Little Luxuries. Love

I took a welcome break this morning from a week of packing to stitch the binding onto this blanket for Savannah. It's an Anna Maria Horner Little Luxuries Receiving Blanket. I made one for Florence a few months ago as a stroller blanket and discovered that it made the most incredibly comfortable travel blanket when it kept us both warm and cozy while she sat on my knee on the flight to Paris last month. I decided then that I should make one for everyone in the family - that's five more! The big girls picked out the colors they liked from the selection of project packs at the AMH shop and lucky for me they went on sale just as I was about to order them! Making five new blankets, however simple, while you're trying to get organized to move to another country is a bit ambitious so I knew I had to start with Savannah's as she hates the "itchy" airline seats and blankets. There is certainly nothing itchy about these gorgeous blankets. As everyone says, AMH voile is buttery soft and cool to the touch and the flannel is so cozy. It's just thick enough and big enough to keep your lap warm while you're travelling and it rolls up nice and small so you can stuff it in your bag with all the rest of your gear.


Action shot by Savannah!

The project pack doesn't come with instructions but it's easy to put together especially if you are used to constructing quilts. I always make my bias binding using the continuous binding strip technique which I think makes the voile much easier to handle. You can make as much as you need with a 19 inch square and still have some left over for another project. I decided to hand finish the binding partly to add visual interest and also because I've never had much luck machine stitching bias bindings! It's not the strongest finish but I love the way it looks and slowing down to hand stitch really makes you appreciate the beauty of the fabric design.

Savannah was sitting next to me as I put in the last stitch and she couldn't believe how quickly it was hers. I love that her first instinct was to turn it into a cape...







...and it passed the "itchy" test with flying colors!