Friday, October 28, 2011

One Puppy, Two Puppies, Three Puppies, Four!

My Little Liam and his Puppy inspired by this quilt at Red Pepper Quilts! I am submitting this quilt in the Fall 2011 Bloggers Quilt Festival, check it out!

When I was a little girl my fabulous mother made me a blankie, as she did with my younger brothers William and Christopher. Since I was the first child, mine was obviously the best and most unique and intricate as compared with my brothers' later models. This is/was my Puppy!

For obvious reasons Puppy was the "pet" name (no punn intended) that I gave my childhood quilt. It is the perfect size, made of cool feeling fabric and missing a lot of the original pieces (he is well loved). I say this "is" my Puppy because he still serves a very active role in my life (i.e. I still let him keep residence in my bed)!
I attribute a lot of my personality and individuality to my Puppy. He has been there in good times and in bad, through sleepless nights and home sick days, a tissue when I cried at 4 and when I cried at 24, in every place I sleep including cars, hotels, planes and even on vacation to Mexico and Hawaii (you should see the stumped look on TSAs' faces as they notice Puppy hanging out in my carry-on luggage).

Puppy has taught me that...

Some things never change, they just get older.
Home is where the heart is.
A mother's love is unconditional.
It's ok to cry or fall apart sometimes.
Everyone has something or someone they can't live without.
I always joked (although I was quite serious) that if there was a fire; Puppy was the first thing going out that window!

Since I'm quite positive my brothers always envied my Puppy and his steadfast love, they also chose to call their blankies "Puppy" as well; despite their total lack of any dog-like qualities what-so-ever!

This is William's (it went nicely with his boy doll, Dapper Dan; he loved that doll! My mother has since tried to find one for Liam to no avail):

And this one belongs to Christopher:

Liam has been very blessed to recieve a variety of blankets from all our family and friends. This one is from Jill; the mother of one of my very close friends.

Jill is also an amazing quilter and a fabulous person to be around (Liam just loved her)!

This quilt was fabric my grandmother picked up and I chose to bind in different orange fabric, I think it is very adorable!
This afghan was made by a family friend and wonderful person, Mary.

And lastly, this afghan was made by Liam's Great Grandmother, she makes truly beautiful blankets!

Although all of these blankets are more than adorable, none of them contained those, oh so necessary "Puppy" qualities... so I set to work!

My mother enjoys pointing out that ALL of the blankies she made were completed BEFORE the child was born. Now, as I enter this exciting and beautiful chapter of my life I have decided to follow in her footsteps. (Although I will tell you that Liam's blanket was not finished before he was born. I blame it mostly on him being born four weeks early, but let's be honest; I could barely put on shoes at 7 and 8 months pregnant let alone attempt to baste a quilt!)

This is what Liam's crib looks like so I tried to make his blankie along the same theme. I love the fishies and whales, blue and green go with everything baby!

The back and center pieces of the blocks are fabric from an old Pottery Barn sheet that was given to me by Liam's Aunt Kristine.

The rest of this quilt was made using mostly scrap peices and some stash.


I love using recycled fabric and scrap pieces, it makes me feel so thrify and resourceful! I feel it also helps to tell a story and stitches meaning into the seams.

I did an overall stipple pattern on the quilt and only deviated for one brief moment in this square.
Here, I put a heart to serve as a constant reminder to both Liam and myself of my love for him. He is incredibly special to me and I hope he loves his Puppy (or Fishie?) as much as I have loved and continue to love mine! Sometimes, he and I cuddle up with Puppy and I'm reminded of just how special he is and how lucky I am to be so blessed.
Even as I write this post, a tear sneaks out the corner of my eye, not unnoticed. I have learned that despite the heartache we sometimes go through in life, the love of family and friends will always surpass any obstacle, overpower all negative thoughts, break down those confining walls, and serve as a reminder that we are never truly alone and we are always loved.

20 comments:

Connie said...

Love your quilt and your story. I, also, try to put a heart in my quilting to remind me, even if it goes unnoticed by the recipient, that love is in it.

Heather said...

What a sweet post! I love the way you're passing on that gift of love to your little one (who is absolutely adorable, by the way!)

There must have been a whole line of patterns like your "puppy," as I have some similar patterns passed down to me by my older sister, a lion, a squirrel, and a teddy bear. I actually made the teddy bear one for my daughter several years ago...

Wonderful job on Liam's quilt! It is really beautiful and will be treasured by him one day!

Leslie said...

he is so blessed to have so many warm lovey blankets...i loved the story of yours and how your brothers chose to call theirs puppy as well.

trish said...

Awww ... so sweet! :o)

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

Beautiful quilt and a lovely story.

Queenie Believe said...

What a beautiful quilt I love all the shades of blue. I really enjoyed the story too.
Have a great day.
Always, Queenie

Heidi Grohs said...

He is going to love that puppy forever!!!! Great story!!!

Tanya said...

Beautiful pattern! I love the fish fabric the best -- what a great find. Way to go!

The Thompsons said...

Love the fishes! The quilt is absolutely adorable. I love that you had a favorite blanket growing up. It's neat thing to pass on to the next generation.

Marlene said...

What a blessed little darling to have so many blankies. Love his 'puppy/fishie' quilt. he will treasure it I am sure. You have done a fantastic job of it. Love the story.

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

What a beautiful story, and an absolutely adorable child!!!

Abby said...

Such sweet words and cute quilt. Thanks for sharing your story!

Eileen said...

Sweet story and fun to see all the special blankets in your and family's life. Your baby is precious and the quilt you made is just bewutiful. Love the colors, fabrics and layout. Thaks for sharing and have a great day

Julie Fukuda said...

We are a family of special quilts for each kid. My mother did it for my kids and I am doing it for the next generation. My sisters both follow the tradition too.

Karen said...

It has been lovely to read the story of the quilts and blankets. Great quilt.

Sarcastic Quilter said...

The blankets are all awesome. Thank you so much for sharing the history with us!

Sherry said...

Liam's quilt is wonderful! Love that special heart quilting. :)

Kit Lang said...

Thanks for sharing your quilts and blankies. :) Enjoy the festival!

Susana Neiger said...

Sweet story and beautiful quilt! The colors are awesome!

Martha said...

Thanks for sharing your beautiful quilt...love the colors.