Little by little, one travels far.

Title is a quote by J.R.R. Tolkien

Oh, this quilt. It will be the subject of several posts because there are so many aspects of what I do that are captured so well in this project. Custom orders can be so tricky, as I have mentioned before. On one hand I have to at least partially assume (or hope...) that the customer chose me because they want my signature style and so will hopefully trust me to just do my thing. However, any time a person seeks out custom work, it is because they already have some idea of what they want (or don't want) and they want you to make it happen. This can be difficult when you don't live in that person's brain, and no amount of sketching and exchanging photo ideas and color palettes can 100% portray all those thoughts. I am never more anxious about mailing off a product than when it's a custom design. I just want the customer to be happy and to love what I did and ideally, to feel like I exceeded their expectations. It can be stressful!

When Leah contacted me about this custom crib quilt design, I was excited, but also a little terrified. First of all, she is a photographer and creating art for another artist can be a blessing and a curse. I know other artists appreciate my work, but they also have a more discerning eye and often a strong idea of what they want. She was no exception. Second, this quilt is very complicated. Most of my work is a single scene, so my research stays pretty focused and the layout isn't the most difficult part of the journey. This quilt was a collage of many of the places her and her husband had traveled to together. So, not only was it a complex layout and design that required researching many different places and landmarks, but it also held great sentimental meaning. I didn't want to create a flat, lifeless version of these vibrant locations they had actually visited in person. I wanted to do justice to their memories. Third, I tend to work in bold, vibrant colors. Leah asked for a softer palette with pops of color here and there. I have to say, subtly is not my strong suit! But, I took this as a great challenge and looked for the opportunity to learn and grow and do something I don't normally do. And I'm so glad that I did. And fourth, and perhaps the most intimidating part of this project, is that all these things I just mentioned had to come together not just for the quilt itself, but it was for their very first child! So, not only was it sentimental because of the subject matter, but also because this quilt would be the big thing she did to commemorate the birth of this sweet baby girl. Her first child, with all the emotions and expectations and hopes that come with preparing for such a once-in-a-lifetime event...so absolutely no pressure whatsoever! And as if there needed to be more pressure, this quilt would be arriving in time for the baby shower and would be unveiled there to all of her friends and family. And to add more to the suspense, even though she knew I had shipped it, her husband kept it aside and didn't let her see it until the baby shower. So....I was VERY relieved to find out that she loved it! The last thing I wanted was for her to feel let down at that precious moment. Thankfully, all went well, and I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out.I will go into more detail about the process next time.

Leah is an amazing photographer. The photos in this post are ones she sent me. You can see her work at leahrhiannephotography.com

Little by little, one travels far.

Creating Contrast

Strong Women "Keep Going"