Baby Quilts - I

The newest baby quilt - sunny yellow and bright green and white!

Welcome to the world, Baby Aidan!

      My mother-in-law, Louise, was a wonderful crocheter, and crafted beautiful blankets for the family.  Sadly, she passed away just months after my son was born.  I used to crochet blankets on the long rides from our home to hers, and when my husband's younger sister and nieces began having babies, I decided to make each a blanket in my mother-in-law's memory and spirit.  A few years later I discovered quilting, and switched from crocheted blankies to baby quilts -- many of them!  Five nieces have now had 17 babies!  

       I started this quilt for the most recent of those babies without knowing if the baby was a boy or a girl, and went with the fresh summer colors of yellow and bright green.  This quilt was my attempt to see how a string quilt that was controlled in color and placement would turn out.   My scrappy string quilt project is here.    I love how the same technique had such a different result.

Playing with the fabric choices.  Although I still have a stash of little prints, I couldn't resist getting new fabric - I love the cats on the telephone and the sweet little ducks? chicks?  I love yellow, and ultimately went with a solid yellow, and the apple green accent.



The start of the paper pieced string quilt block.  I used a 1/2 inch middle green strip, and then a 2 inch strips of the chicks, the kittens, and a white solid and a yellow solid.  The last pieces were from my stash, a hen print, and a little pig print on yellow.  

Each block had the four prints and three solids.  I alternated the tiny corner pieces.  Half of the blocks had the hen next to the yellow strip and the pigs next to the white strip, and half were vice versa.
 

Alternating the tiny corners made for a more interesting hourglass enter block.  If I hadn't switched them up, the centers would have been solid.

  


Here is a close up of the two different blocks that resulted when I put the blocks together.

The outline is of a single block.  

I had tried a number of different combinations of the blocks, but this was the one I preferred.  Because this was a small quilt, I was able to pin it using tape on the glass top of my dining room table. 

I went with an all over stipple inside the green lines, and outlined the green stripes at the end.   I decided on using white for the quilting, so the little prints would stand out.   Here is a close up during the quilting process.

Here is the final quilt, to which I added a green print with white polka dots as the binding.  It crinkled up so beautifully, and is very soft and light.

I had a fairly large piece of a blue whale print that I used for the backing.   I had waited to chose the backing until I knew whether the baby was a boy or a girl!  I used a piece of the solid yellow to fill in the gap.  I like piecing the backs.  It adds some visual interest, and uses up fabric from my stash!

A close up of the binding (so sweet - I found the print on sale, and got the green and a pink for future projects).  This photo also shows the stippling and outlining.

I really like the way the stippling looks with the whales.  Very oceany.



Here is a close up of the two  prints from my stash.  I have been using the little pig print for years in baby quilts.  As always, I purchased much more than I actually needed at the time.   I wish I had taken a photo of a block that met up better in the middle, but oh well!

I couldn't resist the kitten on the retro telephone!   Of course, the baby will have no idea what such a contraption is!

Aren't these sweet?  The fabric feels like linen, and is a darker cream, which balances against the white.

My quilt holder, peeking over the top of the quilt!  The lake is all churned up from thunderstorms last night, after a week of hot dry weather.

     Aidan joins three siblings, Kathryn, Kayla and Ryan.  I made them each a quilt  when they were born.  I didn't have good photos of all of the quilts, but luckily, their mom has saved the quilts, and sent me photos.   At least two of these earlier quilts have the little pigs fabric in them! 

     Here is Kathryn's quilt, from 2005:

The little pig fabric is in the bottom left and upper right blocks.  I think the hen fabric is also in the bottom left block!

     Here is Kayla's quilt, from 2006.    I loved this pattern, which alternated skinny white strips with larger print strips, and alternated a white or print center.  I'll soon post a picture of a full size bed quilt I made for my own daughter with these same blocks.

This used many of the same fabrics as Kathryn's quilt, but no pigs or hens!

Another shot of the finished quilt.  Each block was about 12 inches square, I believe.

A close up of one of the blocks.

     Here is Ryan's quilt from 2009.  This quilt was all boy - and used many of the same fabrics as in the other quilts.  

Ryan's quilt 



A close up of the little squares in Ryan's quilt. 



I used a cute bunny fabric as the backing of the quilt. 

     I really enjoy making these baby quilts.   The summer seems to be speeding by - I have a few finished quilts that will be revealed in August (gifts!).   So many quilts - so little time! 

Take care,
Gretchen