Stars and Squares Baby Quilt

Baby quilts are so satisfying! Big enough to feel like a quilt, yet small enough to finish quickly without turning into a year-long work in progress.  You can either keep the design simple for a fun gift, or take advantage of the small size to experiment with a more intricate or complex block without having to commit to full-sized project.  I found this size to be so handy when Louis was a baby - perfect for a stroller or on the floor for tummy time or as a play mat.

This quilt was made for a friend of my sister who was planning a purple nursery for her little girl.  Purple is SO not my color.  I have huge overflowing boxes of fabric - each dedicated to a single color, but my purple stash occupies a small corner of the green box.  Lucky for me, my sister never misses an opportunity to shop for fabric (and is way more into purple than I), and a fabulous package of purple finds was soon on its way to Paris!

For the stars I used the star block tutorial over at Cluck, Cluck Sew, which I have used in the past.  I just increased the dimensions to make 12" finished blocks.  I quilted on either side of the seams of the nine blocks and then diagonally, horizontally and vertically through the center of the stars.  The back is a single, over-sized log cabin with a 4-patch center. 

I am linking up to Fabric Tuesday at Quilt Story - go check out everyone's projects...