"expecting blossoms" quilt completed

 i feel as if i am finally getting in my groove again now that baby is over a year old. life is returning to what it was before her with the added bonus of all her wonderfulness mixed in. i'm starting new projects, finding time to work on things, and actually finishing stuff that has been in progress since before she arrived. hallelujah!

 we had a big sewing weekend as a family this saturday and sunday while we listened to our church's annual general conference broadcast (more on that later). the first thing i got done was the binding for baby's quilt. we were all hanging out in the glorious spring weather in our backyard between sessions when i decided to go ahead and photograph the quilt. baby saw her blanket and wouldn't get out of the way, wanting to sit on, roll up in, and drag it all around despite my intentions otherwise.

 so, even though she was in just a diaper because she'd just finished lunch (i always feed her in just a diaper at home to avoid clothing messes and to speed clean up), i went ahead and photographed her with the quilt, too. granted, she isn't always this interested in it, but she does have her moments. maybe in time it will become more of a comfort object and cherished possession to her.

originally, i was going to make her a modern charm squares quilt (pattern from elizabeth hartman here) out of french general's pom pom de paris from moda. and i still want to. but when i saw this oppsa daisy line i also wanted to wip up a quick 6 and 1/2 dozen quilt for her. well, that "quick" quilt took a year to complete. (i will admit the top was super quick; the rest, including the handquilting was the hang-up.) now i think i will make that charm squares quilt with two charm packs instead of one so she can have a larger quilt for when she is older. in time, i will, that is. she already has two other blankets, her 4sq and the furry minky made by kelly, our sewing teacher. i think we are good on blankets and quilts for her for now.

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 what could be under that quilt, i wonder?  this reminded me of  you're just what i need (originally the bundle book) by ruth krauss. in it, a toddler hides under a blanket and mother tries to guess what could be under there. it's one we've been reading for years. our baby was having the best time playing with her quilt. for about 10 minutes, or as long as i wanted to photograph it.

 for the binding i used the large floral print from the line in the green colorway. i went through a phase where i liked to use bindings that incorporated all the colors of the quilt, if possible, to tie it together. i'm starting to branch out more now. but i still like this one.

and i still really like all the tiny creatures you can find through out the fabrics. it makes for a little bit of "i spy" fun to look for the butterflies, caterpillars, and ladybugs.

there is one tiny problem with this quilt. when i put the panels together, i didn't notice that i put the large pink tulip that appears in the red and white large floral right next to each other on the quilt top (see first photo, top left). i did turn the white panels so they wouldn't blend with the red as much, but i didn't notice those tulips together. it kinda bugs me when i see it. bummer. but not a deal breaker.

i am still super happy this is done and finally in my baby's hands for good!