This time, she asked Jackie, the new mom, to look at my blog for ideas or inspiration. She did so and fell in love with the Noah's Ark quilt. So that's what Mari asked me to make.
Once again I used the animals and ark patterns found in "A Quilter's Ark", by Margaret Rolfe. But, I decided to make a version of the pattern since I didn't want to make the exact same one again. So I removed the solid blocks and created 10 pairs of animals (male and female!) instead of 13. By eliminating the solid blocks, I was able to put the animals around the perimeter, separated by sashing. This meant that the center ark image (including the rainbow) was larger than in the original (about 40 cubits by 20 cubits).
The ark is monogrammed with baby Sebastian's name! The front features a peaceful sky and calm waters, while the back has a roiling, storm-tossed sea.
I stiple quilted in matching lavender in the backgrounds around the animals. This makes them puff up and look more life-like. The water has wavy quilted lines, while the "wood" of the ark is reinforced by straight "lumber" lines. The rainbow is edge-quilted using clear monofilament thread.
