diy baby... the hand-stitched circle quilt

Since finding out that I'm pregnant, I've been gathering ideas for crafty baby projects and I'm pleased to share the first finished one with you here!

I pinned a sashiko quilting pattern on pinterest a while ago, and it's been at the back of my mind, waiting for the perfect project. I love the simplicity of the interlocking circles but there are rather a lot of stitches and I thought it would be too much work for a full-sized quilt... but the ideal thing to try out in miniature, perfect for a baby quilt.

I selected a Claire-Aude Liberty tana lawn from my stash and a mid grey fabric. I used a ramekin to mark out circles on the grey fabric using a fabric pencil and then basted the three layers of front, wadding and back together.

I found a hand quilting thimble which made making the tiny stitches so much easier. I made some binding using pieces of the backing material joined together in strips and machine-stitched it to the front of the quilt. Finally I pinned and hand-stitched the binding to the back.

I love the slow, therapeutic process of making a quilt, seeing it gradually come together over several days. I probably spent three weeks of evenings hand-quilting in front of the tv, so it really didn't take too long.

I currently have a very simple knitted blanket and a rather more complicated hand-pieced hexagon quilt on the go, so I'll share those here too once they're finished!