Day at the Zoo Quilt Finished

After weeks of working on this quilt and looking at the adorable Alexander Henry 2-D Zoo prints, I'm finally finished. This quilt makes me so proud and I hope the little yet-unborn baby boy will love it! The colors are so playful and fresh set off by the bold zigzags.

I don't want to give this quilt away. I might have a little boy someday...

About this Quilt

Fabric: Alexander Henry's 2-D Zoo and Teeny Tiny Zoo

and Robert Kaufman's Kona Cotton in Ash, Cyan, Olive, Cadet Blue, and Turquoise

Binding: Pop Parade by Metro

Size: approx. 40" x 50"

Pattern: Zigzag

Quilting: Machine Quilted in a zigzag pattern using coordinating thread & hand-quilted using contrasting DMC Perle 5 Cotton thread

Since I'm still in the learning process (aren't we always?) there were a few new techniques that I tried with this quilt. This was my first time playing with half-square triangles and I think these big 5" squares were a great place to start. Since the HST is the foundational block for numerous fun and beautiful patterns, I'm sure I'll become very familiar with them. Practice makes perfect!

This was also my first time hand-quilting. You can read all about that in my Tuesday Tips #2 post. I also used coordinating thread for my machine quilting which really makes the hand-quilting pop. This idea was inspired by this scrumptious quilt over at Red Pepper Quilts. I love the effect of the hand-quilting and colored thread. I am using colored thread on my current project, too, straying from my usual white. Ekk!

The pioneer points on the back detail were also new to me. I wanted a funky border that would make the pinwheel stand out a bit more from that busy back and that would tie in the zigzag pattern. However, I'm not sure I would have added them if I were to do it again. I'm not convinced that they added much and they were difficult to quilt. My advice? Save pioneer points for quilt borders. Though, they do add some youth to the quilt. I also think that they would look very cute on a dinosaur-themed quilt. Just throwing that out there.

This quilt is going to my sister next week so she can gift it at an upcoming baby shower. I hope this quilt is well loved and will last for many years to come. I also made it a bit bigger than some baby quilts in hopes that this little boy will be able to tote his quilt around well into his elementary years.

Sister, bring a crowbar, you may have to pry this one out of my fingers. You've been warned.