Baby quilt poll

[MamaSheep]

So now that we find ourselves "expecting" I'm just ITCHING to start making a baby quilt. However, because it will be quite a while yet before we can find out if it's a boy or girl it needs to be a gender-neutral sort of quilt that could work for either one. I was looking at fabrics today and thought these sea life panel blocks were really cute and might be a good starting point. There are a couple of coordinating fabrics in the series I could use and I was thinking I could pull in a nice white (maybe a white-on-white print with little bubbles I saw the other day) and perhaps some green or something. The problem is, when I showed it to dh he said that no matter how gender-neutral the subject matter is, the blanket would be BLUE, and if I wrap a baby in a BLUE blanket everyone will naturally assume it to be a boy baby. I think this particular shade of blue is less "boyish" than the traditional "baby blue", and with the sea animals it would not be a blanket that would say "look, it's a boy". But it's possible I just really like the cute little animals and am looking for an excuse to make a quilt with them. What says the hive?

 

(Poll pending...)

 

 

You can see the fabric bigger at this website, and some other fabrics from the series are shown at the bottom.

 

http://www.fabric.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=db671590-318a-4042-b8d3-7a09807f61f5

[MeaganS]

It looks like boy fabric to me. Sorry. :)

 

Maybe it is a sign that you are wanting to make a boy quilt? ;)

[MamaSheep]

It looks like boy fabric to me. Sorry. :)

 

Maybe it is a sign that you are wanting to make a boy quilt? ;)

 

Maybe so...but those little critters are just so darn cute! Girls like otters and turtles and...well...you may have a point.

 

I'm having a hard time finding gender-neutral baby fabrics. This one isn't all that babyish, but I just like it. Maybe I'll just have to make my own designs and applique them on or something.

Edited January 12, 2012 by MamaSheep

[Guest]

It's very adorable, but I would assume boy if I saw it.

 

It may not matter so much, though, as people still asked me if dd was a boy or a girl while she was wrapped in a pink, yellow and green quilt with eyelet lace border. It seemed very girly to me, but I guess not to some others.

[MamaSheep]

It's very adorable, but I would assume boy if I saw it.

 

It may not matter so much, though, as people still asked me if dd was a boy or a girl while she was wrapped in a pink, yellow and green quilt with eyelet lace border. It seemed very girly to me, but I guess not to some others.

 

 

Good point. My sister was once complimented on her cute little girl, when her baby boy was NAKED by the sink at a pool while she rinsed him off. You never know about people...

 

(She said, "I wonder what that lady thought that dangly thing was?")

[Annie]

When you look close up, the style and accent colors make it look more gender neutral, but when people see blue they think boy. If you're really drawn to the fabric, I say don't let that bother you, and just make the quilt you love. People constantly think my LO is a girl no matter what he's wearing. I've given up on correcting people we meet out and about so I just smile and nod.

[MamaSheep]

Really? I have to base this life-altering decision on the opinion of 15 people? C'mon hive, I need OPINIONS! :D

[Annie G]

I love it- for either a boy or a girl.

 

When our youngest daughter was about a year old, we were out shopping and she was wearing pink Osh Kosh overalls. Someone asked what his name was. So choose fabric you love!

I really like that panel!

[Brenda in FL]

I'm no help - I think you should choose the Tasha Tudor 1 is One fabric!

[sewingmama]

I would use that fabric as GN. My DD would go crazy for a dolphin quilt.

 

It doesn't matter what colour you use people never get the sex right anyway - I used to dress my DD in pink, frilly outfits with headbands and people still asked if she was a boy :confused:

 

I love that fabric -I say use it. The bonus is that it will be used for a long time -it's hard to outgrow a design like that -it's suitable even for an adult.

[myfunnybunch]

I think it would make a really cute quilt. I say get it and start working on that fabric. Then when you find out which you're having, you can add more blues and greens, to pick up the blues and greens in the main print, for a boy. Or you can add some purples and deep pinks (like the colors in the fish at the bottom of the otter panel and the jellyfish, for example) to pick up that girly vibe. Put plenty of purples and pinks in and it will look like a girl quilt despite all of the blue in the main fabric. :)

 

Cat

[MamaSheep]

I'm no help - I think you should choose the Tasha Tudor 1 is One fabric!

 

Those are cute too.

[MamaSheep]

I would use that fabric as GN. My DD would go crazy for a dolphin quilt.

 

It doesn't matter what colour you use people never get the sex right anyway - I used to dress my DD in pink, frilly outfits with headbands and people still asked if she was a boy :confused:

 

I love that fabric -I say use it. The bonus is that it will be used for a long time -it's hard to outgrow a design like that -it's suitable even for an adult.

 

That's a very good point.

 

I think it would make a really cute quilt. I say get it and start working on that fabric. Then when you find out which you're having, you can add more blues and greens, to pick up the blues and greens in the main print, for a boy. Or you can add some purples and deep pinks (like the colors in the fish at the bottom of the otter panel and the jellyfish, for example) to pick up that girly vibe. Put plenty of purples and pinks in and it will look like a girl quilt despite all of the blue in the main fabric. :)

 

Cat

 

 

Good idea. Maybe if I used all the greens, purples, and deep pinks in alternating blocks I could build most of it now, and then choose the main border colors when I know the gender...hmmmm....

[BMW]

I love it!! I thought it could be for either... until I read the first few comments... but if you really like it, I think it's pretty darn cute!! You can even find some matching hair bands to coordinate if you have a little girl... You can use it in the nursery and around the house and pick other blankets for out and about if it's a girl... and you really want to quilt now, right? If you found out you were having a girl and became less attached to the quilt it would really make an AWESOME baby gift for someone having a boy, too...

 

Anyway... just my random comments...

[AK_Mom4]

It's blue. Pair it with pink blocks and no one will know whether it's for a boy or a girl.

 

Gosh....I love quilts!

[dangermom]

People will think it's a boy quilt, but who cares? Make the quilt the way you like it. I think it's great fabric.

 

Some people thought my little girl was a boy even when she was wearing pink and flowers. You can't win, why try?

[rwjx2khsmj]

The color of the blanket will not affect the actual gender of the baby that it's wrapped around. Pick fabrics you love and can't wait to see wrapped around your precious one and enjoy making the quilt. People are going to make stupid mistakes about a baby's gender regardless of how you dress/wrap the baby. They just will.

[Evergreen State Sue]

I voted boy fabric but use it if you want to. I think it is very cute, but not very babyish so it would be great for a boy or girl once they are past the swaddling baby stage.

 

An elderly friend of my made my daughter a blanket before we knew she would be a girl. The pattern had pastel pink, purple, and blue on one side and backed it with light blue. She thought because it had blue in it, it could be used for a boy, but it was definitely girl looking. I generally think pastels for girls and bolder colors for boys. Having mainly blue as the color tips it definitely in the boy camp and having mainly pink and purples tips it to the girl side. I think green and yellow are more neutral. Red is neutral too, but I think that color is suitable for past the little baby stage.

[MistyMountain]

I think it will look boyish on first glance because of the blue and people might assume because of that but I think it would be fine for either gender. I can see my oldest dd liking something like that and she is all about the pink, frills and sparkles. It is a really nice fabric.

[tex-mex]

I voted boy fabric. Would be great if the child loved the ocean? Not the kind of fabric I would use (I quilt also) for a infant's room. But that is just me.

[TheReader]

Ooooh, I love it!

 

I'm a newbie quilter but what I would do is use the fabric, add in some matching colors - the white, the light green/turquoisey color, and a bit of the taupe-ish color. Get the main bit of the quilt done. Then, when you find out what it is, do an outer border that focuses on either the green or the taupe, adding in gender appropriate colors that coordinate with that (ie, if a girl, use the taupe from the quilt as one color in the border and then add in some pinks/lavenders that coordinate; if a boy, use the green and add in other blues/greens). Do a simple pieced border.

 

Then, if it's a girl, add maybe a scalloped edge or a ruffle or a pink binding or some decorative something to emphasize the girl factor. But this way you have most of the quilt done and time to add just the outside border and binding after you find out (unless you wait 'till baby is born or don't get a good peek during....in which case, do a neutral border with white, green & taupe and then finish the quilt and save just the binding, and do it in green for a boy or taupe for a girl).

 

I think it could work nicely for a girl or boy.

[Amira]

It never would have occurred to me that a baby wrapped in that fabric should be a boy. I wouldn't hesitate to use that fabric for either a boy or a girl.

 

Of course, my perspective might be a little off. No one here worries about the color babies are wearing. I'd never hazard a guess based on clothing or blankets.

[JFSinIL]

You could always applique some pink seahorses or something on it here and there, too, to girl it up a bit, if needed.

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

Because it is surrounded by blue it looks boyish. But you can easily make it more feminine by adding white and lots of pink, maybe even some sea greens to it.

Personally I would use it now adding just whites and sea greens. You are going to make another one as soon as you find out the gender anyway...right? I know I made several quilts during pregnancy. You will use them all even the ones that are not the same gender as the baby.

[higginszoo]

Maybe it's that I know your dc, but my first thought wasthat it looked like something your dd would pick out. So even though it's blue, I could see it working for either gender, especially with your children.

[Acorn]

I love the fabric. I would make a quilt with it for either gender. I am not one for arbitrary gender assignment of objects. My dd wore plenty of boys baby clothes and used baby blue blankets.

[Jennifer3141]

I had a TON of CDs in those fabrics that I used for both my son and daughter. Why would a WHALE be a specific gender?? You know, they come in both sexes!! :lol:

[MamaSheep]

Maybe it's that I know your dc, but my first thought wasthat it looked like something your dd would pick out. So even though it's blue, I could see it working for either gender, especially with your children.

 

Yes she definitely would pick out something like this. Her favorite color right now is blue. This might have influenced my attitude about a blue blanket for a baby girl somewhat. ;)

[QuirkyKapers]

I thought boy when I first saw it. It is cute though.

[gardenmom5]

I think it looks boyish. Maybe a preschool girl who is into sea life (with more feminine contrast).

 

I put my daughter in PINK, and was still asked if she was a girl or a boy.

[hsmom27]

I think all colors are gn, so use it if you like it! Another cute idea, originally popular in the adoption world, is for 100 friends to send you small 9x9 squares of a fabric they love. Then they also send you a card with well wishes for the baby and a tiny piece of the fabric attached to the card.

 

Then you make the quilt and make a memory book for the cards. Later the baby grows up and can match the fabrics to the people & cards that sent them. I like making one of those for my kids too. They're called "100 Good Wishes" quilts.

[MamaSheep]

I think all colors are gn, so use it if you like it! Another cute idea, originally popular in the adoption world, is for 100 friends to send you small 9x9 squares of a fabric they love. Then they also send you a card with well wishes for the baby and a tiny piece of the fabric attached to the card.

 

Then you make the quilt and make a memory book for the cards. Later the baby grows up and can match the fabrics to the people & cards that sent them. I like making one of those for my kids too. They're called "100 Good Wishes" quilts.

 

That would be so fun!

[Laura in MI]

It never would have occurred to me that a baby wrapped in that fabric should be a boy. I wouldn't hesitate to use that fabric for either a boy or a girl.

 

Of course, my perspective might be a little off. No one here worries about the color babies are wearing. I'd never hazard a guess based on clothing or blankets.

 

:iagree: :D

[ChristusG]

I really think it will be fine for either. I had DD wrapped in a totally pink blanket a few weeks ago and someone asked me about my "son." :confused:

[caedmyn]

I think it could be for either, though I'd probably think boy if I saw it because usually people use girly colors for girls. Honestly though, a lot of people will randomly call your DC a boy or a girl without paying any attention to what they are wearing/wrapped in, so it really doesn't matter! I've had my boys called girls several times when they are clearly wearing BLUE.

[In the Rain]

I think people will see blue and think boy, but that shouldn't stop you from making the quilt if you love the fabric. :001_smile:

 

My girls have big blue eyes, and look great in blue. My grandma knit my oldest dd a beautiful blue baby blanket because she thought it would look good with her eyes. She also wore lots of dark blue clothes. I'm sure people called her a boy, but it really doesn't matter to a baby- they are just happy to have someone coo at them. ;)

[Lisa in the UP of MI]

I think it's definitely more boyish just because it's blue, but it's still fine to use for either gender.