sarah's original 4 sq blanket

i finally photographed the original 4 square blanket given to me by sarah martin nearly nine years ago. it has been playing area rug to a doll game for a few days, but i finally confiscated it. it's been well loved over the years and looks a bit sad relative to all the new blankets i've been making, but she's just as good underneath her wrinkles and few spots. the photos didn't turn out very well, so i think i'll have to clean her up a bit and reshoot.

would you believe that's the original red headed baby the blanket was made for? it's cliche, but i've got to say it - "oh, where has the time gone?!" she used to easily fit in one of those squares once upon a time.

i'm going to get sentimental here for a moment and veer away from sewing talk. looking at this blanket has taken me back a few years to the morning sarah brought the blanket to me.

this is me and the three little (now big) ones at some point before sarah showed up with her gift. i remember being embarrassed about how i looked. i had a cloth diaper tucked in my shirt to soak up all the leakage from my milk coming in, for crying out loud! i felt a mess. everything was chaos since the baby was just a few days old. but sarah was just excited to see her and it really was a very sweet gesture on her part. sarah's blanket was much prettier than that ugly hospital blanket i was using at the time she showed up with her gift. i may have been embarrassed, but i was also delighted with the beautiful present.

i found a photo taken a month later where the baby is tucked away in sarah's blanket, sleeping soundly in her carseat.

she was a sleepy baby, always sleeping.

sarah's blanket was backed with a natural colored flannel, which was perfect for a backdrop to baby photos. i used it several times for that purpose.

thanks again to sarah for the thoughtful, handmade gift at the time and now for the inspiration to make these darling blankets and pass the gift on.

even after eight years, i still love sarah's fabric choices. they're girly, homey, and sweet. gingham! and that beautiful floral, not to mention the pretty stripe. very nice indeed. while looking over the blanket as i photographed it, i noticed sarah's blanket stitch was much deeper than mine. i'll have to try that on a new blanket. i have four scheduled for the next few months, as it is, so there will be plenty of chances.

these photos definitely need to be redone. too grey. i get so frustrated when lighting looks okay on my tiny camera screen but not on the computer screen. always room for improvement!