On Tuesday night I began embroidering the centerpiece of the handprint blanket for my mom. I began doing the last names of each of my siblings. This took me around 2 hours. I sat and watched my son’s baseball practice and embroidered and had people come over and comment on what a beautiful idea and gift this will be. This warmed my heart to hear. By the time I was done working on embroidering each of the 6 last names my fingers were a little sore. I was happy with the progress that I had made but was also hit by the realization of how much work this project is going to take. It isn’t as simple as I had originally thought but I am happy as I know that the extra work that I am putting into it now will help for this blanket to last a life time.
After I finished the last names I thought okay lets start picking all the different colors for every families handprints. This took time as I wanted for each hand to have a different shade of the family color.
Last night I did my oldest brothers families handprints. There were five hands to be embroidered as well as all of the names and ages. This took me around 3 hours. At the end my fingers were sore and I looked at my work and thought for a fleeting second is it really worth all of this extra work? Then I thought of my Mom and all of the sewing she has done for each of us over the years and I thought yes it is worth it and so much more. This isn’t just an assignment or a project it is a work of love. So with every stitch that I make on this blanket I am saying a little prayer and putting a little bit of love into this piece. I am making memories and documenting them along the way.
I still have five families worth of hands to do as well as figuring out what to do with the hearts to make them more appealing and attractive. I will then start my work on other details such as bugs and leaves. I need to do some more practice pieces before I do any of that though as I want to ensure that these extra details end up looking really good. What details do you think I should add to my blanket?
Your dedication and love shine through as you create a handprint blanket for your mom. The time and effort you’re putting into embroidering each family member’s name and handprints demonstrate the care you have for this special gift. Despite moments of doubt, your determination to make this a work of love is inspiring. Considering adding elements like bugs, leaves, or other meaningful symbols will enhance the overall design. You can fill nail colors in girls or ladies hand to differentiate it and you can also add tassels in the corners of the blanket. Lastly, I would say keep up the fantastic work!
Thanks so much for the words of encouragement. I do plan to add bugs, leaves, and flowers around the handprints when I am all finished. I will also add some special feathers when I am all done. This part is going to be framed by denim patchwork. Thanks for the other ideas as well. When I have completed what I already have planned I might put some of these ideas into place as well.