Separating the Blankies from the Blankets

Feb 27

Feb 27 Separating the Blankies from the Blankets

I always wondered what separated the blankie havers from the blankie have-nots (I mean, other than the blankie). I was a have-not. I don't remember needing anything specific to fall asleep and I swear I loved each of my stuffed animals equally. The only thing I remember my parents frantically searching for were my bifocals and my retainer - neither of which I really wanted found.

But my husband was a blankie haver. He has a horrible family story about the time his parents, in an attempt to comfort their distraught son, had to search through a hotel basement laundry room in the middle of the night for his missing blankie. Knowing that blankies run in the family, I've always been a bit wary of letting J get too attached to any one object whose absence will affect her ability to sleep or be happy. And so far so good - she doesn't seem to desperately need any one thing, though she certainly has an

appreciation

for this blankie-type blanket, a gift from her auntie (I am not in denial, I swear I am not).

Her favorite thing about it is the satin binding. Apparently satin tastes great because she isn't the only kid I see sucking on it. The problem is she's getting a little too big to fit under it so we were in the market for something a little larger, but equally soft and silky to keep her warm. I was also in a bit of a hurry because j's daddy was starting to "look around online, just to see what's out there."

I've been enjoying this scarf I got from Frugal Fannie's for $9.00, it's made out of something soft and 100% synthetic called

cashmink

So I decided I'd just buy three and sew them together for the quilt top. They are super soft and pretty thin. For the bottom, I wanted to use Minky. What is Minky? It's like the stuff my Target bathrobe is made of, but even softer. I think it might be made from unicorn eyelashes or something. It's like a drug for babies. This is what they do when they encounter it:

I used a thin cotton batting and of course, there had to be a satin binding- I sewed it on so that the blanket came right up to the crease, but I think J actually prefers it when the satin hangs off the edge a little more. Maybe because it's easier to fit in her mouth. I also don't think Wright's satin binding is as silky as stuff that comes on a ready-made blanket, but I couldn't find a good source for higher quality binding, and I was in no mood to try and make it myself. (suggestions welcome!!!) At any rate, she's not so taken with the binding on this quilt (maybe that's what separates the blankies from the blankets?). Here's the finished product: