I met Lexy of The Proper Pinwheel a little over a year ago when we worked together for Alt Design Summit. Lexy is smart and creative and has such a great sense of humor.
I described her to someone this way, “She has impeccable taste in style and design with a little whimsy and silliness thrown in to surprise you and make you smile.” I think the picture up there is a perfect example of what I mean.
I was so excited for Lexy when she announced that she and her husband were expecting their first baby. Is there anything more fun than a new baby?! My answer would be, “No, there is nothing more fun.”
I was planning to make a quilt for Baby Girl Ward already and at the same time I was getting ready to launch Yellow Bug Quilts. I reached out and asked if she would be willing to be my Guinea Pig and walk through the custom process with me. She might as well have a say in what she wants right?
Starting from Scratch
Initially Lexy told me a little about what she had in mind for her nursery, and she sent me pictures of the fabrics she wanted to use as well as a picture of a quilt that she liked. Most of the fabrics were from Sarah Watson’s Indian Summer line. It captures an outdoorsy feeling with a childlike look that make it perfect for a nursery.
I went to work on some designs. We emailed back and forth with different design ideas and played with several elements of the fabric patterns. I have to say I got a little stuck here. I couldn’t see how the fabrics were going to work together because I couldn’t be sure about the scale and exact colors. I finally just went and bought a little bit of each of the fabrics. All of it made so much more sense to me once I had the fabrics in front of me.
We continued to pass ideas back and forth until we agreed on this design.
It is always interesting so me to see the collaborative process work and to watch a project evolve from a few fabrics to design ideas and, in this case, on to a finished quilt.
Construction
Once we settled on a design, I started sewing.
The main design was fairly simple and it came together quickly. The flying geese added the texture and movement to the design and that part was a little more time consuming than the large design but it was absolutely worth the effort.
In fact, once I learned the piecing process, it became relaxing and I spent a lovely day moving from sewing machine to ironing board to cutting table and back to the sewing machine. Time *ahem* flew by. I enjoyed myself so much I couldn’t believe it when my daughters got home from school. I totally wasn’t expecting them for two or three more hours. Ha!
I look forward to making another quilt with lots of flying geese.
My normal MO is to see a quilt I like and reproduce it or at least elements of it. This is the very first quilt I have made/designed from start to finish and I am happy to report that it was a very satisfying endeavor.
I’m so thrilled with how it turned out and how it compliments Lexy’s nursery. And how cute are those bumper pads??
What about you? Have you ever designed your own quilt? How did it turn out?
I knew it would be perfect to frame the advice squares.
