Week 51 - Nikki of Baby Love Quilts

Hey everyone! I am Nikki from Baby Love Quilts and I am so excited to be apart of the @52quilters movement. I live in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan Canada with my husband Devon, our two adorable kids, Alexander who is 2, Violet who is almost 6 months old and our two large dogs Lucy and Rogue. Right now I have the wonderful pleasure of being on Maternity Leave until June of next year, but when I am not on mat leave, I work part time at our local Credit Union called Conexus as a Financial Service Representative, aka a Bank Teller. So needless to say I am taking full advantage of being able to grow my small business, Baby Love Quilts, all while taking care of my kids.

Xander and Violet

My love for sewing started as a little girl playing with my grandmas fabric scraps. My sisters and I would wrap them around Barbies to make clothes and would fight for the prettiest pieces. That then lead to me taking Home Economics in grade school, which really put the sewing bug in me. I have quilted for about 10 years, but have been sewing for almost 16. I used to sew clothes, and even took 2 years at a Fashion Design College, but after graduation I found myself working at our local quilt store The Quilt Patch and found my true calling, designing and creating quilts. I mean, its way easier getting a quilt to fit a bed, than getting a dress to fit a body! 

One of my commissioned "Carry Your Heart" quilts featured in my friends nursery.

I remember making my first quilt, it was cut all by hand, I used a mixture of old jeans and cotton and I sewed it all on my grandmothers old table top Singer sewing machine. It was so heavy and I really didn't know what I was doing so I just sewed all the way around it using an old blanket as backing. So technically I made a really big blanket, but I was proud.

I made this quilt using an old baby quilt in honor of the infant who passed away.

Some of the quilting things that I have grown to love are:
- I love all solids, any designer and any color! I really feel that you can do so much with them
- Art Gallery Fabrics. These guys know their patterns. I have bought so much of AGF over the years and I don't see myself stopping anytime soon
- I love using low volume prints in my quilts.They are really fun to play with and are so much better than just plain white
- If I could have black and white stripped binding on every single one of my quilts, I totally would!
- I love applique. This is something that I try to incorporate into all of my quilts. You can do SOOO much with a fun image or name. I find that it really personalizes the quilts.
- I've always wanted to try paper piecing
- I love a challenge, I have made a quilts using so many different things. Everything from a wedding dress, an old baby quilt, an old baby blanket, baby clothes, receiving blankets and clothes from a loved one who has passed away.
- Charm packs are amazing things!

The quilt I made from a wedding dress

These are one of my favorite quilts to make. I call them my "Heartbeat Quilts' and I use
old baby clothes to make the heart. If you look carefully you can see a heartbeat quilted into the quilt. 

My "Carry Your Heart" quilt, also featuring baby Violet.

Since I started sewing I never liked following patterns, which lead me to creating my own. Almost everything I make is my own design and I rarely make anything twice. Probably one of my favorite things about designing quilts is you can make them so personal and thoughtful. I love the process of coming up with something that either fits the nursery theme or something that is meaningful to the family. And there is nothing like putting the babies name on it, I just love that extra touch of love. That baby is going to have that quilt for a very long time and I love that I was a part of them growing up. 

Little Blake soaking up the rays on her new quilt.

A good example of my love of applique.
This was a quilt I made for one of my friends new baby.

I started Baby Love Quilts almost 2 years ago in February 2015 after a lot of my friends and family suggested I start selling my quilts instead of just giving them away. I have made a lot of different things over the course of two years. Everything from, quilts, blankets, bibs, scarves, doll diaper sets, teething blankets, swaddle blankets and even some wall hangings. Right now I am really excited about the newest thing to come to Baby Love Quilts, and that is the Namesake Blankets. They feature your little ones name plus a fun image that makes it extra special. I have had people choose tractors because their grandpa is a farmer, a skull because their daddy rides a motorcycle and for my Xander, I chose a paw print because he loves Paw Patrol.

Xander and Violet using their Namesake Blankets by @babylovequilts

Since starting my small business I have made over 60 quilts, 100 blankets and way too many bibs to count. I am hoping one day that I will have grown big enough so I can stay home with my kids while they are still young, as many of you know, they don't stay small forever.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read a little about me. I hope you enjoy my time here at @52quilters.

After I am done here please follow me on:
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Love,
Nikki Clark Murray