From little things

'Once upon a time there was a little acorn and he wished that he could be bigger. His Mum told him not to worry because one day he would grow up into a huge Oak tree, because from little things, big things grow'. I hope that's a story, or something similar, that the eventual owner of this quilt will tell to their child as they snuggle beneath it and talk about the acorns on the quilt.

This is quilt number 3 out of six (check here for the background on why I'm doing 6 baby quilts and to see number 1)- yay, I'm half way there already.

In the squares and border there are little acorns, and so hopefully not labouring the point too much, I thought I'd quilt spirals like the rings on the inside of tree trunks that show the maturing process.

For the four patches I quilted a simple orange peel. Somewhere in the process I think my thought of 'Oh, this quilt is just OK' changed to 'Actually its looking pretty good'. It is very satisfying to use up stash fabrics, but sometimes it feels like a 'make do' rather than a deliberate choice. So the lemon is not really the shade I would have chosen if I wasn't trying to use what I had on hand. It works Ok, and perhaps its only other quilters who might think - hmm, that could have been a darker shade. The lemon was on hand though and it was included. 

It turned out though, that anything I tried to use as backing really didn't work. So, another trip to the local fabric shop yielded this cute giraffe backing - they don't show up too well here, but there really are giraffes. 

The first border and binding was another fortunate piece from the scrappy packs the fabric shop puts together. And having completed this third quilt today I took myself (and a small dog) off for a walk. With scenery like this it is very refreshing. 

And then I came back, tossed the quilt over a chair and noticed how the backing really does go well, highlighting that paler turquoise on the front. Doesn't it feel good when that happens? 

So I'm half way there, I have begun a fourth quilt using this same pattern but I don't quite have the right red - and you know how important it is to have the right red isn't it? So I feel another trip to the fabric shop is calling. That, however, is another story....

Quilt Stats:

Size: 43.5" x 49"

Wadding: Cotton/Poly blend 80/20.

Thread: Embroidery on top; Gutterman all purpose for bobbin. 

Until next time,

Lynn