Quilt Inspiration: Child’s Room and a Fabric Print
Hi. I’m Di. Thanks for visiting.
Recently my daughter, Aubrey, and her husband planned to start a family. She was working on the design for their nursery and asked me to make a quilt for it. There were the usual decisions: choosing a pattern, color scheme, and fabric. Would the child be a boy or girl? Would they be healthy? What color eyes would they have? The questions every parent has had since the beginning of time.
But there was more. How old would he or she be? Would this be a temporary or permanent home? My daughter and her husband had just finished the hours and hours of education, and home visits, and background checks to become foster parents. Their home was now “open” – meaning they might wait weeks or months for a child, then suddenly have a placement with just a few hours notice.
So there were more than the usual unknowns to prepare for. But Aubrey is an interior designer and I can only image how much she must have enjoyed planning for different scenarios: a nursery or a toddler’s room, a boy or a girl. Soon we were off to the quilt shop.
Aubrey found the patterned fabric above and that was our inspiration. We chose various solid fabrics and small-print fabrics with a plan to make irregular blocks in rows for a crib size quilt. It was our own design, but one that I could quickly complete since I am a novice quilter and they could get a child at any time.
While we were choosing fabrics, I asked a store employee for advice. It seemed prudent to explain why we didn’t know how old or what gender the child might be and that we didn’t have a “due date”. They might need the quilt at any time. After hearing my daughter’s story, the lady confided that she and her husband were not able to have children and she had regretted not having had the courage to foster or adopt. This person, who we just met, paid for the fabric. I’ve learned that people want to help.
Aubrey’s friends planned a “foster shower” for her intending the gifts to be for an unknown boy or girl, and baby or toddler. The invitations had already been sent, when my daughter and son-in-law were placed with a sweet, smiling, healthy, and very observant toddler! *
Making rows of fabric blocks irregular was harder than I expected and the result was straight, not wonky. Fortunately, the quilt was ready in time for me to give to them at the shower. Again, I’m a novice quilter, but I’m satisfied with the result.
I love thinking of this sweet child wrapped in love and warmth from the quilt that I made. They are such a sweet loving family. I really could not be prouder.
Thank you for reading our story,
Di
* For the privacy of the child, I’ve deliberately kept details vague.
If you’d like to see some of Aubrey’s interior designs, please visit https://burnhamhousedesign.com
a little bird crafts 