News: handmade quilt

Last week, we shared the basics of creating a custom, modern baby quilt. This blog post goes more into detail for Option 1: Customize a Design- the Raindance Quilt version. We have four modern quilt designs that can be customized for any size quilt: (1) Raindance Quilt; (2) Everything Quilt; (3) Ombre Quilt; and (4) Nostalgia Quilt. 

The Raindance Quilt is a bold, modern quilt sparked with color. Full of equilateral triangles and alternating patterns, this quilt makes any corner of the room pop. This was the first quilt design I created. I’ve made several improvements to the design since then and love where it’s at now. 

There are two steps to creating a Raindance Quilt and you can decide on them in any order. You choose five colors for the front and a fabric for the back. The inspiration for the colors and fabric backing can come from anywhere. Is the recipient a rainbow baby? Maybe you’d like a rainbow fabric with coordinating colors on the front. 

Is the nursery themed? Maybe you want a complementary fabric to go with the theme (Mermaid theme, anyone?). We can find 5 matching colors for the front based on that. 

Or maybe you have a color palette in mind? We can choose the five colors based on the palette and then find a fabric to match! 

Once we discuss colors and/or themes, I will send a proposal with a mock-up of the quilt. When the quilt design is finalized, I will email you the invoice and order fabrics. I can start as soon as the fabrics arrive :) The process is about 4-8 weeks, depending on how long the design process takes. 

Send me an email at casey@caseysheilaquilts.com to start designing your Raindance Quilt. I’m so excited to work with you. 

One of the questions I’m most frequently asked is how to purchase a custom quilt? I get it! It’s confusing. I decided to start a blog series to explain it (until I figure out a better way to organize it on the website). To order a custom handmade baby quilt, there are two options: (1) customize a design; or (2) create a fully custom quilt. 

The first option is to customize an established design. I have four gorgeous, fun designs to choose from: (1) Raindance Quilt; (2) Nostalgia Quilt; (3) Everything Quilt; and (4) Ombre Quilt. Each page has a little more detail about the different designs, but basically you choose the colors and the backing! After you choose the colors, I will create a mock-up of the quilt and send it to you for approval. Once approved, I order the fabric and get started as soon as the fabrics arrive. I do prewash all of the fabrics so you shouldn’t have to worry about color bleeding on your first wash. Parents have enough to worry about. 

The second option is to start from scratch and completely create your own design. Sometimes, that means requesting a rocket ship quilt for your toddler’s new bed. Maybe you saw some fabrics that you’re dying to have included and none of my existing designs are quite right for them. Or maybe you want something to represent your family at this moment in time, but don’t really know where to go from there. Whatever the source of inspiration, I got you. I will create a few mock-up designs and send to you for comments and tweaking. Once you decide on the design that feels right, I’ll order the fabric and get started as soon as it arrives. 

The fully custom design is more expensive than customizing an established design for what is a pretty obvious reason: it’s a lot more time consuming. We have to create a brand new design and I get to do a lot more math. It’s rewarding and I love it, but the math has already been done on the establish designs. With either option, you can choose any size- baby, toddler, twin, full or even something larger. It’s custom for your needs and I’m thrilled to make that happen for you.

Whichever option you choose, your Casey Sheila Quilts heirloom is sure to delight. And please share photos! I live to see your quilts in use. Part 2 of creating a custom quilt is going to focus on customizing the Raindance Quilt. Coming next week!

Your friend/acquaintance/co-worker/cousin/a person in your life is expecting a baby! How exciting! You get invited to the celebration of said baby. The date is approaching and now you begin to wonder about what’s an appropriate gift?! The registry is obviously helpful, but how excited can you get about giving diaper cream? I usually like to do a mix of both registry gifts and non-registry gifts. Some bottles, formula, and bibs? Feeding time is taken care of! A sound machine and quilted pillow? Newborn naps in the nursery, done! A play gym and quilt? Tummy time! Just need the baby… Here are some ideas from Casey Sheila Quilts:

Option A: Baby Bib Sets

Baby Boy:

Check out the Wild Things Babies Bib Set because let’s be honest, most babies are a bit of wild thing. Or the classic Orange Dino Babies Bib Set goes with any theme. The dinos and orange bones are as soft as they are cute. 

Baby Girl: 

You can’t go wrong with the Sugar Babies Bib Set. Babies are so sweet and wearing a sweet, ice cream bib will help remind the parents as they try to contain the baby spit up. Or the classy Les Fleurs Babies Bib Set is always such an elegant set. 

Team Green:

Gender reveal isn’t happening until birth? We’ve got you covered.  Apple Bottom Babies Bib Set is literal team green. And the classic mint in the Donut & Sprinkles Babies Bib Set makes it one of our most popular sets for a reason. 

Option B: Quilted Pillow Covers

If you wanted to make more of a statement, then check out our Quilted Pillow Covers.  We’e got three designs in the Wild Things Set that are pretty universal.  The Wild Rumpus Quilted Pillow Cover fits a coastal themed nursery while the King of All Wild Things Pillow Cover fits a “woods-y” themed nursery.  Going fully custom is, of course, always an option. 

Option C: Baby Quilts

The creme de la creme- a handmade, modern baby quilt.  Looking for a modern baby girl quilt? Mischief of One Kind and Another is one of my favorites. Don’t forget to check out the fun backing, too. And just like the quilted pillow covers, going fully custom is an option. Fill out our Questionnaire, and we can start planning the perfect gift.

Option D: Gift Cards

All that said, if buying a gift is too overwhelming (I get it!), gift cards are really a perfectly appropriate gift, too. 

Thank you for being here. We are so honored to be part of this momentous time. 

xoxo, Casey

Binding. The piece de resistance. The binding is the fabric that covers the raw edges of the handmade baby quilts. It’s the final piece of fabric to be sewn on. It weaves the front and back together providing a common point for both sides. 

So much time, care, and work has already been poured into quilt by the time it’s time to attach the binding, and if the binding goes wonky- it can really ruin the quilt. It’s so important that I sew the binding fabric together first. 

Picking the fabric pattern is just as much fun for me as picking the backing fabric. I almost always use a cotton fabric, but you can use either a solid or a patterned fabric. 

If it’s a busy quilt, I like to use a complementary solid. Baby girl’s Llama Quilt was very busy, so I used a rich, dark yellow to bind it. It matched one of the colors found in the llama fabric and complemented all the colors on the top.

If it’s a quiter quilt top, then adding a stripe or a grid can add a lot of personality. A floral fabric on a sweet, feminine quilt finishes nicely. On the Raspberry Lemonade quilt, I used a bright aqua stripe. I faced the stripes horizontally to contrast against the vertical geese. 

On this Equilateral Triangle quilt, I used a black and white striped fabric. 

No matter which fabric binds the Casey Sheila Quilts heirloom that you bring home, we always hand stitch the back down.  It’s durable enough to last the years yet still gives the quilt a beautiful finish.