Baby Blocks!

     Life has been busy by the lake.  I recently wrapped up a long career while trying to finish up a baby quilt, which I have called Baby Blocks.  It will soon be gifted to baby Samantha, but when I started, I didn't know if the baby was a boy or a girl, and tried to design something that would work no matter what!

    I decided to try a square quilt, which can double as a play mat, and using a cute printed fabric as inspiration, picked some batiks I had in my stash.  As it turns out, I didn't use that green fabric!  I found a cute retro fabric I liked better for this project! 

      This is a great project for jelly rolls.  I cut 2 1/2 inch strips of the soft and bright colors, and paired them with similarly cut  Kona white strips. 

     I cut the two piece units to form two square blocks, and sewed strips together, varying the color placement pretty randomly.  Once I found the right mix, I used numbered pins to keep track!

      I then added long 2 1/2 inch strips of white to set off the blocks.

     After mulling (for too long)many quilting options in my mind, I decided done was the best choice and used my walking foot to outline the squares, adding extra lines in the white parts, leaving the colored blocks unquilted to pop! The picture above shows the unfinished quilting, the picture below, the finished piece. 

     I used a "mark be gone pen" to keep the starting line straight in the border.  I was concerned that it wouldn't come out in the wash.  It turns out I should have worried about the heavily dyed batiks more!   I do like how the quilting pattern created a shadow block in white on the border!

      I got some yardage of a Michael Miller Retro Candy Shop to use as the backing. Too cute!

      When I first washed and dried the quilt, the unthinkable happened, and when I pulled it out of the dryer, it was blotched with the hot pink and the bright yellow, which apparently had run in the wash! Yikes!   I ran to the store and got Carbona Color Run remover AND Carbona Color Grabber, and added both to the washing machine. (which was not either mentioned or recommended in the instructions, but I was a bit crazed)   Luckily - the products worked and removed the stains.   After a thorough drying, the finished quilt is nice and crinkly (and white). 

     Baby Samantha has a big sister Charlotte, and doesn't every little girl need a zipper bag!  

     I used 2 1/4 inch strips of the batiks for the binding.  I really like the overall look of this quilt.  The final quilt measures 42 inches square.  

 

    Now that I am retired,  I expect to be finishing up more quilts now that I am not working a regular job, but my days seem pretty busy already!   Another baby quilt is in the works - stay tuned.

   I appreciate your comments, and if you'd like to follow me on instagram, please do so - snugharborquilts.

Thanks for visiting, enjoy the summer and take care,
Gretchen