Ivy's Keepsake Quilt

Hello there, just my mid-week check-in. Tonight, I finally had time to finish a post about something I've been really excited to share!

Remember the incredible keepsake quilt that Terri Mom made me with some of Kip's old baby clothes? Read about it here. 

It is such a treasure to me and even before I received that quilt, I started setting some of Ivy's baby clothes aside for her quilt. Terri Mom, of course, was willing to take on the creative project for her (re: me) as well. Not being a quilter or a sewer, I will never fully understand the amount of time and energy that goes into making keepsake quilts like these, but I am certain of how much love and commitment was put into them by Grandma. And I am forever grateful to my Terri Mom for her heart and all the love she poured into making them.

When Ivy's birthday box arrived this year, there was one gift wrapped-up with mine and Ivy's name on it. I knew it was the quilt and I was overwhelmed with emotion opening it. 

It is ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!

I had forgotten about so many of the pieces of clothes I saved for the quilt and it was a lovely surprise to be reminded of all of them. I thoroughly enjoyed scrolling through my photos finding pictures of Ivy wearing the outfits.

This patch is a combination of a itty bitty floral romper Ivy wore when she was just a month old that matched a dress I got myself. We wore these on a little pandemic trip to the park in New Jersey, the very day we spotted those town homes across the way and dreamed about buying one - not knowing at the time we would eventually call one home!

On the quilt square, the floral romper is paired with a red fabric from an OshKosh corduroy jumper Ivy wore on her first Valentine's Day.

 

This patch showcases fabric from a little chambray dress with red embroidered stars that Ivy wore for the 4th of July when she was two years old, paired with floral fabric from a dress she wore to visit Santa at the garden center when she was one and a half.

This next patch combines an adorable blue embroidered romper with the floral patterned skirt of a sweet dress, both worn by Ivy her first year.

I especially love this patch that combines a top Ivy wore when she was about six months old and the tie-dye overalls she wore on her first birthday. Such a good combination!

Oooh I want to squeeze those little smiley cheeks!

And there's that same top combined with the tiniest little striped sun top on a two month old Ivy!

This cutie patch features a white eyelet top with a colorful plaid top that Ivy wore at a few months old. 

That second photo makes me laugh. Ivy sucked her thumb for like three days and we thought for sure she would ditch the pacis for the thumb but it ended-up being short lived. And the chuck pad she's laying on. LOL! She was never without a pad or burp cloth under her for the first six months of her life because she was constantly spitting-up all over everything!

Anyways, this next patch is a perfect little patriotic combo of Ivy's first 4th of July top with her second 4th of July top.

That solid red tiny embroidered flower top is on the quilt a few times and is the top she is wearing in one of my most favorite photos of her. I'll forever remember this photo when I see that those patches on the quilt.

 

 

And another favorite photo is this one of newly two year old Ivy in a cute little pattern matching dress.

The fabric from that dress skirt is paired with the fabric from a sweet floral dress on this patch.

 

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a photo of Ivy wearing the floral dress but I know she wore it to my mom's memorial service. Sadly, I don't have a photo of Ivy from that day, but I have the dress in a photo laid out on my bed along with the other outfits I picked for us to wear to that occasion.

The dress is paired in another patch with a striped top that Ivy also wore on that trip to Colorado.

And those little denim shorts she is wearing in that photo above are paired in this patch with the floral dress again.

Many of the outfit fabrics on the quilt are featured a couple of times in different combinations. But this little floral dress appears on the quilt eight times! Now, I know Terri Mom had no idea but I feel like this dress is a little memorial piece of my mom woven into the quilt. 

My mom loved the quilt Terri made for Kip and while she was a little envious she couldn't make something quite like a quilt, I know she was grateful for me. She knew how special the quilt was and I'm certain she would have adored Ivy's quilt just as much.

What I especially love about both Kip and Ivy's quilts are their subtlety and timelessness. They are not babyish in any way. Of course they contain baby clothes but they are quilts to last a lifetime. The color combinations are such that they will grow with the kids and the fact that they are queen size is even better. I see them in my mind, years from now, when the kids come home to visit from college or as young adults. They will still be on their beds, waiting for the day when they have a home of their own and their own kids to wrap up in them. I hope they treasure them as much as I do.

But for now, I've just got to somehow get the kids to graduate out of their daybeds with baby rails so we can put these quilts to use! At the moment, we've got wild animals that are incapable of keeping the covers on, let alone facing the right way in bed all night!

Thank you Terri Mom, from the bottom of my heart. Love you.