Dragon Claw Baby Quilt

My poet-friend Megan Leonard welcomed her third baby this past December, which means she’s now the lone water sign (Pisces) in her little family of fire signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius). I joked that her family’s crest should be a dragon lounging in a kiddie pool and sipping a cold drink with a little umbrella in it. And then, because I thought this crest idea was so swell, I went and made her new little baby boy Balty a dragon claw quilt.

My love of the bear claw block continues in this “dragon claw” baby quilt. I began the quilt by creating this center panel of five claws. Each claw represents a member of the family with baby Balty’s being the yellow center claw. The fabric used for these claws is also found in Balty’s siblings’ quilts.

I was also excited to incorporate the Cotton + Steel fabric at the top and bottom borders. It’s a little hard to tell from the photos, but there are thin gold-foiled stripes in that navy border which adds a shimmer pop. This shimmer is also picked up by the grey linen fabric towards the center that has coppery lines running through it. For backing, I went with a lightly cross-hatched, soft slate cotton that I found at Brooklyn General Store. (Side note: Brooklyn General is really great for knitters, but I’m so glad to see they are now expanding their fabric collection for us quilter/sewer-types!)

It has been a really special project to create baby quilts for three siblings. My siblings have been such important people to me: true friends, worthy adversaries, crazy jokers, inspiring go-getters. My wish in creating these quilts for Cece, Leo, and Balty is that they, too, will form that unique sibling bond. I wish for them their share of sibling tussles & adventure, and also that deep, unwavering love.