Felt baby blocks are bright and colorful, easy to make by hand, and comfortable to the touch. For the Arts in Medicine Stitching Workshop, the making of the blocks are intended to bring a sense of normalcy and help parents through difficult times. (photos by bob Farley)
Felt baby blocks are bright and colorful, easy to make by hand, and comfortable to the touch. Embellished with letters or symbols or left unadorned and stitched with bright embroidery thread, the blocks are useful in décor and functional for play. The sight and feel of the soft baby blocks remind us all of cuddly child’s play.
Lillis Taylor is enjoying being an artist-in-residence with the UAB Institute for Arts in Medicine. I caught up recently with Lillis at UAB’s Women & Infant Center during a Stitching Workshop for mothers of babies in Regional Newborn Intensive Care Unit (RNICU) and Continuing Care (CC). During the class, participants made felt baby blocks. The Arts in Medicine program strives to help reduce stress, inspire creativity and imagination, encourage patients and families to overcome fear and anxiety, and to provide a comfortable environment for speedy recovery.
During the Stitching Workshop, parents left behind their worries and fear for a little while, experienced social interactions with other parents during difficult times, and they made something tangible to give to their baby. They will later be able to tell the story to their child, and the blocks will be reminders of how precious life is.
Lillis Taylor teaches how to make felt baby blocks in her Stitching Workshop at the University of Alabama in Birmingham’s (UAB) Women & Infant Center as part of UAB’s Institute for Arts in Medicine Program.
- Time: 2 hours
- Cost: $2 – $5
- Tools: 2
- Materials: 4
Thankfully, when it comes to hardwood floors, there is no one-size-fits-all. Some people prefer light woods and some people prefer dark woods. 
Here are some factors to consider when choosing the color of your hardwood floors:
Here in Westchester County and the NYC metro area, dark hardwood floors have been trending the last several years and continue to grow in popularity. These are followed by light floors (primarily natural i.e. no stain.). You can 
Light hardwood floors have a distinct advantage here. They tend to show less dirt than hardwood floors. But, if you love love love dark wood, go for a dark color that is slightly lighter (e.g. choose jacobean rather than ebony, or dark walnut over jacobean). Also, choose a 
Because light hardwood floors show scratches less, they are generally better if you have dogs (and/or a busy household). If you are staining your floors dark, you may want to consider adding an extra coat of polyurethane so that they last longer.
Dark floors do you make your space a bit smaller and light floors make the space look a bit larger. However, it is really the combo of colors on the floors and walls that give the total impression, and there is more wall space than floor space. 
This really is a matter of taste. The most popular is currently jacobean (which is the 2nd darkest color). 
Dark Walnut is slightly lighter than jacobean and if you feel jacobean is still too dark for your tastes, give this a try. Then, just slightly lighter are antique brown and coffee brown. Everyone’s definition of dark is different and for many these colors are dark enough. 
Also, I want to note that if you have other species such as yellow pine or Douglas Fir, the stains and graining will look different than they do on oak. These species start out a different color and absorb stain differently. Oddly enough, for example, I’ve often found that ebony is often not the darkest stain on these woods. So, test test test. 
Finally, I do want to mention that often the pictures online look a bit darker than the wood does in real life. I know I’ve seen this optical illusion and I’ve had some customers ask how they get the floors even darker (as they show me an online picture). Some species are naturally darker and some absorb the darker stains better. If you are refinishing your existing floors, remember that you can’t change the wood you already have (well unless you plan on replacing it).
Again, this is a matter of preference. Most that are going light select natural (as many like the natural color of the wood). Natural tends to hold up better (vs. a stain) and it tends to dry faster. There are options to use a water borne poly to make the floors lighter or even use a white wash. You can read 
If you are refinishing existing hardwood floors, generally natural is less expensive than a stain. And, if you are upgrading to white wash or gray stains, the prices will be a bit more (both due to stain/process and type of polyurethane use.
Site finished floors are smoothed out and the stain penetrates all areas. But, pre-finished wood (or factory finished) have beveled edges and often the edges will show lines where the stain has not penetrated (and you can see the underlying wood color underneath). This is not always apparent on the samples (as some samples only show one piece) and as you are looking at them up close. When they are installed on the floor, and you view them at a standing height, you notice these more. And, you notice them much more on darker floors as there is a large contrast in colors. If you are choosing natural, these are barely noticeable. So check this out carefully.
Believe it or not, this is much less of an issue than most realize. Most wood floors go with most furniture. The reason is that the wood is neutral. Also, many people have different types of furniture in different rooms and even multiple wood colors and species in most rooms. 
Also, don’t forget that you can add area rugs to help unify areas and make the colors more cohesive. 
If you have hardwood in the kitchen, you’ll want to consider the color of the cabinets. If you have white cabinets, virtually any hardwood color will go. If you have a wood colored cabinet, you’ll want to select a color with a nice contrast. Generally, darker floors look better with lighter cabinets and lighter floors look better with darker cabinets. And, be sure not to mix and match reds as these usually do not work out right. 
Inherent in this question is which option gives you the higher ROI (return on investment)? Don’t forget, there are 2 parts to the equation – the numerator shows the preference, and the denominator looks at the cost.
However, it’s not quite as simple as that. You really need to look at the style of the home to see what works best (e.g. is your home traditional of contemporary?) and there often is more than one answer. In most of the Tudors, for example, dark hardwood floors tends to look best (and buyers looking at those homes prefer darker floors). In some contemporary homes, either very dark or very light looks best…and this may depend on the style of decor.
Both dark and light floors work very well, and only you can choose which is best for you and your home. Dark floors tend to be more stylish and hide imperfections while light floors tend to show dirt less and last longer. Your decision may vary based on whether you are staying in your home or planning to sell in the next few years. Importantly, both dark and light hardwood floors are great options.