Gifts for the new baby

Even when a family is adding a second child and even when that child is the same gender as the first child, I like to give a gift recognizing and celebrating the birth.  My bonus son and his wife recently welcomed another little boy to their family.  So, my daughter Bridgette, of Goody Stuff, and I compiled a gift for the sweet little fellow.

Knowing that Dad and Grandpa (and several other family members) have orange blood in their veins, we went with a University of Tennessee football theme.

I picked up a set of three UT onesies featuring the colors and the big T.  Then, when we were out fabric shopping, I stumbled across an orange print that reminds me of a bandana with paisley and diamond swirls and a white T.  That became my starting point.  I added a couple of packages of rick-rack and began my search for a companion fabric.  My search was futile but Bridgette thought she had a football print at home, so I stopped my hunt.

She appliqued a T of orange and white gingham fabric and embroidered his first name below it to make a sweet, personalized, swaddling blanket.  Using a fabric scrap, she also appliqued a T onto a cloth diaper and backed it with another scrap to make a coordinating burp cloth.

The two handmade pieces are cheerful, sweet, and say all-boy to me!

After she completed the applique on the fabric, I stitched them together.  So, it is truly a collaborative gift!

We also thought we should add another set for him just in case of spits or other baby accidents.  So, for the second, we went with a cowboy theme.

This set began with a soft print featuring buffalos, a covered wagon, and a Pony Express rider.  I found a companion print with galloping mustangs.  Bridgette appliqued a horse-shoe with his name on a burp cloth and backed it with the mustang fabric.  She added a covered wagon with his initials for the corner of the blanket.

Even though it looks rugged, the blanket is soft and cuddly just like our little cowboy is right now.

We didn't want Levi to feel left out.  So, Lillie picked a rough and tumble design and Bridgette created him a Big Brother shirt complete with his initials on the sleeve.

Levi may be the savage as a big brother wearing this cute little shirt but he is a sweety, too.

As a family, we love and appreciate personalized and hand-crafted and I think our little fellow does too!