the ocean and the lakes | a quilt for Lenora

Our friends Jess and Chad recently welcomed their first baby into the world. They named her Lenora, but they didn't find out the gender until she was born so I made a quilt that I hoped would work for a boy or girl. I chose lots of gray and added blues and white, some solids and some prints. It's a log cabin but it's not really recognizable as one to me because the way I joined the scraps was completely improvised. 

Jess and Chad are from Michigan so I was happy to find this little scrap of All the States by Alexia Abegg for Cotton + Steel in my scrap basket.

I quilted it with straight lines along the sides of all the horizontal seams. I'm pretty much a one trick pony lately - gray and blue, straight lines, grid quilting. That about sums up my sewing.

Of course Rory had to test the quilt out while I was trying to take pictures of it. The back is a gray and white ikat print with a small piece of gingham.

I bound it in - wait for it - chambray. Usually I attach my labels the opposite way, with Tara Celeste Quilts on the outside, but for Jess I flipped it. She loves Rhode Island so I thought that little state outline would make her smile when she sees it. I hope this quilt brings smiles to Nora too.