Summer 2014. I had just finished working on a quilt for my sister’s graduation (see post) when I started on this one. Being a baby gift, it had a deadline that I wanted to do my best to stick to.

I loved to watch Fons and Porter’s Love of Quilting to be inspired by the projects on there. I stumbled across this pattern from Fons and Porter that I thought would be great for a baby quilt!

For this baby quilt, I went with the theme of whales and found a super cute whale fabric at a local shop. I pulled the coordinating fabrics I needed for the rest of the quilt, so excited to be attempting a new quilt pattern - my second ever. The light blue fabric I pulled had a marbled look to it and I used the same fabric in a dark blue for the binding and back of the quilt.

This quilt had a lot more pieces than the other pattern and I remember using strip piecing for the first time on it. The strip piecing and sub-cutting of those strips, combined with a small white strip of fabric in the middle, made the “plus” blocks.

The other block was a bit like a window, perfect for showcasing any favorite print, which in this case was the whales! This quilt finished with a lot of personality - I was still a new quilter after all - but I was pleased with it and loved how cute the whales were! Today, my quilts still have personality - hopefully not as much - but I have learned which tools make quilting easier!

I did crosshatching again on this quilt and used a navy thread. It was such a fun one to make! The recipient loved it and I know that as of last year, it was alternated for sleeping every night between this and another one! That’s what I love the most; knowing that the quilts I give are loved and used!

Whales - Quilt #3