Baby Jack's quilt was delivered when we went to SC to see him. You may remember it started with 2 ideas: my DS loves bears so I picked the Bear's Paw block, and my DDIL wanted a beach theme since he would be born in Myrtle Beach.
She picked this colorway, blue and grey with a pop of red.
When she mentioned a nautical theme, anchors, wheels, etc. I immediately thought of a piece of fabric I had at home - a piece that had been tucked away for many years.
I knew exactly where it was, still wrapped in tissue paper. It was a piece of screen printed fabric from Key West.
The most amazing thing about this fabric is that it was given to me in 1975 by my Nana, my grandmother. I washed it, not knowing whether it was still usable. It came out perfectly. So I set out to design a quilt using fabric that was given to me by Jack's great-great grandmother! I quilt for a lot of reasons, but this is one of them. I love the stories that get woven into each unique, one of a kind quilt - the priceless memories.
After playing around in EQ7 for a while, I decided on the quilt layout on the left. Then I decided to personalize it a little (plus I didn't want to make 8 of these little blocks). The blocks finished at 8" and there was a lot of little pieces and fussy cutting.
I used a Bookman font for his initials and the baby bear applique from a quilt I made for my DS's college graduation quilt in 2001 (yes, I don't throw much away LOL). I really liked how the grey worked as the sashing.
The red check was perfect. Now it was time for the hand quilting.
I added a red check binding and it was finished!! Notice the feet - Karis wanted to be part of the photo session. :)
Here's the back. There were little fussy cut anchors on the front, and a whole piece of the fabric on the back.
As we posed Jack on his quilt, Karis came close.....
and closer.....
and closer!! Mission accomplished LOL!
And then did what she does so often, gives her little brother a kiss - melts my heart.
I used the last piece of this fabric for the label, and named it "Bears by the Beach".
So here's my punkin, I hope he enjoys his four generation quilt that will always be a reminder of where he was born :).
Karen
11 comments:
I know little Jack will sleep much better now that he has Nana's quilt!
I love hearing the stories behind quilts - this was a lovely one! Thanks for sharing, Karen!
I love it and little Jack is adorable! We are so blessed! ( is there a kitty hiding in that quilt?)
What a lovely story to go with the quilt. I too wondered about the kitty?
Lovely post ! thanks for taking us through the journey. It will be a much treasured quilt no doubt about it!
Hilda
Ohhh wow, I wish I could cuddle with them....great pics and the quilt...wellll it looks like a hit
This is definitely what quilting is all about. You've captured the essence of intentionally making a quilt for someone else. And those progressive photos of Karis are a story on their own. This is all terribly sweet, and altogether nicely done. You should be proud of yourself!
I love your story of the Key West fabric. How you got it, saved it and were able to use it so many years later for a descendant of the giver. A treasure.
Your quilts always have beautiful stories. Baby Jack's quilt is a treasure. I enjoyed seeing pictures of the babies. So cute!
Your quilts always have beautiful stories. Baby Jack's quilt is a treasure. I enjoyed seeing pictures of the babies. So cute!
love the quilt and the adorable grandbabies!
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