gator baby

This summer I made a quilt for a baby gator. This little guy was born to a couple of die hard Florida Gator fans and needed the perfect quilt. Here is the play by play of the aptly named quilt, Gator Baby.

Thankfully, I had wonderful school colors to work with! This is the maquette I presented to my client, friend and coworker, Beth. Whenever possible I make a maquette to convey my ideas. I thought the rugby stripe was great for a little boy and made a nice field for a big gator head.

Next, I went in search of reference. I didn't have to look any further than Sadie's bookshelf for our well loved copy of The Enormous Crocodile, by Roald Dahl. Gators and crocs; crocs and gators, I know there are differences, but this illustration happened to work perfectly for the project at hand. Admittedly, my first sketch resembled the Claussen pickle pelican, sans the funny hat. Alan came in and saved the day with a subtle adjustment. Thanks Alan!

Pupil practice and finished eye.

Ric rac teeth. Great idea Deb!

Sweet backing.

I chose a quilting pattern called Toothache to mimic the jagged teeth. We also added the baby's name and other particulars for a personal touch. Thanks for the great project Beth! Tons of fun.