Gen X Quilters baby Elephant parade quilt...

AnneMarie from Gen X Quilters made this super cute Elephant quilt for a friend's baby. It is a sweet story be sure to read. Also, make sure to check our her site, because she has some fun projects going on for the modern quilters!

Each quilt we complete becomes our favorite for a short period of time... but this one, called Elephant Parade, will continue to be on my list because it has a special story.

My husband has worked for a Japanese company for 9 years, and it wasn't until a couple months ago, we finally had our first Japanese guests over for dinner.  They were expecting their first child and had some questions for us.

Sure!  No problem, I thought...  we'd been through it twice after all?  It wasn't until they arrived and we started really getting to know each other that I realized how difficult it would be to have your first child in a country that wasn't your own.  I remember how difficult it was to be a first-time parent - and the over-whelming feeling I had walking into Babies'R'Us for the first time.  Now imagine doing this thousands of miles from home and trying to understand everything-baby in a different language.  My heart really went out to them.

So, of course, after they left, I decided I HAD to make them a quilt.  I sketched out a couple different versions of this before finally settling here.  I used 2 fabrics from Robert Kaufman's Urban Circus with Kona Turquois and Kona Orange.  Although I am still trying to figure out free motion, I managed to do a little echo around the elephant applique in the center (which I think looks awesome if I do say so myself!).

Their son is the cutest little guy and has two gracious and loving parents to guide him throughout his life.  I hope this little quilt will keep him cuddled nice and warm even after our friends return to Japan.