Elsie’s Quilt

I finished this quilt for my niece back in October but forgot to share it.  I found the pictures today.


Most of these fabrics came from my stash.  I used all of the Marabella prints I had because I remembered my sister-in-law loved them and added a bunch of Joel Dewberry prints as well.  Then I just started adding some of this and that until I came up with a mix I liked.


The quilt is simple patchwork with the exception of one pink block the size of four blocks on which I appliqued an “E” and embroidered her name, Elsie.  I’m not the best at this kind of thing but I think it looks ok and I think it’s sturdy enough to survive many trips through the laundry.  What’s the point of a baby quilt you’re afraid to get dirty?


For the backing I pieced more squares and then framed them in white.  You can see that the quilting was done simply, sewing through the center of each square except the big E.  I was worried I’d want more quilting on it when it was done, but it turned out how I wanted it to.


For the binding I used a Joel Dewberry print in a dark pink.  I like the way it frames all the other shades of pink inside the quilt.


This quilt now lives in Mississippi with Elsie and her family.  We love them and miss them.  My two year old calls every baby she sees “Baby Elsie.”   We hope they like it!

5 comments

  • Jill

    This is absolutely gorgeous! I love so many of the quilts you have created. I was wondering if you have any tips for selecting fabrics that compliment each other? Or have you written a post about that before? My mom is getting into quilting and wants to make one for each of my daughters and I have been looking at different fabrics but want to make sure they look good together. I love how yours all coordinate but aren’t too “matchy”.

  • Kylee

    love this quilt! Anyway you could email a more detailed pattern? Or how you went about it?

  • Linda

    I was wondering what size are your small squares?

  • jennifer

    Linda,
    I gifted this quilt several years ago, and all the leftover squares with it, and unfortunately I kept no record of my measurements. After studying my photos and consulting some other quilts that have a few of the same fabrics in them, I’m pretty sure that I cut the small squares at 4.5 inches, so they finished at 4 inches. This would mean that the large square with an “E” in it was cut at 8.5 inches, finishing at 8 inches. The quilt was 10 rows of 10 small sqaures, so it would have been 40 inches square. I hope this helps!

  • nicole

    I love this quilt. I was wondering if you could explain how you did the appliqué letter. Did you use a pattern and make it yourself somehow? I was hoping to buy one but I haven’t found one large enough for the job… Trying to make a similar quilt but I’m new to all this! Thank you!

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