News: Modern Baby Quilt

It had been almost six months since the Wild Things Collection launched. I was ready to start planning for the next children’s book inspired collection. I went through the all of the kids’ books that we had and polled my momma friends on their favorites. I kept coming back to one- Pout Pout Fish. I read this book all the time to Alice when she was a baby. During those long, but sweet days when it was just the two of us while on maternity leave I would read this book at least once a day. I created character voices and entertained myself. It’s hard to say if Alice was actually entertained by my reading performances, but I’m sure she enjoyed my company at the least. 

I had good memories of the book, but was it enough to inspire an entire quilt collection? I opened the very worn down book once again. The colors. They were so good. All the characters had their own color vibe going. I was really feeling Ms. Clam’s soft yellow and orange. The silver fish? And of course, Mr. Pout Pout himself.  

I thought this could be it so I started to sketch out designs. As I did, I reread the book over and over again. And I fell in love with it for a different reason- the plot line. The whole purpose of the book! I had somehow missed it during those early sleep-deprived days. The perspective message spoke to me in a whole new way. 

I started to challenge my own perspective on parenting. Kamala Harris became Vice President as I designed and pieced this collection together. I started to think about myself, my worth as a woman, and my ability to parent my young daughter into a confident woman who confidently knew her worth. I realized I was falling quite short with the little every day things. 

Sure, I was hitting the big things or as much as you can with a three year old. Reinforcing love, kindness, and empathy. But I wasn’t modeling it. I spoke to myself in unkind ways that I would be horrified to hear Alice talk to herself. I knew I had to do better. For her and for me. 

For many personal reasons, I am so excited to share this collection with you in just a few weeks. There will be three quilt designs in four sizes: crib (30” x 50”), baby (40” x 40”), toddler (40” x 50”), and twin (70” x 90”). There will be three coordinating quilted pillow covers and a really special, fourth pillow. 

Come back soon for the full reveal of the Pout Pout Fish Collection. 

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. 

I had to make a baby girl flying geese quilt to balance out Dylan’s polar bear quilt. I saw this llama quilt and immediately knew this was it.  What’s not to adore? Lots of pinks, greens, whites, creams, yellows in cotton and linen.  It’s soft and textured, and everything you’re looking for in a quilt for your little one. 

There are six fun blocks in this quilt. All of the arrows are solid colors: white, cream, pink, and green. The background fabrics are all patterned.  It's so fun to find a nice balance between all of the different fabric combinations. This modern baby quilt pattern really lets those combinations shine. 

We were driving with both kids in the car the other day when we noticed these green doors on the historic Coral Gables water tower. The water tower was built by Coral Gables founder, George Merrick, in 1924 and was used until 1931 when Coral Gables began buying water from the City of Miami. Thee water tower was not an attractive structure so George Merrick commissioned a lighthouse exterior design to enclose the tower. Yep, it looks like a lighthouse but it’s landlocked and was certainly never used as one. It was a fun, historical lesson for the kids and plus, the green doors were a fun complement to the llama quilt. 

I love using a solid color for the binding on these quilts. The binding seams the front and back of the quilt. It’s the most understated part of the quilt. We machine stitch the top of the binding down and then hand sew the back with a matching cotton thread. When it’s well done, it subtly complements the top and back of the quilt.

Interested in this llama quilt? Interested in this quilt design, but looking for something other than llamas? Send me a message at casey@caseysheilaquilts.com. I can’t wait to create a beautiful heirloom for your family.