the Wedding Gift

You may have noticed that the happy couple came complete with a baby.  :-)
I made them a birthday banner with removable numbers that can be used forever and ever.  Here is a link to the pattern.

It took DH and I two weeks, but he finally found the two clusters of flowers that have been in mom's cedar chest since my first memory.  (yes, a little cleanup in my house would go a long way)  I have no idea where these came from but they are at least 60 years old.  There are matching necklaces too, but I'm keeping those for the time being.

I really wanted to add some family treasure to the banner.  Mom would have loved to see her granddaughter's wedding.  This way she can stay in their lives for a long time.

I also had some fabric left from the bride's brother's wedding, so that was used for the center cupcake.  The cupcakes and candle flame were bejeweled.

I was still encumbered by my cast and dreaded having to trace out the series of numbers from the pattern.  Instead, I purchased a set of letters and numbers for the IQ.  I loaded up the backing fabric, layered that with black 80/20 batting, and added the black polka dot top fabric.

After the numbers were cut out I added a blanket stitch all around and used soutache braid to make hanging loops.

To keep the numbers from getting wonky over the years I also made a little box to contain them.  For this I used Peltex 72, which is fusible on both sides. 

There are two sets of numbers, so the banner can be used right up to 110 years of age.