Big girl!

Well would you look at that, I came back as promised to share the big girl quilt! Two posts in one week! And I am aiming for the same next week! I clearly need to lay off the exclamation points haha. Amidst complete diet change (at least for now, hello whole30), visitors, an impending move (just a few streets over, but still), a newborn and a needy toddler, the fun never stops around here. Still, it is good and I am sneaking in my sewing time when I can.

This big girl quilt is definitely the biggest quilt I have made in ages. I kept it simple and it still felt like it took forever. Thankfully I finished it in time for the big girl bed to be up and running as planned. I used almost entirely scraps, which determined the strip sizes I used. All the strips were cut between 2-3.5" and the columns are 12", 18", and 8". I think it finished at something like 70"x85" after washing and everything, which seems to be a pretty good twin size.

I used some of my favorite fabrics and fussy cut a lot of cute ones I had been saving for her. It was so much fun, and it turned out I cut an extra column's worth, so I am planning a baby quilt too. My favorites include the guy in the boat fishing, whales, owls, foxes, deer, birds....okay lots of them!

The back started with the animal print I had been saving. It was actually going to be a duffle bag or something until I realized a white background would be a mistake for something like that. Anyway, I pulled colors to go with it and made it work. I love it, even if it is a little random. It felt great to use up so much that I have had sitting around for ages, waiting for just the right thing.

I quilted just doing organic lines every couple of inches across. It keeps it soft which is perfect. Binding is a pink pindot, chosen by the lady herself. I wasn't sure how it would go, but it's perfect with her bed frame. I did machine sew the binding, because on her last bed quilt it started coming off on the back where I had hand sewn. I don't know if it was me since I has never happened before, or just the roughness of a toddler, but I decided to take no chances on this one. It is not my favorite look, but it will work. I chose to sew it down on the front since I haven't mastered making it invisible/catching it all from the other side.

She has been using her big girl bed for a week now and seems to love it! The blue bed frame that we got off craigs list and painted really makes it, I think. And I love sitting and looking at all the different fabric from so many different projects over the years.

It will look even better once we are away from the green walls I think. Not a color I would have chosen, but ah well. With any luck, I will get some pictures and be able to show you my finished dogwood blossom quilt early next week and maybe finish some panties and catch up on some penny sampler blocks. Dream big! Have a lovely weekend everyone!