member of the club

There is an elite club that many talk about. It is a club that has thousands and thousands of members. The members talk about it with such gleam and glow. It is the infamous Grandmothers Club. So this is my first official post about our little angel Nolan who is now 3 months old.

My son and daughter-in-law are a bit old fashioned in many ways.  They followed this “new’ trend of not finding out what the sex of the baby was. Imagine that, not knowing almost at conception whether you were have a boy or a girl. So this brought about 9 months of guessing. 6 of those months consisted of complete strangers predicting boy or girl. The gal at the nail salon assured us she has never been wrong, the neighbor down the street knew for sure, a friend of a friend previewed side profile pics of the mama and was willing to bet money she knew boy or girl. We didn’t keep a tally of who predicted what, but all this did was add more confusion.  

Not “knowing” also saved us lots of money because there is only so much neutral baby stuff one can possibly purchase. Don’t really know if this was my son’s plan all along but no matter what it saved us all a ton of money.

This also made the choice of making a quilt extremely difficult. Don’t get me wrong during this time I made lots of baby quilts. The problem with that is when I am making a quilt for someone I like to know that from the beginning much like knowing if you are having a boy or girl when you find out you are pregnant. I like to think about the person while I am planning the fabrics. I like to plan what the design is and how it fits their personality. I like to think that I can make it just perfect. So add up all that pressure and imagine how I crippled myself when it comes to making the first grandkids’ baby quilt.
I knew I would make more than one quilt for this wee little one so I just jumped in and made something that included all the existing family members.

Using an accu-quilt die I made a big chunky clamshell quilt.I loved using this die and I will certainly do it again.  I then embroidered all the family names on each of the clamshells.

The fun thing about this quilt is that I not only got to think about the new grand baby but also got to think about each of the family members and how one little person would forever change our lives. Those of you in the club completely understand, right?

Nolan Robert Alexander 

on a side note: I had to include a pic of his guard dog, Peter. I did not include pets on the quilt, so I had to go on record with a pic.

13 comments

  1. Margaret says:

    What a beautiful grandbaby you have, Lissa. This is such a timely post for me because I am too, about to become a grandmother for the first time. This is a very exciting time and, because I'm a sewer and quilter, I want to sew and sew and sew for this new baby. I find myself thinking how ridiculous it is that in our society a baby is labeled by colors even before it's born. Heaven forbid a little boy should get a quilt that had peach in it or a little girl should get a sleep sack that has sailboats in nautical colors. I love that the quilt you made has lots and lots of colors and patterns and it. And you made it so special by including the names of all the people who love this little baby. What a lovely gift.

  2. CathyK says:

    Congratulations!!!! The quilt is beautiful and will be a cherished heirloom, for sure. I love the family names embroidered onto the quilt. It's like a snuggly and warm family tree with all members "hugging" little Nolan!

  3. Lynda says:

    I am the proud grandmother of 3 y/o triplets and nothing is as special as a grandchild. I have made dozens and dozens of blankets, carryon covers, crayon holders, doll blankets, headbands, small purses, and the list goes on. The last blankets I sent were for their toddler size beds and I have a video of one of the girls discovering the bright minkee back – her favorite color…purkel and the other girl shouting out mine's pink! Dino's were in order for our handsome man and he loves them. You will enjoy many years of sewing for your sweet grandbaby.

  4. Thelma says:

    Congratulations and best wishes to Nolan Ryan Alexander. Love the quilt, I'll be eager to see more, especially now that we all know it's a boy. It's not looking good for me to join that amazing club, I'll live vicariously through you. I could not be happier for you all.

  5. Carrie says:

    Congratulations! You're going to be one seriously cool Grandma! 'Nana? Nonna? MeeMaw?

    The quilt is perfect – a terrific heirloom kind of idea. Good job! First Oma (?) task done!

  6. Dgadgetqn says:

    Our daughter HAD to know the sex of their babies (all 3), but my son only the first, and we talked to he and his wife about one of the few surprises left on earth that is so joyous! So with the second and third, they waited. The breathless phone call, the excitement, it was all so much more. Otherwise, it is like knowing what you get for Christmas before you unwrap the package….takes some of the excitement away. The magic. Our beautiful grandson got a quilt with happy trumpeting elephants and giraffes. And now the quilts with helicopters, etc.
    Either way, congratulations! Your relationship with that baby will be so different than it was with your children….that's the Club's Secret! They adore everything you do for them…..you have so much to look forward too! Yay!!! I am very happy for you! And your quilt is so thoughtful…well done!

  7. Deb says:

    Nothing like being a grandma, it's the best job in the world! I have one 4 yr. old granddaughter who has many quilts now and she's spoiled rotten, but that's my job!

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