Introducing Nathan & The Nursery Tour

We had a baby boy in August! Introducing Nathan Alexander Kaplan!

Photo by Honey Photographs

Here is Nathan just 3 days old. I'm going to take monthly photos of him on this Chopsticks quilt & I look forward to seeing him grow in comparison to the blocks.

Nathan has grown SO much over the last month. I've been taking weekly photos of him on his Snack Time quilt and it is crazy to see how much he has grown.

It's amazing how much of a difference one month makes!

We've had a few photo shoots of Nathan & our family this past month.  I’m so happy that we were able to capture these early moments at home. 

Photo by Kinda Arzon

We wanted to find out the sex of the baby at the delivery so I made Alphabet Soup letter tiles for both names that we had picked out. We hung these tiles in the hospital to celebrate Nathan’s arrival & now they are on display in his nursery.

Photo by Kinda Arzon

Photo by Kinda Arzon

When I was pregnant with Nathan we referred to him as Blue because he was as active as the raptor in Jurassic World. I love seeing him here with the plush toy of his nick-namesake!

Photo by Kinda Arzon

Photo by Kinda Arzon

Photo by Kinda Arzon

We collected all of these things over the last year or so. Some were gifts and others were fun finds. Most items came from Target, Michaels and Ikea.

Nathan has a large collection of books. We requested books instead of cards for the baby shower & look forward to reading them to him.

This Alphabet Soup date banner is going to go in the empty spot on the wall in the photo below. I had all of the number combinations made in advance so that all I needed to do was the sashing after he was born & I knew his birth date.

I made some simple table toppers for the nursery with Ann Kelle fabrics and Soft & Stable. The panto quilting is by Teresa Silva. It's a simple cut of one fabric for each side of the topper to protect the top of the bookcase and changing table from spills, scratches, etc.

I've been loving these Ann Kelle fabrics so much that I made a few garlands that were used as decor for my baby shower. They are so cute that I refuse to take them down!!

This sweet gift in Tula Pink Neptune fabrics is from my friend Mary Ann. The pattern is the Happy Stacker Ring Toy by Heather Bailey.

This Ackfeld Wire hanger is the sweetest touch for hanging the number tiles in the nursery.

And now we have a one month old baby! Thanks for helping us to welcome him here!

© Blog post written by Julie Herman
For more information visit http://www.jaybirdquilts.com/

My 2018 Quilt Auction to Benefit Alex's Lemonade Stand is Live!

It's that time of year again, quilt auction time! I've been hosting a quilt auction on eBay every other September since 2014 to raise awareness and funds to fight childhood cancer. I've got 12 quilts up for auction this year & 100% of the proceeds will be donated to Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation.

The kind folks at Soak Wash have donated travel size bottles of Soak that will be included with each quilt. 

This is Nathan's first appearance on my blog! Our son was born on Thursday, August 9, 2018. He's supervising this year's auction and running the snuggle security operation for the quilts. :-)

They're being kept very warm and snuggled before they head off to their new homes!

Here's the quilts that we have up for auction this year: August Stars, lap-size, in Sugar Bloom by Verna Mosquera for Free Spirit Fabrics.

Comet in youth-size featuring Coney Island by Fig Tree & Co. for Moda Fabrics. The quilting by Teresa Silva is so eye catching on this one.

Disco quilt baby-size in Confetti Dots by Dear Stella.

This is Giggles baby quilt in Happy Go Lucky by Bonnie & Camille for Moda Fabrics.

This is the Glazed Donuts quilt featured on the cover of the pattern in Jasmine by Valori Wells for Robert Kaufman Fabrics.

This lap-size Lotus quilt was made with our wedding colors for the celebration of 30 years of Kona Cotton for Robert Kaufman Fabrics.

This is the pattern cover quilt for the Sprinkles baby quilt in Sew & Sew by Chloe's Closet for Moda Fabrics.

This lap-size Night Sky quilt has feature fabric in Tigerfish by McKenna Ryan for Robert Kaufman Fabrics & background + binding fabric is Artisan Batiks: Prisma Dyes by Lunn Studios for Robert Kaufman Fabrics.

This Science Fair quilt is one of the lap-size cover quilts featured on the pattern cover. The fabric is Honey Honey by Kate Spain for Moda Fabrics. The quilting by Angela Walters is stunning on this one.

This lap-size Snack Time quilt features Artisan Batiks: Color Source 2 by Lunn Studios for Robert Kaufman Fabrics.

This lap-size Spectrum quilt is featured in the book Rock Solid, Complied by Karen M. Burns.

This Stereo quilt, as seen on the pattern cover, is lap-size and features Color Theory by Vanessa Christenson of V and Co. for Moda Fabrics.

If you've ever wanted to own a quilt pieced by me, this is the only way to get one! I don't sell my quilts, but when I do it's in a charity auction for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. This is also a great opportunity to own a quilt quilted by Angela Walters or Teresa Silva, two incredibly talented quilters.

Additional details about each quilt are included in the auction listings. We'll do our best to answer any quilt or auction questions this weekend before the auctions end Sunday evening, between 5pm & 5:22pm Pacific time.

Please feel free to share this post and the links to the auctions on social media. I appreciate your help to spread the word, raise some funds for Alex's Lemonade & some awareness about childhood cancer!

Happy bidding! Thank you for helping to fight childhood cancer!

© Blog post written by Julie Herman
For more information visit http://www.jaybirdquilts.com/

Alphabet Soup Bonus Blocks - Alternate Block I

I hope that you’ve been enjoying Alphabet Soup!

I've got an alternate version to the Alphabet Soup Block "I" that I made available as a free Bonus Block for the book.

I'm working on some Alphabet Soup projects of my own this summer. While I was planning them out I found that I wasn't loving the letter "I" as I had designed it for the book.  

When I saw the "I" on pillows or letter tiles I wanted it to have the baseline and the cap height serif. You can see the new "I" here in the first row & the original "I" from Alphabet Soup in the second row.

I still really like the original "I" in words when it's used in quilts & table runners. I'm really happy with how it looks in this quilt that I made using the Alphabet Soup book. 

And now I'm loving how the new Alternate Block I looks when it's used for pillows, letter tiles, & tote bags. 

Click here to download directions for Bonus Blocks.




© Blog post written by Julie Herman
For more information visit http://www.jaybirdquilts.com/

Nova

I've got a new table topper pattern that I'd like to introduce you, meet Nova!

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Quilt Details 

Fabric is Kona Solids by Robert Kaufman

Pattern - Nova Table Topper, JBQ 175

Designed by me

Quilted by Angela Walters

Started on 11/6/17

Finished on 12/6/17

Quilt measures - 20.5" x 23"

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Quilt Details 

Fabric is Pompoms and Stripes by Tula Pink

Pattern - Nova Table Topper, JBQ 175

Designed by me

Quilted by Teresa Silva

Started on 4/2/18

Finished on 4/16/18

Quilt measures - 20.5" x 23"

Nova is made using the Sidekick or Super Sidekick ruler & there's no Y seams. I've got video tutorials on how to use the rulers here.  Full size templates are included in the pattern. 

This pattern is a fun one for working with different color combinations in solid & print fabrics.  I can't wait to see all of the variations that you'll make with this pattern!

Nova patterns are printed in full color and will be in local quilt shops in May. The pattern is fat eighth & stash friendly. You can find binding instructions here.

Be sure to share your photos with us using the hashtag #NovaTableTopper so we can share in the fun of the ones that you have made!

© Blog post written by Julie Herman
For more information visit http://www.jaybirdquilts.com/