Friday, February 4, 2022

Millie

This adorable pixellated heart quilt has arrived at its destination in Alberta, so I can share it now. Three quilts are connected in this post, all through sadness, but with hope, love and joy as well.

In December Dayna asked me if I would make a baby quilt for her BFF, the one for whom I made Grace. She was going to Alberta the third week of January and wanted to take the quilt with her then. I ran a few heart quilt ideas by her, because it had to be a heart quilt again because her BFF loves them. She immediately fell in love with the pixellated heart I made for my friend and former Yin teacher, Gillian who had just been diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer. That quilt is what brought my friend Helen of @helenmidgetgem together, but that's another story, which you can read about in the Gillian post, Friends of the Heart, if you so desire.

This quilt had to be pinks and reds, so off I went to my stash and scraps and in no time at all had cut 70-odd 3.5" squares. I hit upon the idea of making a few 3" heart blocks within the squares and Dayna loved that idea. I decided to make five, one of each of BFF's family members, including Grace. Grace is a baby that BFF lost in her second trimester. Dayna knew how much a quilt can do to heal a broken heart, so I designed and made Grace. The link will take you to the post about it.
The pattern is available in my Etsy shop, Sandra Jane Quilts. It has instructions to make either a broken or an unbroken half heart shadow.

Well, this little one, a girl who BFF called Millie, (great name; it was my grandma's) is about three months old now, so this is a joy-filled quilt, that needed to have a connection to the Grace quilt. Hearts and actual leftover fabric from Grace, and a Minky backing did the trick. 

Once I laid out the squares and tiny hearts for the big heart, it didn't take long to do the math to fill in the sides of the heart, cut white fabric, and make the flimsy. I wanted the 3" hearts to be subtle, and I'm so happy with the result. There is also a square for their cat, who is pretty crazy, so Laurel Burch fun fabric was perfect for him. The beautiful white background fabric is Toscana by Northcott.
The heart for Grace is actually made from a corner connector unit from the Grace quilt

Onto Avril it went. I knew I'd do straight lines in the background, and some kind of different design in the heart itself, just wasn't sure exactly what. Loops and hearts? Meander? The idea for the X came to me thanks to having made the Postcard Pouch for Project Quilting, and it made me think of X's and O's.

Notice the Minky on the back of this one too?!

Dayna's Alberta trip has been postponed until the beginning of March, but she was still coming to our house for a long-overdue visit, so that was my deadline to get this quilt done so she could send it to her BFF in Alberta from our Canadian address (much cheaper postage).

I tried to get a bit of the weak setting sun's rays on it to show the texture. I used a polyester batting so it has lovely loft.


I never get over how blue snow makes quilt photos!
I do love the fresh sugary snow we had for the photos though! I used the pink text print to bind the quilt.


I didn't have an appropriate quilt label, so I made one, a heart of course.

Binding, satin label and I worked in my initials into the lower left corner.

It has been extremely well-received, so that makes me very happy.

Quilt Stats:
Pattern:  based on one Helen made
Size: 45" x 48"
Fabric: Stash and scraps; background is Toscana by Northcott Fabrics
Backing: Minky by Harper Fabrics
Batting: Pellon 100% polyester
Quilted: on Avril: 40 612 stitches
Threads: pieced with Gütermann; quilted with white Essential Threads100% cotton and pink Aurifil 28 wt

Linking up




18 comments:

  1. A beautiful quilt from the heart! I like the straight line quilting it makes the heart stand out.

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  2. Super design, fabrics, and quilting, and made with love, the best quilt of all. That blue snow, fantastic setting for your photos.

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  3. Thanks for sharing another quilt with a heartfelt story. What a blessing to have a friend/daughter like Dayna to share the love of a quilt.

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  4. You put so much thought and care into the details and connections in this quilt and it shows and I'm sure is felt! The minky backing is going to be so perfect for winter days and I am sure it will be used and loved for years.

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  5. Lovely quilt with a beautiful story attached. I've never done a minky backing, but have used flannelette a few times for babies. I'm being kept busy with baby quilts too with 3 due the 1st half of the year. Take care & hugs.

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  6. Well, of course, you knew I'd love the name Millie (gentle strength). How special that you used some of the fabric from "Grace" in this one.

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  7. Happy ending! Very sweet quilt. Love the quilting and minkee back. I had to really hunt for the mini hearts--subtle and sweet!

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  8. Wonderful heart quilts and story. Thanks for sharing.

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  9. What a wonderful quilt for a little one. I love your design and after reading the comments looked for the little hearts. So pretty. Your quilting really looks amazing and compliments it so. I hope she cherishes it for a long time.

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  10. Hi Sandra! Aww. Doesn't it make your heart happy knowing that sweet Millie will be covered in your love and good wishes?!! What a wonderful gift - both the actual quilt and Miss Millie herself. I'll bet she's just the ticket to heal her momma's aching heart. While there will never, ever be a replacement for Grace, Millie will bring such joy that it will dull the sharp edges. LOVE this, Sandra! And the hearts within the heart make it all the more special. {{{Hugs}} ~smile~ Roseanne

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  11. What a beautiful quilt and such a lovely present that makes the tie between the two babies a loving connection. I always enjoy reading about your thought process when making a quilt and admire so much the how the fabric selection seems perfect every time. I can only imagine the joy Dayna's friend felt on seeing this quilt.

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  12. Such a wonderful quilt, which is really from the heart. Lovely that Dayna has it and can give it when she gets there.

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  13. Another lovely quilt that I'm sure will be enjoyed for many years to come. I love that you snuck in a little fabric for that cat :-) You put in a lot of thought and love into this quilt, Sandra!

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  14. Gorgeous quilt and I am not surprised to read that it was well received! The minky on the back is a perfect finishing touch.

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  15. A beautiful gift for baby Millie! I’m sure Dayna’s BFF is grateful for this happy quilt-full of love!

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  16. Lovely heart quilt and I'm sure it will be well loved.

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