I’m so excited to have finished this baby quilt! And just in time, too. Our friends’ baby was born a couple weeks ago and I can’t wait to gift them this quilt. I’ve had Jeni’s Scrappy Bear Paw tutorial written on my to-do list for ages. Ever since seeing Jeni’s quilt I was dying to make one. I kept moving it from list to list until finally I decided it had to be all denim/chambray. I’m really glad I waited until I felt super inspired with the fabric choices. I know this quilt would of course be so cute in any fabrics, but it was what really motivated me to get cutting and piecing.

The top itself took less than a day to put together. It was fun and satisfying to see the block come to life. I even took a little time-lapse video just for fun of the trimming (check out my stories on Instagram).

The next day I basted the quilt and then it sat. I think it was the same reason as before, I needed to be inspired about the quilting design. I went through several different quilting ideas until I finally settled on a spiral square that I used here. I’ve used it several times in the past and have been really happy with the result. There’s something about a spiral square that is fun and interesting at the same time. And then once it’s finished, the look of it is really interesting as well. I did mark the diagonals so I knew where to pivot since there wasn’t any other clues for me to visually go off of. I don’t like pre-marking all the lines, so the diagonals were just enough. I think it definitely depends on your level of perfectionism, too. When I got to the claws in the bear paw I did stitch in the ditch around each triangle. I like the way it enhances the design.

I knew this quilt would wash up to be snuggly, but I think this is as soft as my double gauze quilt! The backing is a Robert Kaufman 1/4″ gingham in Fog. It’s one of my favorites because it’s just the right scale and color that goes with pretty much anything. Plus – soooo soft! I wish you could feel this quilt! I’d definitely recommend using this combo of fabrics.

Pattern: Scrappy Bear Paw Quilt by my friend Jeni of In Color Order
Fabric: I’m linking to the Robert Kaufman site for the specific chambrays I used, I’m pretty sure I had bought them all from Hawthorne Threads.
Dark Chambray Union \\ Herringbone \\ Tonal Stripe (I don’t think they make this one anymore, but this new Essex Yarn Dye Stripe one would look cool, too)
Batting: Quilter’s Dream Orient

I think this is my longest standing work in progress ever. Back in 2010 I was in a quilting bee with some truly amazing quilters. I’m not sure how I got so lucky to be a member, but it was an amazing opportunity. Each month a member would choose a theme and the members would make and send them a block that corresponded to the chosen theme. They were all original blocks designed specifically for the bee. I honestly didn’t really know what I was doing, but it ended up being a really interesting exercise in getting creative with fabric.

Here’s a little collage of some the blocks I made (all my own original designs) for the other bee members over the course of two rounds of the bee. Below the collage are links to all the paper-pieced blocks I made.

Collections Block \\ Vintage Modern Door Block \\ Union Jack Block \\ To Ayumi with Love \\ Summertime \\ Beginnings \\ In the Kitchen \\ Design Classics \\  Quilt on a Line \\ Christmas \\ Camera \\ House Block \\ Strawberry (pattern here) \\ Sewing Machine (pattern here) \\ Cup (pattern here) \\ Ukulele (pattern here)

For my month I chose a dessert theme. Anyone who knows me knows I love a good dessert. Yum! I was totally spoiled by the bee members, each of their blocks were so amazing.

Bee members (round 1):
Penny – Sew Take a Hike
Ayumi – Pink Penguin
Kerry – Verry Kerry Berry
Amber – One Shabby Chick
Amy – Badskirt
Erica – Craftyblossom
Lynne – Lily’s Quilts
Quilt It
Little Miss Shabby
Lisa – Vintage Modern Quilts

I finished the quilt top and back in 2013 and had started quilting it. I wasn’t happy with how my quilting was turning out, so I tucked it away in a drawer to finish later. So it sat there until a month ago when I unpicked the remainder of the bad quilting job I did. I had intended to hand quilt it, but I wasn’t going to let it sit around for however many more years. My local quilt shop’s turn around time was only a couple weeks, so I brought it over and they did an amazing job of quilting it. Originally when I first pulled it out to finish it, I though I would donate it. I know it would make someone very happy. But for now I’m going to hang on to it, hoping to gift it to a friend’s baby. What baby wouldn’t want a dessert quilt?!

It was hard to put anyone’s block on the back, but I put my heart/cupcake one with a couple other blocks and I think it makes a fun back!

Sooo happy to have this quilt finished and ready to share today! Ever since seeing my friend Jeni’s double gauze quilt in person last year (and wanting to steal it) I’ve been working towards this finish.

In order to still remain Jeni’s friend, and not end up in quilt thieving purgatory, I decided to make my own. It took me a while to commit to purchasing more double gauze and even longer to find time to commit to making the quilt. It was harder to make than usual because I already had the end goal in mind, whereas other quilts I’ve made I’m always curious to see what the final product will look like. That always seems to be one of the driving factors for me in completing projects.

I took all of Jeni’s great tips and put them to use. So definitely go check out her post with all the tips! I purchased almost all the double gauze from Miss Matatabi along with a few brushed cottons and linens, all Nani Iro (there is a few Cotton + Steel double gauze prints in there as well). I did manage to pull a few cuts some from my stash as well. I threw in a little chambray once I figured out what size I wanted to make. My friend Amanda helped push me along for a bit bigger size than what I thought I would make at first. Which is a great thing! This quilt is made for cuddling and it’s going to live permanently in our living room. I’m excited to have a dedicated quilt to have there.

The quilting was done by my friend Christina. She always does such an amazing job and I always trust her judgement. I picked the Midnight Sparkle design and had her enlarge the scale to open it up more. I didn’t want the quilting too dense and she made it just perfect. Lastly, I made a quick decision to use a Friedlander lawn for the binding and I love it!

I haven’t washed the quilt yet, but I’m excited to, and can’t wait to cozy up with it on the couch. Hope you have a great weekend!