Sometime last fall, FabricBubb posted a bundle of fat quarters that I just had to have. (Here’s a similar bundle). I never ever buy fat quarters unless they are from a full collection, and even that is a rarity. But this particular bundle was so brilliantly put together, I just had to jump on it. When it arrived, I decided that I would save it in case I had another girl, or someone close to me happened to have a girl. As soon as my sister found out she was expecting a girl, I knew it was time to pull out my bundle and start cutting. 

I decided that I wanted the colors to shine, so I kept my design clean and simple. I wanted the eye to flow around the quilt as opposed to there being any sort of centerpiece, so naturally, flying geese were the perfect option. 

Using the four-at-a-time no-waste method, I made quick work of both cutting and sewing them together. I still trimmed. As boring as it is, its worth it every single time!

At that point I had a number of commissions that kept me busy for a solid four months, so the quilt top sat on my banister teasing me as I worked through other projects. Wouldn’t you know it, but the very first moment I had to actually do the hand quilting was the very day she was born! At first, I was feeling like a total failure for keeping my own niece, my very first niece, waiting on a quilt from her Aunt M. I mean, this thing was halfway done four months ago, right? 

That’s when we make lemonade from lemons. Had I finished her quilt four months ago, I wouldn’t have been able to include a label with her birthdate, so I decided that was an acceptable tradeoff for my tardiness. I just adore the personal touch of embroidering a quilt label, and I was happy to be able to include this in the quilt. 

Maggie Joy was born on May 10, and little bitty thing only weighed 5lb! She looks so very tiny on this 40″ square quilt. 

As always, I hand quilted. I almost chose to machine quilt since the quilt is small, but what kind of person would I be if I specialize in hand quilting and then up and use the machine? Plus, I think hand quilting has a much more personal element to it. I used a few different colors and size 5 Perle cotton. I just love the stitch definition Perle cotton gives, not to mention great stability over standard thread. I always use a size 5 or 8 for this.

While soft pinks and pastels aren’t for everyone, I think its totally Maggie’s palette. Her mama is sweet and quiet and seems to possess all the softness these colors portray. But Maggie is the first child, so I’m secretly hoping she turns out to be a little fireball like me. :) Just saying. 

As often as I am commissioned to make quilts for new babies across the world, there is certainly something extra special about making one for the baby that made me an aunt. That’s totally new title for me, and I’m terribly excited to dote on my new niece. On another note, its kind of nice to have a baby to spoil whom I don’t have the responsibility of raising. That’s why my sister’s have so much fun spoiling my kids! I get it now. Ha! 

I made this quilt 40″ square because from my experience with my own kids, I find that a quilt around this size serves babies, toddlers, and young kids well. My daughter is 8 and still uses similarly sized quilts I made her when she was a baby. While Maggie is so itty bitty, it’ll serve well as a mat to lay on the floor for tummy time. As she gets older she’ll be able to snuggle it more. 

The binding is such a statement piece for me. I never do the scrappy binding because its just not my aesthetic. I see binding as the frame for the work and I love a good clean frame that creates contrast. That’s why I chose the mustard binding. It was the perfect POP without being clashy. I love that its unexpected, yet goes so well. And speaking of binding, if you are wanting to learn the clean, professional way to do that, you can check out my step by step Picture Perfect Binding Tutorial. 

My sister, photography extraordinaire, and Maggie’s mom took all these beautiful photos for me! She is based in Florida and does a stellar job! Check out her portfolio at Emilee Miller Photography.

Thanks for stopping by! I am happy to finally share this quilt, although let’s be serious, it was just as much to give you all the baby feels. :) We can suffer together.

-Meredith