What do you give to the Grandma that has everything and needs nothing? A nonagenarian that has lived a full and blessed life that you just want to show some love to? Why, a meaningful quilt!
My Grandmother LOVES owls, even way back before owls were cute. But she doesn't need a bunch of owl stuff. She doesn't cook, so she doesn't need mugs or salt & pepper shakers. So when I saw some cute owl footprints on Facebook a few months ago, my brain started working. What I came up with was an owl footprint quilt made by her great-grandchildren. There are 10 cousins, with some families still growing, so I made a 12 square quilt. I had each cousin stamp their feet on the color quilt piece their choice (in fabric paint) to make the shape of an owl. I ended up making a different foot print than the picture I saw, but I think mine is so much cuter! Each square is cut to 12.5 inches to allow for seams and big kids feet. I stuck hole protector stickers on their heels when I painted their foot and removed the sticker to stamp them to make the eye holes. I used fabric markers to make the beaks and the branches, but I'm sure you could even applique some felt too.
Then I carefully laid them out on the floor to make the right color balance. I grouped the squares by family and age order, while balancing the amount of colors. So there is no huge pattern since each child chose the color of their square.
Next I pieced the squares together with some super cute owl fabric I found. 12.5 inch strips on the sides and a long strip on the tops of the squares.
I quilted the blanket by sewing in the ditches of the squares, so it's not very "quilted." The fabric on the back is another owl pattern, but with bigger owls and still based in brown. I finished the quilt of with a red binding that I think really brings it all together.
Of course, she won't get the quilt until Christmas, but I'm sure she is going to love it. It will be a great accent piece for her living room!
