DellaJane Quilts: Baby Quilts

My apologies! I am moving photos for this gallery over from a personal web space. Many images are not available at this time. Please check back in a week or so!

The children these quilts were made for are identified only by first name to protect their privacy. And, because I didn't always go back to make a note after the baby was born, I will apologize in advance to those beautiful babies whose names I have forgotten.

Cut Loose Stars (2002 45" x 60")

Made for Connor J. The stars were made using techniques from Jan Mullen's Cut Loose Quilts. I started with a packet of purple/yellow/green batik FQs I had ordered from Hancocks of Paducah, and added a bunch of yellows from my stash. Since the stars came out all different sizes, I framed them in the yellows, then trimmed them to the same size. A closeup of the star block shows the piecing techniques (or lack of?) that give this quilt a casual look.

If you like the casual look of the piecing in this quilt, look for Gwen Marston's Liberated Quiltmaking or Jan Mullen's Cut Loose Quilts.

CUT LOOSE STARS QUILT detail

Crayon Colors I & II

From the collections of Baby S. and Mason T. The two quilts shown here are based on block designs from Mary Ellen Hopkins' book Connecting Up. I made blocks with both dark and light gray backgrounds, then played around with the layouts until I ended up with two quilts. The 3rd photo is the back of Crayon Colors I. I like using extra blocks on the back of my quilts.

[CRAYON COLORS 1] [CRAYON COLORS 2] [CRAYON COLORS BACK]

A Star Is Born (2002)

Another of MEH's books, Bakers Dozen Doubled produced A Star Is Born. Most of the 9-patch blocks came from an Internet swap I was in about 5 years ago. Every month for a year, we made & swapped 3" 9-patch blocks. Pink is my favorite color & so these blocks were the hardest to use in a quilt which I wouldn't get to keep! From the collection of Jasmine B.

[STAR]

Kid Colors

Another favorite pattern is used in the Kid Colors series. The original pattern was an Amish table topper in the Jan/Feb 2000 issue of Fons & Porter's For the Love of Quilting magazine. I make it bigger and use bright colors. The yellow-bordered quilt shown here belongs to Grace R.

Kangaroos and Cornfields

Kangaroos and Cornfields was made for Danielle D, an Aussie baby born in Nebraska. My original design called for 5 of the paper-pieced kangaroos. After making one (&*#$%#*) block, I changed my plan! all the fabrics are Australian or corn. The block is the traditional Nebraska block with a not-so-traditional color scheme.

[KANGAROOS QUILT] [KANGAROOS CLOSEUP]

Cat's Game

I love making string quilts using all the narrow strips of fabric produced while making other quilts. This quilt is Tic Tac Toe #1:Cat's Game. I intended to do a series, but so far, this is it. I do love those cats in the border! From the collection of Zachary K.

[CAT'S GAME]

Hidden Rainbow I & II

I started hand dyeing fabric in 2001. I found a great black & white commercial print, bought the rest of the bolt, and dyed it pink, blue, green and yellow. I combined the sweet, sweet results with string blocks in Hidden Rainbow I and II. Since the two quilts are virtually identical, only one is pictured here. Collections of Joshua F. and Bre G.

[HIDDEN RAINBOW] [HIDDEN RAINBOW CLOSEUP]

Bargello Baby Quilt

This bargello quilt was made in 1998 for James H.

[BARGELLO] [BARGELLO DETAIL]