Two Baby Quilts (and a Baby)

I’ve been working behind the scenes on two baby quilts. Now that they are gifted I can share them! One made with more Economy blocks (clearly I’ve been on an Economy Block kick – see my Pemberley Economy Block quilt here) and one that is simple patchwork.  Because you can never go wrong with classic patchwork squares.

Baby Quilt #1 – Economy Blocks using Dorothy’s Adventure fabric

The first quilt was made mixing stash with some of the recent Riley Blake collection, Dorothy’s Journey designed by Jill Howarth. Jill is an illustrator frequently creating collections inspired by classic books. This collection is based on the Wizard of Oz. I wanted to feature those adorable illustrations so I took the prints and fussy cut them for the Economy block centers. (Hence the reason I chose this block in the first place.)

I am always a fan of Jill’s adorable illustrations. (You can see the other two quilts I’ve made with her collections: the Peter Pan Neverland quilt here and the Little Red Lost in the Woods quilt here.)

The Wizard of Oz illustrations are equally adorable. I paired the fussy-cut novelty prints with some of the coordinating prints from Dorothy’s Journey as well as fabrics from my stash. You can find the Dorothy’s Journey fabric prints and coordinates available from Etsy, the Fat Quarter Shop, Pink Castle Fabrics, and Cute Little Fabric Shop.

Melissa from Sew Shabby Quilting did the quilting on this one for me. I chose the Rainbow Hearts edge to edge design because: Rainbows + Dorothy go hand in hand, right? The backing print is Blossom in Bleached Denim from Riley Blake. It’s the perfect, subtle minty blue. I used it in some of the blocks as well. The binding is Kisses in Baby Pink. Which sounds appropriate, right? Especially when you see this girl:

This is my newest niece. She came to visit last week (along with her mom). She brought a lot of fun snuggles with her. 

Her mom is my youngest sister. When she was little (age 3-4ish) she was obsessed with the Wizard of Oz and watched it almost every day (on VHS of course). This obsession also included dressing in a blue gingham dress, wearing red shoes, and calling my mom, “Aunt Em”. Which is the reason I couldn’t resist using this fabric in a quilt for her. 

Another view of little miss cuteness. I haven’t had one of these for 14 years and won’t have a grandbaby for a while yet either. So I’m soaking up being the cozy, quilting aunt as much as I can.

Here’s the full 40″ x 56″ quilt. I made 35 Economy Blocks that finished at 8″ x 8″. 

You can find a tutorial to make these Economy Blocks here – including a free printable page to download.

I promise to make something besides Economy blocks soon. But really, they’re just so much fun – especially playing with the different fabric and color combinations. You should give them a whirl.

Baby Quilt #2: Patchwork Blues + Denim

Second baby quilt of the week. (Yes, I’m on a roll…) This one was super quick to make. You can’t go wrong with simple patchwork squares. 

This one came from cutting up this pile of denims, blues and grays. In the end I decided not to add the dots or other prints – just keep it to wovens, plaids, and ginghams for a very masculine look. Most of these fabrics were leftover from making this larger patchwork quilt last spring.

This one is for a friend who just had her second grandbaby boy and decided last minute I needed to make her something for the occaision. So I went with simple, soft, and snuggly. A sure recipe for success. This quilt was quilted with a simple stipple design by my friend Monica. I love the added texture it gives to the more solid squares.

For this quilt I cut 5 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ squares and laid out the quilt 8 blocks across by 11 blocks down for a 40″ x 55″ crib-size quilt. I’ve got some good tips for using your stash to make simple patchwork quilts here.

I thoroughly enjoy making baby quilts. They’re a great way get a quick fix playing with a new color palette or fabric combination. And their smaller size helps increase the probability of defeating my ‘squirrel brain’ and actually finish the project. lol