Sewing for my baby girl

As I mentioned in my initial post, I am 34 weeks pregnant. I cannot believe I'm nearing the end of my pregnancy and that this baby girl will be making her arrival into the world in the coming weeks. From the beginning of my pregnancy, my little guy Aiden insisted that I was having a baby girl. I had a feeling that he was correct but once that was confirmed, I immediately knew how I wanted to decorate her nursery.

My Grandpa Lambert's brother-in-law, William D. Berry, was a well known artist in Alaska. He was known for his wildlife sketches, cartoons and paintings and illustrated the mural below for a library in Alaska, but was tragically shot and killed before he could complete the piece. My Dad and Mom have had what looks to be a pencil sketch copy of the mural framed in their living room for as long as I can remember. I study their copy every time I'm home and find something new each time. There are little creatures hiding in the trees and I've been told my Grandpa is one of the people depicted in the parade.

I ordered the colored copy and had it framed. After studying the illustration for quite a while, I decided to draw inspiration for the nursery from turquoise sky (it looks blue in this image) and the red gingham quilt where the teddy bear picnic is taking place.

 

An Alaskan Fairytale

 

Red gingham quilt

 

 I really wish the tomato red and coral photographed better, the pictures don't do this quilt justice

 

 I love this binding so much
 

Crib sheet I made matches the backing of the quilt

 

 

Framed prints pictured here entitled Dancing Moose and Dancing Bear, also by William D. Berry

Burp rags to match quilt and quilt sheet 

I still have a few things left to finish in the nursery. I'm anxiously awaiting on my Dad and Mom to come to South Dakota as my Dad has custom made a quilt ladder for the baby's room. I have two gorgeous quilts that were made by Amber and Teresa for baby girl that I am excited to display on it. I'll have to post pictures once the decorating is completed.

I Spy quilts

It was hard for me to know what quilts to start blogging about. Initially I thought I'd blog in chronological order, starting from my first projects and then bringing my readers up to date with my current projects. I then decided that I should just write about some of my favorite projects and expand from there. When I think about some of my favorite quilts to make, I immediately think of my I Spy quilts.

 

I think all children and adults can remember playing the game, "I spy with my little eye..." And then the person they are playing with gets to guess what the other player has spied. So how perfect is it to have a quilt with which the game can be played?

 

These quilts grow with the child. Consider the following in a child's development and how an I Spy quilt could be used at each age:

• Tummy time, when a baby's vision is blurry but as he or she grows and is exposed to brightly colored things like an I Spy quilt, is able to begin to distinguish color and form.
• First words, when a toddler is able to verbalize what they see. For example, the quilt has a "puppy", "kitty", "ball".
• Color and shape recognition, when a toddler is first able to identify various colors and shapes and then pick those out from images that they see. For example, the bike's tire is a black circle.
• Dependence to independence, when a toddler or preschooler needs a tactile object like an I Spy quilt to comfort them. 
• Quiet time, when preschoolers need rest but can benefit from the quiet stimulation of looking at an I Spy quilt.  
• Self entertainment, during times when toddlers or preschoolers need to be patient and entertain themselves. For example, long car rides, who wouldn't want a cozy quilt to cuddle with that has cute, fun images to find?
• First sleepovers, when a young child might be nervous about sleeping somewhere new but can be comforted by a familiar quilt that is brightly colored and not too "babyish".

These quilts have so many benefits and can be used for a long period of time. The first I Spy quilt, pictured directly below, I made almost two years ago for my son Aiden. To this day, he still sleeps with the quilt and loves to look at it.

 

I just love how bright and fun this quilt is

 

 An example of how a small pink border can make the quilt look a little more girly

 

This little cowboy makes me smile

 

 Mr. Potato Head pieces

 

 A different variation

 

The I Spy blocks are made using a different method, making them appear round rather than square

 

I loved collaborating with the woman I made this for, she provided some of the I Spy fabric and could not wait to give it to her son for his first birthday

 

Yet another! Given to a friend as a baby shower gift.

 

I have quite the stash of I Spy fabrics. Over the summer I ordered a half dozen more to add to my collection. I don't think I'll ever stop collecting for or making I Spy's!



The beginning

 

I've been meaning to start this blog for quite a while now. My hope is to have a place where I can share the progress of various quilt projects. If I'm able to continue to make commissioned quilts, I'd like to have a place where potential customers can view my work. So, here is the start of my quilt blog, A boy and a bunny quilt co.

Almost exactly a year ago, I was visiting family in Denver and thanks to some conversations with two of the most influential women in my life, I decided to really pursue making commissioned quilts. Read the following post:  Our Life

Now a year later, I sit here, 34 weeks pregnant. I wonder how much quilting I'll get done after our little girl is born. But I know that quilting will always be a passion of mine and as I can, I'll find time to work on projects for me or projects for others. I look forward to sharing with you, my followers. And I look forward to reading and responding to your comments, suggestions, questions.

-Kristen