My second finish of 2015! This one is a sweet little baby quilt commissioned by a dear friend and longtime patron of the arts (my quilting art, that is) as a gift for her sister-in-law's baby shower. She always gives me free rein ("Whatever you make will be beautiful!" ...did I mention she's awesome?), but as inspiration for this one she showed me the shower invitation, which matches the soon-to-arrive little's nursery.
So, we have: gender neutral, chevrons, polkadots, soft grey and buttery yellow, and one cute little elephant. The design I decided on was inspired by this gorgeous minimalist herringbone quilt made by Ashley at Film in the Fridge, which I think captures the idea of chevrons but is less obvious and more modern than your traditional chevron quilt.
The fabrics are a mix of stash and some new ones picked up from my LQS (the fabulous Greenwood Quiltery). I love guilt-free fabric shopping (custom order, baby)! And the ladies at Greenwood are always excited to help pick out just the right thing - in this case, the perfect buttery yellows to complement my greys and whites. I mixed in some Doe and Widescreen by Carolyn Friedlander with Kona Snow and Ash along with that cute grey check from Happy Go Lucky by Bonnie & Camille (which I also used on the pieced back). And while I'm firmly of the camp that baby quilts don't have to be "babyish" to be beautiful, I couldn't resist tucking in some sun-coloured Birch Organics Mod Basics elephants to tie the whole thing together.
My first instinct for quilting was vertical straight lines, but my friend specifically requested some handwriting be quilted on, so instead I got to practice my free motion skills. I've been working on improving over the past year or so, but I'm still not brave enough to try anything other than stippling on a quilt for someone else. Especially one that someone is paying for! So, an all-over stipple it is (along with some special writing).
I think the result is a sweet combination of modern and just a tiny bit edgy (asymmetrical! Carolyn Friedlander!) with cute and playful (polkadots! elephants!) ...perfect for a baby who's bound to be just as cool as the family he or she is about to join.
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