alone in my principles

warning: gratuitous use of phoentically spelled toddlerese ahead.
continue at your own risk.

so, i've admitted i'm not a quilter. i did manage to make one halfway decent blanket (points to anyone who noticed in that post that i specifically did NOT mention/alude to/photograph the binding or it's corners. it wasn't pretty, and i couldn't subject you all to that).

but the whole time i worked on that blanket, baby bear haunted me--she, dare i say it, coveted that blankie.

"i wuuuuvvv it dis bwankey"...followed by numerous kisses to the blanket as it chugged it's merry way through my sewing machine.
what do you say to that? what?

i'll tell you what: "okay honey, please don't kiss the blanket. it's for lyle. mommy will make you a blanket for you, okay?"

and then, you figure the 2 year old brain won't remember your spur of the moment promise.

but...i'm here to tell you--don't be fooled. the 2 year old brain is nothing if not unpredictable and wiley.

scene: little bear and googiemomma enter joanne's fabrics, 20% off entire purchase coupon in hand.

gm: okay baby girl, we just need a few things and we're outta here

lb: (eyes light up because she apparently understands the concept of fabric purchasing and makes the connection) my ELMOOOO bwankey!!! mommy make-a da ELMOOO BWANKEY!!! (self-satisfied smile)

gm:.......uhhh....

lb: (singing through the aisles) ELMO BWANKEY ELMO BWANKEY I WUV IT DA ELMO BWANKEY

gm:.....uhhhh....i don't even know if they have elmo fabric baby...oh, look. sesame street fleece.

lb: ELMO BWANKEY I WUV IT I WUV IT I HOLD IT PWEEEEAAASSSSEEE I WUV IT

and....cut scene.

here's the thing--i'm not really a "character" kind of gal. there are some i can deal with. mainly the ones i think are meant for adults. but in general, i avoid the "licensed fabrics" aisle like it's poisonous.

granted, my girls' room is done in a "princess" theme, but NOT a disney princess--more a generic girly type princess. (which i discussed in that post) and, well, little man's room is "buzz lightyear". but buzz definitely falls under the heading of hysterical characters actually made for adults.

and they do have their place--on our trips to disney my kids have all dressed up in character costumes. they have some character toys. but on clothes? or bedding? nah.

but, well, how do you fight a 2 year old? who lives and breathes elmo? and, really, sesame street falls on my list of likes. i'm perfectly happy to sit and watch with her--particularly the old ones.
(come on now...if ernie singing "i'd like to visit the moon" doesn't bring a tear to your eye...you're just heartless. srsly.)

so we came home with a yard of fleece and a yard of flannel. and i watched my principles go up in flames with every stitch through the machine. (with help from the accelerant 'justification' liberally sprinkled about)

the flames were doused by the extinguisher of happiness little bear wields like a firefighter. (too much with the metaphor?)

we played on it.

pretended to sleep on it.

wrapped up in it (maybe i should have made a snuggie?) showing our little bunny teeth and too-long bangs to the camera.

then we wrapped the (ahem) cinderella baby up in it and posed for more pictures. ahhh the irony. it stings.

and you never saw a child more excited to go down for her afternoon nap. it was worth it.

"mommy i wuv it elmo bwankey"

honestly, i'm not even going to give a detailed explanation of how i made the blanket. it was not a big deal, and i didn't do that good of a job. just evened out the 2 pieces of fabric, sewed the edges together, and then sewed through the body, following the block lines on the fleece. easy.

okay, so let's be serious for a minute. as some of you eagle-eyed readers may have noticed, i'm taking a big step here. i did add baby bear's nickname in red felt to the front. and here it is, for all the world to see.
un-blurred, un-photoshopped.
i'm asking you to be nice. please don't be a stalker. :)

she's my gigi-bear.