Having just enough for Giraffes in a Row

 

"Giraffes in a Row"
39" x 39"
Started - December 26, 2022
Finished - December 31, 2022
A quilt for Maddy (Brocker) Durham

I have had this quilt in mind for ages. I thought it was so cute. Several times I almost bought the pattern, but there never seemed to be an occasion to make it.

Originally, I thought it would be for my first grandchild, William, but Tiffany chose Climb Every Mountain quilt for him.

I was delighted when Tiffany said she would be putting together a baby shower for Maddy (Brocker) Durham for early January. Tiffany and Maddy have been friends since second grade at FLCS. What a celebration for these girls to share motherhood and sons together.

Tiffany, Jimmy, and William would be with us for Christmas 2022 and would extend their stay to three weeks so Tiffany could do the baby shower. Having them with us for such a long time was absolute heaven! We so enjoyed them and getting to know William better.

When I told Tiffany that I was planning a giraffe quilt, she said she liked the design and that Maddy would like it too. Tiffany also said she wanted to pick out the fabric.

I had been busy finishing Christmas quilt orders, and I didn't have a chance to even start it. Waiting until Tiffany arrived for Christmas would be fine.

T, J, and W were staying in my converted sewing room for the holidays, and I didn't want to create a sewing mess until after Christmas Day. We had a lovely holiday and on December 26, it was time to start on the quilt.

I was so thankful that I didn't have to be at my job the week from Christmas to New Year's so I could work on it.

Christmas 2022 was comprised of two projects, organizing and quilting. 

I mentioned to Tiffany that after everyone left after the holidays, I wanted to reorganize my sewing room. Tiffany jumped at that idea saying we should do it while she was with me. I was overjoyed because she is so talented with organizing, and I love her decorating style. 

The organizing project was quite the task because the gang was staying in that room, and we had to work around William's nap schedule. I moved all of my fabric into my bedroom, sorted and organized into fabric bins ordered from Amazon, and then took it all back into their bedroom/sewing room.

Tiffany made a surprise art piece for my wall using my bin of crumbs & scraps, canvases from the Dollar Store, and modge podge.

I wanted to use fabric that I already had for the quilt. I had recently finished the blocks for Mine Craft and had an assortment of solid fabrics to choose from.

Tiffany chose the colors, and I started cutting out all the pieces. It wasn't a difficult quilt to make but I did have a challenge or two. 

We originally thought one of the giraffes would be dark blue with purple spots. As it was coming together, we both determined that blue and purple were not the best color choice. In my organizing, I came across a light blue fabric that would work better. I shifted the dark blue from the giraffe body to the spots and cut the remaining pieces from the dark and light blue.

I had a large piece of the grey fabric that had been used on the back of Something Blue Made New. It was directional so I had to be careful in making sure all of the lines were going the same direction.

I worked on fabric sorting during one naptime and the next, worked on the giraffes. My sewing station was the dining room table. In all honesty, my home was a collection of disorder with baby toys, extra people, sorting and organizing in my bedroom, and sewing a quilt in the dining room. Progress was being made on projects, and I wouldn't have traded a single moment of spending time with my kids and grandson for the holidays.

Once the quilt top was finished, we talked about what to do for the back. My quilting friend Nancy had a piece of spotted giraffe fabric that she had passed along to me a few years ago. At the time, I didn't know when or if I would ever use it, but it seemed like a good piece to have for a project someday. However, the piece was too short to cover the entire back.

It was back to my fabric bins to see what might work. Tiffany picked out a copper orange color that she liked to add to the giraffe print.  It wasn't large enough for what we needed so we made a trip to Ben Franklins to see what was available in a orange solid. The color we wanted wasn't available. And then.... I found a piece of fabric on the flat-fold table that was orange with some light dots, it was "Tiffany approved" and coordinated with the copper orange fabric. There was enough to add to the back and using for the binding.

Because I was limited on the amount of solid orange fabric I had but Tiffany really wanted it to be incorporated, I had to be creative in putting it together. I thought it looked like giraffe necks, and oriented the back to have the necks going vertically.

Quilt Backside

Miracle of miracles, I had just enough of the giraffe fabric for basting the quilt with a half inch overage. Of the orange fabric, I had exactly 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" inch square leftover.  A bit close for comfort in both areas but I was thankful there was enough.

Using all but 1.5" x 1.5"

Jimmy was impressed that I finished the quilt in record time and so were the ladies at the baby shower.

Every quilt tells a story. This is the story of four giraffes in a row and having just enough ~ just enough fabric and just enough time to finish before returning to work.

Every Quilt Tells A Story
Whether it is the fabrics chosen, the design, the colors, the occasion, the recipient, or the people I quilt with, every quilt tells a story. This blog captures in images and words what has been created for others and for my own home through the hum and stitching of my sewing machine.