2016 will become the year of the quilt. I’ve already finished 2 quilts (to be fair, both were started before 2016) and I have 4 more in the making or planning stages.
A while ago our family was extended with the birth of a cousin. Almost four years ago one of the first quilts I made was for her older sister so of course I had to make one for her as well.
I started with nine 10’’ squares from the Urban Zoology collection by Robert Kaufmann. For inspiration I browsed the Moda bake shop and combined the looks of the Flower Girl quilt and the 9-Patch Posie quilt. The finished dimensions after washing are slightly less than 1m x 1m.The white sashing gives it a very fresh look, although it may not be the most ideal colour for something that could potentially get stained by baby spit. Although I suppose that’s what washing machines are for…
The batting is Hobbs 80/20. The backing was kept simple with a piece of purplish yardage and a strip of some fabrics that are also featured on the front sliced in.
The quilting was done with the same Guttermann Sulky variegated thread that was used for her sister’s quilt. The quilting is mostly straight lines that more or less follow the sashing. Inside each flower I centred my six inch ruler and drew a square. Inside the squares the name of my cousin was quilted. It’s not too obvious but adds a nice touch.

I printed the letters in 6 inch squares so I could center and trace them with chalk inside the squares I had already quilted.
The solid fabrics that were used for the centres of the flowers came from a jelly roll. These jelly roll strips were also used to make a scrappy binding. I guesstimated how long the strips should be cut to make a binding strip that was long enough to bind the quilt and I was off by half an inch! If I had cut one of the strips half an inch longer I would have been able to join the ends with a diagonal seam which has my preference because it is less bulky. But alas, I suppose I should be happy that I was able to join the ends at all with my obviously shoddy guess work.

Just half an inch!
Overall I am very pleased with how this quilt turned out and I am certain it will be loved.
That Robert Kaufman range is perfect for baby quilts, the birds are my favourite. It has washed beautifully too, it looks so soft and cuddly now. Your little cousin will have a very special gift.
I hope your wedding preparations are coming along well – is there a small sewn gift I can make you?
Thank you!
Things are coming along allright. I picked up my dress today so that makes it all a bit more real too. Handmade gifts are always lovely. 🙂
Don’t forget we’ll all want photos! I’ll have a think about what to make you…
Yes there will be photo’s! The good thing is that someone else will be making them instead of me (and that is one of the reasons I’m not blogging so much, I still need to get many things photographed…).
That’s darling! I really like the block design you used; may have to try that myself someday. 🙂
Thank you! I think this design is a great way to display fabrics that you love.
A lovely idea to quilt her initials in the squares – very subtle but a special touch.
I wasn’t originally planning to do it, but when I was contemplating what to do with the flowers I realised her name would fit so then it was an easy choice!
So cute and the fabric pretty.
Thank you!