The Quilted Chile - Baby Quilts

The children these quilts were made for are identified only by first name to protect their privacy. And, because I didn't always go back to make a note after the baby was born, I will apologize in advance to those beautiful babies whose names I have forgotten. Jump directly to any of these quilts, or just scroll down the page.

Cut Loose Stars (2002 45" x 60")

Cut Loose Stars was made Connor J. The stars were made using techniques from Jan Mullen's Cut Loose Quilts. I started with a packet of purple/yellow/green batik FQs I had ordered from Hancocks of Paducah, and added a bunch of yellows from my stash. Since the stars came out all different sizes, I framed them in the yellows, then trimmed them to the same size.

[CUT LOOSE STARS QUILT]

A closeup of the star block shows the piecing techniques (or lack of?) that give this quilt a casual look, and the label, which is a photo transfer done directly onto the yellow fabric.


[STAR DETAIL] [QUILT LABEL]

If you like the casual look of the piecing in this quilt, look for Gwen Marston's Liberated Quiltmaking or Jan Mullen's Cut Loose Quilts.

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Crayon Colors I & II

The two quilts shown here (Crayon Colors and Crayon Colors II) are based on block designs from Mary Ellen Hopkins' book Connecting Up. I made blocks with both dark and light gray backgrounds, then played around with the layouts until I ended up with two quilts. From the collections of Baby S. and Mason T.

[CRAYON COLORS 1] [CRAYON COLORS 2]

The back of Crayon Colors I. I like using those extra blocks on the back of my quilts.

[CRAYON COLORS BACK]

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A Star Is Born (2002)

Another of MEH's books, Bakers Dozen Doubled produced A Star Is Born. Most of the 9-patch blocks came from an Internet swap I was in about 5 years ago. Every month for a year, we made & swapped 3" 9-patch blocks. Pink is my favorite color & so these blocks were the hardest to use in a quilt which I wouldn't get to keep! From the collection of Jasmine B.

[STAR]

Kid Colors

Another favorite pattern is used in the Kid Colors series. The original pattern was an Amish table topper in the Jan/Feb 2000 issue of Fons & Porter's For the Love of Quilting magazine. I make it bigger and use bright colors. The yellow-bordered quilt shown here belongs to Grace R.

[KID COLORS]
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Kangaroos and Cornfields

Kangaroos and Cornfields was made for Danielle D, an Aussie baby born in Nebraska. My original design called for 5 of the paper-pieced kangaroos. After making one (&*#$%#*) block, I changed my plan! all the fabrics are Australian or corn. The block is the traditional Nebraska block with a not-so-traditional color scheme.


[KANGAROOS QUILT] [KANGAROOS CLOSEUP]
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Cat's Game

I love making string quilts using all the narrow strips of fabric produced while making other quilts. This quilt is Tic Tac Toe #1:Cat's Game. I intended to do a series, but so far, this is it. I do love those cats in the border! From the collection of Zachary K.

[CAT'S GAME]

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Hidden Rainbow I & II

I started hand dyeing fabric in 2001. I found this GREAT black & white commercial print, bought the rest of the bolt, and dyed it pink, blue, green and yellow. I combined the sweet, sweet results with string blocks in Hidden Rainbow I and II. Since the two quilts are virtually identical, only one is pictured here. Collections of Joshua F. and Bre G.

[HIDDEN RAINBOW][HIDDEN RAINBOW CLOSEUP]

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Bargello Baby Quilt

I made several quilts using a strip piecing in a tube technique. This bargello quilt was made in 1998 for James H.

[BARGELLO][BARGELLO DETAIL]

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