Embroidered Baby Quilt--Carrying On a Tradition

A couple months ago at Rose's baby shower, we gave her this baby quilt that the girls and I embroidered and sewed for her baby.

Twenty-nine years ago, my mother made a quilt just like it and gave it to me at the birth of my first baby, Crystal.  

Here we are comparing the old, faded one on the left that I have kept all these 29 years to the new one on the right. How I have valued and cherished this old quilt that my mother spent so much time embroidering and sewing.

And my mom was almost in tears to find out I was carrying on that tradition with my first grandbaby.

Above, we are tracing patterns from the old quilt or from patterns my mom copied and sent me in the mail.

Crystal helped with cutting out squares because I have a lot of trouble with cutting and sewing correctly anymore.

Each of us embroidered at least two squares, and I did four. 

Crystal sewed the patches together. 

She and Hannah deciding where each baby animal should be positioned in the quilt. 

I wanted a picture of the very last stitch of embroidery! That happened to be the teddy bear square.

And despite my difficulties with sewing now, I managed to sew the backing to the quilt--up to the last seam where Crystal had to help because I missed some fabric underneath at first. 

It was worth the effort to carry on a small and simple but meaningful tradition from my mother and aunt to my daughter upon the birth of my first granddaughter!