That’s right, it’s madness up in here! Two finishes in less than a week! Well, it makes sense, as these two babies were born less than a week apart.
My nephew, Charlie. My very first nephew. My brother’s son. He was born last Wednesday, about 10 days ahead of schedule. I was already working on the quilt when I got the call, but obviously his arrival sped things up a bit. I hope they like his quilt. Because if they don’t, I’m taking it back. Because I am in love with it. It feels so “boy” without beating you over the head with BLUE and TRUCKS and STEREOTYPES!
It all started with a fat quarter bundle of Robert Kaufmann’s Animal Party prints that I bought from an Etsy seller, ages ago. I bought it on a whim, thinking it would be great for a baby boy at some point. Lo and behold, the ultrasound revealed that my brother’s first child was, in fact, a boy. And my sister-in-law mentioned something about a jungle/animal/explorer theme. Golden!
I was undecided on what to do with these prints for a long, long time. I toyed with a whole bunch of different ideas, and couldn’t settle on one that I liked. And then Ashley posted about the Spotted Squares quilt she’s working on, and I had my inspiration.
I felt compelled to be somewhat organized about it, not totally improvisational. (Because, seriously, improvising takes time! I like to chain-piece, people!) They are all 8″ (finished) blocks. There are two different sized center squares (2″ and 4″, finished). There are two different layouts (centered and off-center). And there are two styles (print/color borders and white borders). I picked fabrics from my stash to coordinate with the prints I already had, sticking mostly with brown, green, blue, and orange.
Oh, and the back. I kind of love the back. As much, if not more, than the front. I have to remember to do an actual quilt like this. Maybe for my kids…
I was also torn as to how to quilt it, as I seem to be on almost every quilt I make. I didn’t want to quilt it too densely, that much I knew. But I’m psyched with what I went with: straight horizontal and vertical lines at random intervals. I love that it kind of works with the square-but-wonky style of the front. I marked the lines with a washable pen and my ruler to keep them as straight as I could.
Binding is from Connecting Threads, their Riviera line, which is now discontinued and on major clearance (those circle/dots are still available in three different colors).
Anyways, I’m thrilled that this one is done. And I can’t wait to deliver it in person on Saturday, when I fly to Chicago to meet my sweet new nephew. Hooray!
This is so beautiful! and so perfect for a little boy! I love the quilting you used – makes me reconsider stippling mine… (oh, and you’re going to laugh when you see the backing on mine – it’s kinda similar!)
I love it Liz!!! And that back is fabulous – a quilt on it’s own for sure. What and awesome finish!!
Cute! You really have a gift!
Great quilt, it is going to keep baby charlie nice a cozy! Love the Riviera binding, thank you for sharing the link;)
.-= Laurel Johnson´s last blog ..Thursday Update (Last one for January) =-.
absolutely LOVE it! super cute prints and layout. don’t you just love when the back comes out better than the front?!? i find that i’m much more creative with the backs of my quilts and end up liking them more
.-= giselle´s last blog ..easy-p-z flannel blanket =-.
wonderful quilt. I love the connecting threads riviera line too! Nephew are so much fun.
WOW! I LOVE IT! I might have to do something like this for my boys. I especially love the back. That is one lucky nephew.
I love it and it is so boy-ish.
.-= Mama Urchin´s last blog ..365 Days a Year =-.
LOVE the quilt. Just love it! Totally keeping this for inspiration too!
.-= nanann´s last blog ..Pocahontas =-.
Great quilt! I love it because it is great as a baby quilt and will also “grow” with the baby and can be used for a long time! I can see this design really working for a teenager too!
Congratulations Auntie!
.-= Miri´s last blog ..Crazy Quilt Pillow Finished =-.
very nice, love the offset little squares. I wouldn’t have thought to use such a contrast between the white and the prints. My mind would have said ‘too stark’ but it works really well. Thanks for sharing.
They will love it!
.-= Bea´s last blog ..Vintage Thingie Thursday – Kitchen Gadgets in Green =-.
wow! I love both sides so much! Another way to quickly do straight lines is just to lay out painter’s tape or masking tape. Then there’s nothing to wash out.
Love those colors and the bold design. Thanks so much for joining in on Finished for Friday!
.-= threeundertwo´s last blog ..Finished for Friday: Flannel quilt =-.
The colors are so perfect. Wonderful job!
.-= Kathy´s last blog ..Long TIme No Blogging =-.
I love this quilt – will add it to my to-do list!
.-= Danielle´s last blog ..Modern Flying Geese (wip) =-.