March is National Quilting Month. I have been thinking about how much sewing and quilting have meant to me in my life. Sewing was an almost constant activity at our house with five girls stitching up outfits. When my husband was in dental school one of my jobs was as a seamstress for a design service. I learned so much! Then came our four children and I did minimal sewing. Now I have a bit more time and I am learning about all the new methods and techniques available for sewing and quilting. I decided to take a little trip down memory lane and pull up posts about past quilting projects.
I have always loved quilts, so when each of our children were born I made a simple quilt or comforter for them. Now that we have a grandchild, the interest was renewed and I decided to start piecing quilts again. Baby quilts and blankets are just so special! This is the one I made for John right before he was born.
The cute little animals were copied from the wallpaper border that we used in the nursery. As you can tell, my applique techniques were at the beginning level! Looking back, I am impressed that I even finished it since I had a new baby, was going finishing up graduate school and was working at Bethany!
When making keepsake items, whether it be quilts, woodworking projects or other items, always try to put your name and date on them. We always think we will remember, but times passes quickly and we get busy with so many things, it is so easy to forgot who made what and who it was made for.
John and his wife, Lauren, selected a woodland creature theme for their nursery. I picked out fabric that coordinated with that theme and this Tiny Tents pattern for their baby quilt. The pattern and the fabric are from Missouri Star Quilt Company in Hamilton.
Putting the pieces together is like working on a jigsaw puzzle, except that there are so many right options, you just have to choose the combination that you like. Making these decisions may be the hardest part of making the quilt!
When I had it all pieced together, I had it quilted by Mary Kay Lambert, in Allendale, MO, where Mark grew up. She is amazing. Her website is:
I love the colors and the animals are just so precious! The quilting was done in a “clouds” pattern, which was perfect for this baby quilt.
I definitely need to work on my embroidery skills, but my name and date are in one corner.
This is the rocking chair that was in our nursery when John was born, now it is ready to rock another baby.
Lauren with her Tiny Tents quilt at the family shower. A few short weeks after this, we welcomed little Berkley into the world and what fun we have had! Now he is almost two years old!
If you thinking about making a baby blanket or quilt, Missouri Star Quilt Company in Hamilton, has one store that specialized in fabrics for kids and babies. Click on the link below for more information.
https://www.missouriquiltco.com/
Have fun sewing!!!
