“Baby Walt”

Our Disney aficionado strikes again!

This wonderful client, with me since the very beginning, has adopted many Green Sheep blankets into her family, several with a Disney theme. (For her grandchildren there’s been I Love Minnie, Mickey and Theo, Dory Finds a Pearl, and 11,12, Dig and Delve. Other blankets in the family are The Light Changes Everything, In Argyle Style, The PondA Quiet Creature, and Nap Hunting.)

You can read more about how Disney got to be so special to them here.

Now a little guy has joined the family, and so another blanket arrives as well.

This is for four-month-old Walt. (Is his name a Disney coincidence??) Walt joins two sisters and one brother, perfectly leveling things out, at least for now (two boys, two girls). He is big-eyed and curious. He loves gazing at his mama. He glows whenever he sees his dad. He loves kisses and smiles from his big sisters and brother. 

And when his grandma calls him “Sweetness,” his tiny face breaks into a giant smile.

In my original sketch for the blanket, I had the diagonal striped piece with the blue neckline nearer to the top of the blanket. But when I actually laid out the appliqués this way, I found they didn’t balance well—they were too far apart from each other. So I rotated the blanket and laid the castle on that colorful stripe. A soft serendipitous sunset appeared behind the turrets!

When I told my client this, she said the colors in the stripe are reminiscent of early Disney Hotel decor. She explained that had drawn her to this blanket’s colors in the first place. (I searched for this vintage Disney palette on Google Image but could not find it. If any of you are familiar with this and find it, please share it with me!)

Sweet Baby Walt. I hope you will always fill up on the smiles of the fabulous people in your life. This big family of yours—your mom and dad, brother and sisters, grandmas and grandpas, aunts, uncles and cousins—they love you wildly. May you flourish in that love always!

© Joan Olson
Baby Walt” (38″ x 41″) 
Felted Wool Sweaters

This is a custom-ordered blanket.

“Jonathon’s Bear”

JUNE. Spring turns to summer and school is out. Gardens shoot forth new growth where there was none. There are graduations and weddings and births. And so much celebrating!

So much NEW.

I deem it an entirely appropriate time to share a new baby blanket.

This one’s for a little guy who is still on his way. When he arrives, among the many loving arms awaiting him will be those of a particularly playful roly-poly polar bear cub.

For the record, cubs think waiting is hard.

Writing this made me think of Christopher Robin, Winnie the Pooh, A.A. Milne and a poem (of course!). Here is the last stanza of Milne’s “Us Two.”

So wherever I am, there’s always Pooh,
There’s always Pooh and Me.
“What would I do?” I said to Pooh,
“If it wasn’t for you,” and Pooh said: “True,
It isn’t much fun for One, but Two,
Can stick together, says Pooh, says he. “That’s how it is,” says Pooh.

Jonathon, may your life be full of people friends, animal friends, and some toy friends too.

They’re all terrific.

“Jonathon’s Bear”
38″ x 39″
This blanket has gone to a good home.