Gradient Baby Quilt #1

2023 saw our family enter a wonderful new season with the safe arrival of our first grandchild. With our five oldest 'children' now married (2017, 2019, 2020, 2021 and  2022) it came as very welcome news that a grandchild was to be expected in May 2023.

Baby quilts are an inviting size to make - not too big, not too small. After much consideration I settled on making a gradient I spy quilt, inspired by the amazing quilts of House of Taiga. This quilt would be both machine sewn and quilted with the intention that it would be heavily used and frequently machine washed. In addition I hoped it would be of ongoing use and interest (tummy-time fun) to the baby/child while also being pleasant to look at. The plan was to choose a design which can be used as a base idea for a quilt for each future grandchild - yet also allow for adjustment according to baby's gender and each new family's uniqueness of lifestyle and passions.

Soon after a gender reveal on Christmas Day 2022, I began searching through my current fabrics, our local Spotlight (fabric and homewares shop) and various online shops for suitable 'boy fabrics'. I was soon busy cutting 5" squares, and I thought I may as well cut four squares while each fabric was on the cutting mat, simultaneously creating a little stack of squares for next time. Over the course of several weeks, I reached my goal of a minimum of 99 different fabrics.

With ironing board butted up against our dining table, the layout was fine-tuned, producing the desired gradient effect. Eleven rows of nine squares. Each row was carefully sewn together, then the rows into pairs, then pairs together etc, until the quilt top was complete. The actual construction was very quick at this stage - compared to my recent quilts which were all larger and completely hand sewn.

For extra security I machine quilted along each seam as well as diagonally each way. I must admit I was somewhat fussy with thread colours, switching threads several times to blend with the fabric squares, even it meant changing threads midway through a quilting line. It just added that little bit of extra love into an otherwise rather simple quilt design.

The quilt was finished in time to gift on the day of our daughter's baby shower in early March - and has been well loved by the new parents as well as Baby B, which makes me a very happy quilting Nana 😊

Family Milestones

I really love Instagram for all the visual inspiration and connections which can be found so quickly, it has become my primary online space. January 2019 is the last time I shared any family news here, with more recent posts featuring only quilts which I have completed. It's time to bring a summary of family news to provide some context and serve as a personal record. 

Thankfully, by the grace of God, we are all very well and individually moving on in our lives in positive directions. Our three youngest are still living at home, with the younger two continuing well with their homeschool studies (and cricket as their chosen sport). We love our new home and location and I'm still enjoying sewing quilts (and my clothes), long walks, taking photos, loving my family and keeping an orderly, welcoming home.

2019 was a year of settling into our new home and season of life after a very hectic 2018. Our Songbird daughter, Grace, released her debut EP of original songs, Every Little Thing. Everyone was home for the pre-release launch on a Saturday night in June 2019.This was an extra special weekend as Grace scheduled her bridal shower for the Sunday, following her engagement in early May.

July to September 2019 were a blur of smoke haze (from the beginning of a harrowing extended bushfire season) and wedding preparations. Mid September Grace and J were married in a beautiful country wedding at the back of J's father's farm. The reception was held on site, under the light of a stunning full moon.

Following the younger three girl's annual state Country Championships cricket carnival in October, we headed off on a three and half week road trip. Master T also accompanied us as he had just completed his first year of studies at Uni (Computer Science). The primary purpose of our long journey was the interment of my Mother-in Love's ashes at a family church in Victoria. After a small family ceremony at the historic church, we stayed in Ballarat, then had a week in Melbourne, before traveling to many other stunning places in Victoria including the Great Ocean Rd, Grampians and Mallacoota. We drove home along the NSW coast, catching up with some family and friends along the way. It was a wonderful holiday.

2020 began with lots of promise and the engagement of Miss E, our eldest child. Plans were soon curtailed greatly as the unpredictable impact of COVID increased. With the extra time at home I settled in to finish off some long term quilts - a positive focus, along with lots of neighbourhood walks. Miss E and fiancé R did an amazing job of working with ever changing restrictions in Sydney to eventually have a very small and beautiful wedding in their Latin Mass church in June 2020 (a very different experience for the rest of the family). So grateful our immediate families were able to attend (we met R's family the night before the wedding).

Christmas brought all the family together again, a gathering we were extra grateful for.

Early this month we had all the family home again, and many of the extended family, to celebrate my mother's 80th birthday. Discretely arranged by my sister and held in our home, we managed to surprise Mum. Mum came to stay for the weekend, expecting to see our immediate family (which is quite a number anyway) but then my two siblings and families arrived from Queensland, one by one, as well as her two surviving brothers and their wives from Dubbo, and a close Aunt (who was married to my father's brother - how Mum and Dad met), who is well loved by all the family. It was a wonderful time of reconnection for most and a time of introductions for the newer family members.

A pleasant change from quilt details - although I do have some more of those to share shortly too 😊

August

Closure and adventure - endings and new beginnings. We have visited many beaches within an hours drive during August's wonderful winter days, saying goodbyes and seeking hellos....

Descriptions for many of these photos will appear if you hover your cursor over the image.  :)

*** You may also enjoy my Instagram feed which I add to several times a week. You don't have to join Instagram to view - just click on the little blue square camera logo under my blog profile (top right hand corner).

Karen

June

June photos - at home, around town and at my parent's-in-love house. 

Descriptions for many of these photos will appear if you hover your cursor over the image.  :)

*** You may also enjoy my Instagram feed which I add to several times a week. You don't have to join Instagram to view - just click on the little blue square camera logo under my blog profile (top right hand corner).

Karen