More About Blankets

When our children were tiny, they each had a favorite blanket. They have been given a variety of blankets at different times in their lives, and their favorites changed.

I've been going through old photos, and I can see many examples. 

There are photos of them with blankets that they enjoyed cuddling with, sleeping with and using for coziness (for example, wearing a blanket, rather than a bathrobe).

They packed their blankets, and took them on vacation. After a long day of swimming and playing in California, Katie got cozy with her blanket (and her dad) on the couch. 

Here is Katie on a weekend morning, before she had cancer. She is playing a video game with David (and chewing on an English muffin, while her hands are busy). You can see the quilt that I made for her, sitting on her lap.

And here she is at home, after she recovered from her chemotherapy and 18-hour surgery. She was in remission, and she and David had just returned from a week at Camp Goodtimes West (her hair is still dyed from the carnival). You can see her yellow quilt behind her, on her bed.

Shortly before she passed away, Katie was in her bed, cuddling with our cat, Latte...and she still loved that quilt.

A blanket can be a meaningful and lasting source of comfort, through good times and bad.

A child can be very creative and imaginative, using a blanket as:

a mask (to block out food or hospital smells - chemo makes people super-smell-sensitive);

a shawl around the shoulders or on the lap, for warmth and coziness;

a cover, to hide under and avoid being seen;

a comforter (something to cuddle);

a blinder, to block out light, or sights one doesn't want to see:

a bathrobe;

a bedspread;

a bit of homemade love;

a distraction (Katie's is printed with all of the United States' state flowers, so we would try to pick them out, one by one);

a visual statement about who he or she is.

Blankets can be made with fabrics that relate to a child's hobbies, home town or state, favorite color or subjects, pets or sports. As the variety of fabrics, patterns (and yarns) is endless, so are the possibilities!

Have fun creating coziness!