I am BACK!!! Oh my goodness gracious. Its been an absolute whirlwind month, since I discovered my web host locked me out of my site. I was able to transfer to a new, much better host, and now I’m back up and running. Great big thanks to my techy dad for helping me out with the whole process, because nothing is more frustrating than feeling crippled by a lack of knowledge related to something you need to do!

Remember when I made this quilt last year? That same client asked me to make a new rendition of the quilt for her best friend who just recently moved away from the Cleveland area, and just had a new baby. She asked me if I would be able to personalize the quilt with meaningful places and activities, along with her children’s names and birth dates.

Of course, I was thrilled to take on a new challenge! I especially love adding embroidered elements to quilts- they add a level of personalization that makes it so extra special!

I handquilted the quilt, but tried to keep the skyline free of those stitches since it stands on its own so very beautifully. And isn’t that star print the most perfect sky?

My client’s friend loves jewel tones, and since that’s basically the theme of my life, I was tickled to be able to work with that palette. It wasn’t easy to capture the colors accurately at golden hour (and I didn’t- they look a bit too orange here), but the back of the quilt is a tone of purple that I now only think of as Porter purple because its what my client calls it- and since I have had the privilege of working with her for many years, I always call it that as well. Anyway, I thought it would be the perfect backing for the quilt because it would be a reminder of their friendship.

I have said it time and again, but working on quilts for babies is such a special privilege. Really, making a custom quilt for any particular person in mind is a cool thing because its entirely unique, from the colors, to the individual fabrics, to the details like embroidered places or names. And what a thoughtful gift! I mean, I can hardly think of a more thoughtfully given gift that a quilt such as this. My client is just amazing at pulling together special places, moments, favorite colors, and other things that are unique to whomever she is giving these quilts to. They are always different and always so much fun to dream up and sew. Every time I get to do sewing like this, its a reminder to be thankful that I get to do what I love so much, all the while bringing in income to pay for school books, clothes, and all the things that make life run smoothly around here.

I have so much to catch up on that I missed this past month! Tomorrow I have a brand spanking new tutorial that was meant for back to school, but will be perfect for anytime! I’ll meet you back here in the morning.

-Meredith