Happy Photos

If you think this blanket looks cute …

… you should meet its new owner!

"Baby Bernie loves his homemade blankey from his auntie Jodie. ❤️"
These words from Bernie's beautiful mum filled my heart with joy.

Baby Bernie entered the world in March 2017 and he is the happiest little fellow!

Unfortunately, his Teddy Bear Blanket wasn't quite finished in time to greet him on his birthday,  due to all sorts of delays and interruptions on my part, including a hospital stay right in the middle.

That was frustrating for me–so close to being finished and yet still more to be done–but I consoled myself that Bernie wasn't in a big rush for his blanket because the weather was still too warm at that time.

The blanket was completed, at last, on 10 May and wrapped and delivered on 15 May 2017, just as the autumn air was beginning to get chilly.  

Since then, Bernie's proud mum, Ruby, has sent these beautiful photos to share.

Don't you love Bernie's teddy bear hat?
He has teddy bears on his walls and now a teddy bear blanket to match.

You can see from the photos that the satin lining was a success.  It was quite an adventure learning to add a lining to a blanket for the first time. I did not realise how challenging my choice of satin would be.

I learned to hem mitred corners!
 

So much learning took place that I have heaps of progress photos to share about the process.  The original plan was to blog about the lining before showing off the finished product but when I looked at all the notes, it was a little overwhelming for my fatigue-fogged brain.  

I need to be in the right head space to tackle that task and … well … things haven't been happening too quickly in that department so, instead of keeping everyone in suspense, (I know you are eager to see), let's look at the finished product now and discuss the technical details later!

That's the reason for taking so long to share this blanket and I'm so happy with the result.  The extra lining makes it wonderfully warm. I'm very thrilled that it is getting lots of daily use. 

"He loves feeling the silky texture,"
Ruby tells me.

"He loves that blanket–he's always grabbing it & playing with it."  

Its so satisfying to see intended aims come to fruition. The ears were purposely designed to be grabbed.

Baby Bernie "loves feeling the silky texture" according to his mum, Ruby, which was precisely the point. I wanted something soothing that was also a contrast from the textured right-side of the blanket.  Different textures are good stimuli for young babies as they learn to use their hands and explore their surroundings.

Ruby is very dear to me and  I feel very privileged to have been allowed to share in the joy of her new family.  How could I not celebrate Bernie's arrival in the shape of a blanket?  There were lots of technicalities in this blanket and it wasn't without its challenges but it was always a pleasure to make, to add love in every stitch with excited anticipation.

I am so lucky to have Ruby and her family in my life and when it comes to Baby Bernie, only the best will do!

Project Details

Materials

Yarn: 100% acrylic 8 ply (DK) is light, washable and quick-drying.

• White: Moda Vera Marvel Plain, 100 g / 283 m; colour 1001 White,
  lot 777058; used 156 g / 442 m.
• Yellow: Moda Vera Marvel Plain, 100 g / 283 m; colour 1041 Lemon Sorbet, lot 775046; used 84 g / 238 m.
• Blue: Kmart Homemaker Everyday Acrylic 100g /310 m; colour 310 Saxe, lot 774537; used 88 g / 273 m.
• Brown: Panda Magnum, 100 g / 310 m; colour 334 Tan, lot 753669;
  used 57 g / 177 m.

Lining fabric: premium satin, grey-blue pastel, (width x length) 158 cm x 150 cm
(62 in x 58 in). 
Sewing thread: polyester multipurpose thread,  No. 100, 100 m (109 yds),
colour 0250, less than 1 reel used, Mettler 'metrosene plus' article no. 1171.
Ribbon: white satin, double-sided, 100% polyester, 15mm x 5.4 m (5/8 inch x 18 ft), less than 1 reel used, Berwick Offray Ltd.

Tools
 
Hook: 5 mm, powder-coated aluminium hook with round rigid plastic handle,
Birch brand.
Sewing tools: yarn needle, sewing machine with blue-tip needle, sharp hand-sewing needle. 
Cutting tools: self-healing cutting mat with 1-inch grid, rotary cutter, dressmaking scissors, embroidery scissors.
Measuring & blocking tools: tape measure, blocking/pattern-cutting board with 1-inch grid, steam iron, water spray bottle, glass headed pins.
Miscellaneous notions: stitch markers

Finished Dimensions*

Squares without borders: (width x height) 24 cm x 23 cm (9.5 in x 9 in)

Squares with blue borders : (w x h) 29 cm x 28 cm (11.5 in x 11 in)

Blanket without borders: (w x h) 82.5 cm x 81 cm (32.5 in x 32 in)

Finished blanket with outside borders: (w x h) 93 cm x 89 cm (36.5 in x 35 in)

Finished dimensions of satin lining: (w x h) 85 cm x  81 cm (33.5 in x 32 in) + hem

*The blocking board has a 1-inch grid. The imperial measurements quoted are accurate; the metric measurements are approximate.

Related Posts on Lupey Loops

"Mayday! Mayday! RAH, rah, rah!", 17 May 2017: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2017/05/mayday-mayday-rah-rah-rah.html

"A Quick Blanket Teaser", April 2017: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2017/04/a-quick-blanket-teaser.html

"Blue Skies and Blue Satin", 18 March 2017: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2017/03/blue-skies-and-blue-satin.html

"Ear, Ear!", 9 March 2017: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2017/03/ear-ear.html