It's a Girl

My former co-worker, Darrell and his wife Dayana had a baby girl (LittleA) in May of this year. Here are the father-daughter pair.

Sleepy Time!

Darrell, a male of the stereotypical sort, told me of the baby shower the Monday before, which left me no time to complete the quilt (insert rolling eyes here). I did not attend.

Around this time, I was bored to tears at a meeting (Well Known Kelli Fact: I bore very easily) so I sketched out a quilt square design that I liked very much. I later found out the square is called the Dutchman's puzzle.

I next, grabbed a stashed Moda jelly roll in the Flirtation line purchased on clearance at one of my favorite online quilt shops. I love jelly rolls. They are a nice way to sample a line without making a huge financial investment or large stash enhancement. Dayana is a "girly girl" and likes lots of pink...me? not so much...so I quilted a compromise. Lot's of pinks and reds with brown to bring it back to Earth.

Here it is...

Whole lotta pink...

Each square is 8" finished. I added sashing and borders in the pinwheel pink, pink backing and a brown binding. Into each square I long-arm quilted baby words in both English and Spanish.

Since BabyA is being educated biligually, I figure this quilt, in addition to catching drool and the like, can reinforce learning. Here is a close-up...

As an added treat, I got to hang out with 2 year old Big Brother A.

Big BrotherA

During my visit, he was munching on a Golden Arches "Happy Meal". Damn those fries never looked so good. Is he not the cutest little boy you have ever laid eyes on? ~ksp

Season of Firsts

I am known for being a bit of a retro woman...I grow vegetables in a very small plot of land, sew clothing and can fruits and vegetables seasonally. This trend also means I prefer, whenever possible, to give handmade gifts. I am almost always planning a project for someone's wedding, new baby, new home, etc.

This spring, I was invited to four baby showers (actually only three as one invitation got "lost in the mail"). In the last few years, I have given hand knit baby shower gifts, but alas, I do not knit that quickly. I decided instead to make baby quilts...no bigger than 60'x 48'. I thought, "surely I can sew more quickly than I could knit."

Never to wince at a challenge, my first quilt of the season was also my first quilt EVER. I have been sewing since my tweens so the idea of a 1/4" instead of a 5/8" seam seemed simple enough. For my first project, I grabbed Moda Jelly Roll Zaza and began cutting the jewel-toned strips into 2.5" squares.

After what seemed like weeks of machine piecing, I had 4x4 multi-colored squares. I attached cream-colored sashing and a mitered border...voila...

I then went to my LQS and (using a long arm machine) stipple stitched words into each square including the baby's name. It was a cool project. The squares got a little wonky in spots but I think that adds to the charm. It's a good thing it was a good experience because I needed three more before the end on June.

The best part was the picture of babyZ wrapped up for a nap.