A Finished Baby Boy Quilt Top

Charles Caleb Colton once said, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."

I sure hope so.

Although I am still in the process of refining my quilting and photography skills, this post is meant to be an imitation of what you would routinely see on Red Pepper Quilts.  Rita is a master of both.

I was surprised, delighted and a little apprehensive when approached through email to make a custom order baby quilt.

The customer explained, "I was referred by Rita at Red Pepper Quilts. Looking for someone who can design a quilt for a baby boy."  Something in soft green and blues and other accent colors.  She wanted "a whimsical and fun patchwork quilt with striped black and white border (binding)."  Then passed along pictures from Rita's blog post here.

I agreed to make a patchwork quilt the same size, using 3" finished squares, and attempting to get the same feel with the fabrics.  Of course this meant, to acquire suitable prints for this project, an online shopping spree was in order.  Two shopping sprees actually.  One from Fabric Spot here.  And one from Mad About Patchwork here.

I do have a wide range of solids, but...  As I explained to Rita, "I certainly don't have the lovely stash or many years of experience that you do.  And am not trying to copy your quilt, but am very excited to be making one that is similar (I hope!)."


Rita replied, "I don't feel that you are copying my quilt, after all, they are just plain old squares - no need for any credit!!"

So humble.  And so darn nice!

While reading a recent post for another baby boy custom quilt, I came across this quote from Rita's blog post here.

"So simple! All squares and a mix of blue, black, grey and white prints. Pulling together a combination of fabrics like is my favorite part of the fabric-play process, but I do think that I make it look just a little easier than what it really is. I've had a lot of practice at this. It helps to start with a clear vision of how you want the quilt to look, and also to have on hand a variety of fabrics to audition."

And she's not kidding.  You may look at a simple patchwork quilt and think, "That's so easy!  Anybody can do that!"  Sure.  Try it.  Go to your stash and pull out 40 to 50 different fabrics.  Cut them up and throw them up on the design wall.  How does it look?

An eclectic mix of whimsical, geometric, and text prints featuring soft aquas and greens.  With a little yellow and orange thrown for contrast.  Some grey neutrals to balance the whole thing out.

 

304 squares each measuring 3 inches x 3 inches (excluding seam allowances).

Quilt top measures 48 inches x 57 inches.

50+ different printed fabrics.

Now ready for basting and quilting.  Thank you, Rita!


Linking up to Finish it up Friday with Amanda Jean of Crazy Mom Quilts....
And TGIFF! hosted this week with M-R at Quilt Matters.

 Keep On Quilting On!

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Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”