Lilac dreams for Clarissa

After many years of trying, when a work colleague and friend finally announced her pregnancy I wanted to put together something really special.  To say purple is her favourite colour is a gross understatement.

I had a gorgeous fat eight pack of vintage 30s from The Quilters Store which I bulked out with some other lavenders in Mum's collection including backing fabric from one of my late grandmother's frocks! Well, it is meant to be an heirloom quilt ;)

I quilted in basket weave using scalloping. A bout of insomnia assisted in getting the quilt finished. Usually it's the other way around!!

Ladybug dress for our little lady

For this I used the Sky Pillow dress pattern from PaintMyQuilt on etsy

The bloomer pattern is also from PaintMyQuilt however I altered the way I did the hems as I loathe elasticated thread. The ruffles is actually a preruffled rikrak.  Very adorable.

And thanks to Google I discovered ladybird cupcakes' tutorial for exactly that.

http://diaryofaladybird.blogspot.com.au/2011/07/ladybird-cupcakes.html?m=1

A Baby Quilt to Last 4 Eva

You know when you meet someone random at a party and you just click? Well that was me and my friend A.  A and I were seated next to each other at a mutual friend's bridal shower. Hours after the party concluded we were still standing in the car park chatting.  She, like me, is not keen on stereotyping or bog standard stuff.

When she told me she was expecting, due just a few short months after Puggle, a custom made quilt was the only way to go!

I've always adored the idea of a Cascading Rainbow quilt like this one...

but as a novice quilter and a neophite when it comes to colour, this just seemed too daunting.  So I settled for a simple albeit just as bright rainbow.  Now when I say rainbow, keep in mind that we're not talking fairies and unicorns.  It was the splendid colour challenge that inspired me.

Laying it out

Being such a simple design, the rikrak was a bit of an afterthought to lift the whole project.  I was stoked when Mum found the lolly hearts backing fabric - anyone who knows me knows my addiction to conversations, my dentist best of all ;)

A Poppy Quilt for Baby Boss

When my good friend and boss announced she was expecting a girl not long after my own daughter was born I was thrilled!  As mumma to be used to live in London, I took that as an opportunity to invest in the Notting Hill range by Joel Dewberry. Plus I just adored the modern poppy design!

I found the Charming Stars pattern on Moda Bakeshop (an absolute favourite resource!) which would work well with the charm pack and really show off the colours.  It was also had a simple elegance and is striking, much like my boss ;)

I used Natural ecocotton from Spotlight for the borders as the white was too bright!

The backing fabric was a delicious find at EastCoast Fabrics and I bulked it out and bound the quilt with some batik red that was in my stash.

Doesn't she look adorable?