Sugar + Spice
Mar 7th, 2008 by Kathy
A friend of mine traveled with her sister to China last month to bring home her newly adopted niece. I had the wonderful opportunity of running into them all on the street and meeting Xin, a beautiful almost two year old with a huge smile. I immediately started scheming on this quilt for her.
It’s the Bento Box pattern by Tracey Brookshier, finished size 45″ x 45″. The color formula is very simple and fun. 9 fat quarter pairs of light and dark valued fabrics. Nancy made one of these awhile back (can’t find the post! but here’s her lovely gallery of quilts, the Bento Box is the last one on the second row). She advised me to have a lot of contrast between the fabrics in the pair so the pattern doesn’t get muddled when everything is mixed up. Excellent tip!
Label created using Printed Treasures. I machine sewed this on from the back through all the layers of the quilt. I anticipate it being washed a lot and I was afraid hand sewing would not be durable. I put the thread I used for quilting the front into the bobbin and the stitches blended nicely. Next time, if the heavens part and I remember, I’ll sew the label onto the back before quilting!
Have a fabulous weekend!
I plan on making one with Kona Snow - I saw that done on flickr & LOVED it.
Pink & orange is a great combination.
I love love love this quilt! You have inspired me to get to basing my pink/orange quilt today!
That is beautiful!!! I love the pink and orange and I’m pleased to see the l’s quilted there. I am sure it will be a family treasure for years to come.
That is just beautiful, Kathy. I love that color combination.
So lovely! More proof I need the bento box pattern - I would try to reverse engineer it but in this case I think I would be making it a lot harder on myself!
Oh wow, I’m crazy about that quilt!
Ah, I really love the Bento Box pattern and bought it two years ago at a quilt show. There’s something really nice about the graphic lines. Hmm, I have yet to make baby quilts for my twin nephews and this looks so fun to make. Perhaps now would be a good time to break out the pattern. Oh and I see that you’ve used your machine quilting guide for this. Great!
LOVELY!! I have also made this pattern and you really can’t go wrong, huh? Your fabric and colors are amazing. I really love this quilt. So so beautiful.
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!!!!
Your color combo is so fun! I love this pattern — it looks great in whatever fabrics are thrown at it. I usually see it in Batiks, so yours is a breath of fresh air.
Wow — I’m *loving* the colours! And the pattern is really eye-catching. I would have gone nuts over that when I was a little girl. Fantastic job!
Absolutely gorgeous. The colors are fun & happy with a chic twist. Another job well done Kathy!
It’s lovely…simply lovely. and the colors have such great energy. I have that pattern on my “to-do” list too.
It’s going to make an amazing first quilt.
I can just picture the Teddy Bear Picnics to come on the quilt.. Great job…While I marvel and the beauty of hand quilting, I totally appreciate the durability of machine stitching… never hesitate. Our pioneer great grandmothers would have taken every advantage of machine quilting if they had had it….
Beautiful! I love pink and orange
So pretty! I love the orange — bright, cheerful and youthful!
It’s fabulous! What a loving tribute. I’ve got to give this pattern a try.
Wonderful quilt. The colors and love that went into it will surely make them happy.
Kathy, that is great! And so thoughtful. Lovely, lovely.
That is just gorgeous! What a perfect color combination. She’ll have some sweet dreams with that on her bed.
WHY are you distracting me from what I should be doing?? Now I want to make this quilt! Perfect for someone who likes squares. :o)
Oh that’s FABULOUS! I love the strong and bright colors and I *love* the tag.
As a mom who adopted our youngest at 22 months I can tell you how touching and wonderful this is for your friend’s sister.
Honoring a new infant is easy - there’s an entire industry around it - but when you add an insta-toddler (as I used to jokingly describe Emily) to your family it can be more challenging for some people. It is so kind of you to help her celebrate the her new daughter with such a beautiful, thoughtful gift. I’m sitting here with tears in my eyes (the good kind) - thanks for making my day.
I’m glad my tips were of help. Guess I need to get back to that one huh
I love the orange and pink together! Funny enough I had the same quilt label issue this morning as I started sewing the binding on my quilt and realized that I hadn’t done the label. This is why none of my quilts have labels.
The colors are brilliant, and I absolutely love the loop-de-loop quilting.
I absolutely LOVE this quilt. One of my friends is adopting from China and i think this is a great idea to do for her little girl too. Pink and Orange makes me so ready for spring!
Thanks for the inspirations!
This is just gorgeous!!! (said as I look at my quilt fabric) lol
Oh my gosh, I just love that! LOVE the pink and orange!
I’m not much of a quilt girl but this I think I could do and love doing!
Great job!
Truly beautiful! And I love all the details you put on the label….the pink and orange are really great together!
Wow, this is gorgeous! I keep seeing the Bento Box pattern around, I am just itching to try it myself.
What a gorgeous quilt!! I love the color combos and fabric choices you made, orange and pink are so cheery!! It’s such a loving, heartfelt gift, great work
how absolutely beautiful and inspiring. I want to make a quilt for my boy- what a great pattern!
Love it, Kathy. Now I have to add Bento Box to the ever-growing list of quilts on the endless someday list. The label is also great. I never remember to make one, but it really does personalize a gift even more!
I loeeeeeeeeee that quilt!
This is such a beautiful quilt! I love the colors and placement that you chose here.
Love your fabric combinations! It sings happiness and joy!
What a treasure–I’m sure it will be loved and loved for years to come.
Hey Kathy!
That quilt is a WORK OF ART! My mom and I were just drooling over the photos. What a lucky little girl to receive this. The colors are so great, and the black binding is the perfect touch!
Can you look at my latest post? I have a quilt top that I made using very big blocks, and I’m a TOTAL newbie at machine quilting. Do you have any suggestions about a good way to machine quilt it? Just wondering if anything came to your brilliant quilting mind. Once I quilt it, I’m going to pull out the email you sent me about how to hand sew the binding. Wish me luck!
It’s so beautiful, and what great colour and pattern choices. I love how you photograph your quilts, too. Just lovely!
I love this quilt! I have been looking for ideas for my daughter’s bed, and this might be it!
Wonderful, happy quilt. It will bring lots of cheer and love! Thanks for sharing.
Wow, what a wonderful way to welcome a little someone into our world! That quilt is beautiful… And I love the design name!
What a beautiful quilt! I love your choice of fabrics. I was trying to think of an idea for my next quilt and I am very inspired by the Bento Box design.
Kathy, I just love this quilt. It is so happy and pretty !!!!Clarice
Kathy, I love, love, LOVE everything about this quilt. Stunning!
Your quilt is beautiful! I love the color. Every child needs a bright and cheery quilt.
As an adoptive mom of two girls from China, this gracious gift makes my heart sing. It is so nice to see a little girl celebrated in this way. Sometimes the toddlers who are adopted, which a lot from China are toddlers, get short changed. You are a kind soul to make such a special gift for her.
Kathy, this is absolutely gorgeous. Love it to bits!
Welcome home Xin!
WOW! This is amazing - I love all the quilts that you do, but this one is especially lovely!
I *love* the pink-and-orange combo!
Hi Kathy, I love the pink and orange colors. This is a beautiful quilt.
So. absolutely. awesome.
Great colors and great work. Very sweet.
Thanks for a kick-in-the-pants to get my patchwork going.
LOVE it!!!!
What a lovely version of this quilt. I’ve mostly seen this done in solids, & am very taken with the great energy all those patterns bring. Plus, LOVE the L loops!
beautiful! no other word would be appropriate…
That. Is. Gorgeous. I want one for myself!
I love those colors for a little girl. So fun and bright.
I can’t think of a more beautiful welcome quilt–it just exudes warmth and cheer. And it REALLY makes me want to make this pattern which has been on my back burner for a couple years. Thanks for the push.
this is just a beautiful quilt. Love the colours, the energy of it. Looking at it makes me happy!
gorgeous, kathy! i love the pinks and oranges together.
What a wonderful gift! Really like the polka dot backing, I do not have enough words to say how fabulous I think this quilt is
Absolutely fabulous is all I can say!! I love these fabrics. As a mom who has been home just over 6 months with a new son, I can say that I’m sure this quilt will be treasured- and adding the label was a beautiful touch.
i really, really, REALLY love this quilt.
oh kathy that quilt is beautiful. what a nice gift.
julie
Unbelievably beautiful! I love it!
Nice job getting all those blocks to match up perfectly. I love the colors.
Hey neighbor I’m in Silverdale!!!
You’re quilt is AMAZING! I would be stoked to receive this as a gift, whether I’m 2 or 23 yrs old
It’s beautiful! The fabric choices are amazing…what a lucky girl!
How lucky Xin is to have you as an admirer-friend! Wow. That is the most beautiful quilt I have ever seen.
A gorgeous and wonderful quilt. It must be so hard letting a fine piece of craft/art out of your possesion, but then again, I really love to give, so I guess I understand after all.
Orange and pink is one of my favourite colour combinations and this is just stunning! What a lucky little girl she is - in so many ways!!
Kathy, It is so beautiful. You always stun us with your creations.
Well done on yet another gorgeous quilt.
Rosalind
Kathy, you have just inspired me to make a baby quilt for a friend. Love your quilt!
Wow Kathy! It’s a beauty! I love the colors!
Spectacular use of color! Major WOW factor! Your work really strikes a chord with me—simply *gorgeous.* Thanks for taking the time to generously share with us in blogland. What a TREAT!
Bee-you-ti-ful! I LOVE it! And she will, too, I’m sure. Fabulous work. I hope to try that design someday…
really gorgeous!
How talented are you! Beautiful.
So beautiful!!!
Beautiful, I love the fabric choices!!
The quilt is beautiful and inspiring!
Wow! Beautiful colors. Great label, too. I can’t get the printable fabric to go through my printer, and it’s making me crazy. I gave up for a while. Also, you used a cute font. — Michele
This quilt is just BREATHTAKING!!!!!
It’s absolutly stunning. I love the way you mixed up together the orange and pink.
I’ve never been a big fan of orange but I’m a convert now!
I adore your work! And this is one of my favourites!
Kisses from Portugal
Ana
Absolutely beautiful quilt!
Beautiful! I love oranges and pinks together!
Gorgeous. A keepsake for sure!
You are so inspiring!! What a lovely quilt with so much energy (just like the little girl, I suspect!)!
I saw a statistic last week mentioning how many more quilters there are today in the US than there were 10 years ago…and you’re among them!
Thanks for sharing….
wow.
incredible.
that quilt is absolutely gorgeous.
what a treasure.
I love the pink and orange together. And it has a sort of Asian feel. My husband and I are also adopting from China. We’ve been in the process for almost two and half years now. Sometimes it seems like it will never happen. Maybe I should start a quilt to fill the time!
I love these colours and I think it’s a great design as well.It’s a beautiful quilt. But, it leads me to ask this queation-I’m really new to the quilting world, so is there someone who can tell me about copyright-how do you all know which designs belong to everyone (ie the traditional quilt blocks) and which ones don’t. If any new quilter wanted, for example, to sell a quilt, would that not be possible if they had seen the same design elsewhere. can anyone advise me?
That’s really beautiful! Great job on the bento box quilt… I think those colors are great. I’m sure Xin will love it.
this is a beautiful gift.
what a wonderful idea! I am also mother of an Asian child. I can not imagine a better present than this one. I would have loved to receive something like this on the occasion of her “birth”. she would love to have something so special made just for her. You must have a heart od sugar - as my daughter would say!
I just love the colour combination of this quilt. I would never have thought to put those colours together and yet they look so nice.
I love the red and orange combination. Very beautiful! She will treasure that quilt forever!
[...] I want to thank each of you for the thoughtful comments left on my last post. The sentiment of the quilt was very powerful indeed. Bigger than I understood myself. I believe all of the goodness in your words will travel along with this special gift. [...]
from Aunt Johanna- just got word from my sister that she got the box with the quilt on Saturday and “loves it” of course! She knew exactly who you were Kathy, and was so impressed that you could just whip up a quilt like that. It is a gift that is so unique and yet fits Xin to a tee. I can’t wait to go see her curled up with it. Thank you so much, and thank you all for your wonderful comments. Adoption is truly a community event!
Stunning quilt Kathy made of warm oriental colours. Such a wonderful gift!
Darling! Bravo! Absolutely perfect!
I LOVE the label.
Absolutely beautiful pattern. I love the color too, very bright, very girl. Cool. ~jen~
I just love this quilt. The bold vibrant colors are so much fun. Do you happen to have a link for instructions on how to piece Bento Box pattern?
Cheery choice of colors, loved the binding! Would have never thought of using this color fabric… I made a similar quilt (http://meus-retalhos.blogspot.com/2008/02/produo-2008.html) but had no idea this was the name of the pattern! I am a secret admirer of yours, never left a post for you but always checking up on your art.
I hate to be johnny-come lately, but I usually am. Anyway, I just have to add my applause to everyone else’s. This is a beautiful quilt and the recipient is very lucky!
There are already 105 comments, so I doubt you’ll even read this, but I have to tell you I love this quilt! I don’t sew or quilt, but both are on my list of things to learn. This quilt is a great inspiration for moving them up a little higher on the list!
what a wonderful happy quilt!
As everyone else said the quilt is gorgeous. I particularly like the variation in the size of motifs in the fabrics that you chose. Was that intentional or ….?
Lovely work.
This quilt is beautiful! and inspiring to a novice quilter. thank you for sharing your creativity and work!
It’s beautiful, we have been very nice!
I would like hecerlo where you bought clothes and kit?
Mireia.
The quilt is absolutely beautiful! I love the colors and I bet it was hard for you to give it up!
Your quilt has made me cry! It is soooo beautiful.
It will now become my next project
This quilt looks absolutely fabulous!
I just love this quilt! I must search for the pattern and perhaps a pair of quilting gloves.
I love, love, love this quilt! The colors are so beautiful and I have been back to look at it many times! :0)
Oh Kathy… your quilt is just beautiful!!!! I love your pinks and oranges!
[...] I love pink chalk studios sugar + spice. [...]