Royal Babes & Mums

This week the world waited and watched as the Royal Couple, Harry and Meghan, welcomed their first baby, but aren’t all mothers and babies special though?!  Dads too, for that matter, but today is Mother’s Day in the US. At The Gentleman Quilter, we certainly think Moms and babies are special, so we thought we would share some of the beautiful quilts that have come through our doors on their way to new babes.

There are so many directions a person can go in when making a baby quilt.  If short on time, a panel is a great way to start.  Adding a border quickly finishes the top and makes it ready for the long arm.  Below are a few examples.

Four examples of panel fabrics being used in baby quilts.

There is the other end of the spectrum too, embroidery and cross stich.  We have a stitcher who asked us to quilt two embroidered quilts for her, one for a family member and one for a coworker.  It took her six months to make each top.  A year equals two quilt tops for Robin. What a treasure to give those new babes when they arrived! Another option is embroidering just the blocks and then piecing the top as shown in the collage.  This baby was welcomed with bright colours surrounding the hand embroidered blocks by June.

A photo of Noah and Bright Flowers before they went home to greet the new baby they would love.

Here is Robin’s quilt hot off the long arm, not even trimmed yet.

Another way to go is making a theme baby quilt.  It can be done with theme fabric, like the Dr Seuss below, or with a pattern, like the fish and pandas in the second photo below.  The third photo shows you can do a theme by using shades of colours and piecing in shapes. Lastly, the Birrdi quilts were done with an applique pattern on one and with bird fabric on the other. This was for a great Mom whose nickname is Birrdi.

The quilter who made this quilt gives Dr Seuss books along with the quilt to the new baby.

Here is a school of fish and a couple Naughty Pandas, both by Nancy Hohmann.

This darling quilt welcomed a grandbaby arriving this past February.

Tweet, tweet! Cute quilts for Birrdi and her chicks!!

Personalizing is always an option with a baby quilt.  Embroidering a monogram or baby’s name makes a beautiful quilt all theirs. The pinwheel quilt has Audrey’s monogram in the centre, the modern black and white quilt has Emerson’s name appliquéd vertically on the side, and Cameron’s has a little whale to go with his quilt’s theme fabric and his nusery.

A great trio of personalized baby quilts.

And the cover photo is an example of using up remnants. The pattern name is Jewel Box and one of the last quilts my Mom made before her vision started deteriorating from macular degeneration. It’s still being used today, ten years loved (so far!) and what doesn’t show in the photo is the soft, worn, loved texture it has taken on. Thanks, Mom, for making this quilt and teaching me to sew and quilt!

Now take a minute and thank your Mom wherever she is. Whether by word, if you’re lucky enough to be with her, or memory, if she’s no longer here on earth, she will appreciate it.

To all Moms and all those who “Mom”, thanks for reading this journal entry and thanks for all you do for so many each and every day!