New pattern: “By the Hours” baby quilt and coordinating pillow

Several years ago, I made a simple patchwork quilt of five-inch squares for the new granddaughter of a dear friend. I was tickled to learn that the baby’s mother was using this quilt to track her daughter’s growth!  Each month she took a photograph of the baby on the patchwork quilt, documenting how she stretched in length. This was this inspiration for my newest quilt pattern, By the Hours.

I’ve always loved the simple beauty of the Hourglass block. The name alone, indicating passing time, makes it fitting to use in a baby’s growth quilt. In my design, I’ve included one whimsical climbing vine amid the columns of hourglass blocks, bringing to mind how quickly our little ones sprout and grow.

I’m happy to say that this pattern is a two-for-one, as it includes instructions to make both the baby quilt and the coordinating nursery pillow. The quilt finishes at 38 1/2” x 44 1/2” and the pillow finishes at 16 1/2” square.

Fabric selection is fairly easy. Begin with 8 coordinating fat quarters and then select a green for the vine, a neutral for the background, and of course the binding and backing. The material list will make both projects!  By the Hours is available as digital PDF pattern on my Etsy Shop.

Material list will make BOTH projects:

Hourglass Blocks………. 8 coordinating fat quarters

Green……………………… 1/3 yard

White……………………… 1 yard

Backing…………………… 2 5/8 yards *

Pillow Backing…………. Fat Quarter

Binding…………………… 3/4 yard (1/2 for quilt; 1/4 for pillow)

*Note: Check with your long-arm quilter. You may get by with just 1 1/2 yards if 44” wide is acceptable to your quilter. My quilter was okay with that!

My samples were made with soft, nurturing pinks and greens from Brenda Riddle’s new “Sophie” collection for Moda, which is scheduled to hit stores in February. Romantic flowers and classic ginghams are a hallmark of Brenda’s much loved style. Just check out the backing fabric. Isn’t it glorious?

While I love the feminine fabric I’ve used here, I do think this quilt and pillow would be darling in any range of colors and any style of children’s prints, from classic to modern.

I also want to give a shout out to two women who were part of this project.  Thank you to Star of Starlit Quilts for the absolutely lovely machine quilting. It is exactly what I was hoping for, swirly and girly and oh so pretty! Thank you also to my Instagram friend, Sigi, who served as a pattern tester for By the Hours. Besides being a talented and generous quilter, Sigi is also a warm and generous person who offers kindness and caring to all in the IG quilting community.  I’m thankful to know her, even from many miles away!

This precious quilt and pillow set will be gifted to our soon-to-be first great niece! Our niece and her husband are expecting a little girl. They live several states away, but thanks to technology, we have attended a virtual baby shower and even a virtual nursery room tour. I’m thrilled to say that the nursery is awash in white and pink, so our gift will fit right in!

Thanks for stopping by the blog and checking out my new pattern, By the Hours. Wishing you all health and happiness . . . and lots of time at the sewing machine!

~Taunja