Beanie Bags

So I have to apologize because I haven't posted in a very long time and my last post was quite sad. I have been through so much lately but I am slowly recovering and that is the important part. So all of life's heartaches aside; I have some really wonderful news! I found out on my birthday (November 13, 2010) that I was pregnant. I am having a baby boy due July 19th, 2011 and I couldn't be more excited. I will be embarking on this beautiful adventure as a single mother and I have faith that with all of my family and friends everything will be just as it should! That said, I have done very little quilting. Between the morning, night and day sickness, the sleepiness and all the first time mother aches and pains; I have had a very difficult time fitting some quality crafting time in. I am trying to do a better job at setting aside time for all those things I enjoy soooo much! I am 24 weeks so I should be far enough along to get some serious quilting done. Tax season is also slowly coming to a close April 18th, so I should have some more free time on my hands before the little one joins us in this big, exciting world. This is a project that I completed before Christmas last year and I just never got around to posting about it. I created beanie bags for my nephew "Logan" and my little brother "Matthew". They were 3 and 4 years old and just beginning to learn and understand their names and the alphabet. I found the tutorial here for the entire alphabet, however I only used the letters they needed for their names. After I gave the beanie bags for Christmas the requests started flowing in. I think they're a great tool for children learning to spell their names. I think Matthew really found it helpful to have the colors go from red to blue, it gives little hints if they get stuck. I used a special stitch that my sewing machine does on the top to sew on the letters, this tutorial uses fusible webbing which I found very easy to use and relatively pain free!

I have now completed three sets of names for three other little boys. I shall post them shortly, until I have something more substantial to occupy my blog. I dragged back out my autumn quilt I had started before my birthday and I am slowly making progress. I need to get going on a baby quilt for my little kicker! I have the perfect fabric backing already picked out, I've had it for quite some time and I absolutely LOVE it!

Thank you everyone for all your wonderful comments and helpful advice, it has meant so much to me. I have learned that with the help of friends and family, I can make it through anything!