Preppy

My daughter, Olivia, has an Olivia the Pig quilt and pillow at day care. This set was one of my first projects as a new quilter about two years ago when Olivia was just 2-years-old. Now 3-1/2, she has recently told me her feet stick out of the quilt. Well, we can't have that, can we?

I set to work finding the perfect pattern that would come together quickly and show off nice pink fabric, color per her request. Oh, and the pattern had to be big enough to cover her head to toe. The spring 2011 issue of Quilts and More magazine had just the pattern - Diamond in the Ruff.

I really like the extra texture of the ruffles on the preppy argyle piecing. Little kids love to run their hands over things to see what it will feel like - at least my daughter does. I can just imagine her being comforted at nap time by the warmth of the quilt and the feel of the ruffles under her little fingers.

The fabric I chose is Joel Dewberry Modern Meadow. It's girlie yet sophisticated.

Using strip pieces cut on angles, the main part of the quilt comes together quickly - once I figured out the cutting method. The directions are pretty clear, but it still took some problem solving skills to think through it. A more experienced quilter may have an easier time.

If you decide to make this quilt too, I recommend getting 2 yards of the solid and main print fabrics because I found that 1-5/8 yards was not enough to make the required blocks. Even with careful trimming, I ran short by about 1/4 yard. Better to have a little extra for a scrappy backing or matching pillow than have heartbreak over running out of fabric.

Tomorrow at the Cincinnati Modern Quilt Guild sew-in, I will piece the top together - including the borders - and work on the ruffles. Not sure how I will quilt it yet - but probably will end up doing stippling between the ruffles.

What do you plan to sew this weekend? Please share in the comments!