John's Blanket

John's blanket is finally finished.  I really feel like I dropped the ball on this one.  I guess its just that having more kids means you are busy taking care of them more...and although I have free time I don't always want to spend the little I have working on a blanket.  But for whatever reason I have been way behind on making a blanket for John.  A blanket that was intended to be a baby blanket initially.  Here it is completed.  I bought these precut squares (charm packs of the patterned fabric and the cream fabric).  So I didn't even cut the squares (there were a few I cut).  I had the idea to make a maze blanket.  I thought that would be kind of fun.  Scott volunteered to help me make the actual design of the maze on excel.  So Scott designed it.  I laid out the squares, but my mom actually sewed the quilt top when she visited us in Illinois over a year ago.  When I bought and arranged the fabric John was already 2 1/2 years old.  So I started out way behind.  :)  I brought the quilt top with me thinking I would work on it while we were staying with my mom pending our house closing or whatever.  I didn't realize it would be over a year we were here.  At one point I went and bought the batting and backing for the blanket and then did nothing on the quilt for a long time.  My mom reminded me about it and then she ended up finishing the blanket.  It looks great.  The kids have had a great time with it - driving cars around the maze and its nice and fuzzy on the back.

Thanks Mom for bringing this blanket to fruition.  John is almost 4.  I really should have worked in it sooner.  Emma is 1 1/2 so I should probably get started on hers.  

There are little initials hidden throughout the quilt.

John was excited when he found the letters to spell his name.

So the blanket is a success, thanks to other people, mostly my mom, doing everything.  My mom has helped on all of these.  I think I did the most work on Grant's.  I have much to learn.  :)

See Matthew's baby blanket HERE,

Anna baby blanket HERE,

and Grant's baby blanket HERE.