How do I quilt this?

[Marion D.]

This is my pregnant DD's baby quilt. It is a solid white with a white on white polka dot on the border. I need to do something that is going to stand out as there is so much white! I have a pale grey that I was thinking of using but what do I do for a design??? I'm totally lost as to what to do. Any great ideas??

[Margo C.]

Since hockey is such a rough and tumble sport, I wouldn't try to use anything curvy or girly on this kind of quilt. Just simple cross-hatching in the center at whatever scale you think is appropriate and just straight mitered lines around the border. I would stitch in the ditch around the yellow border.
This sketch may give you an idea of how that could look.

[Keith D.]

Margo is one of the queens of quilting and quilting ideas and I don't want to step on her toes, but...

Before I quilted the grid, I might quilt the names of some of your favorite players in the area that they normally play. Of course, in big script, I'd quilt Luongo's name near or on the home goal, and I'd quilt the Sedin twin's names in the forward spaces, defensemen like Sammy Salo and Keith Ballard (he's kind of cute ) where they belong. And certainly, you should quilt the name of some crappy division goaltender like Calgary's Kiprusoff in the visitors goal with some appropriately disparaging remarks...

And then you could grid quilt the empty spaces behind that.

That's what I might be inclined to do... especially if your want your DD's baby to start life being a good hockey fan.

-keith

[Keith D.]

Those are GREAT Ideas! My daughter is a huge Sedin fan and my granddaughter adores Burrows. I'm glad I asked because both ideas are terrific. I will get the scoop on who to put into goal on the 'other' side. This will be for a little boy who is going to be immersed in hockey, mom, dad and daughter are huge fans of the Canucks. Thanks so much for the ideas!

[Margo C.]

Brilliant idea, Keith! I wasn't sure how experienced Laura is, so I'm glad she will add the names!! What a team!

[Margo C.]

I would also add words representing traits that you want the baby to have like Love; truth; health; intelligence; patience, imagination etc. I have noticed that people really love to find those words

[Hannelore N.]

Keith, you rock!!

[Keith D.]

Thanks, Lorchen! Just when I was thinking it was good that I wasn't a dad... But I'd like to think I would develop all kinds of honourable traits in my children - just maybe not through a rockin' hockey quilt.

You rock too - I haven't talked to you in a while; I have been reading some of your posts. The image of Ricky overcome by 'lilac madness' has kept me going for days! =) (I put the 'u' in above just for U, Lorchen.)

And I'll play on Team Margo anytime.

[Margo C.]

Can you imagine a real play date with all of our TQS buddies??? Madness, I'm tellin' ya!

[Margo C.]

I'm definitely posting pics when I'm done this one. I have had it sandwiched and ready to go for ages, but couldn't figure out what to do, then did try something and ripped it all out. So tonight I have the names already to go on my Embird program, and will rebaste the quilt now that I have taken most of the pins out of it, then hopefully this weekend I will be quilting away.

[Hannelore N.]

Keith, Margo...... You'd have to put me in goal. I was quite a decent goalkeeper during my school years, and I'm not built for running a lot.

[Keith D.]

Lorchen, if you were in the visitors goal, I wouldn't have a thing to say... =) But I'd pay to see that. =)

Laura, please do let us see how things turn out!

[Lynn K.]

I'm just impressed you knew it was a hockey field Margo? I couldn't figure out WHAT it was. Good ideas, folks!

[Lynn K.]

Might be late, I was thinking hockey skates and sticks with names or I have a book continuous line quilting that has a hockey player you could blow up to fit two facing each other then grid.

[Lynn K.]

It's done. I did the crosshatch grid like Margo suggested and put in the Canuck team names. I didn't want DD to know what I was doing so I asked my 5 yr old DGD who knew the players, positions and who the most hated goalie in the league is, yes, Calgary Flames. But she didn't want his name on the quilt, so I didn't do it. The 'slgns' around the edges have sayings like 'Rent this Space call 1800 dad. He Shoots He scores. Easily Amused, Go Nucks, Hooray for Boobies, I am Canadian, etc. You can't see it well, but I did a red flange with the black binding, and the back is a black white and red Canada hockey fabric. I'm anxious to see how she likes it, as she was the one with the idea, I just had to create it. I did buy the Canuck logo due to copyright restrictions. Here's a couple of close up pictures. You can't really see the crosshatching, it's done in the same blue that the players names is in. Thanks so much for the great ideas, I was totally lost as to how to do this. I wanted something distinctive and it worked great.