What’s a Grammie to do?
Like most other grandmas I know, I’d do just about anything my grandchildren ask of me. They are my cheerleaders, and they love, love, love it when I make things for them. So it came as no surprise when my DDIL called a couple of weeks ago, asking begging me to make not one, but two, replacement blankets for my middle grandson. Apparently, the original quilt I had made for him had become quite tattered and worn and disgusting to look at, yet he wasn’t ready to give it up. She’d tried all sorts of things, from offering to buy a new quilt to bribing him to hiding the old one and faking its disappearance. He didn’t want a new one and he couldn’t be bribed, and she said the wailing and carrying on when it was “lost” just wasn’t worth it!
Then, inexplicably, Zachary latched onto a little Hankie Blankie Pet made of Minkee that I’d also made for him as a baby. DDIL said it had been on display in his bedroom, never used or played with, but for some reason he chose it one night to take to bed with him. She was so relieved that he’d let go of the tattered and worn quilt that she didn’t realize she was creating another “monster” to have to deal with! The little Hankie Blankie Pet is only about 15″ x 15″ – very small – and definately not large enough to snuggle with!
So after a few days, Zachary informs his mother that he needs Grammie ‘Lissa to make him a new, bigger, blankie so he could wrap up in it. And not only that, but he also wanted a second blankie to use in the car when they went on trips! Thus, the pleading call from DDIL asking if I’d make the blankets — just when you get a chance — but we’re leaving for the beach (for the summer!) Memorial Day. I-YI-YI!!! No pressure!
Does anyone actually ENJOY working with Minkee??? That stuff creates the biggest mess when cut, and it crawls around like a snake! Not to mention, because Zachary wanted it “bigger” I had to modify the pattern, too.
I put it off and put it off and put it off, hoping, I guess, that he’d forget about it! NOT! After about the 5th phone call (bad Grammie!) I decided I’d best just buckle down and get to it. I spent a Friday evening a couple of weeks ago doing the pattern re-draft and cutting the pieces, and I managed to get the faces embroidered (by hand!) Then, Quilt Market loomed and I had to put it all aside until I got back from Pittsburgh, and of course things have been crazy since I got back, too, with all the catching up I had to do. And still, those blankets loomed in the back of my mind, like a dreaded root canal!
Yesterday I finally buckled down and got them both finished and just in time, too! It is so nice to have this behind me, but it seems like a pitiful little bit of a project when I look at it, considering the amount of time I wasted procrastinating about it - – - why do I do that? Oh well, I’m expecting big hugs and smiles come Sunday when my little guy comes over to get his blankies – - – worth every minute of aggravation involved in the making!
Tags: Grandies