Leif's Silly Squares

"Silly Squares"
Size: 26" x 32"
Pattern: original design
Completed: Fall 2006
Made in: Hawaii
Given to: Leif Kalama

Machine pieced and quilted on a Pfaff Hobby 301

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The story: After I finished Leif's larger baby quilt I had a bunch of scraps of the fabric leftover and decided he needed a small travel quilt as well. For each block, I paired two fabrics and stacked them and cut them and then sewed them up. It was super quick (I think I finished in a couple of days.) This is the quilt I would take with us when we went places and I wanted to lay him down. He never became very attached to it, but every now and again he asks to sleep with it.

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These are close-ups of each of the nine blocks:

Here you can see the green polka dot border and wavey blue and green binding:

Bits of Blue and Green

"Leif’s Quilt"
Size: 42" x 50"
Pattern: Flea Market Fancy by Denyse Schmidt
Completed: Fall 2006
Made in: Hawaii
Given to: Leif Kalama

Machine pieced and quilted on a Pfaff Hobby 301

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The story: This is the quilt I made for Leif while I was pregnant. I saw a picture of a beautiful quilt by Denyse Schmidt in an ad in one of my quilting mags and knew that was what I wanted to make for the baby. Cory and I chose the fabrics together at Kaimuki Dry Goods in town. It was somewhat difficult because we had to pick a ton a fabric. But it was fun, too. We ended up with a bunch of mostly blues and greens and threw in a duckie and frog and cars with surfboards. There is definitely an island feel to some the fabrics which goes perfectly in his room. I modified the pattern slightly and cut all the pieces straight instead of not straight as indicated in the pattern. It definitely doesn't look as well organized or cohesive as the original in the picture, but we love it. And Leif knows I made it for him and that's the most important thing. I backed it with a light green on green polka dot flannel and bound it with the blue and green wavey fabric. The only problem? Leif hates blankets and has refused to sleep with it. Hence, why it is hanging on the wall. Oh well!

Leif's Name

"Leif"
Size: 7 3/4” x 20”
Pattern: original design
Completed: January 2007
Made in: Hawaii
Given to: Leif Kalama

Machine pieced and quilted on a Pfaff Hobby 301

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The story: Cory and I took a pretty casual approach to naming Leif. We both would throw a name or two out there during the pregnancy and I guess we sort of had a list. But we didn't share any of our ideas with anyone and we only ever called him "Boy" (which we still do quite frequently.) Toward the end we both had a feeling we knew his name but still weren't sure. Then, the night before my due date I dreamed of this wall hanging in great detail. I had never made anything like it before and it wasn't something I had seen anywhere or considered making or been working on in my head or on paper. The dream was the first thought of it.

The next day, January 2, 2007, I designed and made it - pretty much exactly as I dreamed it. We still weren't 100% sure, but I figured I didn't have anything else to do that day. He didn't arrive for five more days and after he was born it was still about 3 hours before we decided for sure. It helped that he came out super blonde!

Cory found the driftwood stick at the beach and sanded it down. The fabric was all scraps from Leif's two baby quilts I had finished in December. I just quilted it in the ditch, but sometimes I think about going back and stippling the dark blue background - maybe when I have nothing else I'm working on.

Now, sometimes when Leif is going to bed he'll point to his baby quilt hanging on the wall and say, "Mama made that quilt for Leif." Then he points to this wall hanging and says, "Mama made that special quilt for Leif."