A Rediscovered Treasure

  While I was looking for something else yesterday, I found some fabric things that had been stored away that actually aren't ruined. One of the bags had some bedding I'd made for the youth bed Steve slept in for several years.

Let me tell you a funny story about that...

When he was under two years old, we would be awakened in the morning by this toddler trying to climb into bed with us. This was pretty strange, since he'd been put to sleep in a crib in a different room, and the side of the crib was still up. One morning, I got up really early to spy on this little escape artist. He was simply climbing up the corner of the crib (not an easy task with no cross bars between the uprights), balancing on the top rails and then dropping to the floor.

Yikes! OK, we had a frame for a small youth bed. It was only a foot off the floor, not four feet. Much safer!

I made one set of sheets for it from some kid-patterned fabric. Also made a flannel blanket from an old one we had. I decorated the patches with machine embroidery. We really didn't have any money.

But what I want to show you is something my Mom, Catherine Leary, had made for Steve. She embroidered the edging on a crib sheet and pillowcase set for him when we got him (at six months of age). Bunnies! The sheet is on the right, and I angled the pillowcase on the left.

Why was this not worn out, you ask? Well, there's another funny story. Except it was more frustrating than funny when it was happening. For a long time- quite a few months- when Steve was maybe 9 to 12 or 13 months old, he refused to keep anything on his body or in the crib with him. He'd be put to bed with a triple diaper, pajamas, crib bumpers, sheets, blankets, etc. In the morning, there would be a completely bare-naked baby in a puddle on the plastic mattress cover and EVERYTHING else would be on the floor. So, the sheets didn't get much wear.

The youth bed was the same width, just longer, so I added some fabric to the end of the crib sheet, and opened out the pillowcase and added a larger backing. Here you can see the handiwork closer.

This is rather remarkable, because Mom didn't often do handiwork. She did some needlepoint, but mostly she felt inferior because her mother, Granny, did SO MANY kinds, and of such high quality. I know I didn't appreciate how much love Mom probably put into this project for the only grandchild she got to enjoy in babyhood.

In other news: I edited in the morning, went to the Post Office, and worked on a pet project in the afternoon.

See Little Squirt See Sunbonnet Sue