It's very rare now that I make a quilt that isn't part of a quilt pattern release. But when my friend, Ashley, gave birth to - who I'm calling - my new best friend 3 weeks ago, I knew I had to drop everything and make them their first handmade quilt!
When I was thinking about what quilt pattern I wanted to use for the baby quilt, I couldn't stop coming back to my Weavers Cottage quilt pattern. While this quilt pattern only calls for four fat quarters, I wanted to make it extra scrappy by adding a few extra fat quarters into the mix. I actually asked for some help from Peony Pedal Quilts to get the right mix of fabrics perfected. I showed her my inspiration photo and she put together the fabrics I used in the quilt.
I think my favorite part about this quilt is the sashing details between each block. In the Weavers Cottage quilt pattern, I have it written so that the sashing details are all the same color. But in the spirit of scrappiness, I decided these details needed to be part of the fun too. I LOVE how it looks and might be making all my future Weavers Cottage quilts like this too.
I finished this baby quilt version of Weavers Cottage off with some Mammoth Flannel fabric by Robert Kaufman on the back to make it extra snuggly. If you've never used a flannel on the back of your quilt - I'm here to tell you that it will change your life and you'll never want to back your quilt with anything else ever again. It's seriously so good!
I went with some classic straight-line quilting to keep the drape of the quilt feeling good and added some gray gingham fabric as the binding. I'm so happy with how this turned out. And if my 3-week-old best friend wasn't so dang cute, I might have kept this quilt for myself!
My latest Michael Miller project has had me working with these sweet, sweet baby prints from their To the Moon and Back collection. I love the soft grays and yellows. When I was pregnant with my oldest daughter, gray and other neutral colors featured heavily in her nursery. I would have LOVED this collection to make her a baby quilt back then.
I wanted to feature the prints in a quilt so I chose my Chevron Points pattern that was published in Make Modern magazine. In the original pattern, each side of the chevrons were a different fabric. In this version, I made each chevron out of one print. I love the simplicity of this version. Writing this pattern in multiple sizes in on my to-do list for next year, and I definitely plan on including this design variation.
I went with a zig zag stitch spaced a little more than an inch apart for quilting. I thought the zig zag would be an appropriate complement to the chevrons. It is quick, easy, and perfect for a baby quilt.
The backing is my favorite print in the collection. These sweet yellow and gray rainbows are just perfect. I used a darker gray polka dot print to bind.
Check out the full collection HERE and the issue of Make Modern that includes the Chevron Points pattern HERE (affiliate link).
The Deltille Quilt is here!
After I sent the cover quilt to Jill for long arm quilting, I started my next Deltille almost immediately. Michael Miller Fabrics is coming out with 27 (!) new Cotton Couture colors in August, and they sent me a FQ bundle to play with in May.
I chose nine of the new colors to make a baby sized ombre Deltille. When I was making this one, I was calling it the "mermaid baby Deltille" because of the teals and purples. The colors are so rich in person. Photos really don't do them justice.
Since this was my third quilt, I had gotten pretty quick at making them so this one came together in a snap.
I used a print from the La Vida Loca line for the backing. It wasn't an obvious choice, but I really like how the blues and purples pop when combined with the front.
One of my favorite things I did for this quilt was use the same white for the binding as I did for the sashing. I love the way it takes the design all the way to the edge and frames everything.
I don't make commissioned quilts very often anymore, but when a sweet friend from college asked me to make her nephew a quilt, I couldn't resist. For one, I love her. And two, I made a baby quilt for her first nephew a few years ago!
She gave me a theme (western) and asked that the quilt look similar to the one I made originally. Other than that, I had free rein!
I found this super cute John Wayne fabric by Riley Blake, and I paired with with a cream/red star print from my stash.
I didn't use a pattern, but I cut out 5" squares and sewed them in random order, and then I appliquéd the name and cowboy hats. I finished it off with straight line quilting 1/4" on either side of each seam.
Now...pictures!
This year, I've been putting a huge focus on developing my own patterns. I wasn't planning on doing any commissioned quilt at all. But, when my college roommate said she was pregnant with a little girl, I immediately started looking at fabric options and cleared my schedule to make a baby quilt.
My friend wanted a specific quilt, the Sea Glass Baby Quilt by Talk of the Town.They are doing the nursery in a "Woodland Fairies" theme with mostly purples and some green. Kanvas Studios had the most PERFECT fabrics. It was such a challenge to narrow them down to four (well five if you include the backing).
I chose Dance of the Dragonfly Dancing Waves Plum, Enchanted Garden Floral Lilac, Enchanted Blossoms Orchid, and Pansy Noir Lilacfor the front, and Pansy Noir Mini Flutter Lilacfor the backing.
This pattern is entirely appliqué. I was really excited to try out the Silhouette Cameo my husband gave for Christmas to cut out the 94 petals needed for the quilt. But, I somehow broke the Cameo when I was updating the firmware. So I had to cut out the shapes by hand.
I typically prefer a blanket stitch on appliqué, but the one exception is on a baby quilt. On baby quilts, I use a satin stitch to attach the appliqué to the quilt. Baby quilts need to be durable and withstand lots of machine washing. I'm sure a blanket stitch would hold up just fine, but its a personal preference I guess.
I forgot to take a picture of the backing, so this is the best I have, but I just love it. It was probably my favorite part of this whole quilt. Pictures just don't do it justice. The gold butterflies are metallic and it adds a beautiful movement to the backing.
For the actual quilting, I outlined each appliqué petal and then outlined petals in the white space. I love the effect of the outlined petals in the white space. I'm still undecided on if it was worth the 94 thread breaks requiring me to bury those threads, but it sure does look nice.
Quilt Stats:
I hope you enjoyed reading about this one! :)
When I first started quilting, it was around the time my friends started having babies. Naturally, I started making baby quilts for my friends. Baby quilts are probably my favorite thing to make. They are small, so they come together quickly, and I know it will be loved and cherished by the recipient.
When my friend commissioned me to make a baby quilt for her soon to be born son last fall, I jumped at the opportunity. She was decorating his nursery in natural colors in a woodland theme. There is so much good woodland creatures fabric. I had the best time pulling together some options for her.
I'm just now getting around to sharing this quilt even though the little man made his entrance into the world in December. Enjoy!
[caption id="attachment_362" align="aligncenter" width="500"]
From L - R: Michael Miller Woodland Winter Friends; Michael Miller Woodland Winter Stitches and Strips Snow; Dear Stella Blue Moon Folkstone; Art Gallery Hello Bear Tiny Buck Forest Mint; Art Gallery Hello Bear Leaflet Dawn; Dear Stella Woodland Critters White[/caption]
Backing Fabric: Robert Kaufman Mammoth Flannel in Iron[/caption]
Quilt Stats:
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Today, I'm sharing another commissioned quilt I made at the end of last year. My sweet friend from college asked me to make a baby quilt for her brand new nephew! She requested a vintage airplane theme, and left the rest up to me!
As soon as I saw Flight by Janet Clare for Moda, I knew it was the perfect fabric line for this project. It complements his nursery without being too matchy-matchy. I quilted horizontal, wavy lines to represent wind. I just love the overall effect.
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