I have a special quilt to share with you today, a gift for our niece Molly, who is graduating from high school. Molly is a sweet, smart, soft-spoken young lady who also has a great sense of humor. With her easy-going temperament and kind ways, I just know she will make a positive mark on the world. It makes me happy to be sending a quilt along with her to college, to remind her how much she is loved.
When I asked Molly if there was a style or color combination she would like for her quilt, she wasn’t fussy. She just said she’d like it to be blue. Well, that was music to my ears, because I had been hoarding the blues from Lella Boutique’s “Nest” collection, just waiting for a special project.
I decided to use my Next Up pattern for Molly’s quilt. First of all, the name is just perfect for someone starting her next stage in life. Second, it is a bold, modern layout that I think young people appreciate. The pattern comes in two sizes. The layer cake size finishes at 86” square and the charm pack version finishes at 38” square. The pattern is available on my Etsy Shop.
I didn’t have a layer cake of Nest, but I did have yardage. I selected 10 blue prints and cut 42 10-inch squares, essentially creating my own layer cake. While my original Next Up quilts are very scrappy, this version has a beautiful repetition of color and pattern!
My Next Up pattern calls for two background fabrics. The darker grey that you see is Moda’s Cross Weave Black. It has a wonderful texture and provides a beautiful backdrop, allowing the aqua blue prints to shine. The creamy neutral fabric is a text print from Lella Boutique’s “Farmer’s Daughter” collection. It includes sweet messages that I hope Molly will enjoy reading when she uses her quilt.
I wanted this quilt to be extra cuddly, so I backed it with a saltwater-colored Cuddle backing by Shannon Fabrics. My local quilt shop, Quilts on Broadway, keeps this in stock in wide-back, which is wonderful. Shop owner Barb is also the one who did the machine quilting. We chose a quilting pattern that features cheerful flowers and swirling hearts.
Yesterday was Molly\’s graduation party at her home. It was a beautiful day celebrating a beautiful young lady. Here is the happy graduate!
On both sides of our family, the nieces and nephews are recent graduates or soon-to-be graduates. As many of you know, it’s a bittersweet time for all the adults who love them. Making a graduation quilt for these special young people is my way of wrapping them in a hug as their life journeys begin.
~Taunja
Beautiful quilt for a beautiful girl! Treasured gift!
Thank you Mrs. Hinz! 😉
Truly a special gift she will always have! Congrats to the graduate. My daughter recently got engaged so in addition to her quilt I'll be starting this month- the wedding planning has begun. 🙂
Oh what joy, planning a wedding and making the wedding quilt! Congratulations to your family! Let the fun begin!
It's a beautiful quilt (I just love the blues in that line also!), and Your niece is such a beautiful young lady!! I'm sure she'll treasure that quilt for years to come!! Hugs, H
What a gorgeous quilt and niece! I really enjoyed this post.I have lots of Nest leftover from another quilt that I just love. What a lovely line.
Thanks so much Helen! She is beautiful inside and out. 🙂
Oh Sue I love it too! And I still have quite a bit. I think I must have gone a bit overboard shopping the Nest line, (ha ha ) but I know it will all get used up! Have a great weekend!
Taunja- I did the same thing haha!!! Oh well, can't have too much of a good thing! 🙂