A Modern Baby Quilt

Babies and quilts are like peanut butter and jelly. They just go together.

When we found out we were having our second child, Edward, I asked my husband to help design a baby quilt. He's a talented graphic designer and not a quilter, so I wasn't sure what he would create. I enjoy collaborating on projects with my husband because it gives both of us the opportunity to push outside our normal boundaries.

Although I used a traditional approach to our oldest son's quilt, Grayson's Adventure Quilt, I wanted Edward's quilt to have a more modern feel. I sent Jonathan a couple of examples of quilts I liked, and he used Adobe Illustrator to create the design.

The result was Edward's quilt, which we call Mirage.

Unlike patterns in our shop that come with measurements, my husband handed me a sheet of paper and said "here it is! Make this."

Umm, okay! I knew I wanted a challenge, but maybe this was pushing my boundaries too much!

The first step I did was figure out my measurements and decide on the best way to piece it all together. I took each section piece by piece and worked my way through the whole design.

For the circle center, I cut a paper template to size, and did a practice piece on scrap fabric before I cut into my actual yellow and orange fabric for the quilt. If you are ever in doubt about a technique or method, it's a good idea to practice on scraps first!

The triangles in the quilt design were very small. In retrospect, I probably would have gotten better results if I would have used foundation paper piecing for the smaller blocks, but live and learn. If I ever attempt this quilt again (which I might - I think it would look amazing in black, white, and gray shades), I'd try paper piecing for the smaller sections.

The finished quilt top!

When I finally got the entire top pieced, I was stuck. I couldn't decide how to quilt it. I drew different quilting designs on paper, but I was scared to move forward because I didn't want to ruin all my hard work! Eventually, I tossed all my design sheets and just went for it. I needed it finished! I did echoing around the center circle and a variety of straight line quilting in the other areas. I used Aurifil thread in blue and orange to quilt the top. All in all, I'm happy with the way it turned out.

I hope this Modern Baby Quilt will always be special to Edward, but I know it will always be special to me, too. From collaborating with my husband to pushing my piecing and quilting skills, this is the type of project that makes me proud to be a maker.

We put together a short video of the design process and how it progressed along the way. You can enjoy it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdY4nLq8iKM