I SPY Quilts for Babies, Infants and Toddlers

Gordy, Brooklyn, NY		Henry Nicholas, Dallas TX
		Boden, Columbus, IN

Dear Jean,

I was introduced to I Spy quilts by a close friend named Jenn who is a mother, grandmother, expert sewer, and 25+ year elementary teacher with specialties in math and reading. Jenn has a sister who is a fabric Van Gogh as well as another sister who also quilts and sews a great deal. With the help of these sisters I, who used to sew a great deal and even made my own wedding gown, learned about I Spy quilts and began the process of creating ones of my own as gifts for the new babies of special people in my life.

Keeping in mind that babies, infants, and toddlers are the recipients of these quilts, they are sized accordingly. Four of the five ones pictured in the attachment consist of 80 squares of individual fabric with each square cut using a plastic template and a rotary cutter. The squares are 4"x4" in rows of 9 both horizontally and vertically. The 81st square, in the middle, is some form of the challenge to "I Spy." The center square I used consists of an embroidered spyglass with the words "I Spy" and embroidered lady bugs for decoration. My friend's fabric Van Gogh sister, Laurie, makes these center pieces for all of us. (One of the quilts pictured has the words "I SPY" in embroidered cursive writing.)

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I SPY Cousins Quilt

In 2000, I wanted to make a quilt for each of my 15 grandchildren, and I thought that I’d do patchwork quilts, out of fabric selected by each child. I decided to create I SPY Cousins quilts. As I was stitching the pieces together,
I began to see specific things, and little verses would come to me, and so I started writing them down. I could see the fun my grandchildren could have as they searched for the items in the verses.

My grandchildren treasure their quilts and when I have been babysitting them, we have had the opportunity to go through their books, read the clues and search for the items. This has created many hours of entertainment and fun for us!

© Sondra Smith 2009

Sondra Smith
Eagle Mountain, Utah.