Baby Quilt Features Big Prints Mixed with a Liberated Style

A baby quilt completed in 2015 makes use of big prints.

In my life the year 2015 has been the year of the baby quilt. In the past 11 months I have completed six baby quilts. I have stood by my mantra, "Every child deserves their own quilt," but it has meant a busy year. In the quilt pictured, I wanted to feature fabric from the line Peak Hour for Riley Blake by Kellie Wulfshon. This fabric called to me because of the size of the printed cars and trucks. It would have been much easier to  back the whole piece of fabric and quilt, but I wanted to add my own touch. I love many of  the fun prints that are out on the market and like incorporating them into my designs. For this quilt I added a row of my wonky flying geese, a row of curvy sticks, some pinwheels, hour glasses and finished it off with zig zags for the top and bottom rows.

The year 2015 has been a busy year for other reasons as well. My oldest son got married and it was a fun time. The monumental event also caused me to step back and take a good look at things around me. Since my family was hosting a brunch after the wedding it was time to spruce up the patio. The picnic table deserved a new coat of paint for the event.

The cars baby quilt is displayed on my backyard picnic table that recently went from a color called Beach Blue to Garden Green. On the table sits my truck garden, an old toy truck that has been repurposed as a planter for Hen and Chicken plants. Since my new daughter-in-law  has an agriculture degree specializing in community gardens,  I thought the toy truck planter should be in the picture.

Details of my wonky flying geese row.

Secret messages are often written in my quilting. 

The next time you see a great print, baby or otherwise, think of a different way to present the print in your next quilt. Or if you see a vintage toy truck repurpose it as a planter. The possibilities are endless. 

Student Art from my Workshop is an Inspiration

A student version of Wonky Stars. Thanks Carrie!

 

I love to teach because I learn so much from my students. I was fortunate to teach two classes last week at the Danville Community Arts Center. My quilts are hanging in exhibit on the walls at the center so it was fun to pull out tables, ironing boards, sewing machines and cutting mats in the midst of the quilts and teach classes. I taught two classes. One was Wonky Trees and the other was Wonky Stars. I had great students and I learned as much from them as they did from me. It is always fun to see what color combinations people are drawn to and what other elements they include that never crossed my mind. We has a great day in the bright, spacious hall. I wanted to share with you some of the student work from the workshops.
I still have one more workshop scheduled at the Community Arts Center. It is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, July 18. I will be teaching the design elements for my quilt called "Birmingham Blast." This quilt,  made as a baby quilt for my niece,  is quite dramatic but actually fairly simple to make.

Students added their own touches to Wonky Trees.

These trees have beading as an embellishment.





 

Here is a photo of Birmingham Blast under construction.