An heirloom quilt fit for a baby

The inch worms have descended on Richmond over the last few weeks, rappelling from the tree tops on thin silk threads and landing on just about everything in sight. We find them inching their way around in our grass and hair, on our clothing, furniture, and windshields. They are devouring tree leaves and getting fat before they burrow into the ground to emerge as moths after Summer has ended. The whole phenomenon reminded me that I've been meaning to share Merritt's quilt for almost an entire year.

Roscoe and Merritt's Aunt Coco quilted it for him and I think her love note and the pictures speak for themselves. It is a gorgeous and heartfelt gift.

Merritt, 3 months

Dear Merritt,

This is the first baby quilt I haven't delivered on time.  I'm going to let both of us take the blame for that one. You'll find that being early is generally a good thing but that, truth be told, being late usually isn't a problem either. The most important thing is that you show up.

The orange and brown fabrics in this quilt are from a fabric line called chrysalis.  A chrysalis is where a caterpillar makes its home as it grows and changes into a butterfly. A fitting theme for a baby quilt for a baby who has just been welcomed by his new family, don't you think?

I wish you all the love in the world as you grow and change.

                                                                                    Love, Aunt Coco

The one and only

For you quilters: The pattern for the squares is called, "Sunkissed Squares" from Moda Bake Shop. Courtney used one fourth of the pattern for a baby sized quilt but added the borders to make it bigger. The back was improvisationally pieced and follows no pattern. The straight-line quilting was done with a walking foot in a chevron pattern with the lines placed two inches a part. (She used painters tape to mark them off and then sewed along side the tape.) 

A funny story

Merritt was supposed to be an Aries, due April 8. To complement the space theme we stenciled the Aries zodiac on his nursery wall, among other constellations.

Two of his Grandmothers, Tippy and Nan, each cross stitched a zodiac for the room as well--a Taurus for Roscoe and an Aries for Merritt.

The zodiac was such an integral aspect of his nursery design that it dawned on me a few hours after Merritt was born, the details with which we had personalized his space in the house were now inaccurate. As it turns out Merritt was born a Pisces.

So his Tippy cross stitched a Pisces replacement and I planned to get the three constellations framed as part of Merritt's story.

A few months went by and while we were at the beach this Summer, Nan pointed out that she wasn't so sure that Merritt was a Pisces, after all. She was confident that he was an Aries, which I disputed, but conceded that I may have been wrong considering my state of mind at the time that I did my initial research.

I double checked a few days ago and, to my dismay, Merritt is neither an Aries nor a Pisces.

Born on February 18th he is an Aquarius. Sigh.

Nonetheless, we have two very lovingly cross stitched signs adorning Merritt's wall.

Merritt's Nursery

He's five months old and his nursery is finally finished! At times I wasn't certain where this room's design was headed but, now that it's complete, I'm captivated by the way all the details have come together.

We started with an inspiration piece and worked our way from there. Other posts related to the design process can be found here (drapes), here (zodiac signs), and here (constellation wall art).

It's dark and dreamy, but also full of cheer. I can't help but smile every time we're in it.

Wall paint: Olympic, color matched to Serena and Lily's Steel

Ceiling paint: Valspar's Denim Blue

Chair and star paint: Valspar's Mac and Cheese

Star stencils for wall art: Kosmic Kreations

This little light of mine print: etsy seller hopskipjumppaper

0-9 numbers print: etsy seller hopskipjumppaper

Matting and frames: Michael's

Wall clock: etsy seller mbartstudios

Station pendant lighting: Restoration Hardware Baby

Dresser and crib: Pottery Barn Kids, handed down from Roscoe's nursery

Chair: an existing piece that we repainted

Spot light lamp: Pottery Barn, discontinued

Rollie pollie: pattern from www.dana-made-it.com and fabric from Spoonflower

Wire baskets: Restoration Hardware, discontinued

Distressed shelf: Restoration Hardware Baby

Wire wall cubby: Hudson Goods

Curtains: Anthropologie, discontinued

Garland: A spectacular gift from a friend who plans to open her etsy store soon!

Rocket growth chart: Eboo

Changing table caddy: Everything Bin from Serena and Lily, pattern and style discontinued, handed down from Roscoe's nursery

Changing table cover: Serena and Lily, pattern discontinued, handed down from Roscoe's nursery

Woven Basket: Williams Sonoma Home, discontinued

Stained glass brother stars: etsy seller KurtKnudsen

Coat Rack: etsy seller Andrewsreclaimed

Crib quilt: a one of a kind, hand-made gift from Merritt's Aunt Coco

Summer sewing projects

The extent of my sewing experience can be summed up in the fabric Christmas ornaments that I stitched and stuffed as an 8 year old. In one word: primitive.

Inspired by my mom and other women who know how to sew for function and maintenance (like hems, and buttons) but who also know the craft and how to create, I’ve been wanting to find time to learn how too.

This leads me to reveal that poor baby Merritt’s nursery never did get its final treatment and, at the moment, remains unfinished. I made up my mind last week on a few simple pieces of art, and then decided that it was high time I figure out how to sew the rollie pollie that I have been eyeing as the finishing touch.

I ordered the fabric from spoonflower, which is a rabbit hole for fabric enthusiasts—the patterns are made to order and you can even create your own design with uploaded images. It’s pricey--I bought 2 yards of upholstery cotton twill for 64.00—but worth it if you have something really unique in mind. I bought a bunting pattern that already existed. I thought it worked nicely to subtly incorporate into the nursery the popular garland trend, plus I like how the pattern repeats to give the illusion of sunrays, which complements the existing "space" theme and cheers it up a little bit.

My sister in law handed down to me her sewing machine last year when she upgraded, and we're hauling them to the beach next week to set up sewing camp. I’ll have good help as I make my way through the rollie pollie pattern with its zipper and double layers.

Little Lion Man

When Roscoe was born he received from his cousin Mack, London, a mini blabla dog. It's become one of our favorite stuffed toys, and I've since gifted several to my friends with new babies. Blabla dolls are so soft and lovable, and they have appendages the perfect size for babies to grasp. Roscoe sucked the ears of his so often that they are permanently Pippy Longstockinged.

One of Little Sears's middle names will be Leonidas, which translates to little lion or lion man. This is a nod to both my Greek heritage, and to the Leo zodiac which describes this moody Momma to a T.

Of course, if Roscoe has such a special friend, Little Sears should get one too. It seems that Charles already fits right in.

And because we haven't bought the baby many special things that are just for him, I was happy to indulge in this sweet little knit cap--it will be adorable for his newborn photo shoot.

Taurus and Aries

(ursa minor)

We chose a color called "Mac and Cheese" in a flat finish to paint the constellations onto the wall of Little Sears's nursery. After much debate over how to paint the stars onto the wall (projector? free hand?), we decided to buy stencils for the boys' zodiac signs, and then threw into our cart at the last minute Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, a mythological mother/son pair, which include the recognizable big and little dippers.

I have to say that the room is feeling quite cozy and space-like.

Taking risks

I just ordered these curtains for the nursery.

They are bold.

They are graphic.

They boast tiny crescent moons atop little black clouds.

They are not at all what I imagined for the nursery but for some reason I love them, and I hope they will bring a quirky but charming twist to the space.

Inspire me to infinity and beyond

Little Sears's room will be themed to Space!!

I found my inspiration for the room on Etsy, of course! Our mobile will arrive from Australia sometime this week and it will be twice the size with 7 strands, not three.

Decisions made so far include dark blue/gray walls, with punchy accents of brighter colors like the orange, green, and blue you see in the mobile to be found in seating and storage.

Do dark walls scare you like they scare me? We've always wanted to try something bold, and this little guy has inspired us to challenge our design sense and explore outside our comfort zone.

Oh lucky day!

I'm on a mad hunt for nursery inspiration. Do you remember Roscoe's bunny?

As I perused the Internet tonight I found the series of knitted wool animals at Anthropologie.

Estelle the elephant (with fruit on her head), and Gerard the giraffe are my favorites.

Slowly but surely, transitioning to a toddler bed

We have taken a second step toward moving Roscoe from his swing to somewhere that is not his swing. For a long time, I assumed that "somewhere" would be his crib. After careful consideration we decided to skip the crib altogether and go straight to a mattress on the floor.

On Saturday afternoon we disassembled his crib and reorganized his room.

Roscoe now has an upgraded reading corner, and a mattress on the floor.

We hope that he'll take to this arrangement. Knowing him, he will not. So we have postponed until next weekend step three of our "as we go" plan, which will be to persuade Roscoe to sleep in his new bed.

What did you find helpful in facilitating this transition for your little ones?

Yes, please.

IF I decide to get pregnant again soon, and IF the baby happens to be a girl... THEN I want these curtains for her nursery:

I love the girly ruffles at the bottom, and the otherwise sheer, dreamy texture of the linen fabric. If you haven't visited Layla Grace in a while, you should check out their lovely selection of home decor, I think so much of it would look perfect in a nursery.

They have a great children's section too.

(And just because I'm so excited about the prospect of a little girl, I'll probably have another boy!)

Accessorize

I'm a sucker for wool and knit stuffed animals. These precious monkey twins are made from "up-cycled" 100% wool sweaters.

Monkey's not your thing? What about a fuzzy hippo, giraffe, elephant or pig?!

Roscoe's Nursery: featured on Spearmint Baby!

The bunny that started it all:

There was something special about his neutral colors, and cozy texture that caught my attention--and his whimsical cape certainly didn't hurt. With his purchase a color palette was born! Later, we had a canvas created from this picture, which now hangs above the changing station. We left spaces for art work, but in the end I really liked the idea of displaying photos of items found within the nursery--talk about effortless decorating!

I knew that I wanted the style of our baby's nursery to be an extension of our home, and since my design concept began before I knew whether we were expecting a boy or a girl, I stuck with ideas that worked equally well for either. I love monochromatic looks and wanted to stay in the family of tans, browns, whites, and creams. If Roscoe had been a girl we would have brought in accents of coral or lilac but as it turned out we opted for blue and orange.

The first piece of furniture we purchased was the crib. I immediately fell in love with the color--a warm gray--and thought it offered an eclectic twist and a fun challenge to build an entire room around. After unsuccessfully searching high and low for a complimentary changing table, we chose an over-sized dresser in the same finish.

The bookshelf--a muted blue that perked up the color palette and hinted at "boy"--provides great storage for our reading nook, and all of Roscoe's play gear.

A leather rocker adds masculine character, and a canvas pit bull pillow lightens the mood. A push-pin bulletin board displays photos of Roscoe's aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents personalizing the space and adding a splash of color. It's our go-to spot to chat about the people that Roscoe doesn't get to see on a daily basis.

It took us several tries to find the right shade of paint, but we finally settled on a color called Whispering Wind--a perfectly hued gray with hints of brown. Andy added decorative crown molding, and painted both the walls and the ceiling, which really makes the trim stand out.

The focal point of the nursery is a gorgeous vintage wall paper tree that spans from floor to ceiling. There are many color combinations available but we chose the "June" style, which comes with leaves that are primarily blue and green. Sold as a do-it-yourself kit, it is applied the old fashioned way with a brush and a bucket of paste. The tree trunk installs in 4 separate pieces and comes with more than 80 individual leaves that you can place however you like. Roscoe's June tree really brings his nursery to life.

The window treatment is a classic, flat, roman shade in a delicious wool sateen fabric. I've been looking into crafting an upholstered valance but haven't yet settled on the perfect fabric!

Perusing my favorite stores, in person and online, for special finds to incorporate into the nursery design was one of my most treasured hobbies during my pregnancy.

felted wool doorknob sign

ceramic snail lamp

wooden critter hooks

personalized growth chart

figaro clock with a tail that swings

woven baskets

window box storage for diaper wipes, diapers, and butt paste

One of my favorite elements of Roscoe's nursery is the variety of textures that I was able to incorporate into such a small space: a soft jersey rug, plush seating pillows, basket weave, rattan and linen lamp shades, leather upholstery, and a grasscloth tree silhouette. It's visually interesting, and full of tactile stimulation for little hands and bodies to explore.

I hope to always remember those last few weeks of my pregnancy when we often found ourselves just hanging out on the floor of the nursery, dreaming about our son and trying to imagine the ways in which our life was about to change. Roscoe's cool, eclectic, nature themed nursery is everything we had hoped it would be, and continues to bring us so much joy.

Without a doubt it's my favorite room in the entire house.

Where to find:

Laundry and trash baskets: Williams Sonoma Home

Crib, dresser, shelving unit, leather rocker: Pottery Barn Baby

Bedding, changing pad cover: Serena and Lily, Cameron (natural and white linen, with cream sateen)

Round floor rug: Shaggy Raggy rug in soft cotton jersey, white

Snail lamp: Anthropologie

Round ceiling light shade and wall sconce: Pottery Barn

Window treatment: The Shade Store, grey wool sateen

Window box storage: Serena and Lily, also check out The Macbeth Collection

Doorknob hanger: Tree. by kerri lee

Critter hooks: Paper Source

Grow with me chart: Tiny Sprouts

Reading corner pillows: Pottery Barn

Clock: made in Collodi, Italy--received as a gift

Tree silhouette: Romp Store

Pit bull pillow: by Pillow Pillow Pillow

A special thanks to our photographer, Mel Worthington, from Worthington Photography for sharing with us her talent as well as a few of many lovely photos she took at Roscoe's two week photo shoot. If you want to see more incredible nurseries (and lots of adorable babies!) check out the "newborn" section of her blog:

http://worthington-photography.com/blog/category/newborns/

And stroll over to Spearmint Baby, it's chock full of nursery inspiration!

Speaking of falling in love

Take a look at this:

Inspired by the mural in his room. One of a kind. Created just for Roscoe by his Grandma. I still have the one she made me 28 years ago.

I can't wait to see the places this quilt will go!

Which is crazier?

That I'm planning to get pregnant this summer, or that I just bought this sweet mobile for the next nursery (just in case we happen to have a girl)?

I couldn't help myself... can you blame me? Just look at these pigs!

I borrowed these photos from EleniCreative.