midpoint IV | a quilt for Oliver

The kids and I were picking blueberries at a friend's house this summer when another friend came walking down the road (we were in the neighborhood where she grew up). She shared that she was pregnant and her daughter Audrey was about to become a big sister. Of course I decided to make her brother a quilt like hers. I decided on blues with a white background, and the backing is nautical inspired because we live in the Ocean State and the baby's grandfather was a career Navy man. 

dot dot dash III | a quilt for Luna's sister

 

Funny story about this quilt - I made it for a friend who is having her second baby and chose fabrics that I've used in quilts that now belong to that baby's cousins. I like to sneak little references to other family members or friends in when I can. I don't know if the owners will ever notice but if they do I think it's a nice surprise. I used the hands/hearts/botanical print in her cousin Iris's quilt, the peaches in her cousin Olivia's quilt, and the dark floral print on the back in her cousin Clara's quilt. I finished the quilt, photographed it, and started to package it to mail it to Tennessee. As I was sliding the quilt into the mailer bag I was struck by the sudden realization/memory that the baby about to be born is not a girl. I had made a quilt for a baby girl but this baby is a boy! Lucky for me, I have another friend due with a baby girl soon, and these two expectant moms are friends so the fabrics still make sense as all the babies listed above will be friendly with this baby too. I know that's not important, but I don't like to gift quilts that I don't think the mom will like. Thankfully, this quilt is still a good fit for this family! 

patchwork pop | a quilt for Kieran

My friend Jess has commissioned me to make quilts for her friends at least three times now and I always appreciate her trust in my abilities! For this one she asked for apples, clapper boards (possibly the weirdest thing I've ever been asked to include in a quilt), and for the baby's name to be highlighted in big letters. I hope this is what she had in mind! I love the patchwork blocks with sashing... I tend to stay away from sashing unless a pattern tells me to use it but it's almost always the right move. And I love the button down shirt fabric on the back! I think it's an old cotton + steel print but I'm not sure. Many thanks to Finn for being my quilt holder, especially on such a windy day. He's been helping me out since he could stand! 

pinwheelpalooza | a quilt for Vera

 

I lived in the same dorm as Kristin my freshman year of College at URI and eighteen years later she asked me to make a quilt for her son Silas. Three years after that I found myself making a quilt for her daughter Vera! Kristin wanted something classic that Vera would like now and also as she grows through the years. She sent me a photo of the rug in Vera's room and I tried to pull all the colors from that design. We decided on a offset pinwheel pattern with creamy white solid sashing and borders to keep the quilt more subdued. And because I know Vera loves cats and unicorns and other cute things I made sure to include lots of fun little surprise fussy cuts all over! I think the quilt fits in quite nicely with the rest of the decor in Vera's room and hope she enjoys it for years to come. 

L-O-V-E you too | a quilt for Iris

My friends Emily and Steve were expecting their second baby close to my birthday and I was realllly hoping for a birthday twin but I didn't expect her to actually be born on May 24. Surprise! She was! So Iris is my new favorite baby and I think we'll share a special bond forever. It helps that I think her quilt is one of the best quilts I've made in a long time so we've gotten off to a fabulous start! 

dot dot dash II | a quilt for Ava Margaret

It's always nice when someone to whom I've given quilts wants me to make a quilt for someone they know and love so they can give one to them. What's even nicer is when they give me free reign! My cousin Amanda recently asked me to make a quilt for her cousin Jen who is due with her first baby next month and she said I could do whatever I wanted. I went with some sweet floral prints and some coordinating blenders on a creamy white background. 

Mary Oliver (iykyk) | a quilt for Remi

Our friends Rachel and Matt recently welcomed a baby girl into their lives and named her Remi. Rachel told me she was really feeling geese for the nursery so I found a super cute goose fabric and chose all the other fabrics based on the geese. I love the little bees and the strawberries and especially the flowers on the back!

 

sweet squares | a quilt for Clara

Olga and Cal welcomed their third baby recently and Clara needed a quilt just like big sister Lucia (see her quilt here) and big brother Leon (see his here). I decided to make her quilt in the same style as theirs, concentric squares. You don't really need a pattern for this but I think I used one initially and now I don't know where the inspiration came from! I chose warm colors and some cute animal and floral prints, including one that I also used in Lucia's quilt, the burnt orange and cream animal print. The back is a really soft cotton lawn fabric that I thought I would make a garment out of eventually until I came to terms with the fact that I wasn't and realized it would be great as a baby quilt back!