Posted on 61 Comments

epiphany!

It just dawned on me last night what I want to do with the baby’s room. Doll quilt wall! Remember this picture I found in a book a while back of a wall of vintage doll quilts.


I was just reminded of it by a reader who was tackling it herself and it hit me how perfect that would be for the baby’s room. I wouldn’t have to stress all out coming up with the one perfect baby quilt for her but rather could make a bunch of tiny little quilts. I won’t have to settle on a few favorite fabrics but could use many. I can work on lots of little projects instead of one big daunting one. I can give Tim and the wall painting/stenciling plans I had a rest. This way I can do all the work ahead of time and when/if we move it’ll be all finished and ready to go. And when the baby gets bigger she can use them all as quilts for her dollies. I love this idea! I’m so over the moon for it. It’s the perfect sweet country thing and also I think it could be done to look really modern. Simple and still ornate. I’m psyched!

Hopefully it’ll come together as wonderfully as I’m imagining. I’m still thinking yellow for the wall. And lots of white and light colors in the quilts with some brights mixed in. We’ll see how far I
can get on this project. I can always ebay some vintage doll quilts to add to the mix. And if my mom says yes I already have my first quilt, this doll quilt from her childhood.

61 thoughts on “epiphany!

  1. I think it’s a great idea. I see you also picked up quite a bit of fabric at superbuzzy.

  2. I think it’s a great idea too, especially since you are hoping to move. And speaking as the mother of a little girl – you can never have too many baby blankets.

  3. So cute! I made some for my daughter and i really liked the book “Bunnies By the Bay Meets Little Quilts”! Great little quilts and a book to read to your little one~

  4. Oh my heck. Perfect.
    That’s so you… and such a good fit for your wee one.

  5. sounds divine!! I cannot wait to see the finished product!

  6. Great idea – I have no doubt it will look wonderful!

  7. Brilliant idea! I love those epiphanies. I bought a bunch of patterns for small quilts a while ago, and have been itching to try one. I can’t wait to see your creations! Your mom’s quilt is so charming, love the colors.

  8. Fantastic idea can’t wait to see the quilts as you make them x

  9. Awesome! check out this site I just made the nine patch for my daughter, she loves it!

  10. Great great great idea! I love how portable it all is. And nothing beats a great doll quilt(or many!) for a little girl:)

  11. That is the perfect idea! Especially since you make such beautiful tiny quilts and that you will be able to take it with you. We moved when my oldest was only 4 months old. I had put so much time, dreaming, planning into his room and it was *perfect*. Leaving his room was the hardest part of the move for me. I used to rock him to sleep at night and nearly cry because I missed it so much! Okay, so that was a little odd but I’m glad you won’t have to go through that! 😉

  12. Fabulous idea!
    And I’m sure if it gets down to the wire and you’re short, there are a few folks out here in internet land that could whip up a few tout de suite. 😉

  13. That seems to fit the bill perfectly…and cutely to boot.

  14. What a prefect plan!! I wish my daughter was still young enough to appreciate doll quilts. I might be inspired to make some…but 13 year olds certainly *do not* appreciate them :o) I’m so happy you got it all figured out! I can’t wait to see how it all looks!

  15. Lovely idea. There are so many doll quilts that can be made..I’m sure your head is brimming with ideas. Have fun!

  16. Beautiful idea! When I read your first post about it, I thought “And when she gets older…they could all (or just some of them) be sewn together, as wedding gift or a baby gift for her baby!” Talk about having a plan for the future!

  17. What a great idea. So much easier to tackle in little chunks.

  18. love this so much, it’s killing me.

  19. So you are having a girl? Congratulations!!

  20. That is such a great idea! You could when she gets older take some of her favorite ones and combine them into one larger blanket to use on her “big girl” bed.

  21. Wonderful! check out this site for an amazing miniature quilt:
    http://www.hilarosenberg.com/cluttered/bedCU/bedCU.html

  22. What a great idea, and I’m sure at just the right time! You should have just enough time to either make all the quilts, or order them and receive them in the mail. And I love that you don’t have to use up a ton of favorite fabrics. By the way, congrats again on the news of having a girl!! It’s so exciting.

  23. that will be so precious!
    you could also maybe do a little display with vintage doll house furniture/other cute miniatures…. maybe hung in a cluster within the quilt composition OR in shadow boxes OR on narrow ledges spaced out in an interesting way….
    just an idea…. i love doll stuff!
    happy decorating!

  24. That wall is AMAZING! I’d love that in a hallway too.

  25. That is a great idea…I have one hanging in our girl’s room that mom mom gave me. IT’s amish style, but tiny. One of my absolute favorite things.

  26. LOVE it! The idea, the fabrics, everything! Now it’s on to the bedding… 😉
    ps- just got your New Year’s post-card in the mail; thanks so much! I felt soooo special, what a treat!

  27. Perfect idea! I like the idea that someone posted above of combining all the tiny quilts to make one big quilt for a wedding gift when she’s older. So sweet!

  28. I think that’s a fabulous and also unique, loving idea. And those Japanese fabrics….awesome! Where do you find all those great designs???

  29. Perhaps a silly question, but how will you put them on the wall?

  30. Love the idea!
    And I’ve found that the easiest way to hang small quilts on the wall is to use regular sewing pins with the metal heads, not glass or plastic heads. They are strong and will hammer into the wall and they can be put right through the corner of your quilt without making a big hole. You wouldn’t want to do it with an antique quilt, but it wouldn’t hurt a new quilt at all. My mom makes quilted wall hangings for us and has always said to hang them that way.

  31. I love this idea. What a perfect weekend to tackle such a project.

  32. wow, thats a great idea! its really fantastic….I hope you manage to get losts done – let me know if you would like one made for you!
    Caroline

  33. What a cute cute idea! And it’s great that it’s something that can be used thru the years.

  34. I love the button fabric. Where did you find it?
    I would love to make a tote bag out of it.
    I love your site I have made a Wee from your pattern. I have a contest going on until Thursday

  35. I think its a really cute idea. I bet you could also get some quilter friends to make some, if they already aren’t plotting already.

  36. What a great idea- and a perfect one for you! I can’t wait to see all the lovely little quilts you make.

  37. Ack! A genius plan Hillary. 🙂

  38. wow, this is so beautiful, love all the fabrics

  39. oh yes. bring. i am so looking forward to months worth of doll quilt posts!

  40. FanTAStic. Sha-zam-a-la!
    Portable, mutable, re-hangable, re-configurable, play-withable, any-number-works… wow. Too much fun.

  41. Your baby’s room will be beautiful, cheery and cozy. I don’t know how far along you are, but you might want to check etsy for some doll quilts that are already finished. Eggmoney (www.eggmoney.etsy.com) has some lovely ones. And, they’re reasonably priced too.

  42. May I suggest the book, “Little Quilts (All Through the House)” by Alice Berg and Mary Ellen Von Holt? There is a page with quilts for the bedroom and lots of cute patterns for log cabins, little houses, various stars – even some patterns for tiny pillows if you are interested. I’ve made some myself and with the vintage or reproduction fabric they are darling!

  43. What a great idea for your nursery! I second the suggestion of “Little Quilts (All through the house)”, I was just looking through it over the weekend for some small quilt ideas. It’s a fun book.

  44. What a wonderful idea. And I agree with Alicia…If you want a little help, I’d make a little quilt for your wall!

  45. Brilliant! And don’t forget it doesn’t have to be all done by the time she gets here. You could do a new quilt to celebrate all of her milestones.

  46. Awesome. Good luck. I can’t wait to see what you do.

  47. Excellente idée, ce sera magnifique. It will be wonderful!!

  48. LOVE this idea…and the fabric is beyond fabulous! Can’t wait to see it:)

  49. What a great idea! Isn’t decorating a nursery so fun? I had my second son back in October and I’m still working on his nursery (he’s still sleeping in our room). I think the main reason I keep getting pregnant is to have new rooms to decorate!

  50. I think that is absolutely brilliant!!! Ack! I would do it for my own room if only I knew how to sew/work my hubby’s sewing machine. You MUST include the stitchettes in some of your quilts. You could even make little season “theme” quilts with a stitchette as the centerpiece.
    Isn’t it great when you have that Eureka moment?

  51. Perhaps you’ve already seen it, but I saw this little quilt this morning (at kitty-craft.com) and thought of you…
    http://www.kitty-paw.com/board/zboard.php?id=PatternShare&page=1&sn1=&divpage=1&sn=off&ss=on&sc=on&select_arrange=headnum&desc=asc&no=18

  52. oh now that is AMAZING – textiletiles!!! you’ve inspired me!

  53. What a great idea! And why haven’t I thought of it??? I wallpapered my entire bedroom when I was a teenager with ads I pulled out of magazines, but nope…never thought of little doll quilts. I cannot wait to see the finished room!

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