a quilt and more

Even more than I like making things, I like making baby things. And when the parents-to-be are some of my favorite people, I tend to go a little overboard.

I made my first quilt last November, and although it wasn’t perfect, it turned out better than I’d anticipated. It might seem silly to describe a process with a lot of tedious cutting, piecing, and sewing as “instant gratification”, but it’s a much quicker means to an end than my usual modes of creation (like weaving or knitting). It requires a different kind of problem solving than most of my projects, and it allows for infinite creativity. I was instantly hooked.

I was eager to make another quilt, and an impending birth seemed like the perfect opportunity. My expecting friend is waiting to find out her baby’s gender, so I let the colors she’d picked for the nursery inform my fabric choices. I also drew inspiration from the triangle motif on the rug she selected, and decided to make an isosceles triangle quilt. It seems like a simple pattern, but I still referenced this tutorial before I started (a step that kept me from messing up my seam allowances). The placement of the quilt pieces was ostensibly random, but I kept contrast in mind and tried to alternate cool and warm colors. My absolute favorite part of this quilt was looking at how the different combinations of colors played off each other.

After the top was finished, I backed it with a silky microfiber sheet, and quilted it in straight lines with grey thread. The sides aren’t exactly straight, and my quilting is pretty wonky in places, but I made sure the points of each triangle were exactly aligned. Sometimes partial perfection is good enough.

I also made a few pairs of these leather moccasins and knit this hat in a cozy merino wool.

More soon.