Lexy’s Quilt

Lexy-Ward-from-The-Proper-Pinwheel


I met Lexy of The Proper Pinwheel a little over a year ago when we worked together for Alt Design Summit.  Lexy  is smart and creative and has such a great sense of humor.

I described her to someone this way, “She has impeccable taste in style and design with a little whimsy and silliness thrown in to surprise you and make you smile.”  I think the picture up there is a perfect example of what I mean.

I was so excited for Lexy when she announced that she and her husband were expecting their first baby.  Is there anything more fun than a new baby?! My answer would be, “No, there is nothing more fun.”

I was planning to make a quilt for Baby Girl Ward already and at the same time I was getting ready to launch Yellow Bug Quilts.   I reached out and asked if she would be willing to be my Guinea Pig and walk through the custom process with me.  She might as well have a say in what she wants right?

Starting from Scratch

Initially Lexy told me a little about what she had in mind for her nursery, and she sent me pictures of the fabrics she wanted to use as well as a picture of a quilt that she liked.  Most of the fabrics were from Sarah Watson’s Indian Summer line.  It captures an outdoorsy feeling with a childlike look that make it perfect for a nursery.

start-to-finish-vert

I went to work on some designs.  We emailed back and forth with different design ideas and played with several elements of the fabric patterns.  I have to say I got a little stuck here.  I couldn’t see how the fabrics were going to work together because I couldn’t be sure about the scale and exact colors.  I finally just went and bought a little bit of each of the fabrics.  All of it made so much more sense to me once I had the fabrics in front of me.

We continued to pass ideas back and forth until we agreed on this design.

lexy's-design-blog

 

It is always interesting so me to see the collaborative process work and to watch a project evolve from a few fabrics to design ideas and, in this case, on to a finished quilt.

Construction

Once we settled on a design, I started sewing.

The main design was fairly simple and it came together quickly. The flying geese added the texture and movement to the design and that part was a little more time consuming than the large design but it was absolutely worth the effort.

In fact, once I learned the piecing process, it became relaxing and I spent a lovely day moving from sewing machine to ironing board to cutting table and back to the sewing machine.  Time *ahem* flew by.  I enjoyed myself so much I couldn’t believe it when my daughters got home from school.  I totally wasn’t expecting them for two or three more hours. Ha!

I look forward to making another quilt with lots of flying geese.

My normal MO is to see a quilt I like and reproduce it or at least elements of it. This is the very first quilt I have made/designed from start to finish and I am happy to report that it was a very satisfying endeavor.

I’m so thrilled with how it turned out and how it compliments Lexy’s nursery.  And how cute are those bumper pads??

Lexy's-quilt

 

What about you? Have you ever designed your own quilt? How did it turn out?

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