Applique on a Baby Quilt

I've made a lot of quilts based on a 9-patch block, most with the centres and corners with a darker fabric and the 4 sides with a lighter background. This quilt started with the 9-patches made with the light fabric in the centre and corners and the darker fabric on the 4 sides. Combined with a snowball block, the combination gives quite a different look.
https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/762499098/teal-blue-baby-quilt-with-giraffe
Giraffe quilt
The next photo shows what this quilt would look like with the colors reversed. Same fabrics in both.

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/762499098/teal-blue-baby-quilt-with-giraffe
9-patch & Snowball quilt - SOLD
A while ago I had a customer request a giraffe added to the quilt she ordered. So I bought a small bit of giraffe fabric and traced a giraffe from a coloring book. When I placed it on her quilt, it was just too small and so I made one that was larger. But then I was left with the smaller giraffe.

Giraffe Applique
I've auditioned it on many of my baby quilts since then and it just didn't look good on any of them until I finished this top. I prep my appliques with fusible web (Heat n Bond lite, Steam a Seam 2) so all I needed to do was place the giraffe and set it with my iron and finish with machine blanket stitch. I add some tear away stabilizer to the back while I do the stitching and it helps make the stitches look full and even. You may want to try without - depending on your machine, you could have great results either way.
Minky backing
The backing is a heart embossed Minky fabric, quilted with loopy loops all over.
Another shot of the Minky backing
Because I work a lot with just the fabrics I have on hand, I often run out of coordinating fabric before a quilt is the size I want it. In this case, I had just enough to do the blocks, but not a border. I found this great lighter blue fabric and added a border all around. Again, traditionally I would have used the same tone and intensity or something darker but I really liked the way this turned out.
https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/762499098/teal-blue-baby-quilt-with-giraffe
Giraffe Quilt
Have you tried something that twists the traditional around? Tried a new technique? Or kept something that didn't work for one project and used it in another? 

--Ann



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