Two of our closest friends welcomed their first baby, a girl, into the world on Sunday morning. This got me thinking about needlepoint and how wonderful a little needlepoint “something” is for a baby gift. I thought I’d help fan the fires of inspiration with some great baby needlepoint.
The design pictured here is from Melissa Shirley in her children’s category. Along with many charming Victorian children, she has several delightful canvases based on nursery rhymes. This is my favorite, by Mary Lake-Thompson. There are also some lovely canvases by L. Carter Holman.
I love Kathy Schenkel’s designs for babies. she has several wonderful series picture on her site. She has First Christmas mini-socks in several different designs and colors, including some with stuffed animals. There are baby samplers, baby sleeping signs, footstools and really clever designs based on nursery rhymes and children’s stories.
A simple but effective way to combine needlepoint with practicality, would be to stitch a great initial, such as this one from Kelly Clark and the inset it into a diaper bag. You could buy a self-finishing bag or make your own using a hot glue gun.
Another wonderful (and practical idea is to make a night light cover using a design from Sandy Grossman-Morris. You know that every new mom is going to need a night light , so why not make it something really special. On the page, you can see pictures of some of them stitched and finished to fuel your imagination.
Designs by Petei also has many delightful ideas for baby gifts. Along with the many boys and girls that are part of the Petei People, you could also make a figure a year from one of the story lines as a special gift. I’m doing this with Alice in Wonderland for one daughter and Peter Pan for the other.
Last but not least is my popular Birthday Mini-Sock Project Pack ($12 retail, email for details). The one pictured above is for a little girl born in 1998. I love this as a baby present because you can make it in any colors and can’t start it until the baby is born.
I can also chart the plaid for you, or chart out a birth sampler (email for more information).
No matter what you choose to make, a needlepoint gift for a new baby is something special.
Related posts:
Recent Comments