Ta da! It's here! The big birthday quilt, made of squares contributed by all of you from across the country and beyond! (You can click on the photo above to see an enlarged version of this image.) It was such a fun experience, and the finished quilt came out so great. Andy made it entirely by himself with Amelia's help. It is BIG — bigger than a queen-size batting, so he used a king-size batting. Almost every square is completely unique, with just a few fussy cut from different parts of the same fabric "to get different pictures." What follows here are Andy's phone photos of the process (he takes almost exclusively vertical photos). They had so much fun and it was just such a great project for our family. (If you missed the origin story of how this quilt began, see this Instagram post from this summer, and catch up with this one, this one, this one, and this one.) Thank you to every single one of you who sent such amazing fabrics, and kind notes, and pretty packages, and adorable stationery, and lots of love. We felt it all and are blessed to have such aunties and uncles around the world as you. Thank you, thank you!
Even Miss Agatha Raisin Paulson thanks you, as she has had great fun with this quilt as well as our birthday-beauty-sleeper, above. Thank you again, darling friends. I know she will have this quilt forever. It's a treasure. XOXO
It looks so nice! And so big! I find the vertical photos thing endearing—we all have our quirks.
I have to tell you the craziest thing. My son had the scariest medical emergency a week and a half ago. He was in the CVICU at another hospital and we have been on a roller coaster of hope and despair. He needed to be transferred to another hospital for a procedure that isn't done at very many other hospitals. I was able to ride with him when they transported him and when they wheeled him to his new room, who is sitting at the nurse's station but Andy! I just felt like it was a really good omen. His surgery hopefully will be this week and he'll be well on his way to a full recovery.
Bravo! It’s beautiful! (And, Andreajane, best wishes for your son’s recovery!)
So beautiful! What a treasure. :)
What a heartwarming and beautiful project! The birthday quilt turned out absolutely stunning, and it's evident that so much love and care went into creating it. Andy and Amelia did an incredible job, and the fact that almost every square is unique makes it all the more special. It's a true labor of love that reflects the thoughtfulness and creativity of the contributors from all over. The photos documenting the process are fantastic, and it's wonderful to see the joy and fun your family had while working on it. Miss Agatha Raisin Paulson's adorable presence in the photos is the cherry on top. This quilt is indeed a treasure, and it will hold a special place in your hearts for generations to come. Thank you for sharing this heartwarming story and project with us
The quilt turned out amazing!! Well done Andy and Amelia! I've been so looking forward to seeing the finished quilt. What a truly special project made from love - yours flowing out to all of us through your posts over all these years, ours able to be sent back in a tiny piece to you, and Andy and Amelia's special bond. A treasure!
What a GORGEOUS father/daughter collaboration! This made my day to see this! Happy Birthday to Mimi! She is one lucky kid!
How utterly lovely. A beautiful and very special gift for your dear girl! Wishing her a happiest birthday season — and for all of you🤗 I have read your blog since well before her happy arrival and oh my, how could so many years have passed so swiftly!? (My 'baby' was ten at the time, a mere sprout! Now all manly and bearded). Madness, the fall of time ...
It's ADORABLE. The whole thing, from the concept to the squares sent from all over, to the photos and the finished quilt which is absolutely gorgeous. Well done to your talented husband and daughter, what a team! Thank you for sharing this lovely make x
It's so lovely. Amelia is a very lucky girl.
It turned out so great and wow, huge!!! Andy and Amelia you did a fantastic job and I still can't get over how fast you completed it. I really loved being able to send some squares. As Elizabeth said above, it's so nice to give something back to the Paulson family after all these years and even though a couple of squares of fabric is a tiny thing, the collective is BIG! What a special project that will be treasured for many years, including by dear Agatha by the looks of it :O).
Best wishes for a speedy recovery to your son @AndreaJane I would have taken seeing Andy as a good omen too!
Such a heartwarming project and special memory that Amelia will carry all of her life.
This is amazing! Happy belated birthday to Amelia. I have been following you since she was born, and I'm afraid that soon she will be off to college (if she chooses to do so)!!! `Love
Amazing! It looks so good, and was finished so quickly… or at least it seems like it was done quickly.
I love the kitty sliding into the work in progress. That is such a classic cat move.
It is just beautiful beyond measure and filled with so much love!
Great job and happy birthday! Thank you for the pics - the ones with your cat made me chuckle. Her expressions are amazing.
This is the most heartwarming post. It is such a special and amazing quilt. You can see all the love in it.