DIY baby gifts: Quick to super-slow
Unborn babies take their own sweet time to “ripen.” But grown-ups often take a long time to get stuff done, too. Scroll back to 1981. I was pregnant with our firstborn. I must have wanted to make something special for the baby, because I launched in on making a quilt—this despite the fact that I had never done such a thing. That and I was unskilled with a sewing machine, so the project would need to be done by hand.
Surprisingly, I made good progress. Got all the quilt squares cut and sewn and completed 3/4s of the 4’x 6’ top. Once the baby came…well, somehow my sewing time disappeared. And despite my good intentions, I didn’t finish the quilt for Baby #2 or Baby #3, either.
And then it was 2016. Baby #1, now grown, and his wife were expecting. So I hauled the quilt out of the basement, still in its 35-year-old paper bag with all the quilting materials and supplies. And decided to finish. With help from experienced quilters, I chose materials for a border and backing, finished the top, and added the border. Then, faced with the truly daunting prospect of hand-quilting the top, back, and fill, I discovered that people do this with a computerized machine! For not that much money. So, with that assist, the gift skipped a generation, but got given.
Crafting while waiting
This episode comes to mind because we are waiting again, this time for our first granddaughter. Waiting to be a grandparent doesn’t have the weight of waiting to be a parent—it’s not our lives that are about to be upended (although hopefully our lives get changed in delightful ways as we welcome the new little one). Still, there is this itch to do something to get ready for the baby, to support the parents, to be involved.
There are lots of ways to scratch that itch. Some pre-grandparents shop—not my thing (so I sure appreciated my mother shopping with me when Baby #1 was coming). Others organize a baby shower—not my thing (although I’ve had fun at other people’s). Others help their adult children get their house baby-ready, or get their own house baby-ready—those things I’ll lend a hand with as requested. Or, like me with 2016 baby, some make things.
So part of the reason I bring up the quilt is to illustrate that making things for Future Grandbaby is fun, rewarding, and possible—even for complete novices. I don’t want to romanticize crafting too much, but there is satisfaction in knowing that a gift contains so much of your heart and effort. And that it’s one-of-a-kind, rather than off-the-shelf. Plus, there’s something to be said for holding onto the thought of the baby coming—treasuring the waiting and the hope. And sitting quietly with a project is one way to keep that baby and the expectation in mind, away from all the other distractions.
The other reason I bring up the quilt is to say that if a project doesn’t work out (like the quilt from 1982-2015), that’s OK. Not every project has to be finished, particularly not immediately. So start ambitiously, thinking of your grandchild—and maybe your great-grandchild at the same time!
Choose your project
A few starter ideas for crafting while you wait:
• Baby mobile—so many cute options!
• Crinkle-noise soft toys—babies are big fans.
• Wooden baby rattle—that is, if you happen to have a lathe and a lot of skill. (If, like me, you don’t, join me in watching the video in awe!)
Caution! Before you start crafting for babies, please be sure to check out how to make objects baby-safe—avoiding choking hazards, toxins, etc. Here’s a sample discussion, but think it through for your project!