the quilt.

So, a very very good friend of mine is having a baby boy this spring. (We'll call him Dude Baby.) Since she is a very very good friend, I wanted to do something fantastic and magical for the little Dude, and I knew I wanted to make something for him, and preferably something that would be lasting, you know? 

Switch to quilting--I've been wanting to learn to quilt for YEARS. However, whenever I researched it, it sounded like an expensive hobby to get into, and one that would require personal instruction and the acquisition of a whole new jargon. It was intimidating. Also, for most of those years, I didn't have a sewing machine. 

After having a lengthy discussion with my friend K, I decided to give quilting a go, and just in time to make a quilt for the Dude Baby. Awesome, right? Forty plus hours later, the quilt is done, the Dude Baby's awesome mama has received it, and I'm posting photos for your viewing pleasure.

1. Laying out the squares; figuring out the order of the squares.
2. Yep. Barnyard awesomeness! (No monkeys allowed!)
3. To keep my rows in order, I made number signs.
4. Pinning the blue sashing onto individual squares.
5. Sewing said sashing.
6. Nine rows ready to be sewn with more sashing.
7. My excellent quilting sensei, K. See! She's smiling! That means she likes my quilt!
8. Layering the top piece with the batting and the backing. Nearly there!
9. Close-up!
10. Binding! Purple! Awesomeness!
11. Completed quilt in full.
12. Close-up of the corner. I used green and purple thread while performing the actual quilting. It looked super cool on the yellow squares, but the severe contrast made any mistakes noticeable.

Not shown is the yellow corner on the back fabric where I embroidered a heart and the year 2012. I would've embroidered Dude Baby's birth name, but just in case, you know? So, a heart so he knows his Auntie Audrey loves him.