Baby Rag Quilt & Room

I was excited to find some cute fabric to make a little rag quilt for Maximus.

 rag side

smooth side

I've been wanting to make a quilt for some time, so I searched online and got some ideas and came across a super cool tutorial to show me how it's done. You can check out the video below:

These are great instructions. There were a couple things that I omitted however. I didn't sew around each individual square like she did. I simply laid out the pieces in the order that I wanted and sewed the squares together. If you're comfortable, you don't need to pin the squares to stitch them together; although, pinning is important once you have rows that you're sewing together.

This would be a great project for a beginner. It's way easier than it looks. The hardest, or most tedious part was snipping the seams to get the rag look. After I finished the quilt, I threw it in the washing machine with 3 tennis balls and then proceeded to dry it, using the tennis balls again to give it something to fluff up the quilt. During the drying process, I stopped often to shake the strings from the quilt and remove the lint from the screen. I repeated the wash and dry cycle a second time. It's quite linty and fuzzy after you've finished laundering the quilt. I found that running some packing tape along the fabric helped removed the excess...

So, does this look like something you could tackle? I promise you, it's a fun and easy project. If you follow the instructions, it should turn out great.

I thought I'd include some pictures of the room. As always, there are a few finishing touches that we need to do, but the majority of the work has been done. Again, we didn't really go with a theme. We thought that we'd keep it more neutral and just use colors & textures that we liked. When Maximus is old enough to decide for himself then he can choose if he wants to have a Spiderman, Nascar, or other themed room. :)

We are waiting for a vinyl decal to arrive with Maximus' name. This will go above the verse. 

I love my glider. It has a footstool, which I didn't get in the photo. This chair is SO comfortable! The room divider screen is hiding the treadmill that we didn't want to part with, along with a storage cabinet of Rob's extra computer parts.

Simple curtains that I made.

I will probably end up putting books or other stuff on the dresser...

I'm not a real big fan of "changing tables." Originally I was hoping to find a dresser that could be be doubled as a changing station, but we got an amazing package deal on a crib, small dresser & this table, so I couldn't pass up that great bargain. I got these baskets, that will be used to store diapers, ointments, extra clothes, etc. Also, a sweet friend, from North Carolina made that little blanket you see for Maximus. Thank you, Cindy!

 We purchased a shaggy area rug. I love how soft it is to walk on, in bare feet!

I decided to make the crib skirt and purchased a fitted sheet. We didn't go with any baby bumpers. When I started doing some research online, I came across some reports of Sid's - where babies can roll up against the bumper and if they get nestled into the cushion face first, it could block their breathing. I decided, along with discussing with my hubby & a couple of bloggy friends, that it wasn't worth my peace of mind if I felt uncomfortable. So, no bumpers.

 Space is limited in our place...so I found these perfectly sized Rubbermaid containers  that fit underneath the crib. I'm using them for all the clothes that Rob recieved from someone at his work. Plus, I still have more clothes, hanging in our bedroom closet. Needless to say, this was a huge blessing and we are definitely set on clothes for about a year!

I picked up this little side table at Salvation Army for $10. What a steal!

Thanks for letting me share everything with you. We are filled with excitement & anticipation. Only 7 more weeks to go!

Happy day!

hi-d