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carolyn friedlander

carolyn friedlander

fabric and pattern designer

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Sewing for baby: Totem quilt.

December 4, 2014 by carolyn friedlander 12 Comments

 

Totem quilt for Laurie_10_Carolyn Friedlander

 

Almost any day now, my sister will be giving birth to her first kid. I’m excited to be an aunt again. My brother has two little boys, and they’ve been a great joy in my life as well as a blast to sew for. My sister however, is having a girl, which will change things up. I’ve gotten so used to needing to be creative with what I sew for my nephews. While there are some great boys-sewing projects and fabrics out there, the options pale in comparison to the overabundance of projects and fabrics for girls.

 

Today and tomorrow, I’m doing a couple of posts for two things that I’ve made for her and her new baby. First up, is a Totem quilt.

 

Totem quilt for Laurie_Carolyn Friedlander

 

I started this project much earlier this summer, long before I knew the gender. Had I known what they were having then, it wouldn’t have changed much. I like the idea of creating something that can appeal to both baby–regardless of gender–and parents, and not necessarily cater to stereotypes. We don’t know what the baby’s tastes are going to be, so why not give her some variety? It was fun to make it more of a creative challenge to find a mix of things that would be pleasing to all parties involved.

 

Totem quilt for Laurie_11_Carolyn Friedlander

 

Eventually, we did find out the gender, and so I might have loosened up by adding more small florals, that still weren’t too in-your-face-feminine. I kept to a soft palette of pretty peaches and blues, with some chambrays, gingham and other wovens for added texture. Of course, I also made sure that all of my fabric lines so far were represented–architextures, botanics and doe.

 

Totem quilt for Laurie_12_Carolyn Friedlander

 

Choosing the fabric for the borders was a bit of a tough decision. I wavered slightly between going for more of a peach, but the soft Dusty Blue Essex linen that I went with was what I had in mind all along. It just looked and felt right. When I sister brought it into the baby’s room for the first time, we realized that the border fabric matched her rocking chair perfectly.

 

Totem quilt for Laurie_13_Carolyn Friedlander

 

 

Totem quilt for Laurie_14_Carolyn Friedlander

 

On the back, I went with a pretty Leah Duncan floral print. I didn’t have quite enough, so I was able to squeeze in a little bit of a Lotta Jansdotter print as well. I love how the combination of the two worked out in terms of both color and pattern. The binding fabric is from Lizzy House’s Catnap line.

 

Totem quilt for Laurie_8_Carolyn Friedlander

 

 

Totem quilt for Laurie_15_Carolyn Friedlander

 

 

#totemquilt

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. jodi says

    December 4, 2014 at 12:04 pm

    Oh, I love how it’s not all girly-girly, but just the right amount of feminine. I have two grandsons, no grandgirls, so I know what you mean about the lack of boy fabrics. Blessings to your soon-to-be-born niece and family!

    Reply
    • carolynfriedlander says

      December 4, 2014 at 4:15 pm

      Thanks, Jodi! And speaking of sewing for boys, I just found the most adorable Lego and Mini Cooper fabric from Bunnys Designs. I’m going to make a shirt for my older nephew, so stay tuned for that. 🙂

      Reply
  2. kristin says

    December 4, 2014 at 3:35 pm

    i love this quilt!! agree that it’s “just girly enough,” but still has your signature style. lucky little niece! 🙂

    Reply
    • carolynfriedlander says

      December 4, 2014 at 4:14 pm

      Thanks so much, Kristin!

      Reply
  3. Rachel at Stitched in Color says

    December 5, 2014 at 2:54 pm

    Oh, how pretty! I love how those soft, floating florals contrast with your structured, architectural fabrics. Dreamy!

    Reply
  4. Gina says

    December 6, 2014 at 12:56 pm

    This is one of the loveliest baby quilts I’ve ever seen! The color/pattern combination is amazing! On a side note– will doe be available before Christmas? All websites simply say available in December. I’d like to add a bundle to my wish list!

    Reply
  5. Leila says

    December 14, 2014 at 8:21 am

    Just beautiful! I love it. So inspirational!

    Reply
  6. Lisa says

    January 5, 2015 at 12:34 pm

    Did u use the sliver piecing technique to piece ur blocks?

    Reply
  7. Veronika says

    January 10, 2015 at 10:21 pm

    Oh my, I am in love! This quilt is so imperfectly perfect…I hope someday I can mix fabrics up the way you do!

    Reply
  8. laurie Berman says

    April 22, 2015 at 11:57 pm

    Beautiful and so creative!

    Reply
  9. Lea says

    January 12, 2023 at 7:13 pm

    This quilt is gorgeous!! Stunning!! I know this is an older post but I just discovered it. I bet this quilt has been very well loved and used.

    Reply
    • carolyn friedlander says

      January 20, 2023 at 3:36 pm

      It has! My sister actually photographed her later two kids on it as well. 🙂

      Reply

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