What They Made: Handmade for Das Baby

What They Made is an occasional series in which I highlight handmade items that tickle my fancy.

 
The Buege sisters, BN and Erin. (The pattern on this dress does a pretty good job of concealing 33 weeks of pregnancy — at least from the front!) Photo by my mom.

My sister, BN, with a generous heap of help from one of my longtime besties, RC, hosted a baby shower for me in April, and I cannot thank them enough for such a special day!

As I've been getting the nursery ready, I concluded that I should devote a post to all the incredible handmade goodies that were bestowed upon Das Baby.

Banner by BN. Photo by my mom.

My sister, along with baking dozens of cookies, assembling favors, and devising games for the shower, made this massive banner, which roughly translates to "Warmest welcome, das Baby!" Why the German? MVH and I decided to not find out the gender of the baby. We've been referring to our mysterious family member as Das Baby because the article "das" is gender neutral. My sister and I both studied German in high school and college, and BN used DB as inspiration to give the party a German accent.

The banner was close to five feet long, and she cut out all the flowers and letters by hand!

A special kind of cake.

My friend, LG, constructed this cake of old-school cloth diapers (to be used as burp cloths), baby socks, mittens, and stocking caps. I was blown away by this monument of baby gear and the time it must have taken to assemble all the elements. I was excited to take it apart to figure out how LG put it together! (Hint a lot of medical tape was involved.) Very impressive. And useful!

Super-soft burp cloths.

RP, a pal from college, made these burp cloths from coordinating flannel and ribbon. I always can count on RP to deliver gifts in the prettiest packages; her ribbon stash must be enviable and massive. She's all about the details.

To chase away chills.

If DB takes after me, he or she probably will be cold about 85 percent of the time. Good thing the nursery now is stocked with these handmade blankets, made by my sisters-in-law, mother, and a member of my church.

Dangerman, captured in quilt form!

This amazing quilt is my favorite handmade gift for DB. It was given to me and MVH by RC and her husband, JC, at Christmas, and we were blown away by the craftsmanship and thoughtfulness of the blanket. Dangerman is a self-portrait that appeared in MVH's undergrad thesis, and he's been an icon of all things Van Handel for years. For instance, Dangerman and Dangerbride! appeared as paper dolls in our wedding programs. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing how the Dangerman look is translated for DB.

I am grateful for all the gifts bestowed upon DB, but the handmade items were really touching. My deepest thanks to all!

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