“Small Panda” Free Embroidery Machine Pattern designed by Igor Denisov from Needlework
“Kitten Playing” Free Embroidery Machine Pattern designed by Igor Denisov from Needlework
When you get the opportunity to make a baby quilt for a long-time friend’s soon-to-be grandson, the pleasure begins with choosing the design. But it doesn’t end with delivering the quilt. No, it doesn’t end for a very long time – more like when that soon-to-be baby has a child of their own and you ask them if they still have the baby quilt you made for them when THEY were a baby! I’ve had the pleasure of finding that out within the last year and the thrill of knowing someone has saved their baby quilt (or their parents did) that you made them 18 or more years ago is over-the-top quilted love!
Braxton needed a baby quilt. The fabric color choices were not something I would choose as there were light’s and dark’s but no medium shades of fabrics. But the quilt grew on me as I sewed it together. And when I added the machine embroidery, that helped, too. The final thing that clinched my love for this quilt was when my dear friend Meloney quilted it (and added the binding!) for his quilt.
I rarely ask Meloney to quilt a quilt with any specific pattern. In fact, I can only think of two instances, in the 10+ years I’ve known her, where I’ve done so. She prefers to let the quilt talk to her and tell her what pattern to quilt it in. For Braxton’s quilt, once she saw the deer stag head shot, she felt quilting it with leaves was appropriate as it would signify a deer walking through a forest. And she was absolutely right!

Double Cross Quilt Block
Cutting Requirements for 12″ finished block (precise 1/4″ seam allowance):

Double Cross Quilt Block Diagram
“DIY Clutch Bag Pattern†Free Pattern designed by Caroline from Sew Can She?
“DIY Journaling Bookmark and Pencil Holder†Free Pattern designed by Caroline from Sew Can She?
“Fat Quarter-Sized Fold Up Basket!†Free Pattern designed by Caroline from Sew Can She?
“The Card Kitty†Free Pattern designed by Caroline from Sew Can She?
“The Pochi Pouch†Free Pattern designed by Caroline from Sew Can She?
I made a machine embroidered and pieced quilted wall hanging that I sold to a dear friend, Joan, from Utah (we lived there from 1999 – 2006). The proceeds of that quilt will go towards our youngest daughter and her BFF who plan to go on a mission trip to Denver in June with our church group.

In the four corners of the quilt are machine embroidered Luther Roses:

Another dear friend, Meloney, quilted the wall hanging for me. It’s not so easy to see in the photo above, but for each of the embroidered areas, she stitched lines from the roses or crosses outward toward each of the fabric borders. It makes them appear to be suspended in midair, or to have rays of sunshine beaming off of them. Absolutely beautiful quilting!
But the fun part of the quilt is on the back. Joan is originally from that one city over yonder to the east, one of the ones with four professional sports teams – baseball, football, basketball & hockey. It starts with the letter “P”. The football team she’s been rooting for her ENTIRE LIFE *finally* won the super bowl earlier this year. Their first super bowl win EVER!!!
Now, Joan enjoys a good laugh. She always had a joke ready for my husband when we’d go to church or he’d have one ready for her. She and my husband really got along great and that always put a smile on both of their faces. Which made me love her all the more!
When it came to writing out and embroidering her quilt tag, I knew I needed to make it fun and honor her favorite football team. Here’s what I came up with – can you figure out what I did?
