautiful quilt and especially beautiful little Lucy!!! Xxx

    ReplyDelete
  6. I think I've never been so happy to be totally out of the loop. :)

    LOVE the little quilt. That is the only print from Pips I have so I like to see it mixed in with the other prints. :)

    And I always wish I could knit after seeing your sweaters.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The quilt and cardi are sensational!

    Loved hearing your thoughts, very well said x

    ReplyDelete
  8. what a sweet quilt! and i can't get over your adorable daughter and her new sweater. so cute!

    i try not to wade into the brouhaha, but thanks for your wise words...

    ReplyDelete
  9. Yup.
    Lovely quickie quilt and sweet sweater, too! How nice that you made one for your mom!

    ReplyDelete
  10. My philosophy is that everyone quilts for their own reasons and derives joy in their own way. I read the post that many say atarted this firestorm and she has a right to her opinion, but it isn't mine and I won't make it mine.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I can't get over how much Lucy looks like my little Katie at that age - so much so that I uploaded a picture to Flickr so I could link it here for you:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/92717285@N00/5681975000/in/photostream

    ReplyDelete
  12. Always impressed by your knitting! I'm glad more people are responding to the brou ha ha the way you did. I finally wrote something up last week because I hadn't wanted to engage, and then realized not saying anything was probably just as bad as being nasty. Congrats on the burst of energy, too!

    ReplyDelete
  13. So, so wonderful! And I love the quilt- your friend will just adore it and the love it holds!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love this quilt Megan! :)
    And the little sweater on the sweet girl...

    We're not finding out the gender for this babe, so I plan to make 2 quilts (though I think it's a boy)... I need to get started before I'm too huge! :)

    I've always found quilty bloggy land a happy place... but I don't have time right now to worry about any nay-saying! :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love the quilt, such scrappy goodness that I know will be used and loved.

    We'll said on the whole other issue!

    That sweater is so beautiful. One day I'd love to learn to knit but too many hobbies right now and not enough time. Thank you for sharing, I love seeing what your creations.

    ReplyDelete
  16. The sweater is gorgeous and Lucy is growing up so fast!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Super cute quilt! I caught the tail end of all the drama and am glad about that! I am thankful for finding you and your kindness to me has been and continues to be inspiring. So, thanks!
    Lynn

    ReplyDelete
  18. Lucy's cardigan is so lovely! Can't wait to see the grownup versions too. And well done on the stash-busting - I am trying to use my stash as much as possible at the moment, and it rarely leads to such cohesive fabrics!

    I haven't really joined in the whole negativity debate since reading a first post on it, but I too edit out all the boring bits from my blog simply because, well, they're boring!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I get so much inspiration out of your blog. Today I am sewing a quilt very similar to your HST Little Folks Quilt.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Megan~
    Very well said! I wholeheartedly agree....if you can't say anything nice, just don't say anything at all!
    ~blessings~
    Leona

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hi Megan! The quilt top is very cute, I bet you were pleased to complete that weren't you??! Wishing you hugs for the rest of your pregnancy!

    ReplyDelete
  22. First of all, I couldn't agree with you more. Personally, I love bloggers who "keep it real" but I also understand that people blog for different reasons and for some people it may be to focus on only the "beautiful" things in their life...and if that works for them, so be it. After all, it's their blog and they can certainly do with it what they please.
    Now on to your beautiful things! Love the sweater - it's gorgeous - as is the quilt. doesn't it feel so good to use things from your stash. It's as if everything was free (because some how we forget that we once paid for it!)

    ReplyDelete
  23. very nicely said, my dear! And I love love that little sweater, your daughter is a doll.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Love the sweater and the quilt. And love the blog, as a person that does not blog just visits them all the time, I think its my choice where I go to read. You are an inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Thanks for your thoughtful, thought-provoking post.
    Congratulations on managing to continue being creative while feeling yuck! Lucy is adorable and looks so sweet in her little cardigan. I love the little baby quilt too :)
    Oh, and don't waste your much needed energy responding to my comment!

    ReplyDelete
  26. I don't usually comment but felt I should step up and say that I love your blog. I'm so often inspired by what you are working on. You are so talented!

    ReplyDelete
  27. I love the idea of the baby quilt. simple square blocks have the ability to make such an impact!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Everyone should create for themselves, and I'm with you - I love seeing what new fabric bloggers have acquired or what they are making - hey if you don't want to know, don't read the blog! Wouldn't it be a boring world if we were all exactly the same?

    ReplyDelete
  29. ;) I love the little quilt and Lucy! They are both adorable.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Loved your post Megan. I absolutely agree with everything you said. I also like your baby quilt- such a happy quilt made with love. A very special present indeed. Hope you are feeling well!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Megan, that is such a beautiful baby quilt. I'm sure your friend is feels both thrilled and blessed by it. I also agree with what you are saying. I've not recieved negative comments thus far on my journey, but I have to agree with you. Be honest. If you have something good to say, go for it! If not, don't say a word.

    ReplyDelete
  32. I couldn't agree more. The posts I enjoy, could be just about anything. I love seeing what other people are working on and it's fine with me if they've taken the time to create a great picture. This is what we do for fun, right? Thumper said it best.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Do you need concrete cheating proof?
    hackingssetting50@gmail.com gave me full access to my spouse phone with just his phone number and within few hours of contracting them. I recommend this team to anybody who is in need of any hacking assistance.

    ReplyDelete