Preppy Garden Fence Baby Quilt

My dear friend Debra was due with her second girl in April.  One of the first quilts I ever made was a stacked coin quilt for her older daughter, Annabelle.

When I make a baby quilt, I try to match the personality of the mom, because I can’t really tell what the baby is going to be like (though I actually did dream about Debra’s baby a year before she was born).

I met Debra in Grad School and together we made the great trek from Pennsylvania to Los Angeles where we were roommates.  She is sweet, preppy, fresh, and no-nonsense.  Her daughter was going to be named Clara, after a grandmother who liked elephants.

What immediately came to mind was “Urban Circus” by Laurie Wisbrun For Robert Kaufman Fabrics, so I decided to base my colors and fabrics around it.

All the other fabrics came from my stash. Some were even from Liam’s baby quilt.  I love keeping all our babies connected across the miles.

I was introduced to the Garden Fence quilt block through one of my bee members, Yolanda.  You can find the tutorial over at Hyacinth Quilt Designs.

I sashed with FreeSpirit “Arctic White” (INCREDIBLY soft) and did a free-motion meander on my Janome:

It’s such a simple block that comes together to create a visually stunning quilt.

Bliss flannel on the back makes everything so snuggly.

There is nothing more satisfying than a photo of a baby enjoying her quilt.

 Welcome to the world, Clara!