Tickertape Animals!

I finally got Felix's quilt finished this last weekend. I call it "Tickertape Animals."


This is a fun, simple tutorial from Piece N Quilt called "Tranquil Baby." The pattern actually calls for a charm pack, but I just cut my own charm squares from a selection of 9 fat quarters. The only other change I made was to use Monica's method for preparing applique circles. I'm really happy with how it all came together.


What with the big expanses of solid fabric, choosing a quilt design was really challenging for me. A stipple just wasn't going to cut it on this one!


Inspired by a quilt I recently saw at During Quiet Time, I decided to try some letters. I used soapstone and wrote out the names of the animals that appear in the various fabrics: lion, frog, elephant, mouse, bird, giraffe, and spider. This worked great for the most part, but there were a couple areas in the middle of the quilt where the soapstone rubbed off and I couldn't read what I had written anymore. So I guessed, and ended up with a double "lion." Ah, well.


I backed the quilt with a soft flannel star print. The quilting shows up really well on it. Which looks just a little strange, since it's all backwards.


And, here's the label.

Another note: I used a soy/cotton blend batting for the first time in making this quilt. It was "Soy Soft" from Luna Quilt Bating by Moda. I was really happy with how it worked. No bearding, no lint problems with my machine (after prewashing the batting, there was practically no lint in the dryer, even!), and the quilt is soft and supple. I also love that it is organic and has anti-bacterial properties (which seems a nice thing in a baby quilt). Definitely a good experiment.

I'm really excited to give this quilt to little Felix tomorrow!