Many people make their first quilt to celebrate the birth of a baby. Why?

• You can’t find a quilt you like in a store.
• It’s fun to give a customized gift.
• A special person deserves to be celebrated in a special way.
• The small size makes it an easy first quilt.

Pinwheel Pals Baby Quilt

The free Pinwheel Pals pattern from American Patchwork and Quilting is a wonderful option! The gift can be customized by choosing colors and a novelty print that’s special to the family.

The quilt I made below includes the Crafty Cats Garden print, which offers a variety of images to entertain a baby.

“There’s a kitty. What does it say? Look at the fish swimming in the blue pond. Can you point to the birds? Where is the apron?” Quilts not only comfort children, but also entertain them.

I followed the pattern instructions without modification for simple sewing. However, I could have made the quilt even faster if I used the speedy method of making eight half square triangles (HSTs) from 10″ squares of fabric.

Watch the beginning of the Missouri Star Quilt Company’s video tutorial to learn how to sew and cut speedy HSTs. The baby-size quilt needs 13 pinwheel blocks, which are made from 52 HSTs. That means you will need seven dark squares and seven light squares of fabric to yield 52 HSTs for the quilt. There will be four extra HSTs, which you can assemble and use as a label on the quilt back.

Now that my quilt top is pieced, I look forward to quilting it next week for my one monthly goal.

Space to Create

I choose to make quilts because they’re special gifts and I enjoy the process. The loft above our great room is both my home office and creative space. But I call it my happy place because there’s space to dream and space to create.

Simple Organizing: Home Office and Creative Spaces

Unfortunately my happy place can quickly spin out of control and become the biggest disaster area in our home. Projects pile up and creative inspiration spills onto the floor.

Part of my problem is too much stuff. Melissa Michaels, author of Simple Organizing, wisely says, “Less stuff = More time.” This month I needed to free up space so I can accomplish my creative goals.

Organizing Fabric

A few weeks ago I pulled out all the fabric in my lockers. First, I gifted pieces I no longer wanted to use. Then I sorted the remaining fabric into piles: specific projects, solids, and prints grouped by color. All those piles easily fit in individual lockers.

Clearing the Floor

This was actually an easy problem to solve. I replaced my wall art with a Fons and Porter design wall, which hangs on Command™ hooks. No more quilt block shuffle on my floor!

Corralling Patterns

I bought binders to organize all my patterns, and I especially like mini binders for patterns printed on half-sheets of paper or smaller. The binder takes up much less room than the haphazard piles.

Storing Works in Progress

Creative people often work on multiple projects, and keeping them organized is a challenge. Enter our hero: a Raskog Utility Cart from IKEA. Now my projects are accessible and orderly. Hooray! No wonder people love them.

Making It Fun

I moved my laptop and large monitor from my work table to the top of the metal cabinet with shallow drawers. This storage unit now serves as my standing desk. Magnets hold work related papers and a few sentimental patterns from my childhood.

This space is still a work in progress. Nothing in a home is ever completely done. Right?

If you’d like ideas and inspiration for organizing your home office, check out Simple Organizing by Melissa Michaels by clicking my affiliate link. Last week I shared my breakfast zone and kitchen organization, and the week before I shared my simple command center/launch pad in the back entryway to our home.

This week I’m linking up with Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts and Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict. Check out all the happy, creative activity and join in!

Joyfully,

Tracie