My Cheerful Scrap Quilt

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I’ll let you in on a little secret. Most of the time when I start a new quilt, I have no idea what it’s going to look like. Before I know the pattern, I start with finding really fabulous fabric. A beautiful quilt has beautiful fabric. From there, the inspiration just comes to me.scrap2

I have been collecting fabric since I started quilting seven years ago, so I’m at borderline hoarding status. And that stuff is expensive, not to mention I love ALL of it, and so I’ve been hankering to make a scrap quilt from pieces of my previous quilts. To me, there’s a piece of every loved one I’ve quilted for in this quilt – it’s my version of looking back and reminiscing over an old photo album. This one reminds me of being pregnant, this one reminds me of my mom, this one reminds me of a niece or nephew… and this reminds me of sweet Wrenn. It’s all there. scrap3

For this quilt, I simply raided my stash, started cutting rectangles, and then made up a pattern with what I had. It changed as I went – originally I as going to do stripes of scraps and then stripes of solid white fabric, but Mr. Right reminded me that I have done a lot of quilting white borders lately, and suggested I do something that’s pure color. For once I listened, and I love how it turned out. So crazy. So colorful. So cheerful.

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Even the navy binding came from my stash… already cut to size and ironed. Apparently I miscalculated how much I would need on a previous project (Bethe + math don’t really go together… I misjudged by about 20 feet of binding), so it was ready to just pop on.

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I imagine the caption for this photo would probably say: “Move over Wrenn. Stop touching the quilt Wrenn. Mommy needs to get a picture, Wrenn!” (PS – Wrenn LOVES to climb up in my lap while I’m at my sewing machine and watch me quilt and touch the fabric and admire all of the pretty colors. I can’t wait for her sewing lesson!)scrap4

I love all my quilts… they’re kind of like children, it’s hard to choose favorites. But this one is one of my very favorites. I found about 10 feet of this vintage mango striped fabric in my stash that was perfect for the back (I just love the contrast of the bright mango with the dark navy), and because I have so much leftover, you’ll probably be seeing a lot more of this fabric in the future. scrap5

And the best part – when I was finished, off it went to a friend who has a baby in the NICU. This quilt made me feel so cheerful, I felt like it was my way to share a little ray of sunshine during a stressful time. I love making quilts, but I love giving them away even more.

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Baylor Quilt

It has been awhile since I’ve posted a quilt update. Or any update, for that matter. I’m still trying to find the right time to practice my beloved hobby in between work and spending time with that darling family of mine, and writing, and well… you know, living life!

And hand-washing sippy cups. OH MY WORD I DO SO MUCH HAND-WASHING THESE DAYS!

But, I managed to pull this quilt top together over the past few months as I listened to books on tape (this one featured John Grisham’s Gray Mountain, which was pretty lousy), and ALMOST had it done in time to give it to my sister for Christmas. I had it done enough to present her with the quilt top for Christmas, and then with my week off of work, I managed to quilt and (machine) bind it the week between Christmas and New Year’s.

I am in love with how this one turned out. I guess my quilts are like my children… I love all equally (in theory anyway, since I currently only have one child), but each one has its unique personality that is worth celebrating.

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This one was birthed completely from my stash. I got the kelly green fabric from the vintage fabric stash we purchased from one of Mr. Right’s elderly clients, and the yellows all came from my stash. I have had a thing with yellow since forever (it was prominently featured in my wedding) and when I was looking for inspiration for a new project and found that gorgeous green fabric, I just knew I had to make a Baylor quilt!

I have been wanting to make a simple triangle quilt where half of the triangles are the same, and the other half are different, ever since I spotted a similar pattern at an old antique mall. There’s something so vintage and wonderful about the regularity of this pattern. And, well, you know I have an affinity for half square triangles. And my Baylor Bears.

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And since I prefer not to quilt from a pattern (it’s the one place in life where I break all the rules) I simply cut out what seemed like a million triangles and started a-sewing. And then I sat down to lay out my quilt, thinking I’d have enough leftover to make a doll quilt with the extras… and instead, I had the tiniest baby quilt you’ve ever seen. Those darn half square triangles (which are about 3 inches) didn’t take up as much space as I originally thought.

And so I added in some white sashing to let the squares “breathe,” and I’m so happy with the finished product!

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For the backing, I bought new fabric that had a vintage feel. Can’t you just imagine this same fabric on some 1960s housewife’s ruffled apron? I bound it with a green striped fabric from my stash (yea for my giant stash!) and presented it to my sister just a week after Christmas.

I wish you could feel how soft this quilt is, and how wonderful the 100% cotton batting turned out (typically I use a poly blend, but went with something new this time and am totally hooked). I hope every time she sees this quilt she will know I love her, and feel compelled to give a rousing “SIC EM BEARS!”

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be strong and courageousFor prints and other lovelies, visit Texas Lovely on Etsy.

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Cross Quilt

I bought this fabric ages ago… back when I was pregnant with Wrenn (she’s now 18 months old), and it sat on my shelf for the longest time as I waited for the inspiration to hit me.

And waited… and waited… and birthed a baby, and nursed a baby… you know, I had a lot going on.

Finally, over the summer, I got inspired by this gorgeous blogpost to make my first cross quilt. You know how much I love triangles… it was a rare treat to work with full squares for a change!

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The layout took almost no time. The sewing together took a little longer, seeing as everything had to be checked and double-checked so I didn’t end up with any wonky crosses. You can imagine me working on this quilt as I had a one-year-old running around, trying to touch the fabric, touch my machine, play with the cord, and LOOK AT ME MAMA! HOLD ME MAMA! I WANT A CRACKER MAMA!

I’ll admit… this quilt may or may not have been created with Sesame Street playing in the background. A mama’s gotta do what a mama’s gotta do. Don’t judge.

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I decided to hand-bind this quilt, and I’m pretty sure that’s what caused my wrist tendonitis to flare up. Four months of wearing an immobilizing brace later, I managed to avoid surgery (for now), but I will probably not be hand-binding anymore quilts for awhile. Like, never again EVER.

But man, it turned out so beautifully, it was almost worth it. Who said quilting wasn’t dangerous?

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The finished size is 75 x 54 inches – the perfect size for a toddler bed or a throw for some great snuggling on the couch with your honey (or baby child). It took me four months, but I was decided to part with this beauty – it’s for sale in my Etsy shop here. Hurry up before I change my mind and keep it for myself… because I’m tempted!

P.S. – Baby not included.

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be strong and courageousFor prints and other lovelies, visit Texas Lovely on Etsy.

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Cross-Eyed Quilt

Sometimes I buy fabric, and I have no idea what to do with it. So, it just sits on the shelf of my sewing studio, occasionally I pull it out and admire it, steal small corners for other projects (if you look closely, you’ll recognize two of these fabrics from one of Wrenn’s dresses I made her), and wait until inspiration finds me. For this fabric, that waiting probably took me over a year (I’m pretty sure I bought this before Wrenn was born).

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I pulled out my Pinterest app on my phone and scanned my Not Your Grandma’s Quilt board looking for ideas, and this one jumped out at me. The layout was super easy, and that quilt will now live on the floor of my sewing studio until I finish piecing her – hopefully in the next few days (some quilts have been known to live in there – which doubles as a spare bedroom – for weeks or months).

Someone asked me if I bought pre-cut squares. Oh, bless her. This mama rarely buys charm packs (with the assorted pre-cut fabric) because (a) they’re more expensive, and (b) my options become more limited because there’s just a few pieces of each type of fabric in a pack. I was definitely on my hands and knees for about 90 minutes cutting out all of these 6-inch squares (that is, after I ironed all of the fabric first). But, compared to the half-square triangles I tend to love, this moved much faster.

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I tend to only have time to quilt on Saturday mornings during Wrenn’s morning nap, which means very little quilting time. But Mr. Right was working all day Saturday, and I was caught up on all my chores and errands, so after she woke up, I decided to create a temporary sewing space in our living room, right next to her playroom, so that she could play next to me while I continued to sew. It was wonderful – I think this will be my new go-to plan when Mr. Right is gone. (For those of you wondering, I kept the iron on the kitchen counter with the cord up on the counter where she couldn’t reach, so there was no danger of her pulling it down on herself – one of the biggest reasons why I won’t let her wander into my sewing room… ever.)

I wish you could understand just how happy I am when I’m working on a quilt – I listen to a book on tape and get to create something new and pretty while I escape from the world. Step by step I watch everything come together – it’s relaxing and exciting and such a creative outlet. It’s one of my very favorite things in the whole world. And since Saturday I was able to do it while Wrenn played next to me, I got to sneak in some baby hugs while I worked. Pure bliss.

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4For more prints and sewing projects, visit Texas Lovely on Etsy.

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Low-Volume Quilts

Low-Volume Quilt Defined: This is a quilt using very light, muted fabrics featuring mostly whites or light-colored prints.

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This past weekend little Wrenn took a 3.5-hour morning nap, and Mr. Right was at work, which meant I had some rare, uninterrupted quilting time!

I’ve got two low-volume quilts going right now, and I am in love with the look of both. I love working with brightly colored fabrics, but there’s something so soothing and romantic about a quilt that features light fabrics without looking childish. I think it’s the opposite – it can be so sophisticated – not to mention they look great in any room.

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1. The herringbone quilt on the left is MY quilt (aka – I’m not giving this one away). I used this as my inspiration, but followed my own pattern (hand-drawn on a piece of paper), and pieced it

with gorgeous vintage fabrics I purchased from a lady who was moving to a nursing home and needed to find a good home for her 50-year stash (I’m that good home). I want this quilt to be big and snuggly, so right now it’s 65 x 65 inches, but I’m considering adding another couple of borders to make it even bigger. My only concern is adding too much “weight” to this low-volume quilt.

I just adore the tiny floral prints on this quilt – I can imagine that each one has a story, and after collecting dust in this woman’s home for dozens of years, now they get new life. {sigh}photo 2 (11)

2. I have a love-hate relationship with the star quilt on the right. I used this tutorial, and my hope had been that this quilt was going to be a fast, easy first quilt after little Wrenn was born last summer. At the time, I was sleep-deprived and overwhelmed with my new role as a mother, and wondering how I would ever manage to do anything for myself in the midst of our new normal, when Mr. Right gave me the “night off” and told me to go do something fun. Bless him.

I locked myself in my sewing studio and whipped out this quilt in just one evening. I was SO PROUD of the finished product and went in to show Mr. Right, who was in his workshop while Baby Girl slept in her bouncy seat next to him. I proudly held up the quilt, and…

“Some of your squares are upside down,” my oh-so practical husband told me, matter-of-factly.

I almost shot him. I blame the hormones. And the sleep deprivation. But I was so mad at that moment that I wadded the stupid quilt up and tossed it in my sewing room. Once or twice over the next few months I got the nerve to pull out the quilt and look at it, to see if my mess-up was too noticeable. It was. And I just couldn’t stand to pull everything apart to make the fix (I had flipped two of the inner squares upside down, which meant taking the whole thing apart).

But this past Saturday… I was finally able to bring myself to pull out the seam ripper and go to work fixing the quilt. It only took me about an hour, and was actually pretty simple. Oh, what a difference a year and some good nights of sleep can do to one’s outlook on quilting.

And on life.

I do plan on selling this quilt in my shop, so keep an eye out for it in the next few weeks. I still need to pick out the perfect backing fabric and get her quilted. But it feels good to have this quilt top DONE. Whew.

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il_570xN.524050111_subdFor more prints, visit Texas Lovely on Etsy.

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This time, the quilt is for me

I’ve been quilting for five years and have never made a quilt for myself.

Until now.

Meet my Sentimental Log Cabin Quilt.

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It’s sentimental because I used scraps from past quilts that mean a lot to me. The blue polka dot on the center of each square, along with the zebra print, are from Wrenn’s first quilt. The green and blue striped squares, along with the blue backing, are fabrics that Mr. Right brought me home from his trip to India. The red polka dot stripe on the back is from my nephew Jack’s quilt. And the gray binding is from my mom’s quilt.

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This was my first log cabin quilt. I loved it. I took a jelly roll and cut each strip of fabric long-ways and then just started piecing. I did the log cabin squares while about 11 months pregnant, and then pieced the rest of the quilt and finished it after Baby Girl was born. Quilting has changed now that I have a sleeping baby in a bouncy seat sitting next to my machine.
As an aside – I read that babies grow used to certain sounds in the womb and those same sounds don’t bother them once they’re born. I’m starting to think it must be true because Wrenn sleeps right through the sound of my sewing machine, which is pretty loud. She also sleeps through the dog barking, but certain, less familiar sounds will wake her up with a jerk. It’s so fascinating.

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Back to the quilt… I quilted it on the diagonal, and I love the way it turned out. I didn’t draw out my lines before quilting, which means that there are a lot of imperfections and crooked lines, but lesson learned. Besides, I tend to think that small imperfections are what make homemade quilts so special. If I wanted perfect, I’d just buy a mass-produced one at the store. But that’s boring.

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I pieced the back because I didn’t have enough blue fabric to cover the whole back, and I love the way it turned out. I’m starting to love pieced backs more than plain ones these days. Again, each one of those fabrics holds special meaning to me.

I haven’t measured it yet, mostly because I have a squirmy 8-week-old baby who is sitting in my lap as I type this, and I just don’t want to put her squishy little self down. It’s the size of a large throw – I’ll be using it to snuggle under while I watch TV on the couch. Mr. Right already has one I made for him, so now everybody in this house has their own, just in time for the cold fall weather to hit.

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And that’s my Sentimental Log Cabin Quilt! Now that I’ve made myself one, I’m getting greedy and thinking about another one I want to make for our new bed. Oh, I didn’t mention our new bed? Stay tuned to find out why God wanted me to have a king-size bed. It’s a good story.

Also, coming next week, another give-away. Who doesn’t love some free stuff?

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I’m linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts’ Finish It Up Friday.

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On Etsy

Around the web: Treasures I’ve discovered during 3 a.m. feedings

I have a lot of free time these days – you know, during the 10-12 times a day when I’m nursing my precious little one (which, by the way, has gotten SO MUCH BETTER – my nurse told me to give nursing two weeks and it would get better – she was SO right… it went from the hardest thing ever to something I enjoy. Mamas-to-be, take heart!).

Sometimes I just sit and stare at my little beauty and soak in these precious newborn moments. But let’s face it – there’s still at least a half-dozen feedings where I’m looking for something to occupy my mind, especially in the middle of the night. And that’s when my iPhone and iPad come in handy – I can peruse blogs, catch up on news, watch Netflix, even listen to a book on tape (I’m about to finish this one).

I get all sorts of project ideas at 3:00 in the morning, and since I can’t pin them from my phone, I just email links to myself and promise myself to check them out later. Here’s a few projects I want to tackle… I thought I’d share the wealth.

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1. I found this turban headband tutorial on one of my favorite style/sewing blogs and can’t wait to try it out. I saw a girl wearing this over her ponytail at the pool – it was very ’40s chic. I’m not a huge hat person, but I think it could make those “I didn’t feel like doing my hair” days look a little trendier. Plus, the only ones I found on Etsy were at least $20, which is more than I want to spend on a piece of jersey fabric. PS–If you don’t follow Merricks Art, you totally should.

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Speaking of her tutorials, someday I’m going to get brave and try this dress. I’ve never made clothes before… but then again, I’ve never had a little girl of my own to dress before.

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2. I have found a new triangle quilt pattern that I absolutely must try. Isn’t it beautiful? I don’t like to follow patterns, but I think for this one I may have to make an exception. This is like chevron’s cooler older sister.

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3. Speaking of triangle quilts… I also want to try these two. I’m suddenly into quilts that incorporate lot’s of white – it makes the bright colors pop better, and I think it makes everything look cleaner. PS–For those of you who have been asking about quilting tutorials – this post includes a great tutorial on how to finish your quilt.

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4. Now that baby girl has settled into a slightly more predictable schedule (and now that I’m sleeping again and feeling less zombie-ish), I’m ready to get back to making things. And by things, I mean baby girl things, now that I have a new muse. I want to start making her some cute headbands – although poor baby has such a small head that she can barely keep a headband on – and I loved this tutorial from Casa de Lewis. Which, in case you have forgotten, is the same blog that inspired Miss Wrenn’s nursery – although I switched up some of the colors a bit.

Speaking of baby girl things, I’ve also just ordered some onesies and cloth diapers off Amazon to try my hand at some custom onesies and burp cloths. My first few will be for Wrenn, but if they turn out well, they might find their way into my shop. Fingers crossed. Stay tuned.

Scrappy 9-Patch Quilt for my Mother-in-Law

One of my biggest goals for 2013 was to finally make a quilt for my mom and my mother-in-law. And I’m proud to say that I was able to accomplish both – one while horribly sick with morning sickness (love you mama) and the other while I was nine months pregnant and big as a house (love you, mother-in-law).

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I chose the scrappy 9-patch pattern for two reasons: (1) I’ve never tried it before and had been hankering to give this pattern a whirl – I just love the look of scrappy quilts; and (2) this pattern really has no pattern, which meant almost no getting up and down off the floor with this giant belly of mine. Quilting is a lot of work physically, and I just wasn’t as mobile as normal, so this quilt allowed me to do almost everything on my sewing table.

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I almost named this my Steve Jobs quilt, simply because I listened to his biography on audio books while I sewed. That book is amazing (and 25 hours). With every quilt I make, I can tell you what book I “read” or TV series I watched while doing the work.
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For the front fabric, I used a Moda jelly roll (again, it saved me time on cutting), and because it was so traditional, I wanted to do something absolutely nutty on the back. I found this fabric at Joann’s and immediately fell in love. It’s one of my new favorites in my stash, and I have enough left over to use it again sometime.

I bound it with this adorable polka dot fabric that I’ve had in my stash for years and never used. It matches perfectly and reminds me of a tie I bought my dad as a child.

MIL quilt 1 I am so thankful to have such an amazing, godly, FUN mother-in-law, who welcomed me into her family and treats me like her own daughter. Thanks Ann (MoMo to the grandkids) for being so wonderful, and happy birthday!

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(PS – It takes every ounce of my being to take pics at this point… 39.5 weeks pregnant. But, I want to be able to look back at this year and remember the good times… even if I was carrying around a TON of water weight. And baby weight.) Plus, my mother-in-law looks fabulous.

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Interested in seeing my other quilts? Click here. Interested in seeing what’s offered in my online shop? Go visit me on Etsy!

My very own quilt: this time it’s my turn

I’ve made dozens and dozens of quilts, but I have never once made one that I could keep for myself. I’ve been too busy giving them away as gifts or selling them to pay for more quilting supplies.

But my husband won’t let me steal his quilt and I want one of my own, so I finally decided it was my turn. I found some great fabric – a jelly roll – on clearance at Joann’s that I just love, and I used leftover polka dot fabric from Wrenn’s baby quilt for the middle squares (I wanted a piece of her quilt inside of mine – oh the sappiness of pregnancy hormones). I’m almost finished whipping up the top.

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I was inspired by this log cabin quilt from one of my favorite quilting bloggers and simply studied the picture, and got to cutting. This is another great pattern for when you’re 9 months pregnant and completely whale-ish, because there is no real pattern or need to get up and down off the floor – you just add layer after layer as you go. I finally stopped when I ran out of strips of fabric. (however, this is a LOT of ironing involved)

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I’m going to sew these into a white background and will probably add a border to add some width/length. My hope was to finish this before Baby Girl arrived, but with this bed rest thing, there is no quilting allowed, so I guess I’ll wait and finish her after Wrenn gets here. It’ll be my first naptime quilt.

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Interested in seeing my other quilts? Click here. Interested in seeing what’s offered in my online shop? Go visit me on Etsy!

The big reveal! Wrenn’s Baby Quilt!

I’ve made a lot of baby quilts in the five years that I’ve had this little hobby of mine. But I must say that this one was the most special by far, because this time it was for MY baby girl and not someone else’s. Squeal!

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Mr. Right helped me pick out the fabrics, because we used them as a jumping off point for the rest of our nursery. The bright colors are a tribute to my man and his love of color. I probably have the only husband who has been to a quilting store… multiple times! Such a trooper, that man.

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I realize I’ve maxed out on my use of chevron, but it’s still my favorite pattern, and I wanted it for my baby girl, so she got it. Plus, I tried a few different patterns and this fabric just begged for chevron. (Yes, sometimes fabric begs to be sewn a certain way – it’s the truth.)

Speaking of chevron – I’ve had several people ask me for a tutorial on chevron quilts. Someday I will do some tutorials, but right now life is a bit nutty, so I thought I’d point you toward other people’s tutorials. I learned a lot of my sewing through blogs and YouTube, so never be afraid to just google something. Two ways to do chevron – or any triangle quilt –  are this way (my way is the first way they listed) and that way (I don’t do it this way, but it looks efficient so I may give it a try someday). Also, typically I cut my squares to 6 inches, simply because I like the finished look – not too big, not too small. They’re closer to 5 inches once sewn with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

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I quilted everything with white thread (I almost always use white – that way I can just stock up on it in advance) and I loosely followed a chevron pattern. I’ve found that quilts are a lot softer and more snuggly if you quilt them more loosely – the more stitches, the stiffer it will be.

I love this crazy zebra backing and bright turquoise binding. I wanted this quilt to scream fabulous and fun and not necessarily just baby.

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I hope this is one of those things she keeps the rest of her life. I still have the quilt my grandmother made for me when I was a baby. As I did my sewing I imagined my little blonde-haired girl dragging this all over our house, snuggling with it at night, and having it as a forever reminder that her mama loves her dearly.

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Interested in seeing my other quilts? Click here. Interested in seeing what’s offered in my online shop? Go visit me on Etsy!