Necessity is the mother of invention

A time out from the Santa canvas--I need a baby gift!  A dear friend's daughter is expecting her first child, and I've been mulling over just what to stitch for some time now.  I've made baby gifts before--a "First Noel" mini-sock,  "Rainbow Juggling Clown" and  "Humpty Dumpty" stand-ups, and most recently a Penguin mini-sock for the expected baby's cousin.

I really wasn't excited by the idea of stitching something a second time. I wanted a new design that would be a quick stitch but hold my interest--and here it is!  A 2-1/2 inch block that will be finished as a 3-D ornament, it's being stitched in contemporary shades of Christmas red and green because no one knows--parents included--what the gender of the baby is.

The center of the top square has been deliberately left blank--depending on when the child arrives, it will either include the first letter of the family's last name or the baby's initials.  I've set a deadline of this Saturday to get the stitched piece to my LNS in time for Christmas finishing.  The baby was due last Friday, so the race is on to see if the new mother or I deliver a finished product first!