George the Giraffe Gets Appliquéd

We’re awaiting the arrival of Baby Girl in less than seven weeks.  OMG!!  She deserves a very special quilt, and we were given free rein to create it.  Selecting a giraffe in the design process was easy.  They are one of my favorite animals if you take dogs out of the mix.  Plus we found an adorable model for inspiration.

Giraffe Rule

Here are the pictures we used for our muses.  George is a very friendly looking giraffe and he loves to eat leaves; therefore he needs a tree.

What else would you include for a giraffe?  I’m not all THAT familiar with they love, but this gives us a fun direction and idea to run with.

Giraffes R.o.c.k. too

 The muses are nice, but let’s see George and his tree, right?!  We used an interfacing on the back of all of the pieces.  Here is concept version #129. George’s tail gave us some issues as it was too skinny to turn right side out.  I decided to worry about that issue when I started buttonholing.  Putting issues off for later is a great deflecting talent I have – worry about stuff later.

Lest you worry about George’s tail, it was resolved during the appliquéing process.  That’s how we roll in the shire – no worries about anything preferably.

Appliquéing Happily Along

In case you didn’t notice, George has two heart ♥ ♥ eyes.  Ellie, my Elna, has two heart stitches.  Quite a bit of time was spent determining which stitch was better, exactly where placement should be, and what color thread should be used.  Here is what the appliquéing on his legs look like; do we like that color?  It’s just black – should we use that?

Giraffe legs

In the end, the same black thread was just fine.  Who knows exactly what color eyes giraffes have anyway.  Black represents just fine for Baby Girl.  Phew!  It was time to move on to the tree.  After a bit, I sat back, smiling to myself and saw this when I looked over!!

George supervising

George says, “What?!  I’m just supervising.  Do a nice job, please.”  His heart eyes were smiling back at me, too.

What’s a Tree Without Leaves??

Yes, indeed.  What is a tree without some leaves.  Weeks ago, that seems like months now, I was sewing and Sue was turning many leaves.  Many, many leaves.  Now we can see them come to fruition and add a spark to make the vision come alive.

GeorgeLeaves

There is more appliquéing in my very near future.  Scattered leaves, George munching, and one or more surprise elements.  You won’t see any more about this project until Baby Girl is born.  My guess is December 23rd, while Sue thinks December 26th.  Mom/Andrea and Grandma Janice are leaning toward December 27th, and GG (who is always right for some reason!) thinks the 22nd.  Wanna play along?  Pick your date and tell us in the comments.  FYI – the doctors originally said December 30th.

 

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28 Responses

  1. farmquilter says:

    Love George the Giraffe!! You are providing him with a lovely tree to keep him company and well fed!! Your little lady will arrive January 4, right?? My best friend and I were both due then…her son arrived December 22 and my daughter on January 22!! Praying for an easy delivery! Happy Thanksgiving.

  2. Danette says:

    Looks so cute! His/her fur looks very realistic!

  3. sandradny says:

    Adorable! Can’t wait to see the finished project and that baby girl!

  4. I appreciate hearing the details of your process here (and the laughs each step along the way)! I love the arrival of little ones … they’re great excuses for making lots of cute quilts. Best wishes wrapping this beauty up!

    BTW: I think Baby Girl is going to take her own sweet time coming into this world … I’m thinking she’ll be a 2019 baby. : 0

  5. George is looking fabulous! I’m thrilled he’s getting something so colourful to eat. Couldn’t have the poor dear go hungry.

  6. quiltinggail says:

    Oh my!!! This is going to be one fabulous quilt! SEW CUTE!!! As for dates … it’s gonna come early on Dec. 8th … my daughter’s birthday! 🙂

  7. dezertsuz says:

    I’m sticking with December 12, and I’m not saying why. =) This baby is going to come early, eager to have Christmas and wrap up in that gorgeous quilt!

  8. Cocoa Quilts says:

    He is adorable. I pick January 2, am.

  9. chrisknits says:

    I say Jan 9th!!! Because it’s my birthday! LOL This quilt will be so adorable!!!

  10. Barbara Esposito, The Quilted B says:

    Everything about this quilt is PERFECT – the colors, the shapes, the stitching, those eyes! Everything! My guess it Dec 24th…

  11. Brenda Ackerman says:

    Hello Roseanne, This is such an incredibly cute quilt you and Sue are creating. I love to do applique and this quilt just says how fun it is. My guess for baby girl will be Dec. 17th. Thank you for sharing.

  12. Brenda @ Songbird Designs says:

    Very cute quilt!! I am choosing the 30th! That’s the day my twin grandsons were born, so it’s special to me!! Of course, they were five weeks early, but perfect, nonetheless!

  13. Rochelle Summers says:

    George is darling and those colorful leaves really make the quilt sparkle. I choose December 31st. But then who knows. Can’t wait to see the completed quilt.

  14. Marti says:

    What a cute quilt! Your Elna makes a very nice blanket stitch too.

  15. So unbelievably cute. Especially George munching on those yummy leaves. I’m picking Dec 25th.

  16. Mari says:

    Oooh, cute giraffe! ANd I love the colorful leaves, too. Do you know that there are very popular giraffe toys called Sophies? So George looks like a Sophie to me! Sinc emy sister was born on CHristmas, I’m going to cheer for Decmber 25! 🙂

  17. cheriec12 says:

    This is going to be fantastic. The giraffe is looking great and I think the colorful leaves really adds more color interest to the quilt. Great Job! As to the date I’ll just line up with you and say the 23rd.

  18. Shannon Fleming says:

    This is going to be so cute! The leaves are the perfect touch.

  19. Carol S. says:

    I’m loving the progress on your giraffe…it’s so, so cute! Let see, I’ll say December 27th for baby girl’s arrival.

  20. JoanG says:

    What a fun baby quilt. I love your giraffe and all the leaves he has to eat. My guess for birth date is December 25th. What a Christmas present that would be!

  21. I am going with December 21st. Now, to the blog entry. George is looking spectacular and the blanket stitch is perfect. I love the leaves. This will be such a wonderful quilt for Baby Girl, cherished by all who will cherish her. Wishing all a safe delivery!

  22. Hearts for eyes, brilliant! How fun to use those pre-programmed stitches.
    As for dates? My firstborn was due Dec 24th; hubby was hoping for no later than the 31st (for tax reasons!) and she arrived as the first born of the new year for the town we lived in at the time – Jan 1st.
    So, I’ll opt for Jan 1st!!!
    HA!
    Welcome, Baby Girl!

  23. Roseanne — your blanket stitching looks fantastic! I like the heart shaped eyes. I’m definitely looking forward to the final reveal!

  24. This is a very cute quilt. I love the giraffes face. Maybe he needs a cute bird on him. Giraffes and Tickbirds have a symbiotic relationship.

  25. Your post title made me giggle, just a bit. It took me back to what to my high school days when I’d hear others talking about their weekends, if you get my drift (drinking parties). Anyhoo, he’s looking good! Are you tired of stitching around those leaves yet?? As to dates, I would go with December 12th, since that’s a favorite date of mine. 🙂

  26. I absolute the love how you appliqued George the Giraffe and the tree with its falling leaves! I personally have limited applique experience. My most challenging was appliqueing glasses on a Hazel Hedgehog, and I remember what a challenge those thin pieces of fabric were! Everything looks great, and I can’t wait to see the finished quilt! TGIF! Mary

  27. Vicki in MN says:

    It’s coming along nicely!! I pick Dec. 26th;)

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