Finn is always the first one (actually the only one) to volunteer to hold quilts for me. Luckily for him, my quilt photography standards have declined significantly and I don't mind if he holds them crooked or even if the pictures are blurry. I just want to be able to remember what I've made. I made this quilt for the third daughter of a friend from church who I've known since I was a little girl. My mom made the little pink and purple panel a long time ago and gave it to me recently, suggesting I might use it in a quilt for a baby girl. Since Brenda was having a girl I knew just who to use it for. I pulled some coordinating fabrics from my stash (the seersucker is always so nice in baby quilts - it's so soft and crinkly) and made a simple improvisational design as I was working with a tight schedule - Brenda was past due to have the baby and I had only just decided to make the quilt!
I chose some nature and vintage inspired prints for the back. Brenda and her husband and three girls live in (what I think is...) an old farmhouse with a big yard and she's always posting pictures of them exploring outside, so the birds and florals felt just right for a little girl growing up in such a setting.
I did some free motion quilting in the patchwork panel and along the top edge where the birds are on the back, and the rest I quilted with straight lines, echoing the shapes and angles of the fabrics. I made scrappy binding which is always one of my favorites, and already gave it to mom & baby. Hopefully it brings them warmth while they snuggle up on these cold New England days!
