Little Ducklings Quilt

In a just under one week we will be welcoming grandbaby number 8! We are so blessed to have so many little one’s in our family. As soon as I found out the baby was going to be a boy, I begin thinking about the quilt I would make for him.

About two years ago I ran across the cutest fabric at KCMakersStudio. Yes, I am one of those people who buy fabric just because I like it and not necessarily because I have a use for it. I am definitely a lover of fabric. This particular fabric was cut into a jelly roll which is a pre-cut bundle 2 1/2″ wide that typically highlights most or all of the fabrics in a particular design line. This bundle was Little Ducklings by Paper + Cloth for Moda fabrics and was absolutely adorable.

Just take a close look at a few of these fabrics.

At one point in the past, I had seen a pre-made quilt that was perfect to make from a jelly roll but of course I could not remember where I had seen it. I do this all the time! I really need to start saving pictures and writing down quilts I run across that I love. I searched several sources including Pinterest and Etsy, as well as googled patterns for jelly roll quilts. Still not finding what I was looking for, I got out my graph paper and created my own pattern. Pattern is probably too strong of a word to use in this instance. It is more like a guide, or a way for me to think through the construction prior to cutting out the fabric.

Once I had a map in my head of the process, I started cutting out all the pieces.

Then I pieced together all the squares.

After I assembled all the blocks into rows, I added three borders, two solid and one pieced. Now my quilt top was complete.

I recently purchased an ironing mat that is 32″x55″ that can be used on a counter, cabinet or table to provide additional pressing space. It was great to be able to lay out this quilt and press much larger sections than an ironing board would provide. Pressing is not my favorite step in making a quilt so anything that makes the process easier is a winner in my book.

Once the top was ironed, I layered the backing, batting and quilt top using Hobbs Heirloom Fusible 100% Cotton batting.

This is the first time I have tried using this batting which is fusible on both sides and eliminates the need to pin or baste the layers together. Once the layers are in place all you need to do is press the quilt. The quilting mat again was extremely useful especially for this size of a quilt.

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I chose a simple diagonal line quilting pattern. I wanted to make sure the diagonal lines met in the center of each square so I laid out my quilting lines with tape to use as a guide.

I love this fabric so much that I ordered a few extra yards to use as the backing and binding for the quilt. I love how the striped fabric finished it off.

I am so excited to meet our new grandson, I sure hope he likes it!