Wednesday, December 28, 2011

I Spy a Square Quilt

Here it is, my very last quilt of 2011! This is for a gorgeous little baby girl, our friends' daughter, which her mum asked to make a number of months ago. It was a bit difficult to get decent photos in the dark midwinter light but I did my best!

I Spy A Square finished quilt

This was the sort of project I love - lots of scope to develop an idea and colours and I decided on a red, pink and aqua colour scheme as it has been my favourite all year! I also have lots of fabric in these colours in my stash so it was a natural choice.

I Spy a Square Quilt hanging

I went with a "square within a square" type design (although one of the internal "squares" is a rectangle!) and it allowed me to use some teeny tiny precious fabric scraps I had been saving. Better again, a lot of the internal squares work as I Spy type squares as I fussy cut most of them, so there is lots of interest there for little E. I know that other quilts I have done with similar prints have been a real hit with my friends' babies and they love picking out the birds and animals, so hopefully E will too.

I Spy a Square Quilt rolled up


I found this a slow project to work on, for some reason it just did not come together as easily as most of my quilts do. I took a long time to piece the blocks and do the layout and also ran into some probs with my backing fabric, requiring me to take it off and redo. I won't bore you with the details, but a lot of unpicking was involved! But alls well that ends well and I think it was worth the time and effort.

I Spy a Square Quilt folded


I quilted it using a meandering stipple, but added loops and little hearts randomly throughout. I was really pleased with my little hearts  - it took a little practice to get used to doing them, but I just love the effect! I got the idea from Jessica's Double Wedding ring quilt and I'll definitely be experimenting with other little motifs for future projects.

I Spy a Square Quilt quilting detail

The (second!) backing is a Jenean Morrison print from the California Dreamin' range.

I Spy a Square Quilt folded with backing


And the binding is a cotton poplin with tiny pink and red apples - I've used this before as binding and the fact that its much lighter weight than quilting cotton makes it perfect for binding.

I Spy a Square Quilt binding

The finished size is approx 64" x 56" and sized for a toddler type bed, or to layer up over covers on a big girl bed. It's been washed and dried and is all ready to give to my friend who I will be meeting over the holiday period!

I Spy a Square Quilt on bed

Quilt Stats:
Name: I Spy a Square quilt
Size: 64" x 56" approx
Fabric: Various Kona solids plus prints from my stash including the following lines- Bliss, It's Hoot, Just Wing It, Willow Wren, Ta Dot, All Star II, Penny Lane, Sherbet Pips, On a Whim 2 and more!
Quilting: Quilted by me on my home machine with a meandering stipple with loops and hearts
Batting: Warm and White
Pattern: My own design

30 comments:

Manda said...

It's beautiful I love the colours and the quilting details!

Canadian Abroad said...

What a beautiful quilt, Sarah! I am sure it will be treasured for years to come.

Becky (My Fabric Obsession) said...

I love it! It turned out so beautifully. I want to search the fabrics! :)

Lynne said...

It's lovely!

pippablue said...

It is adorable and your friends daughter is definitely going to cherish it. I love the little fussy cut squares and the hearts in the quilting! Another gorgeous finish!

Toni said...

What a fun quilt, Sarah! Beautiful colors and the fussy-cuts and quilting are so fun. I'm sure the little girl will love it!

Karen said...

It is gorgeous!

Karen said...

It is gorgeous!

Sarah said...

Lovely! Especially love the wee cat square...lol

Needled Mom said...

Very sweet!

Leanne said...

It's lovely and looks like it was a lot of fun to make!

Cindy said...

Sarah, it's just beautiful! I'm sure they will love it. Fab colors, adorable prints and filled with goodness. Well done!

**nicke... said...

it is so pretty. i want to see what it is in each little square. i am sure she will love it with all her heart.

www.randomthoughtsdoordi.com said...

It looks wonderful and will be well received, I'm sure!

Mrs Flying Blind... said...

Oh it's lovely Sarah! Lucky little girl' the quilting is brilliant xxx

Catherine said...

it was definately worth all the effort, it is gorgeous! Your friend will love it!

Jessica Kelly said...

Love this! Perfect little quilt for a perfect little girl :-) Love the quilting-I have plans to use the loopy hearts again on an upcoming baby girl quilt as well, yours looks awesome!

Anonymous said...

It's beautiful. I love the fussy cut squares and the back is wonderful too.

Anonymous said...

What a lovely quilt ! I love the fabric combination !

felicity said...

Gorgeous!!

Katy Cameron said...

What a fab way to use up scraps, and love the fussy cutting, gorgeous quilt!

Lucy | Charm About You said...

So pretty! Love the colours and the quilting looks great. That binding is scrummy :)

@pril said...

This is very pretty.

@pril
KoolBeenz-blog.blogspot.com
For-the-Love-of-Pie.blogspot.com

Nicky said...

What a great idea Sarah! Love the flexibility of different sized I-spy squares as they do not always want to be the same size do they!?

Beautiful quilt! And well done for persevering!

Jess @ Elven Garden Quilts said...

What a beautiful quilt! Lovely :)

needle and nest said...

What a lovely quilt! The colors and prints are so cheerful and happy. :)

Carla said...

Adorable! Love all the cute scenes and great way to make the kids use the noodle.

Lisa said...

Wow! You must have a lot of beautiful fabrics in your stash! Very sweet quilt.

SewHappyGeek said...

I adore the quilt & especially the colours! BTW, I featured your link today at SewHappyGeek! Thanks so much for linking up Sarah! You rock!

Julie B. said...

I love this! Can you tell me what size your blocks are? I'd like to make one for my daughter's bed. I love that you can add I Spy interest!