Rainbow Swift: A Doll Quilt

• • 40 Comments

At the beginning of this year, I taught my son to quilt. He has just finished his second quilt. This time he designed and made a doll quilt for his sister. She celebrated her 3rd birthday last month with a rainbow party, so he made her a rainbow doll quilt. (It's a bit of a belated gift. When she opened the present yesterday morning, she thought that meant that she's 4 now. ;-))

He started by deciding on a finished size (16" by 24") and drafting a plan before raiding my stash for fabrics.

For his last project, he pieced the top by sitting on my lap, sewing with me. This time he did all the piecing by himself. He was so proud that he finished the quilt top in one day. ;-) Like last time, he did all the quilting solo. This time he decided to jazz things up. Each strip of the quilt has two lines of quilting, one in straight line quilting and the other in some fancy stitching. This was a compromise, because he really wanted to quilt "swirls all over" and I just didn't have it in me to start teaching him free-motion quilting just yet. He chose the binding fabric, but I pieced and attached it for him. (I sure love a striped binding!)

And, of course, the label. I just love his handwriting on the project. (My daughter was a little put out that her name wasn't on it anywhere, so maybe we'll have to squeeze a "to" line on there somewhere.)

Thank you for visiting.

Helping with this finish is one of my Q2 Finish Along goals. I'm linking up with the Q2 Finishes party.

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40 thoughts on “Rainbow Swift: A Doll Quilt”

  1. Your son is turning into a typical quilter.... Making for someone else to show how much you care for them. Love the rainbow theme and the beautiful quilting. Happy birthday to your daughter!

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    1. sarah

       Post author

      Thank you, Lorna. He's turning into a typical quilting in more way than one. While accompanying me on a local shop hop this month and to our recent guild meeting, he's picked up a handful of fabrics to build his stash.

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  2. Awe...that's so sweet that he made that for her. And congrats to him for a second finish and one he designed himself. That is a big big deal! I wish I had introduced my daughter to quilting when she was younger.

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    1. sarah

       Post author

      Thank you, Yvonne. He's right here and says, "I'm going to make a quilt that has one stripe of purple, then one stripe of red, then one stripe of green, then one stripe of yellow, one stripe of blue, and one stripe of grey." This is the first I've heard of this plan. I've also heard some plans with his new turtle fabric. He's also game for helping me to work on the twin bed quilt for his room that's on my WIP list. Only time will tell what he actually decides to work on next. :-)

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  5. That is just about the sweetest most wonderful gift for a brother to give a sister! He did a great job choosing the fabrics and all the sewing is just right! What a treasure!

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    1. sarah

       Post author

      Thank you, Lynette. I'm so glad he's enjoying quilting. I look forward to seeing what he comes up with next. :-)

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  11. Sherry Duarte

    Way to go, kiddo!! What a special way to share what you love with your son. The quilt is precious too!

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  15. Roberta Pabst

    Please tell your son that the lady from the quilt show saw the pictures and LOVES the quilt he made for his sister! It's colorful, just the right size and the quilting is very fun. Great job!!

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    1. sarah

       Post author

      I read him your comment before he went to bed. Here's what he said: "Thank you for saying I made a wonderful quilt. I really liked making it." I'm planning to bring him to the August meeting so he can share it for show and tell. (He can't make it to the July meeting.) Thanks for visiting, Roberta. :-)

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  16. Donna R.

    The quilt is amazing ... how old is your son? Also, I noticed that the pins are "capped." What are they called and where can I find them? I'm thinking of doing a workshop for younger Girl Scouts and they would make my life much easier!

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    1. sarah

       Post author

      Thank you, Donna. He turns 5 this month. He'd done some hand sewing at school and started machine sewing and quilting at 4.5. Those are Pinmoors. You can find them on Leah Day's website: http://www.leahday.com/shop/product/pinmoors/ I use the pins she recommends with them and they work very well! And so great for machine quilting. Super easy to remove! Have fun with your Girl Scouts. What age are you working with?

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      1. Donna R.

        Thank you for the information. I will definitely check it out. We are going to do a Quilts of Valor project that involves the entire Service Unit ... I am the Service Unit Manager and we have approximately 86 troops, ranging in age from 5 to 18. I was (and still am) having a hard time trying to figure out a way to incorporate our littlest Daisies (ages 5 & 6), but seeing your son and his completed quilt gives me renewed hope!

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    1. sarah

       Post author

      Thanks, Adrianne. Yesterday was his 5th birthday party and he kept retrieving the two quilts he's made to show people. It was so cute. It's fun to see him so proud of his work.

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  18. So cute, and the story behind it is even cuter! Great job to you both! And your adventures in teaching your son to quilt has me hopeful for when my son, not quite 2, is just a bit older.

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    1. sarah

       Post author

      Thank you, Emily! My son started with plastic canvas and embroidery floss using a tapestry needle at about 3 1/2 years old at school. They just had him do a little square going around the perimeter and spiraling in to the center until he'd filled it all in. It was a great start to hand sewing. Once I saw that he was enjoying hand sewing at school I offered to teach him to machine quilt when he was 4 1/2. Time sure flies! Your son will be ready before you know it! :-)

      Reply ↓

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