Fish quilt

Scott and I were invited to a first year birthday party for the baby girl of one of his coworkers.  First year birthdays are a big deal around here.  We wanted to make something special for this friend's baby because Scott likes him so much and because this little girl is a miracle baby, so there was a lot to be grateful for, and so much reason to celebrate.  This friend loves to go fishing and camping, so we decided on a quilt for his girl that was big enough for the whole family and tough enough to get roughed up on their adventures.  Everyone pitched in to help (except for our sleeping Mary).  Scott and I went and picked out some canvas, then he and Jesse cut it.  I dyed the top piece an aqua/turquoise color.  Jesse sewed the two pieces and a light batting into a quilt, while Siwa was making some fish stencils out of cardboard, and gathering her paints.  Elena and Jesse used the stencils to paint the fish shapes on the canvas and Siwa went over the fish again adding color and detail.  Last of all, Jesse sewed around some of the fish eyes to hold the batting in place.  Of course, that was just a brief rundown of the steps of our little experiment, but this is what we came up with:

Stenciling the fish onto the canvas

Laying out the stencils on the last of the empty spots.

Adding the details- no two fishes were alike.

It's so fun when we're working together like this- brainstorming and collaborating, each doing what they can to help out.  I can't think of a better bunch to live and work with each day.  They make my life a heaven on earth and I'm so glad to be a part of their lives, 

and to have them in mine.

We were all proud of our creation.  We stood around looking at it before we bundled it up to wrap, and Scott thanked us for making it happen.  

We had a great time at the party, too.