trip around the world | a quilt for Noa

 

I had wanted to make a scrappy trip quilt for ages and when my friends Jeremy and Bria were waiting for their daughter to be born I knew it was the right time to make one. I love how it looks vintage and somehow fresh at the same time. The original pattern is by Bonnie Hunter. I used lots of my favorite fabrics like Heather Ross apples, Annie Brady cacti, Denyse Schmidt dots, Rifle Paper Co. florals, cotton + steel stars, and Lizzy House cats. The back is a Melody Miller print paired with tiny pink polka dots. I thought this quilt was going to be a lot less vibrant than it turned out. I like it, but it doesn’t look the way I imagined it would. It’s always a little disappointing when my ideas don’t come together in the way I intended. I’m focusing on all the cute details instead - the strawberries, frogs, apples, flowers, butterflies, cats, pineapples, stars, blackberries, rainbows, and cactuses because I love them all. Hopefully Noa likes them too! I don't remember what happened exactly but I think I was cutting it close on the backing and the binding didn't quite reach all the way around to cover the batting so I had to cut a small strip of strawberries to cover my mistake on the back. Whoops!

Wash Your Paws | For Walter

It's been so long since I've kept up with my blog here but I feel compelled to keep going. I like to see all the quilts I've given away because sometimes I miss them! This one is in New Hampshire with my cousin Amanda's baby Walter. I used this pattern and so many of my favorite fabrics by cotton + steel, Carolyn Friedlander, Annie Brady, Lizzy House, and others. For some reason I don't have a photo of the back which is a bummer. I'll have to text Amanda to see if she can get one for me! The night I had Matt take these photos we were in Providence on a date by the pedestrian bridge. We had the most delicious pizza from Hotline with fresh basil and corn and then we got Tizzy K's ice cream, I think I got fruity pebbles. Mmmm.

 

l-o-v-e | a quilt for Baby Figuereo

Emily and Steve are our dear friends and when they told us Emily was expecting I knew I had to make a really special quilt. I wasn't sure what I wanted to make for a while but one day when I was texting with Emily and I realized what the perfect quilt would be - the kinfolk baby love quilt by Wren Collective. I had bought the pattern a year or two ago because I loved it but hadn't made it yet. I knew Emily likes neutrals and after pulling lots of creams and tans from my stash I decided to add some green because she's a nature girl and I knew green would give the quilt an outdoorsy feel. I fussy cut a cute mouse family to include and did some stellar pattern matching on a little frog swimming hole party which I'm extremely proud of. I lined it up perfectly on the first try which has never happened before and will likely never happen again! I had so much fun choosing fabric combinations for this quilt and it came together really quickly which was a nice bonus. I finished it off with some smiling moons, jumping frogs, and a simple plaid on the back, and the binding is a scrappy mix of fabrics from the front. If I know Emily then Miles is probably already spending lots of time outside, lying on his back staring up at the clouds so he can wonder and dream, and I hope he's lying on this quilt. 

P.S. Here's the quilt I made for Emily and Steve when they were first married. 

little library | a quilt for Linnea

I’ve wanted to make a quilt using @katebasti’s tall tales quilt block for years and recently I had the perfect opportunity because I learned our favorite local librarian was pregnant with a baby girl. I had so much fun selecting fabrics to feature on the covers of the books, and while I made quite a few mistakes while piecing that I had to rip out and do again (for so many reasons - my paper piecing skills were rusty, I was interrupted because the kids were fighting, I was too absorbed watching @sexeducation on Netflix, I was sewing too late at night to see properly, etc.), this was still a really enjoyable quilt to make. But it will be the only time I make this quilt. I think. I don’t do well with really skinny pieces. I’m really happy with how it turned out, even the back, which I misjudged on one side and ended up having to cover a big piece of selvage that clashed with the rest of the back with a cute star print that matched the binding (photo). I hope Linnea dreams sweet dreams under this quilt, makes forts with it, has picnics on it, and that it keeps her warm and cozy for years to come  Also, big thanks to my friend Steph for taking these photos when I volunteered at her middle school library one day this past school year!

Rey and BB-8 | a quilt for Raelyn

Making this quilt was a little out of the norm for me but recently a little girl in our circle was diagnosed with cancer so things don’t feel normal. I did what I always do - I made her a quilt, but then I made another identical quilt to raffle for donations to the gofundme that’s been set up to help pay for her two year treatment program. It’s not much, but when I cut and press and sew the fabric I pray. This raffle is one small way to extend that a bit, to help relieve the financial burden on her parents. The quilts both measure about 42” by 52” and they're backed with a super soft cuddle fabric, perfect for a little one or as a lap quilt on the couch. The pattern is by Sam at Hunter's Design Studio, and the mistakes in the quilts (there are a couple, don't look to closely!) are entirely my fault, not hers. The raffle quilt has a gray back and simple straight line quilting, and Rae's quilt has a hot pink back with custom quilting to highlight Rae's clothing and BB-8's shape as well as a swirly star background. Together we raised $1500 for Rae and I couldn't be more thrilled. I never imagined how much support Rey and BB-8 would find in my little online community. It's been truly heartwarming, especially in the midst of so much global tragedy, to hear from people from so many different circles in my life who all want to help ease the burden on Rae's family right now. Thank you so much for helping to make this donation possible. And finally, congratulations to an old friend, Cecelia Murgo who won the raffle quilt and is gifting it to her brand new great-nephew whose dad  loves Star Wars! 🧡