A blankie for Emma

A girl I "know" from one of my message boards (we've got to coin a 21st century term for people you don't know in real life, but feel like you know through your computer)..anyway, I know this girl, and we have a mutual in-real-life friend too. She was pregnant and ended up in the hospital with some serious complications.

Long story short, she delivered her baby, Emma, at 29 1/2 weeks (for those who don't know, normal gestation is about 40 weeks, and anything before 32 weeks is considered very high-risk). Little Emma had to spend almost 8 weeks in the neo-natal intensive care unit. I was asked if I could make a blanket that would cover the isolette that Emma lived in. Something that would keep the light out and make it a little more "personal".

I was so happy to be able to do something for them, as I had followed the story, but just didn't know how to best help. Emma's mom picked out a great fabric that I just happened to have in my stash. I added a border, appliqued a name on, and quilted it using a nice batting (Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 - preshrunk), and a super soft backing (Oh! So Soft, also called Minky or Minkee). It turned out so well...and I was so happy to get to make it!

The finished product - I think it measured about 50" x 50"

Machine Appliqued name (fusible with a blanket stitch)

I did a simple cross-hatch quilting pattern with a beautiful Superior rainbows polyester thread (and a 90/14 topstitch needle). I used the backing to do a self-binding that I folded under and zig-zag stitched from the front.

Just a photo of the beautiful white backing. I LOVE the Oh! So Soft, it is addicting!