Progress

We are making progress, slowly but surely.  This week marks the "home stretch" of pregnancy for me, as I like to think of it - 10 weeks left to go.  As my belly grows progressively larger, we have been making progress in other areas as well.

A lot of stacking has been going on around here lately. While my husband has been considering the stacking of small children (another set of bunkbeds slated to make an appearance at the beginning of next month), I have taken to stacking coins...of the quilted variety, naturally.

I saw this tutorial for a baby stacked coin quilt and fell in love with the simplicity of the style.  The 5 separate stacks of coins sealed the deal, as this quilt is intended for our beloved and much anticipated 5th born child.   The stacked coins pattern is nothing new, but I love the idea of using it for a baby quilt.  The old Scottish tradition of giving a newborn a silver coin to hold comes to mind when I think of coins and babies.  A delightfully quick craft, I was able to cut and sew the 5 stacks of "coins" on the day that the squares arrived in the mail.  As that is the most extensive piecing required, this quilt is sure to be my "go-to" pattern for quick and easy baby gifts.
 
I know it comes as no surprise, but I love making things.  I love using my brain and creativity, but also how slowly pulling something together gives one lots of time for reflection.  While making this quilt, I've been thinking about this pregnancy.  How, after the initial illness and uncertainty, I have been blessed with what has been my most relaxed and pleasant experience thus far.  Here, at pregnancy number five, there is no more fear of unknowns - no anxiety, no need for expensive purchases or long to do lists.  In fact, it can feel like I'm really not doing anything at all to prepare for this little one.  And so, I quilt.

For my quilt, I went with the "Fandango" by Kate Spain collection.  I was drawn to the geometric shapes and the gender neutral colors - orangey red, gold, light blue, turquoise and brown.  The quilt calls for white sashing, but I opted for a more natural tone in silky soft Kona Muslin to match the colors in the coins.  Inside, the batting is organic cotton.  The backing is more natural Muslin, with a small pieced detail just for fun.

Hand quilting this little baby quilt is going quite quickly - in one evening I am over half done.  I have a simple green and off-white dotted fabric for the binding.

So, progress.  Not there yet, but in the home stretch.