Sunday, February 26, 2012

Bento Bikes Baby Quilt

Bento Bikes Quilt 1

Good friends of ours are having a baby at any moment, and I had been holding on to this fabric to make them a baby quilt for a while, and got it done just in time.  Now that they have recieved the quilt I can share it with you!

Bento Bikes Quilt 2

Here's a photo of the whole quilt, post washing.  They are both avid bicyclists, so when the Avalon fabric line from Birch fabrics came out, I knew it would be perfect for them!  I used a number of fabrics from the line and then supplemented with other grey, green, and teal fabrics from my stash.

bento squares before

To make this bento box design, I made nine log cabin/square within square blocks and then cut them into quarters.  Each of the larger blocks was 13.5" square before I cut them up, which was kind of a pain of a size to make, but was the right size to get the final quilt size I wanted (since I had a yard and 1/4 of backing fabric - so my final quilt was something like 39" square).   I used different size center squares to start and different width strips, so that the blocks would each be different.  I tried to keep in mind how the blocks would look when cut into quarters as I pieced them, so that each quarter would look good on its own.  I almost chickened out and left them as whole squares, but I went ahead and cut them up.

bento alternate arrangement

I also considered this layout which I like too, but I ended up deciding that I liked a regular bento box layout better.

Bento Bikes Quilt 3

I couldn't find the little quilting table extension thing for my machine when I went to free-motion quilt this, so the quilting was a bit frustrating (and far from perfect) but it all looked fine after a good wash and dry.  And the soon to be parents loved it, which is the most important thing!

I'll be linking up to Sew Modern Monday on Canoe Ridge Creations - click over to check out other modern sewing finishes!

{Sew} Modern Monday at Canoe Ridge Creations

24 comments:

  1. Gorgeous! I love the colours and prints, such a great baby quilt :)

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  2. Just darling! What a great name for this little quilt!

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  3. I think this is brilliant. I love the bento box design. So clever and a really fun quilt for the soon to be baby bicyclist!

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  4. The colors are GREAT!! Okay...with these great photos and fun pattern...I'm inspired to put this on my list of quilts to make.
    Thank you!

    hugZ,
    annie
    anniesrubyslipperz.com

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  5. LOVE the colors on this quilt. I love bento box quilts. It's been on my list forever.

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  6. Oh that is a loveable quilt! So beautiful colours and those prints are so perfect!

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  7. Both layouts look great. Those bikes are soo cute. Nice finish!

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  8. Perfect color combo! Great quilt!

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  9. Bento box is one of my favorites! Thanks for sharing!

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  10. Ooh la la! I love the blues and greens! They go so well with the grey and white. BTW, this is my first time visiting your blog. Love the name - Needle and Spatula! It's nice to meet you, Kate.

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  11. Beautiful! I love the fabric and the way you cut the blocks into quarters. Not sure I would've had the nerve to do it, but maybe I'll give it a shot one of these days. Great job!

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  12. This is just fantastic, Kate! Perfect colors, wonderful design!

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  13. Wow, it's beyond stunning. I really like that other layout too, you might have to make another one! Lucky new baby and parents :D

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  14. Wow that is a beautiful quilt. Would not have been as striking had you left the blocks whole. Love it!
    Cindy

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  15. This is great! Love the colors and although it's cute, it's not too baby-ish. I'd love it as a lap quilt (would match my living room!)

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  16. Kate, this is gorgeous! You have such a great eye for selecting fabrics and color palettes. Everything you do has such a chic, boutique look to it, and this one is no exception. What lucky friends you have!

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  17. What kind of seeing machine do you have, I've been borrowing my moms all my life and have now moved out and am trying to pick out something good.

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    1. So I actually have a pretty cheap brother machine (cost about $150) that I got on amazon, it works pretty well but is definitely not a fancy machine. I am actually hoping to get something nicer myself in the next year or two - the biggest reason being that it has a really tiny throat space, which makes it hard to quilt with. Good luck finding a machine!

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  18. That is so pretty -- and the bikes! I'm sure the parents-to-be will love it!

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  19. WHat a fantastic quilt! Love the bikes and the colors are so cool and refreshing. Great job!

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