When you have a long-time friend, each milestone is I think, all the sweeter. My Auntie heart is full these days, my sweet friend from kindergarten is having a boy! Here is, yes, another one of my quilts, and yes - Pooh themed again! Pooh was one of our favorites growing up and I was perfectly inspired to give a Winnie the Pooh theme quilt another go.

(If you missed my other Winnie the Pooh Quilt check it out here)

My friend, a dedicated athlete was known for wearing mismatched socks. Didn’t matter if it was work or a race. This quilt I wanted to have a charming, cozy, mismatched quality. Whatever yellow outfits pair with this quilt are going to match and be versatile for the nursery. A great backdrop for the gazillion pictures for the pictures they can send to Aunt K.

I peppered some nudes/neutrals into the yellow. I think this will help it feel less “Maize Yellow” …though, this U of M fan Mom-to-be probably wouldn’t have minded. We I both like gingham, so I didn’t shy away from the print in different various.

When I do a “random” pattern, it’s never really random. It feels similar to painting a star-filled sky, it can be tricky to look natural. I spend however long it takes to arrange the colors. I’m easing going about it. Maisey regularly runs through my layout so I’m open to having the pattern evolve in the process.

I find it’s a little easier to manage things in large chunks. By creating the four block squares, I can continue to switch around blocks. The bigger the blocks become the less flexibility in the pattern I have. To me, this feels natural and more playful than taking it row by row. I think my corners turn out better too.

Squares make a simple quilt, not the most technically difficult but the small size squares, the hand stitching and color scheme, result in what I thinks is a sweet and old-fashioned look. Two needle at a time? Why not. I load up 4 needles and go through those twice in an evening sitting.

Here is how it looks after the wash perfectly wrinkly-soft.

I went with more gingham for the back. Baby blue back for a baby boy…. I bought this particular gingham in a large quainty because it works so well for baby boy projects.

Hope your day is as carefree as a walk in the hundred-acre woods.

Keep heart,

Kirbi

When I received the news a special friend was expecting I couldn’t get to the quilt store fast enough. My inspiration came from my friend’s vision for her nursery - classic Winnie the Pooh colors.

For this quilt, I finished with silk edges for snug-able, chewable binding. I attempted for the first time a diagonal orientation for the squares. To me, this is an extra wow factor and something I haven’t tried before. It does mean losing some fabric on the edges.

I did have to pace around the house a few times before I made this cut. Creative risks pay off. It certainly adds a bit of interest on an otherwise classic design

When I make a baby quilt, one of my goals is to create a heirloom quality blanket so it can be loved for a long time or passed down. Because of this, I choose fabrics that have a timeless quality. (Can’t go wrong with gingham.)

The meandering stitching is abstract and one of my favorite things to do on a quilt. I don’t use a long arm, just my standard juke machine, patience, and a bit of arm strength.

I have this habit of making a quilt for someone I love and then deciding it’s not good enough to give. Perfectionism gets the best of us! This plus quilt below is the first one I made, its color is a little brighter.

I love the plus design, which I find both classic and modern. Unfortunately, I don’t have a full picture of it completely finished. (Some baby’s timeline do not line up with mine ;) I ended up adding straight stitching in stripes with the meandering in stripes running in another direction. The look came out almost plaid-inspired and worthy of snuggles. Will use this idea again.

Both quilts are being loved on now by friends I love so much. Until next time.

Hi friends and readers,

My trip to Texas earlier this year brought exciting things….my first-ever Chick-fil-A! Okay, yes, we’ve had these in Michigan for several years, but I was saving this moment to have this American experience in Texas with my aunt. My Auntie Junie swept me up from the airport to fuel up before we hit the fabric stores!

In order to hit as many fabric stores as possible we got to shopping right away, checking out three stores before we even got home! Insanely inspiring. Can you imagine me gasping at every corner of this place!? Texas has so many great stores - I’m jealous!

Hello, future color palette.

We were feeling especially ambitious (or rambunctious depending on who you ask) to make a King sized quilt in a single weekend. This fabric ( Nantucket Summer by Camille Roskelley for Moda) is one of my Aunt’s favorites and she bought it last time she was in Michigan. We dubbed my time in Texas “quiltapalooza.” And boy did we sew…. and cut (and cut and cut and cut.)

We worked with several layer cakes, starting by cutting 5-inch squares. We created “no waste” triangles with white. The final size is trimmed at 4.5 inches.

Well over a 1000 squares later, needless to say, we need to take some breaks. My Aunt knows I’ve been wanting to try a long arm but I was intimidated to try it on my own. What a blast. I stuck to my usual “meandering shapes” and I was shocked at how easily this machine guilds along!

On a long arm like this, the speed of the needle is regulated which means the needle speeds up and slow down depending on how fast you are moving. This makes it way easier than free motioning on my domestic machine where you have to control your speed to keep your stitch length consistent. This quilt top I’m working on in the image below was pieced by my Aunt and color selected by my Mom. (Somehow I always get roped into their projects….. hmmm!?!?)

As much as I fight perfectionist tendencies, it was inevitable I’d have to rip out some mistakes. I made myself comfortable at least! All in all, if you are wanting to give a long arm a try - don’t hesitate!

Truly, I still love free motioning on my domestic machine but I sure could see myself renting time on my local long arm in the future!

Anyways, back to the quiltapalooza. Thanks to my aunt’s friend Margret (Hi, THANK YOU) we had two machines to sew on. There’s no way we could have gotten it done without two machines. Wow, these Bernina Machines sure do know how to throw a stitch. Definitely live up to the hype.

We WORKED. PJs and ice packs… arthritis be damned!

Inspiration kept coming to us.

A King quilt in a weekend…. it can be done. If you see any mistake please don’t tell us. My aunt is on her own to quilt this (luckily she has a fancy new machine to help her out!!) I hope to update with some better pics someday in the future!

The quilt I title “blue raspberry” it uses the same “Sister Star” pattern that my Chocolate Horse quilt is.

Can you see the blue raspberry influence?

This quilt is lightweight, but the best I can describe it is that it’s on the heavier side of lightweight. It’s an oversized baby blanket, about 40-40.

This is quilting in a “free motion” style. No two areas are the same.

Details includes 6+ designer fabrics, 100% cotton. Fabrics are floral, gingham, polkadots and a few patches of illustrated horses.

Happy Fall!

I don’t know about where you are but here in Michigan we’ve had a stunning fall so far. Sometimes There’s snow… there’s always rain but this year has been sunny and bright. As many of you know, when I’m not drawing and painting I’m sewing. For the first time, I’d like to sell one of my baby/toddler quilts.

It’s hard to let some of my works of art go and this one is no different. My hope in selling this is that it lands in the hands of someone who can love on it and that the funds can allow me to continue to make these special, one-of-a-kind creations.

The fall-inspired quilt has a hint of horses! The design is a star, that my sister and I teamed up to design. Stars in quilts historically have a special significance. When a woman would leave her town to travel west, her friends would each make a star block that they would put together into a larger quilt. Consider this big star my well wish to its new owner!

This quilt is 100% cotton, oversized baby/toddler quilt about 40 x 40 inches. I use the highest quality cotton. (I’ve already washed it so you don’t have to worry about shrinking!)

The back of the quilt is chocolate brown and the star pattern is visible on the back as well. I used a free motion technique to create the meandering lines as well as loop-de-loops to accent some of the squares.

This quilt is a heavier style quilt, with 4 layers of fabric total. One the edges is a satin cream edging - just like my childhood blanket.

The price of this handmade quilt is $95. Free shipping (US only.) To purchase this quilt please reach out to me via Facebook or email kirbifagan@gmail.com