​Its baby boom time again! Spring has sprung and I feel like almost everyone I know is expecting, and everywhere I look are new babies or babies on their way. If you've been reading my blog for awhile you know how much I enjoy a rest from my major quilt projects to whip up a baby quilt or two. This one is a little bit bigger than most of the baby quilts I make coming in at about 45"x45" square, but I think its just the right size to grow with a small person.

I've actually been playing around with tied quilts a lot recently. I remember distinctly this amazing tied quilt that my great grandmother made my Aunt Kim for her graduation or some special occasion. By the time I was around to see it the quilt was pretty well loved (worn) – the ties especially had felted into these lovely little tan pompoms. The playful texture of ties seemed just right for this quilt, and the future felting of the ties is exactly what I had in mind.  The actual "finished" version of this quilt is many many washes away once the ties are completely felted, and I hope some other little guy remembers the ties of this quilt in their adult years.

​Have just the right new baby in mind for this quilt? Check it out in my shop.

My site has undergone a few changes this week to accommodate a bunch of new things up my sleeve. New projects, a quilt portfolio, restocking the shop, and a bunch of in progress projects that I've been meaning to add to the blog. ​I know its been awhile, and I hope you're all still out there!

I've been working on a new series of objects using all the tiny scraps from past quilts that were just begging to be hand pieced. I've got a bunch of these in the works, and intend to stretch them all like paintings so that they're ready to hang. I really love the clean edges for something so wild and small, and especially enjoy the way they neatly stand off of the wall. This is the first of more to come.

You can find this one in the shop with more photos here.​

Even though we're past the winter solstice, this time of year always feels the darkest and the coldest. Off to work while the sun is still rising, and home after it has already set. The weekends are of utmost importance this time of year for me - I cozy up at home, cook warm and hearty foods, and of course knit and quilt like crazy. Since New Years I've already finished a quilt top. I've had the fabrics tucked aside for a long time just waiting for me to piece the silks, wools, and cottons together into just the right pattern. I've been wanting to make a court house steps for awhile now. These fabrics just felt like a granite or marble staircase with brass or gilded finishes on the railings and a little mildew or wear from acid rain tucked in a corner of a few shaded spots, with the wool suiting of the people walking up and down them every day.

Making crib sized quilts super refreshing amidst the giant projects I usually have in the works, so even when I don't know a baby on the way I'll occasionally whip one up. They're quick, easy, and really excellent stash busters. This one is due to get some bright red hand quilting and grey binding. I'm not quite sure the stitch pattern I'll do for the quilting yet, but I'm sure it will be some sort of play on triangles. Hands down my favorite pattern to sew is flying geese. I oddly find pressing open a seam on the bias to be really satisfying. For all of you non quilters most seams or cuts that are on a 45 degree angle are on the bias (this depends on the grain of the fabric), and what makes them so fun/interesting to me is that fabric behaves differently when it is cut this way. Suddenly it becomes a bit stretchy and won't fray, its like magic.

I finished this quilt back in September as a wedding gift for some of my dearest friends. I intended it to be a sort of improv play on a traditional sampler. Making this quilt to honor the nuptials of two lovely people was really a treat, and I love knowing that as their family grows it will be there to keep them cozy along the way.