Baby Boy’s Blanket

This is the story of old meets new: a new baby boy, a wonderful old fabric store, a new blanket (well, quilt) and my vintage sewing machine.

   The newest addition to our family was born earlier this month. My younger sister gave birth to her third son, my darling new nephew. Babies are born every minute, of course, but I always see it as a bit of a miracle. I’m so happy for my sister and her family.

Last weekend I got to meet my new nephew. He’s such a gift. I love babies. I love their feel, their soft hair, their tiny toes, the miniature hands, and that newborn baby smell. I marveled at the doll-sized socks and diapers the size of a postage stamp. How can such a tiny person be simultaneously so fragile and so strong? Our middle kiddo and I kept arguing about whose turn it was to hold him. Welcome to our family, little guy. We love you so much!

The baby’s arrival meant it was time to break out my vintage sewing machine again. It had been a while since I’d sewn but my nephew’s birth was just the occasion to get out my fabric and thread. I decided to sew him a twin-sized quilt rather than a crib-sized one so that he can use it for years, if he wants to. I love practical gifts, and this one is pretty to look at and will keep his body cozy. It’s like a fabric hug. There will be lots of real hugs, too, of course. They will have to pry him out of my arms.

The story of how I found my sewing machine is serendipitous. I found it in an alley, seventeen years ago, while I was riding my bike and exploring the neighborhood. Alleys fascinate me more than regular streets. They are the residential equivalent to the backstage—more interesting to me than the stage itself. Anyway, in the alley I spotted something that looked like a sewing machine cover. It was a beige plastic rectangle that looked a lot like my mom’s sewing machine case from long ago. I stopped the bike, opened the cover and saw a sewing machine! We were on a very tight budget at the time, and while I was interested in sewing, I couldn’t justify the expense of a machine. I had no idea why the machine was there, but I was thrilled. The neighborhood I was cycling through was one with a lot of older residents and I wondered if the machine had belonged to someone’s mom who had passed away. It was a Kenmore in immaculate shape. I raced home on my bike and drove back to the alley within thirty minutes. It was still there, so I brought it home and promptly put it in the closet. For years. I was excited to learn to sew but I was intimidated. I wish I’d pushed myself to experiment with it but I waited years before dipping my toe into the world of sewing. I’m happy to say that in the last ten years or so I’ve sewed many things, so I’ve made up for lost time. Eventually I Googled the model number and learned that it was made in the late 70s. Built to last!

The quilt I sewed for my nephew is the fifth quilt I’ve made. I’m far from an expert but I am proud of how it turned out. I chose to freestyle my own pattern, but there can be drawbacks to this approach. It has some mistakes, but unlike the old me, the new Sarah is okay with that. I’m okay with confessing that I accidentally sewed something upside down and this led to my changing the design. The result is that the zigzags make diamonds instead of being a quilt of chevrons. And I like the effect even better than the original design.

Most of the fabric in this quilt is from the Yardage Town fabric store near our house. I’m sad to say that it’s closing in a few weeks after being in its location for decades. But it makes me happy to know that my nephew’s quilt has pieces of fabric from that wonderful store, a place that reminds me of the fabric stores I visited with my mom when I was a kid.  

It’s bittersweet to say goodbye to Yardage Town, but I accept that change happens. Besides, I’ve got a sweet new nephew to love. I’ll focus on that, and on all the magic that is to come. Times change, and that can be hard to digest. But the flip side is that change can bring a lot of joy, too, like the arrival of a baby. My other nephews adore their new brother, so it’s a happy new chapter in their family’s life. Welcome, little guy. May you and all the babies experience the wonder of this world….