Play Ball!

This year was the first year both of my sons played t-ball. My youngest is three, and it became apparent within just a couple practices that his coach was more than the usual parent volunteer.

His coach is a parent volunteer, but she is coaching all three of her son's t-ball and baseball teams! She has a full-time job, then gave up all of her weeknights to coach teams of little people. Her enthusiasm and positive attitude was contagious. Her patience, kindness, and encouragement to the players (and the parents!) was remarkable. I haven't been a baseball mom for long, but it doesn't take an expert to know when you meet someone exceptional.

I wanted to say thank you in a way that would capture my gratitude and appreciation for all that she did for the team(s). And the only way I know how to thank someone to this level is to make a quilt.

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A quick Pinterest search for "baseball quilt" resulted in several striking quilts. I fell in love with the ones with a solid white background and large red baseball stitches. There is a pattern on Craftsy (it's no longer available) for a baseball quilt using raw edge applique that I strongly considered. However, I decided raw edge applique wasn't what I wanted for this quilt. So I set out on my own.

I decided to make a throw quilt and use the width of the fabric (about 42") as the width of the quilt and about 1 1/2 yards for the length (54"). I planned to use some of the solid white Moda Bella 98 fabric that I keep on hand by the bolt, then picked up some Kona Chinese Red and a baseball print called "Hit, Run, Score" by Blank Quilting from the MO Star Quilt Co. when I visited earlier this month.

I started by cutting two 2" wide bias strips from the red fabric. Then I pressed them into 1" bias tape using a bias tape maker.

Next I cut about forty 2 1/2" x 5" strips of red for the laces. I first sewed them into tubes, then centered the seam, finger pressed the seam open, and stitched the end closed.

After pressing each "lace," I turned the tubes right side out then pressed them again. This was a great activity to do during swimming lessons!

To place the laces onto the white background fabric, I put strips of Lite Steam-A-Seam 2 onto the backs of each piece. I love this fusible because it's sticky before pressing, so I can move and rearrange pieces on my design wall until I'm satisfied with the whole layout.

I first guessed at the spacing, but decided quickly I couldn't be consistent enough for my liking. I cut a template from paper so that the spacing and angle of each lace would be more precise (with just a small bit of adjusting depending on whether the lace was on the inside curve or outside curve).

I placed each lace under the main bias tape strip, hiding the one end with raw edges.

Once I was happy with the layout, I pressed the laces to secure them to the quilt top. I pin basted the quilt sandwich on my dining room table using the baseball print fabric for the backing and Warm & Natural batting.

I used my walking foot and 50wt Aurifil Red #2250 to stitch just inside the edge of each piece.

Once the laces were stitched down, I switched to 50wt Aurifil White #2024 and my free motion foot. I quilted a small meander design over all of the white space.

The binding is machine stitched on using the same Kona Chinese Red.

I wondered if the red fabric would bleed any onto the white, so decided it was better I find out than the recipient. I tossed it in the washing machine with two Color Catchers, and there wasn't any bleeding! I tumble dried the quilt and it came out with the loveliest crinkle!

I added a label that read, "A great coach is hard to find, difficult to part with, and impossible to forget!" (I also included the team name, year, my name, and my website.)

Monday night was the last t-ball game, so we gifted the quilt after the game.

She was surprised and very appreciative! I'm sure the quilt will get lots of use with her three baseball-loving boys!

Thank you, Coach! You will truly be impossible to forget!



Linking up with Main Crush Monday at Cooking Up Quilts, Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt, Let's Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts, Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter, Midweek Makers at Quilt Fabrication, Needle & Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation, Can I Get a Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, TGIFF at Musings of a Menopausal Melon, and Friday Foto Fun at Powered by Quilting.

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