It's A Girl!

I've been sitting on a secret that I have been very eager to share for months now. My daughter, Miranda, has three sons, making me the grandmother of three grandsons, Matthew, Benjamin and Andrew. Aren't they adorable?

My daughter-in-law, Kylee is due to deliver my first granddaughter on May 26. What does a quilting grandmother do while she waits? Make a quilt, of course. 

TIP: Click on an image to view it in an enlarged format

When selecting the perfect quilt for the nursery I like to think about the parent's interests and what they will be sharing with their child as she grows up. Both my son and daughter-in-law love to go snorkeling amidst the tropical fish. 

They met on swim team when they were eleven and twelve years old. The mascot of the team was a fish. My son was on the local town team called the Snappers with a logo of a turtle. 

Hence the tropical reef motif featuring a turtle. Imagine my delight, when I learned half way through making this quilt that the theme for the nursery is sand dollars and starfish! Note the starfish nestled in amongst the coral.

Leah Day has heavily influenced the quilting patterns I used. Whenever I am stuck for a filler design I go to Leah's site and browse through her 365 options. I will also just let my imagination guide me, sometimes following hints in the fabric, other times, the shape of the piece or a doodle that makes sense for item being quilted, such as a spiral on the back of a turtle's shell or the sense of a current in the ocean.

Why the big secret? I was waiting to surprise Kylee with the quilt at her baby shower. The shower and the quilt were a huge success!

The pattern, heavily tweaked by me, is called Fantasy Fish and is available from LAM Designs.