Tuesday, July 9, 2013

A quilt for Ryker

A friend approached me to commission a quilt for her friend, who I haven't met.  She is pregnant with their second child, a boy they have already named Ryker.   However, they were recently given the devastating news that the fetus has a condition making it incompatible with life.  Instead of terminating the pregnancy, the couple has decided to carry the baby to term, hoping to maybe have a few hours to hold their son before he passes.

They call Ryker their little sunshine, so I decided to base the quilt top on sun and sunbeams.  The top is one big paper pieced block.  I had never paper pieced before, but I did a few practice blocks, then sketched this out on freezer paper, roughly using this free tutorial on Craftsy as a guide.  I gotta say, I see more paper piecing in my future!


The top piecing is really quilte simple, and my plan was to do some fancy free motion quilting along the beams to make it meaningful.  I used a nylon "invisible thread" for the first time, this one by Connecting Threads, and was really pleased with the result.  It blended well with all the bold colors here, letting the texture steal the show.

In the sunshine, I tried my hand at some curve-on-curve quilting.



In the orange, I did some "ribbon candy."



In the lighter blue beams, I quilted radiating waves, and put words in them.  I stitched in "Ryker", "you are my sunshine,"  "love lasts forever," and a simple heart.  The alternate navy beams are each a different pattern: a quilted plaid, a stipple, pebbles,  radiating circles and clamshells.  The result is a quilt filled with lots of lovely texture.




I used a DS plaid for the back and Joel Dewberry herringbone in navy for the binding, which was machine stitched in place (getting better at that).


I am hoping this quilt provides some comfort to Ryker's parents; something to hold when he is gone.

Linking up to Fabric Tuesday at Quilt Story.

30 comments:

Krista said...

:( It's a beautiful quilt that the parents will really treasure.

Flo @ Butterfly Quilting said...

so sad..but what a beautiful quilt. I am sure they will treasure it.

Berlinquilter said...

I have tears in my eyes.But the quilt is lovely!!!

Michele T said...

Gosh... that is very touching and moving! The quilt you designed is perfect and I am sure it will be treasured.

Angela Nash said...

Such a gift they are giving their son, to love him into this life - no matter how short. Your quilt for him is beautiful.

Amy Friend said...

What a brave and loving decision they made. They will treasure this!

Katie B said...

Such a kind gesture, K. I can't even imagine what they're going through

MariQuilts said...

Beautiful quilt....my heart goes out to the family.

knottygnome said...

what a beautiful and personal quilt. my thoughts are with the family.

Carla said...

So wonderful for you to make this. I recently read an article where the family were told the same thing. Turns out the doctors had made a mistake. She is beautiful : )
Bless you!

Mrs Flying Blind... said...

You have done a wonderful thing - I know from sad experience xxx

Paula said...

What a beautiful quilt. I am sure little Ryker's parents will treasure this along with the precious moments they get to spend with him.

Jennifer said...

How wonderful the thought behind this is. I teared up reading your post. I'm so sorry for this family, but hopefully this quilt brings them a bit of joy amidst the sadness.

Nicole said...

JC I hate that expression - "incompatible with life". Those poor people, and my thoughts are with their first child.

Lovely work on the quilt. I hope it brings them comfort.

Kelly O. said...

so beautiful. That baby is in God's hands. I pray they have longer with him than they dream possible.

Svetlana said...

wow, Kristie. This is one stunning quilt, and all that quilting is absolutely amazing.

Shay said...

What a sad situation for the parents. I hope they wrap their gorgeous little boy in that quilt and then take a piece of him home forever.

Anne said...

What a wonderful gift you are giving this family, both of your kindness and the quilt. The quilt is stunning and will surely be treasured forever. I will keep this family, and you, in my prayers.

Cassandra May @ Little Red Window said...

What a lovely idea, it turned out beautifully. I think a lot of people, as a friend, wouldn't know how to handle a situation like this, but you have done something that's just perfect. I'm sure they will love it.

trudys_person said...

Such a sad situation ... and it turned into beautiful inspiration. I'm sure this quilt will be very comforting to your friends and their family ...

Natalie said...

Oh, what a sweet quilt! Such sad news, I'm sure this will bring them a little comfort.

AmandaK@whatthebobbin said...

So sad for the family.

Wow! I LOVE the quilt.

Michelle said...

What a beautiful gesture for this family. May it bring them comfort, whatever the outcome.

Amanda said...

What a beautiful quilt to give comfort to a family at such a devastating time. Love the words you quilted into the rays.

Amanda @ BedTime Quilting said...

What a wonderful gesture! I think it will mean a lot to the parents and the baby. :) the design is beautiful and you did a great job on the quilting! Do you have the pattern?

bethanndodd said...

You are so very talented! What a beautiful and heartfelt gift. Sure to be cherished. Smiles~Beth

Rebekah said...

What a beautiful treasure for these parents.

Rebecca Waddell said...

I know that this quilt will be very special to Ryker's parents. A true gift of comfort and love for them.

Crystal said...

What a beautiful, precious and unique quilt you created for this family!

Kristy said...

WOW!!! Just saw this on Pinterest and had to hop over and say, AMAZING!!!! Absolutely love it!