Quilts and kids just seem to go together. Kids seem to know that quilts are to be loved, to be used for everything. For naps, to play on, for forts and tents, and to hide under. Well-loved quilts are soft from many washings and threadbare from use.
Heather Goguen and her husband Dave are the owners of Dorkface Media, and it was Heather who made this great website for me (she is fabulous). The first time I met Heather and Dave, they stopped by my house to walk me through the features of my brand new website; that morning they had learned Heather was pregnant with twins. Their joy and bewilderment was written all over their faces as they absorbed the news of having twins. The twins had been conceived in Astoria, Oregon where Heather and Dave were living at the time, and thus their nickname “Made in Astoria”. I seemed destined to make these little guys each a quilt.
For some time I’d wanted to learn the block pattern “School of Fish” from Ruth McDowell’s book , “Symmetry”. Its a fascinating pattern made from a single asymmetrical block that is turn, flipped and slid to create interlocking fish swimming in opposite directions. Astonishing!
These two quilts (similar, but not identical — just like the twins) are the result.
It was fun using bold, graphic batiks for the fish. I also had some dinosaur tooth fabric. Not exactly a close match to the fish theme of the quilts, but I decided that every little boy needed dinosaur teeth.
The matching backs also feature large fish.
I’d learned from a friend that new Moms appreciate having a small piece of blanket that can easily be carried on outings — to use in car seats and strollers. So I made two individual fish from the same blocks, and put soft minky on the back.
I’d enlarged the block pattern a bit to make larger fish, but……… guess twin fishes will have to grow a bit. Enjoy your quilts, Cascadian and Loyal!!
