When our boys were little, I delighted in recording their first words in their Beatrix Potter baby books. I neatly tracked our little geniuses’ linguistic progress, alongside their first foods, first teeth, first steps, and other milestones. Today, we look back on those pages together and laugh about early indicators of their personalities. For example, my eldest basically learned to say that he wanted to go outside and play ball before uttering the word mama (ha!). My youngest, on the other hand, is an animal whiz.
When a customer contacted me a few months ago to see about ordering a custom quilt with her nephew’s first words, it was an immediate yes! Read on to see how this timeless, bespoke gift came together.
Custom Colors and Custom Patchwork Squares
We started the design process by connecting on the phone to talk about her vision for the project and the overall process. Next, it was time to choose fabric to establish a framework for the design. My customer picked an array of playful dotted prints in fun colors, which we offset with soft solids.
With the color palette set, we collaborated to create the custom squares containing her nephew’s first words. We played around with images, font choices, and background colors before arriving at a final plan.
The quilt would contain 16 custom squares, with watercolor images accompanied by text in a modern font. We would use a blend of pastel and white background colors, for a playful yet cohesive look.
I loved helping her put together squares containing illustrations for words and phrases such as cow, truck, oh no, dog, and my favorite of all: coffee! A few of the words are in Hindi, which adds another beautiful layer of personalization to the quilt. With the colors and the custom squares approved, it was time to start the sewing.
The Finished Product: Quiltlove’s first, First Words, quilt
I loved sewing this quilt, which is backed with soft white sherpa and trimmed in a coordinating white fabric. The white has little white stars that are difficult to see in the photo but match the tone-on-tone design on the red fabric. The end result really pops, and my customer was so happy with it. I know it will bring a smile to her extended family’s faces too. My only regret was that I didn’t do something like this when our boys were little!
When to Give a First Words Quilt
Babies typically begin saying their first words between the ages of 12 and 18 months. This particular quilt is being given in honor of a nephew’s second birthday, which is perfect because we had a nice list of words to incorporate. Depending on the calendar, this could also be a meaningful holiday present.
If you’re planning to give a First Words quilt, please note that my turnaround time is about three weeks from when I have the final set of custom squares.
I love this quilt for so many reasons. What is most meaningful to me, however, is the opportunity to work with thoughtful and creative customers who deeply care about showing up for their loved ones. It was truly an honor.
I would love to know — what do you think of Quiltlove’s first, First Words, quilt. Is this a gift you would like to give or receive? Are there ways it could be improved? I would love to hear from you. In the meantime, I’m thinking about a fun A, B, C quilt with the letters of the alphabet representing meaningful parts of a young child’s life…
As always, thanks for reading.
Warmly,
